LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Real-Time Multi-Digit Recognition System Using Deep Learning on an Embedded System

In the machine learning technology, making computers read letters, characters and digits have been a hot issue in many areas of research. Among them, the recognition of handwritten numbers has still a long way to go, unlike the recognition of printed digits or the recognition of handwritten English sentences. In this paper we will introduce to you a multiple handwritten digit recognition system using deep learning.
Exploring the floristic diversity of tropical Africa

Understanding the patterns of biodiversity distribution and what influences them is a fundamental pre-requisite for effective conservation and sustainable utilisation of biodiversity. Such knowledge is increasingly urgent as biodiversity responds to the ongoing effects of global climate change. Nowhere is this more acute than in species-rich tropical Africa, where so little is known about plant diversity and its distribution. In this paper, we use RAINBIO – one of the largest mega-databases of tropical African vascular plant species distributions ever compiled – to address questions about plant and growth form diversity across tropical Africa. The filtered RAINBIO dataset contains 609,776 georeferenced records representing 22,577 species. Growth form data are recorded for 97% of all species. Records are well distributed, but heterogeneous across the continent. Overall, tropical Africa remains poorly sampled. When using sampling units (SU) of 0.5°, just 21 reach appropriate collection density and sampling completeness, and the average number of records per species per SU is only 1.84. Species richness (observed and estimated) and endemism figures per country are provided. Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast and Liberia appear as the botanically best-explored countries, but none are optimally explored. Forests in the region contain 15,387 vascular plant species, of which 3013 are trees, representing 5–7% of the estimated world’s tropical tree flora. The central African forests have the highest endemism rate across Africa, with approximately 30% of species being endemic. The botanical exploration of tropical Africa is far from complete, underlining the need for intensified inventories and digitization. We propose priority target areas for future sampling efforts, mainly focused on Tanzania, Atlantic Central Africa and West Africa. The observed number of tree species for African forests is smaller than those estimated from global tree data, suggesting that a significant number of species are yet to be discovered. Our data provide a solid basis for a more sustainable management and improved conservation of tropical Africa’s unique flora, and is important for achieving Objective 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation 2011–2020.
Gender Inclusiveness in Educational Technology and Learning Experiences of Girls and Boys

The lise of technology (information and communication technology, ICT) in secondary education is an important aspect of the current curriculum and of teachers' pedagogy. Learning supported by computers is supposed to be motivating for students and is, therefore, assumed to have positive effects on learning experiences and results. However, the question remains whether these motivating effects are equal for all students. Although the gender gap in the use of ICT and knowledge about it has diminished, there are still indications that the use of technology in education affects girls and boys differently. The present empirical study focuses on the relationship between the inclusiveness of educational tools and the learning experiences of girls and boys. The results show that gender scripts are embedded in educational tools, which are reinforced in classroom practice and affect learner experiences. A greater inclusiveness of the tools appears to improve the participation of students, enhances positive attitudes toward learning and technology, and improves the learning effects as reported by girls and boys. Girls especially tend to benefit from the inclusiveness of educational took. (
Evaluation of the health and functional status of older Indians as a prelude to the development of a health programme.

BACKGROUND
An estimated 68 million Indians are above the age of 60 years; however, information on their health status and needs is limited. Experience in developed countries shows that multiple chronic illnesses, nutritional deficiency and functional disability are common features of old age. For the development of any health programme, reliable situational information is essential. We therefore assessed the health and functional status of older Indians seeking health services.


METHODS
We carried out a prospective cross-sectional observational study on 1586 subjects > or = 60 years of age (1035 men and 551 women), who attended the Geriatric Clinic of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. A clinical and laboratory evaluation was carried out through a pre-designed protocol evolved after reviewing the relevant literature. The protocol included a questionnaire on demographic details, personal habits, socio-economic variables, family structure, past and present medical history, use of medications and aids, presence of certain common symptoms and perceived functional disability. Evaluation included a detailed physical examination, functional assessment, psychiatric assessment and a set of laboratory tests.


RESULTS
Ninety-five per cent of the subjects were < 80 years of age and 87% of them sought medical attention for an acute illness that had occurred in the month prior to their coming to our clinic. One or more chronic illnesses were present in 96% and each subject had a mean of 2.5 diagnoses. However, they suffered from a limited number of illnesses of which the 10 most common accounted for 80% of the diagnoses. Hypertension, cataract and osteoarthritis were the 3 most common illnesses. About one-third of a subset of 209 subjects had a psychiatric illness; depression accounted for 50% of all psychiatric illnesses. A detailed functional assessment was carried out in 1268 subjects which showed that deficits of vision and hearing were the most frequent disabilities. Impairment of daily activities and cognition accounted for 6.9% and 5.1% of the diagnoses, respectively. A majority of them considered their home free from the hazard of accidents and were sure of support from their families at times of need.


CONCLUSION
Multiple chronic illnesses, frequent acute illnesses and deficits of vision and hearing are the major health and functional problems of the health-seeking older population in India. It is difficult to assess the total service needs of the population from this study because of its unrepresentative character, though it provides a fair picture of the expectations of care of older people in India.
An Error Estimation Framework for Many-Light Rendering

The popularity of many-light rendering, which converts complex global illumination computations into a simple sum of the illumination from virtual point lights (VPLs), for predictive rendering has increased in recent years. A huge number of VPLs are usually required for predictive rendering at the cost of extensive computational time. While previous methods can achieve significant speedup by clustering VPLs, none of these previous methods can estimate the total errors due to clustering. This drawback imposes on users tedious trial and error processes to obtain rendered images with reliable accuracy. In this paper, we propose an error estimation framework for many-light rendering. Our method transforms VPL clustering into stratified sampling combined with confidence intervals, which enables the user to estimate the error due to clustering without the costly computing required to sum the illumination from all the VPLs. Our estimation framework is capable of handling arbitrary BRDFs and is accelerated by using visibility caching, both of which make our method more practical. The experimental results demonstrate that our method can estimate the error much more accurately than the previous clustering method.
Cognitive convergence in collaborative learning

Collaborative learning, as both a pedagogical method and a cognitive mechanism plays a prominent role in the Learning Sciences. In this symposium we will use the term “cognitive convergence” to encompass various concepts that have been used to explain the important processes underlying successful collaboration, such as intersubjectivity, coconstruction, knowledge convergence, common ground, joint problem space, and transactive reasoning. The goal of the symposium is to contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of cognitive convergence and to relate cognitive convergence to individual learning outcomes. We include studies that emphasize detailed analyses of the mechanisms, provide ideas about how to conceptualize and measure convergence, and include qualitative and quantitative measures of shared and converging learning outcomes. A special emphasis will be on methodological questions about how to analyze the processes of achieving convergence and how to assess how convergence affects outcomes of collaborative learning.
Toxoplasma Gondii Serostatus in Heart Transplant Recipients: Is It an Independent Prognostic Factor?

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES
To assess the potential association between recipient Toxoplasma gondii serostatus and outcomes after heart transplant (HT).


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective single-center study of 657 HT recipients from 1991 to 2015. Survival and the incidence of adverse clinical events of T. gondii-seropositive (n = 481) vs T. gondii-seronegative (n = 176) recipients were compared by means of 2 different multivariable Cox regression models. Model 1 included solely age and sex, and model 2 included other potential confounders.


RESULTS
Over a median follow-up of 2903 days (interquartile range: 898-4757), 250 seropositive recipients (52%) and 72 seronegative recipients (41%) died. Univariable analysis showed increased posttransplant mortality among T. gondii-seropositive recipients (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.31; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 1,00-1.70). After multivariable adjustment, the statistical significance of this association was lost (model 1: HR = 1.09; 95%CI, 0.83-1.43; model 2:HR = 1.12; 95%CI, 0.85-1.47). Recipient T. gondii seropositivity was independently associated with an increased risk of acute rejection (model 1: HR = 1.36; 95%CI, 1.06-1.74; model 2: HR = 1.29; 95%CI, 1.01-1.66). Multivariable models showed no statistically significant impact of recipient T. gondii serostatus on the incidence of infection, malignancy, coronary allograft vasculopathy, or the composite outcome of cardiac death or retransplant. No significant association was found between donor-recipient T. gondii serostatus matching and posttransplant outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, recipient T. gondii serostatus was not an independent predictor of long-term post-HT outcome.
Multisource Software on Multicore Automotive ECUs—Combining Runnable Sequencing With Task Scheduling

As the demand for computing power is quickly increasing in the automotive domain, car manufacturers and tier-one suppliers are gradually introducing multicore electronic control units (ECUs) in their electronic architectures. In addition, these multicore ECUs offer new features such as higher levels of parallelism, which ease the compliance with safety requirements such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26262 and the implementation of other automotive use cases. These new features involve greater complexity in the design, development, and verification of the software applications. Hence, car manufacturers and suppliers will require new tools and methodologies for deployment and validation. In this paper, we address the problem of sequencing numerous elementary software modules, called runnables, on a limited set of identical cores. We show how this problem can be addressed as the following two subproblems, which cannot optimally be solved due to their algorithmic complexity: 1) partitioning the set of runnables and 2) building the sequencing of the runnables on each core. We then present low-complexity heuristics to partition and build sequencer tasks that execute the runnable set on each core. Finally, we globally address the scheduling problem, at the ECU level, by discussing how we can extend this approach in cases where other OS tasks are scheduled on the same cores as the sequencer tasks.
Enteral nutrition is superior to total parenteral nutrition for pancreatic cancer patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and enteral nutrition (EN) on biochemical and clinical outcomes in pancreatic cancer patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy.


METHODS
From the year 2006 to 2008, 60 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in Tianjin Third Central Hospital were enrolled in this study. They were randomly divided into the EN group and the TPN group. The biochemical and clinical parameters were recorded and analyzed between the two groups.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference in the nutritional status, liver and kidney function, and blood glucose levels between the TPN and EN groups on the preoperative day, the 1st and 3 rd postoperative days. However, on the 7th postoperative day, there was significant difference between the two groups in 24 h urinary nitrogen, serum levels of, total protein (TP), transferrin (TF), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and γ-glutamyl transpeptadase (GGT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr). On the 14th postoperative day, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of urinary levels of 24 h nitrogen, TP, TF, retinol binding protein, ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, BUN, Cr, and glucose. The incidence of delayed gastric emptying in the EN and TPN groups was 0% and 20%, respectively. Moreover, the incidence of pancreatic fistulas and hemorrhages in the EN group were 3.6% and 3.6%, versus 26.7% and 30% in the TPN group, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
EN is better than TPN for pancreatic cancer patients who received pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Cr(VI) reduction by Enterococcus gallinarum isolated from tannery waste-contaminated soil

Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is a widespread environmental contaminant. Many microorganisms have been reported to detoxify hexavalent chromium. The present work is the first report of a strain of Enterococcus having the ability of resistance to and reduction of Cr(VI). This strain was isolated from tannery waste-contaminated soil and identified as Enterococcus gallinarum, by biochemical methods and 16S rDNA analysis. The strain also exhibited multiple heavy metals (Cu2+, Ni 2+, Pb2+, Co2+ and Zn2+) tolerance. It was found to reduce chromate to 100% at a concentration of 200 mg l-1, in aerobic conditions. The cells reduced Cr(VI) under a wide range of temperatures (25-45°C) and pH (7–11) with optimum at 37°C and initial pH 10. The presence of other metals, such as Cu2+, stimulated Cr(VI) reduction, while Pb2+ and Ni 2+ had no significant effect on reduction ability by the strain. Assay with resting and permeabilized cells (treated with toluene and Triton X-100) demonstrated that the reduction of Cr(VI) is mediated by cell membrane bound or soluble proteins of the cell. The results obtained in this study have significance for the bioremediation of chromate pollution.
GPU Accelerated Direct Volume Rendering on an Interactive Light Field Display

We present a GPU accelerated volume ray casting system interactively driving a multi-user light field display. The display, driven by a single programmable GPU, is based on a specially arranged array of projectors and a holographic screen and provides full horizontal parallax. The characteristics of the display are exploited to develop a specialized volume rendering technique able to provide multiple freely moving naked-eye viewers the illusion of seeing and manipulating virtual volumetric objects floating in the display workspace. In our approach, a GPU ray-caster follows rays generated by a multiple-center-of-projection technique while sampling pre-filtered versions of the dataset at resolutions that match the varying spatial accuracy of the display. The method achieves interactive performance and provides rapid visual understanding of complex volumetric data sets even when using depth oblivious compositing techniques.
Impedance-based simulation models of supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries for power electronic applications

To predict performance of modern power electronic systems, simulation-based design methods are used. This work employs the method of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to find new equivalent-circuit models for supercapacitors and Lithium-ion batteries.
Altered trunk muscle recruitment in people with low back pain with upper limb movement at different speeds.

OBJECTIVE
To compare trunk muscle coordination in people with and without low back pain with varying speeds of limb movement.


STUDY DESIGN
Abdominal and back extensor muscle activity in association with upper limb movement was compared among three speeds of movement and between people with and without low back pain.


PARTICIPANTS
Fourteen subjects with a history of recurrent low back pain and a group of age- and sex-matched control subjects.


MEASURES
The onsets of electromyographic activity of the trunk and limb muscles, frequency of trunk muscle responses, and angular velocity of arm movements.


RESULTS
Early activation of transversus abdominis (TrA) and obliquus internus abdominis (OI) occurred in the majority of trials, with movement at both the fast and intermediate speeds for the control group. In contrast, subjects with low back pain failed to recruit TrA or OI in advance of limb movement with fast movement, and no activity of the abdominal muscles was recorded in the majority of intermediate speed trials. There was no difference between groups for slow movement.


CONCLUSION
The results indicate that the mechanism of preparatory spinal control is altered in people with lower back pain for movement at a variety of speeds.
Key-agreement based on automaton groups

We suggest several automaton groups as key-agreement platforms for Anshl-Anshel-Goldfeld metascheme, they include Grigorchuk and universal Grigorchuk groups, Hanoi 3-Towers group, Basilica group and a subgroup of the affine group with the unsolvable conjugacy problem
Gender differences in academic advancement: patterns, causes, and potential solutions in one US College of Medicine.

PURPOSE
The influx of women into academic medicine has not been accompanied by equality for male and female faculty. Women earn less than men in comparable positions, progress more slowly through academic ranks, and have not attained important leadership roles. This study tested hypotheses about why gender disparities exist in salary, rank, track, leadership, and perceptions of campus climate at one academic center, the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson.


METHOD
Salary, rank, and track data were obtained from institutional databases for the 1999-2000 fiscal year. A structured, online questionnaire was made available to 418 faculty members to collect information about their goals, attitudes, and experiences.


RESULTS
A total of 198 faculty members completed the questionnaire. The data showed significant gender differences in faculty salaries, ranks, tracks, leadership positions, resources, and perceptions of academic climate. On average, women earned US dollars 12777 or 11% less than men, after adjusting for rank, track, degree, specialty, years in rank, and administrative positions (p <.0003). Of female faculty, 62% were assistant professors (49% of women were non-tenure-eligible assistant professors), while 55% of male faculty were promoted and tenured. Almost a third of women reported being discriminated against, compared with only 5% of men (p <.00001).


CONCLUSION
Substantial gender differences in the rewards and opportunities of academic medicine remain, that can not be attributed to differences in productivity or commitment between women and men.
The life and work of A.A. Markov

The Russian mathematician A.A. Markov (1856–1922) is known for his work in number theory, analysis, and probability theory. He extended the weak law of large numbers and the central limit theorem to certain sequences of dependent random variables forming special classes of what are now known as Markov chains. For illustrative purposes Markov applied his chains to the distribution of vowels and consonants in A.S. Pushkin’s poem “Eugeny Onegin”. At present, much more important applications of Markov chains have been discovered. Here we present an overview of Markov’s life and his work on the chains. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A longitudinal investigation of intimate partner violence among mothers with mental illness.

OBJECTIVE
Severe mental illness, substance use, and intimate partner violence have emerged as major intersecting public health problems that adversely and disproportionately impact the lives of women in the United States. This longitudinal study investigated the demographic and clinical correlates of intimate partner violence in a sample of 324 mothers with severe mental illness.


METHODS
A secondary analysis of longitudinal data was conducted by using multiple logistic regression. Participants were part of a longitudinal, community-based study of mothers with severe mental illness, which was aimed at understanding how these mothers viewed motherhood. The women were interviewed initially at baseline (interviews were conducted between 1995 and 1996) and then about 20 months later at follow-up (interviews were conducted between 1997 and 1998).


RESULTS
At follow-up the prevalence rate of intimate partner violence was 19%. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed a significant positive relationship between alcohol and drug misuse at baseline and intimate partner violence at follow-up, indicating that women with a co-occurring diagnosis of a substance use disorder (dual diagnosis) were more likely than women without such a diagnosis to report intimate partner violence. The number of lifetime psychiatric hospitalizations and the number of symptoms related to psychiatric disability exhibited at baseline were positively associated with intimate partner violence at follow-up, and age was inversely associated with intimate partner violence.


CONCLUSIONS
Mental health professionals serving mothers with mental health problems need to be aware of and prepared to assess the significant correlation between these intersecting public health problems in order to influence successful interventions. Particular attention must be given to the special treatment needs related to dual diagnosis and victimization and the impact of these factors on this vulnerable population.
Pathfinder: relational XQuery over multi-gigabyte XML inputs in interactive time

Using a relational DBMS as back-end engine for an XQuery processing system leverages relational query optimization and scalable query processing strategies provided by mature DBMS engines in the XML domain. Though a lot of theoretical work has been done in this area and various solutions have been proposed, no complete systems have been made available so far to give the practical evidence that this is a viable approach. In this paper, we describe the ourely relational XQuery processor Pathfinder that has been built on top of the extensible RDBMS MonetDB. Performance results indicate that the system is capable of evaluating XQuery queries efficiently, even if the input XML documents become huge. We additionally present further contributions such as loop-lifted staircase join, techniques to derive order properties and to reduce sorting effort in the generated relational algebra plans, as well as methods for optimizing XQuery joins, which, taken together, enabled us to reach our performance and scalability goals. 1998 ACM Computing Classification System: H.2.4, H.2.3, H.2.2, E.1