Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cost-Effectiveness of Varenicline Compared to Placebo as an Aid to Smoking Cessation in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Background: Varenicline has been shown to be an effective and well-tolerated intervention for smoking cessation in smokers with stable cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost- effectiveness of varenicline and counselling compared to placebo and counselling based on extrapolating the results of a 52-week randomised controlled trial. Method: A Markov model was developed to simulate the outcomes of smokers with CVD. Outcomes included major forms of CVD (e.g. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)) and other key chronic conditions attributable to smoking (e.g. Lung Cancer). The lifetime costs, Life-Years gained (LY) and Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALY) were evaluated from a payer's perspective in Austria, Hungary and Germany. Additional analyses included a societal perspective, disease sub- group, and both one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA). Costs and outcomes were discounted at 3% per year. Results: From a payer's perspective, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per LY (or QALY) gained was � 4 112 (� 5 278), � 2 507 (� 3 183), and � 4 567 (� 5 867) for Austria, Hungary and Germany, respectively. Sub-group analyses demonstrated that smoking cessation in patients with CHD was more cost-effective than in patients with baseline stroke or peripheral vascular disease. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that outcomes were not sensitive to modelling assumptions. Varenicline was less costly and more effective than placebo from a societal perspective, and more costly and more effective than placebo in all iterations of the payer PSA. Conclusions: Varenicline is a cost-effective adjunct to counselling compared to counselling alone in patients with stable CVD.
A new circulation type classification based upon Lagrangian air trajectories

A new classification method of the large-scale circulation characteristic for a specific target area (NW Iberian Peninsula) is presented, based on the analysis of 90-h backward trajectories arriving in this area calculated with the 3-D Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART. A cluster analysis is applied to separate the backward trajectories in up to five representative air streams for each day. Specific measures are then used to characterise the distinct air streams (e.g., curvature of the trajectories, cyclonic or anticyclonic flow, moisture evolution, origin and length of the trajectories). The robustness of the presented method is demonstrated in comparison with the Eulerian Lamb weather type classification. A case study of the 2003 heatwave is discussed in terms of the new Lagrangian circulation and the Lamb weather type classifications. It is shown that the new classification method adds valuable information about the pertinent meteorological conditions, which are missing in an Eulerian approach. The new method is climatologically evaluated for the five-year time period from December 1999 to November 2004. The ability of the method to capture the inter-seasonal circulation variability in the target region is shown. Furthermore, the multi-dimensional character of the classification is shortly discussed, in particular with respect to inter-seasonal differences. Finally, the relationship between the new Lagrangian classification and the precipitation in the target area is studied.
Exploiting Source-side Monolingual Data in Neural Machine Translation

Neural Machine Translation (NMT) based on the encoder-decoder architecture has recently become a new paradigm. Researchers have proven that the target-side monolingual data can greatly enhance the decoder model of NMT. However, the source-side monolingual data is not fully explored although it should be useful to strengthen the encoder model of NMT, especially when the parallel corpus is far from sufﬁcient. In this paper, we propose two approaches to make full use of the source-side monolingual data in NMT. The ﬁrst approach employs the self-learning algorithm to generate the synthetic large-scale parallel data for NMT training. The second approach applies the multi-task learning framework using two NMTs to predict the translation and the reordered source-side monolingual sentences simultaneously. The extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed methods obtain signiﬁcant improvements over the strong attention-based NMT.
Longevity Manipulations Differentially Affect Serotonin/Dopamine Level and Behavioral Deterioration in Aging Caenorhabditis elegans

Aging is accompanied with behavioral and cognitive decline. Changes in the neurotransmitter level are associated with the age-related behavioral deterioration, but whether well-known longevity manipulations affect the function of neurotransmitter system in aging animals is largely unclear. Here we report that serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) level decrease with age in C. elegans. The reduction results in downregulation of the activity of neurons controlled by 5-HT/DA signaling, and deterioration of some important behaviors, including pharyngeal pumping, food-induced slowing responses, and male mating. Longevity manipulations differentially affect the age-related decline in neuronal level of 5-HT/DA. The reduction and resultant behavioral deterioration occur in long-lived worms with defective insulin signaling [daf-2(e1370), age-1(hx546)] or mitochondria function [isp-1(qm150), tpk-1(qm162)], but not in long-lived worms with dietary restriction eat-2(ad1116). A reduced expression level of dopa decarboxylase BAS-1, the shared enzyme for 5-HT/DA synthesis, is responsible for the decline in 5-HT/DA levels. RNAi assay revealed that the sustained 5-HT/DA level in neurons of aged eat-2(ad1116) worms requires PHA-4 and its effectors superoxide dismutases and catalases, suggesting the involvement of reactive oxygen species in the 5-HT/DA decline. Furthermore, we found that elevating 5-HT/DA ameliorates age-related deterioration of pharyngeal pumping, food-induced slowing responses, and male mating in both wild-type and daf-2(e1370) worms. Together, dietary restriction preserves healthy behaviors in aged worms at least partially by sustaining a high 5-HT/DA level, and elevating the 5-HT/DA level in wild-type and daf-2(e1370) worms improves their behaviors during aging.
Low‐temperature dephasing in disordered conductors: experimental aspects

What is the lowest temperature to which one can trace the growth of the dephasing time τφ in low‐dimensional conductors? I consider the fundamental limitation, the crossover from weak to strong localization, as well as several experimental reasons for frequently observed saturation of τφ (hot‐electron effects, dephasing by external noise). Recent progress in our understanding of the electron‐phonon interaction in disordered conductors is also briefly discussed.
Categorical Abstract Algebraic Logic Weakly Algebraizable π-Institutions

Weakly algebraizable sentential logics were introduced by Czelakowski and Jansana and constitute a class in the abstract algebraic hierarchy of logics lying between the protoalgebraic logics of Blok and Pigozzi and the algebraizable logics, in the sense of Czelakowski’s and Hermann’s generalization of the original notion introduced by Blok and Pigozzi. Very recently protoalgebraic π-institutions were introduced by the author in order to abstract the algebraic hierarchy to the categorical level. The present work continues this program by introducing the class of weakly algebraizable π-institutions, a proper superclass of protoalgebraic π-institutions, sharing many of the properties of the weakly algebraizable sentential logics of Czelakowski and Jansana.
Trust and its antecedents in supply chains : Evidence from a German buyers – Chinese suppliers perspective Gr 05-06

With globalization and the rapid development of China, more and more Western firms start sourcing from China and include Chinese companies in their supply chain in order to gain or maintain a competitive advantage. Successful supply chain performance is based on a high level of trust among supply chain partners. Factors influencing trust have received much attention in both the academic and business environment (Cavusgil et al. This study empirically tests the factors influencing the level of trust in relations between German buyers and Chinese suppliers. A web-based survey was conducted yielding 47 responses from German buyers and 35 from Chinese suppliers. German buyers seem to perceive a lower trust level than Chinese suppliers. Chinese suppliers perceive communication to be more important than German buyers. From a German buyer's perspective, perceived Chinese supplier's dependency appears to positively influence the level of trust in the supply chain relationship. Opportunistic behavior was found to have a negative influence on the level of trust in buyer-seller relationships. Based on the findings, managerial implications are identified and recommendations are provided.
General Magnitude Representation in Human Infants

Behavioral demonstrations of reciprocal interactions among the dimensions of space, number, and time, along with evidence of shared neural mechanisms in posterior parietal cortex, are consistent with a common representational code for general magnitude information. Although much recent speculation has concerned the developmental origins of a system of general magnitude representation, direct evidence in preverbal infants is lacking. Here we show that 9-month-olds transfer associative learning across magnitude dimensions. For example, if shown that larger objects were black and had stripes and that smaller objects were white and had dots, infants expected the same color-pattern mapping to hold for numerosity (i.e., greater numerosity: black with stripes; smaller numerosity: white with dots) and duration (i.e., longer-lasting objects: black with stripes; shorter-lasting objects: white with dots). Cross-dimensional transfer occurred bidirectionally for all combinations of size, numerosity, and duration. These results provide support for the existence of an early-developing and prelinguistic general magnitude system, whereby representations of magnitude information are (at least partially) abstracted from the specific dimensions.
Enforceable Component-Based Realtime Contracts – Supporting Realtime Properties from Software Development to Execution

We presentenforceable component-based realtime contracts, the first extension of component-based software engineering technology that comprehensively supports adaptive realtime systems from specification all the way to the running system. To provide this support, we have extended component-based interface definition languages (IDLs) and component representations in repositories to express realtime requirements for components. The final software, which is assembled from the components, is then executed on a realtime operating system (RTOS) with the help of a component runtime system. RTOS resource managers and the IDL-extensions are based on the same mathematical foundation. Thus, the component runtime system can use information expressed in a component-oriented manner in the extended IDL to derive parameters for the task-based admission and scheduling in the RTOS. Once basic realtime properties can thus be guaranteed, runtime support can be extended to more elaborate schemes that also support adaptive applications ( container-managed quality assurance). We claim that this study convincingly demonstrates how component-based software engineering can be extended to build systems with non-functional requirements.
The Interpersonal Effects of Claiming to have Depression by People not Diagnosed with Depression in Social Predicaments†‡

This study aims to examine the relative effects of making the statement, “I think I may have depressive disorder” as an excuse (i.e., insisting on depression) by comparing it with typical statements of excuse (i.e., physical illness, work requirements, and negligence). Participants were 238 Japanese undergraduates who read a scenario describing a social predicament and assessed excuse values in terms of their cognitive and behavioral reactions elicited by the excuse-maker. The results showed that insisting on depression was evaluated as a valid excuse, as were physical illness and work requirements, albeit there was no description of any obstacle to the excuse-maker’s progress including depressive symptoms. When these three statements were used as excuses, the participants were more likely to consider the target favorably and were motivated to behave more generously towards him than when he made no excuse or said, “I forgot” (i.e., negligence). We discuss the results while referring to recent social changes in Japan. The implications of these findings for the phenotype of people with modern type depression are discussed.
Assessing Concerns and Issues about the Mediation of Technology in Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has emerged as a recent form of peer aggression in our communities. As its name implies, cyberbullying occurs through the use of an electronic medium with the purpose to harm others. Although research has already demonstrated a number of serious consequences of cyber-victimization, many questions remain unanswered concerning the impact of cyberbullying. Longitudinal data do not yet exist to provide empirical evidence concerning the long-term effects of cyberbullying, but many researchers believe that these might be as bad, if not worse, than those resulting from traditional bullying. In the debate on the true impact of cyberbullying, various concerns related to the mediation of technology, have been raised by numerous researchers and writers. These concerns include new media’s potential to safeguard anonymity, to intrude 24/7 in peers’ lives, to remain unnoticed for teachers, parents and educators and to strip away cues of non-verbal communication by the victim. To meet the demand for more conceptual clarity on the terrain of cyberbullying, this article offers a conceptual framework by bringing together these issues and critically discussing them within the scope of the current knowledge on cyberbullying.
The association between adherence to the New Nordic Diet and diet quality

Background Previous studies have reported a positive association between scoring on healthy Nordic diet scales and the intake of healthy foods and nutrients, and also with higher intake of meat, sweets, cakes, and energy in general. These studies have used the same food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) responses for constructing the diet score as for calculating intakes of foods and nutrients. Thus, it is not clear whether the coexistence of healthy and less healthy dietary aspects among adherers to Nordic diets would occur even though separate methods were applied for exploring these relations. Objective To assess the association between adherence to the New Nordic Diet (NND), derived from an FFQ, and diet quality, determined from two 24-h dietary recall interviews. Design In total, 65 parents of toddlers in Southern Norway answered the NND FFQ and two 24-h dietary recall interviews. NND adherence was determined from the FFQ and categorized into low, medium, and high adherence. The two 24-h recalls provided data for the intake of specific foods and nutrients, selected on the basis of the Norwegian food-based guidelines as an indicator of a healthy diet. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used for assessing differences in food and nutrient intake across NND groups. Results High NND adherence derived from FFQ was associated with a high intake of fruits (p=0.004) and fiber (p=0.02), and a low intake of meat (p=0.004) and margarines (p=0.05), derived from recalls. A larger proportion of high NND adherers (68%) complied with the national dietary recommendation targeting meat intake compared with low NND adherers (29%) (p=0.04). Conclusion The present study showed that higher NND adherence measured with FFQ was associated with a higher intake of selected healthy foods and nutrients, measured with recalls. However, a higher intake of meat, sweets, and energy, as earlier reported, was not observed.
Gaze gestures and haptic feedback in mobile devices

Anticipating the emergence of gaze tracking capable mobile devices, we are investigating the use of gaze as an input modality in handheld mobile devices. We conducted a study of combining gaze gestures with vibrotactile feedback. Gaze gestures were used as an input method in a mobile device and vibrotactile feedback as a new alternative way to give confirmation of interaction events. Our results show that vibrotactile feedback significantly improved the use of gaze gestures. The tasks were completed faster and rated easier and more comfortable when vibrotactile feedback was provided.
Tridiagonal Toeplitz matrices: properties and novel applications

The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of tridiagonal Toeplitz matrices are known in closed form. This property is in the first part of the paper used to investigate the sensitivity of the spectrum. Explicit expressions for the structured distance to the closest normal matrix, the departure from normality, and the ϵ‐pseudospectrum are derived. The second part of the paper discusses applications of the theory to inverse eigenvalue problems, the construction of Chebyshev polynomial‐based Krylov subspace bases, and Tikhonov regularization. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The association between temperament and depressive symptoms in adolescence: Brooding and reflection as potential mediators

This study examined whether rumination subtypes (brooding and reflection) mediated prospective associations between temperament (negative emotionality and positive emotionality) and depressive symptoms in a community sample of 423 adolescents. Effortful control and sex were examined as potential moderators of the mediated pathway. Youth self-reported negative emotionality (NE), positive emotionality (PE), and effortful control (EC) at age 12; brooding and reflection subtypes of rumination at age 14; and depressive symptoms at ages 12, 14, and 15. Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that, controlling for initial levels of depressive symptoms, high NE, but not low PE, predicted increases in depressive symptoms from age 12 to age 15. Brooding, but not reflection, mediated the association between NE and depressive symptoms. Neither sex nor EC moderated either indirect pathway in the mediated model. The results confirm and extend previous findings on the association between affective and cognitive vulnerability factors in predicting depressive symptoms in adolescence.
Stochastic channel modeling for ad hoc wireless networks

Due to nodes mobility and environmental changes in mobile ad hoc networks, the ad hoc channel is time varying and subject to fading. As a consequence of these variations, the statistical characteristics of the received signal vary continuously, giving rise to a Doppler power spectral density (DPSD) which varies from one observation instant to the next. Therefore, the traditional models can no longer capture and track complex time variations in the propagation environment. These time variations compel us to introduce more advanced dynamical models in order to capture higher order dynamics of the ad hoc channel. Stochastic ad hoc channel models, in which the evolution of the dynamical channels is described by a stochastic state space representation, are derived. The parameters of the stochastic state space models are determined by approximating the band limited DPSD. Two approximating methods are considered. The first one is simple and the second one is the complex cepstrum method. Inphase and quadrature components of the proposed stochastic ad hoc channel models are derived. Numerical results show that link performance for ad hoc case is worse than cellular case, but the performance gap shrinks with increased mobility
Fractionating Working Memory

In the present study, we required subjects to remember simple objects that were masked to interrupt consolidation and allow us to estimate the rate of information accrual in visual working memory. We compared a consolidation-baseline condition with a consolidation-during-maintenance condition in which subjects needed to remember a set of unmasked items and then were shown to-be-remembered masked items. We hypothesized that if the control processes of consolidation and maintenance are performed by common mechanisms, then consolidation should be less efficient when performed during maintenance than when performed alone. However, we found that an identical amount of information was encoded per unit time in the two conditions. These results indicate that working memory consolidation is not slowed by maintenance and suggest a two-step model of encoding in visual working memory.
Multitarget particle filter track before detect application

The paper deals with a radar ‘track before detect’ application in a multitarget setting. ‘Track before detect’ is a method to track weak objects on the basis of raw radar measurements, e.g. the reflected power of the target plus noise. In classical target tracking, the tracking process is performed on the basis of pre-processed measurements that are constructed from the original measurement data every time step. In this way no integration over time takes place and information is lost. The authors give details of a modelling setup and a particle filter based algorithm to deal with a ‘multiple target track before detect’ situation. Using simulations it is shown that with this method, it is possible to track multiple, closely spaced, weak targets.
Sperm integrity pre- and post-chemotherapy in men with testicular germ cell cancer.

BACKGROUND While (partial) recovery of spermatogenesis, observed by means of standard semen analysis, has been seen in testicular cancer patients after chemotherapy with cisplatin, sperm genomic integrity and its implication for the patient's fertility are poorly understood. METHODS Semen and serum from 22 patients treated for testicular cancer were analysed pre- and post-chemotherapy. Besides routine semen analysis, sperm samples were evaluated by computerized karyometric image analysis (CKIA), chromomycin-A3 assay (CMA3, chromatin condensation) and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling assay (TUNEL, DNA damage). Serum FSH, LH and testosterone concentrations were measured. RESULTS Ejaculate volume decreased post-chemotherapy (P<0.05). External sperm characteristics (CKIA morphometry) and sperm counts did not deteriorate after chemotherapy. An improvement in DNA condensation was assessed after chemotherapy (37 versus 50% and 47.5 versus 63.7% for CMA3 and CKIA respectively; both P<0.005); yet a high percentage of TUNEL-positive sperm was found in the samples (21 versus 25% for pre- and post-chemotherapy samples respectively). These values were significantly higher than those of a convenience sample of normozoospermic males attending pre-IVF screening. Serum FSH and LH (IU/l) increased after chemotherapy compared with pretreatment levels (8.1 versus 16.7 and 4.5 vs 6.8; both P<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Despite the improvement in sperm chromatin packaging after chemotherapy, an abnormally high percentage of DNA-damaged sperm was found in these samples. As sperm quality does not reach normal levels after treatment, it remains difficult to outline the best strategy and guidance concerning fertility potential of testicular cancer patients.