Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wind-induced vibrations of buildings: role of transient events

The design of tall buildings, in many cases, is governed by habitability limit states, where accelerations predicted from wind tunnel studies emulating stationary, boundary layer flows associated with synoptic winds are compared to accepted standards for occupant comfort. In both the accelerations predicted for these design limit states and the criteria they are evaluated against, tall building design practice has consciously neglected other types of responses that result from more transient wind events, such as thunderstorms, owing to their short duration. In fact, these types of events and the impulse-like responses they induce in dynamically sensitive structures were not even considered in occupant comfort tests on human subjects until very recently. However, full-scale monitoring programmes on tall buildings, and anecdotal reports from their occupants, have verified that these events do occur regularly and are capable of producing accelerations that exceed those generated by their stationary synoptic .
Query Optimization in Oracle 12c Database In-Memory

Traditional on-disk row major tables have been the dominant storage mechanism in relational databases for decades. Over the last decade, however, with explosive growth in data volume and demand for faster analytics, has come the recognition that a different data representation is needed. There is widespread agreement that in-memory column-oriented databases are best suited to meet the realities of this new world. Oracle 12c Database In-memory, the industry's first dual-format database, allows existing row major on-disk tables to have complementary in-memory columnar representations. The new storage format brings new data processing techniques and query execution algorithms and thus new challenges for the query optimizer. Execution plans that are optimal for one format may be sub-optimal for the other. In this paper, we describe the changes made in the query optimizer to generate execution plans optimized for the specific format -- row major or columnar -- that will be scanned during query execution. With enhancements in several areas -- statistics, cost model, query transformation, access path and join optimization, parallelism, and cluster-awareness -- the query optimizer plays a significant role in unlocking the full promise and performance of Oracle Database In-Memory.
Missing Girls in India: Infanticide, Feticide and Made-to-Order Pregnancies? Insights from Hospital-Based Sex-Ratio-at-Birth over the Last Century

Background There are 44 million missing women in India. Gender bias; neglect of girls, infanticides and feticides are responsible. The sex ratio at birth can be used to examine the influence of antenatal sex selection on the sex ratio. Materials and Methods Records from 321,991 deliveries at one hospital over 11 decades were utilized. The middle year in each decade was taken as representative of the decade. Data from 33,524 deliveries were then analyzed. Data for each decade was combined with that of previous decades and compared to the data of subsequent decades to look for any change in the trend. Sex ratio in the second children against sex of the first child was studied separately. Results The mean sex ratio for the 110 years examined was 910 girls to 1000 boys (95% CI; 891 to 930). The sex ratio dropped significantly from 935 (CI: 905 to 967) before 1979, to 892 (CI: 868 to 918) after 1980 (P = 0.04). The sex ratio in the second child was significantly lower if the first child was a girl [716 (CI: 672 to 762] (P<0.001). On the other hand, there was an excess of girls born to mothers whose first child was boy [1140 girls per 1000 boys (CI: 1072 to 1212 P<0.001)]. Conclusions The sex ratio fell significantly after 1980 when ultra sound machines for antenatal sex determination became available. The sex ratio in second children if the first was a girl was even lower. Sex selective abortions after antenatal sex determination are thus implicated. However data on second children especially the excess of girls born to mothers who have a previous boy seen in the decade before the advent of antenatal ultra sound machines, suggests that other means of sex selection are also used.
Local unitary transformation, long-range quantum entanglement, wave function renormalization, and topological order

Two gapped quantum ground states in the same phase are connected by an adiabatic evolution which gives rise to a local unitary transformation that maps between the states. On the other hand, gapped ground states remain within the same phase under local unitary transformations. Therefore, local unitary transformations define an equivalence relation and the equivalence classes are the universality classes that define the different phases for gapped quantum systems. Since local unitary transformations can remove local entanglement, the above equivalence/universality classes correspond to pattern of long range entanglement, which is the essence of topological order. The local unitary transformation also allows us to define a wave function renormalization scheme, under which a wave function can flow to a simpler one within the same equivalence/universality class. Using such a setup, we find conditions on the possible fixed-point wave functions where the local unitary transformations have \emph{finite} dimensions. The solutions of the conditions allow us to classify this type of topological orders, which generalize the string-net classification of topological orders. We also describe an algorithm of wave function renormalization induced by local unitary transformations. The algorithm allows us to calculate the flow of tensor-product wave functions which are not at the fixed points. This will allow us to calculate topological orders as well as symmetry breaking orders in a generic tensor-product state.
The syllable as a prosodic unit in Japanese lexical strata: Evidence from text-setting

Text-setting, the arrangement of language to music, is a common source of evidence in the debate over the relevance of the syllable in Japanese prosody (e.g., Labrune 2012). Although Japanese text-setting is typically treated as mora-based, the present corpus analysis reveals that syllable-based text-setting is pervasive in Japanese. Two studies presented here compare native Japanese songs with those translated into Japanese. The results demonstrate use of syllabic settings throughout the corpora and across the lexical strata of Japanese. Syllabic settings are shown to arise with greater likelihood in response to pressures imposed by restrictive translation contexts, information density mismatch, and knowledge of correspondence to English loans. We argue that, given the viability of syllabic text-setting in Japanese, moraic text-setting is a stylistic norm of Japanese music that is shifting over time, rather than evidence of a lack of syllable structure in the language’s prosodic system.
Human spiral artery renin-angiotensin system.

Pregnancy induces uterine spiral arteries to remodel into dilated uteroplacental vessels by an unknown mechanism called "physiological change. " In women who develop preeclampsia, however, many spiral arteries remain unchanged or develop medial hyperplasia and atherosis. We recently demonstrated that angiotensinogen is expressed by remodeling spiral arteries in first-trimester decidua. We hypothesize that a local spiral artery renin-angiotensin system mediates pregnancy-induced remodeling of these vessels. In this study we tested for expression of renin, angiotensin-converting enzyme, and angiotensin II type 1 receptor genes in the first-trimester uterus using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Expression was localized by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Renin, angiotensin-converting enzyme, and the angiotensin II type 1 receptor are all expressed in and around remodeling spiral arteries. These observations suggest that a local spiral artery renin-angiotensin system may play a role in pregnancy-induced remodeling of these vessels. Elevated angiotensinogen expression in women homozygous for the A(-6) variant in the angiotensinogen promoter may promote abnormal remodeling, whereas relatively lower levels in women homozygous for G(-6) may permit enough normal remodeling to protect these women from preeclampsia.
Question Relevance in VQA: Identifying Non-Visual And False-Premise Questions

Visual Question Answering (VQA) is the task of answering natural-language questions about images. We introduce the novel problem of determining the relevance of questions to images in VQA. Current VQA models do not reason about whether a question is even related to the given image (e.g. What is the capital of Argentina? ) or if it requires information from external resources to answer correctly. This can break the continuity of a dialogue in human-machine interaction. Our approaches for determining relevance are composed of two stages. Given an image and a question, (1) we first determine whether the question is visual or not, (2) if visual, we determine whether the question is relevant to the given image or not. Our approaches, based on LSTM-RNNs, VQA model uncertainty, and caption-question similarity, are able to outperform strong baselines on both relevance tasks. We also present human studies showing that VQA models augmented with such question relevance reasoning are perceived as more intelligent, reasonable, and human-like.
Self-reported physician practices for children with asthma: are national guidelines followed?

OBJECTIVE To determine self-reported adherence to national asthma guidelines for children by primary care physicians in managed care; and, to analyze sources of variation in these practices by physician specialty and managed care practice type. DESIGN A survey of 671 primary care physicians (pediatricians and family physicians) practicing in 3 geographically diverse managed care organizations (MCO). Domains of interest included asthma diagnosis, pharmacotherapy, patient education and follow-up, and indications for specialty referral. Item formats included self-reports of usual practice and responses to case vignettes. RESULTS A total of 429 (64%) physicians returned surveys, 22 of whom did not meet criteria for inclusion in the analysis. Most respondents had both heard of (91%) and read (72%) the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) guidelines. For diagnosis, 75% reported routine use of office peak flow measurement, but only 21% used spirometry routinely. Family physicians were more likely than pediatricians to use spirometry in diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 5.9), and less likely to recommend daily peak flow measurement (OR =.3). The median reported frequency of providing written care plans was only 50%. Though inhaled corticosteroids were deemed very safe or safe by 93%, almost half had specific concerns regarding at least 1 side effect, most commonly growth delay. Primary care physicians' criteria for referral to an asthma specialist differed from those of the NAEPP panel in choosing to manage more severe patients without asthma specialist input. Family physicians were more likely than pediatricians to refer a child after a single hospitalization, 2 to 3 emergency department visits, after 2 exacerbations, or if the child was <3 years old and required daily medications. Responses to vignettes showed generally appropriate initial use of antiinflammatory agents, but reluctance to increase the dose in response to continued symptoms, and less frequent follow-up than recommended by the NAEPP. CONCLUSION Most physicians for children report having read and adopted NAEPP guideline recommendations for asthma treatment, including generally appropriate use of medications. Opportunities for improvement exist in specific areas such as the use of written care plans, optimizing antiinflammatory dosing, and providing routine follow-up. Although physicians show evidence of awareness of national guidelines and knowledge consistent with much of their content, additional work is required to promote the use of self-management tools in practice.
Is Ignorance Bliss? Rational Inattention and Optimal Pricing∗

A rationally inattentive consumer processes information about his valuation prior to making his purchasing decision. In a monopoly pricing problem, I study the case in which information processing constraints restrict the consumer to finite information structures. The limiting, unconstrained case is analyzed as well. Any finite equilibrium information structure satisfies three properties: It is partitional , guarantees seller-indifference, and induces efficient trade. The consumer strictly benefits from having access to information structures with more signal realizations. Every equilibrium information structure yields only a coarse perception about low values, whereas the information about high values is more precise and may be perfectly informative. In equilibrium, trade is efficient and the consumer is strictly better off than under monopoly pricing for a fully attentive consumer. Surprisingly, even in the absence of information processing constraints and costs, the consumer does not want to become perfectly informed.
Analogical reasoning and its development : role of executive functions and the goal of the task

This manuscript develops an issue related to the involvement of goal management capabilities and executive functions in this type of reasoning and its development. The first three experiments examine this issue in two tasks of analogical reasoning, the scene analogy task and the A:B::C:? task, through the study of visual strategies used by adults, and children aged 6-to-7. The results show differences in visual patterns related to goals, and to the inhibition of irrelevant information for the solution of the problems, between the different tasks, and between children and adults. The following two experiments study the visual strategies, always in relation to executive functioning and goal management, in an A:B::C:? task whose difficulty is manipulated to highlight the difference in involvement of monitoring and evaluation processes. The results do show an effect of the difficulty of the test and the type of distractor in the visual strategies employed. Finally, the last three experiments investigate the involvement of cognitive flexibility, one of the executive functions, in the analogical reasoning of preschool children (5-6-year-olds), limited in their flexibility. The results show that their early anchoring in a type of representation, relevant or not to the solution of the problem, is related to their ability to solve the problem later, and thus suggest a difficulty in shifting their representation during the resolution of the problems. These results are finally discussed in relation to models of analogical reasoning and of the development of this ability, especially those integrating goal management and executive functions.
LoCuSS: THE MID-INFRARED BUTCHER–OEMLER EFFECT

We study the mid-infrared (MIR) properties of galaxies in 30 massive galaxy clusters at 0.02 ⩽ z ⩽ 0.40, using panoramic Spitzer/MIPS 24 μm and near-infrared data, including 27 new observations from the LoCuSS and ACCESS surveys. This is the largest sample of clusters to date with such high-quality and uniform MIR data covering not only the cluster cores, but extending into the infall regions. We use these data to revisit the so-called Butcher–Oemler (BO) effect, measuring the fraction of massive infrared luminous galaxies (K < K⋆ + 1.5, LIR > 5 × 1010 L☉) within r200, finding a steady increase in the fraction with redshift from ∼3% at z = 0.02 to ∼10% by z = 0.30, and an rms cluster-to-cluster scatter about this trend of 0.03. The best-fit redshift evolution model of the form fSF ∝ (1 + z)n has n = 5.7+2.1−1.8, which is stronger redshift evolution than that of L⋆IR in both clusters and the field. We find that, statistically, this excess is associated with galaxies found at large cluster-centric radii, specifically r500 < r < r200, implying that the MIR BO effect can be explained by a combination of both the global decline in star formation in the universe since z ∼ 1 and enhanced star formation in the infall regions of clusters at intermediate redshifts. This picture is supported by a simple infall model based on the Millennium Simulation semianalytic galaxy catalogs, whereby star formation in infalling galaxies is instantaneously quenched upon their first passage through the cluster, in that the observed radial trends of fSF trace those inferred from the simulations. The observed fSF values, however, lie systematically above the predictions, suggesting an overall excess of star formation, either due to triggering by environmental processes, or a gradual quenching. We also find that fSF does not depend on simple indicators of the dynamical state of clusters, including the offset between the brightest cluster galaxy and the peak of the X-ray emission. This is consistent with the picture described above in that most new star formation in clusters occurs in the infall regions, and is thus not sensitive to the details of cluster–cluster mergers in the core regions.
Effect Of Friction Stir Processing On Mechanical Properties And Microstructure Of The Cast Pure Aluminum

Friction stir processing (FSP) has the potential for locally enhancing the properties of pure AL. A cylindrical tool with threaded pin was used. the effect of FSP has been examined on sand casting hypereutectic pure AL. The influence of different processing parameters has been investigated at a fundamental level. Effect of (FSP) parameters such as transverse speed (86,189,393) mm/min, rotational speed (560,710, 900) rpm on microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. Different mechanical tests were conducted such as (tensile, microhardness and impact tests). Temperature distribution has been investigated by using infrared (IR) camera; the thermal images were analyzed to point out the temperature degree on limited points. The results show that the heat generation increase when rotational speed increase and decrease when transverse speed increase. Hardness and impact measurements were taken across the process zone( PZ), and tensile testing were carried out at room temperatures. After FSP, the microstructure of the cast pure Al was greatly refined. However, FSP caused very little changes to the hardness of the material, while tensile and impact properties were greatly improved.
A New Current-Driven Synchronous Rectifier for Series–Parallel Resonant ( $LLC$) DC–DC Converter

A new synchronous rectifier (SR) driving method is proposed using primary current sensing in this paper. Because the magnetizing current of transformer is included in the primary winding of transformer, it cannot be used to generate the driving signals of SRs directly. A current-compensating winding in current transformer (CT) is used to cancel out the magnetizing current and generate suitable driving signals for SR. Therefore, one CT is used to generate two driving signals for two SRs in LLC converter with a center-tapped rectifier. This current-driven method is simple and low cost for high-output-current dc-dc application. A 150-W dc-dc prototype using LLC half-bridge converter with the proposed SR circuit is built up to verify the theoretical analysis.
The Expectations Hypothesis of the Term Structure: Some Empirical Evidence for Portugal

The purpose of this paper is to test the (rational) expectations hypothesis of the term structure of interest rates using Portuguese data for the interbank money market. The results obtained support only a very weak, long-run or "asymptotic" version of the hypothesis, and broadly agree with previous evidence for other countries. The empirical evidence supports the cointegration of Portuguese rates and the "puzzle" well known in the literature: although its forecasts of future short-term rates are in the correct direction, the spread between longer and shorter rates fails to forecast future longer rates. In the single equation framework, the implications of the hypothesis in terms of the predictive ability of the spread are also clearly rejected, even for the more stable period which emerged in the middle nineties.
Students’ Attitudes towards Information Technology and the Relationship with their Academic Achievement

The present quantitative study aims to find out the underlying factors of attitudes towards information technology and the relationship with academic achievement among students, through a self-developed questionnaire. The attitudes of the respondents were assessed in terms of three dimensions; namely affection, behavior, and belief. The results revealed a statistically significant difference between Arts and Science students in terms of their attitude towards IT in favor of Science students, and also proved that there was no statistically significant correlation between students' academic achievement and their attitudes towards IT. While students at the medium level of academic achievement tended to score higher on the affection toward IT comparing with students at the satisfactory level of the academic achievement. The results of this study provide information for policy makers, and the researchers who are interested in understanding the factors that affect technology use by students in their learning.
Levels of Culture and Individual Behavior : An Integrative Perspective

In an organizational setting, national culture is not the only type of culture that influences managerial and work behavior. Rather, behavior is influenced by different levels of culture ranging from the supranational (regional, ethnic, religious, linguistic) level through the national, professional, and organizational levels to the group level. The objective of this study is to integrate these different levels of culture by explicitly recognizing that individuals’ workplace behavior is a function of all different cultures simultaneously. It is theorized that the relative influence of the different levels of culture on individual behavior varies depending on the nature of the behavior under investigation. Thus, for behaviors that include a strong social component or include terminal and moral values, supranational and national cultures might have a predominant effect. For behaviors with a strong task component or for those involving competence values or practices, organizational and professional cultures may dominate. These propositions are illustrated with examples from the IS field. This paper is a conceptual study and therefore extends theory and the current understanding of how culture is examined by not only explicitly recognizing that behaviors are simultaneously influenced by multiple levels of culture but by also specifying conditions under which certain levels of culture dominate. Such an approach has the potential to inform researchers and practitioners about the generalizability or universality of theories and techniques across national, organizational, and professional borders.
Multiword Units in Syntactic Parsing

The influence of MWU recognition on parsing accuracy is investigated with respect to a deterministic dependency parser based on memory-based learning. The effect of a perfect MWU recognizer is simulated through manual annotation of MWUs in corpus data used for training and testing two different versions of the parser, one which is lexicalized and one which is not. The results show a significant improvement in parsing accuracy not only for MWUs themselves but also with respect to surrounding syntactic structures. The improvement is consistent for both versions of the parser and holds for both labeled and unlabeled accuracy. The greatest improvement corresponds to a 5% error reduction, which is substantial given the relatively low frequency of MWUs in the data. In addition to a quantitative analysis, we also present an analysis of some of the most important error types that are eliminated by the recognition of MWUs.