Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual complexity in orthographic learning: Modeling learning across writing system variations

ABSTRACT The visual complexity of orthographies varies across writing systems. Prior research has shown that complexity strongly influences the initial stage of reading development: the perceptual learning of grapheme forms. This study presents a computational simulation that examines the degree to which visual complexity leads to grapheme learning difficulty. We trained each of 131 identical neural networks to learn the structure of a different orthography and demonstrated a strong, positive association between network learning difficulty and multiple dimensions of grapheme complexity. We also tested the model’s performance against grapheme complexity effects on behavioral same/different judgments. Although the model was broadly consistent with human performance in how processing difficulty depended on the complexity of the tested orthography, as well as its relationship to viewers’ first-language orthography, discrepancies provided insight into important limitations of the model. We discuss how visual complexity can be a factor leading to reading difficulty across writing systems.
Modeling seashells

This paper presents a method for modeling seashelfs, suitable for image synthesis purposes. It combines a geometric description of shelf shapes with an activator-inhibitor model of pigmentation patterns on shell surfaces. The technique is illustrated using models of selected sheUs found in nature. CR Categorks: 1.3. 5 [Computer Graphka]: Computational Geometry and Object Modeling: Curve, siufue, solid and object represenfutwn. 1.3. 7 [Computer Graphka]: l%ree-f)imensionaf Graphics and Reafism. J.3 Life and Medkal Sciences]: Biology.
Fractal analysis of remotely sensed images: A review of methods and applications

Mandelbrot's fractal geometry has sparked considerable interest in the remote sensing community since the publication of his highly influential book in 1977. Fractal models have been used in several image processing and pattern recognition applications such as texture analysis and classification. Applications of fractal geometry in remote sensing rely heavily on estimation of the fractal dimension. The fractal dimension (D) is a central construct developed in fractal geometry to describe the geometric complexity of natural phenomena as well as other complex forms. This paper provides a survey of several commonly used methods for estimating the fractal dimension and their applications to remote sensing problems. Methodological issues related to the use of these methods are summarized. Results from empirical studies applying fractal techniques are collected and discussed. Factors affecting the estimation of fractal dimension are outlined. Important issues for future research are also identified and discussed.
A novel Hopfield neural network approach for minimizing total weighted tardiness of jobs scheduled on identical machines

This paper explores fast, polynomial time heuristic approxi- mate solutions to the NP-hard problem of scheduling jobs on N identical machines. The jobs are independent and are allowed to be stopped and restarted on another machine at a later time. They have well-dened deadlines, and relative priorities quantied by non-negative real weights. The objective is to nd schedules which minimize the total weighted tar- diness (TWT) of all jobs. We show how this problem can be mapped into quadratic form and present a polynomial time heuristic solution based on the Hopeld Neural Network (HNN) approach. It is demonstrated, through the results of extensive numerical simulations, that this solution outperforms other popular heuristic methods. The proposed heuristic is both theoretically and empirically shown to be scalable to large problem sizes (over 100 jobs to be scheduled), which makes it applicable to grid computing scheduling, arising in elds such as computational biology, chemistry and nance.
TiO2 Band Restructuring by B and P Dopants

An examination of the effect of B- and P-doping and codoping on the electronic structure of anatase TiO2 by performing density functional theory calculations revealed the following: (i) B- or P-doping effects are similar to atomic undercoordination effects on local bond relaxation and core electron entrapment; (ii) the locally entrapped charge adds impurity levels within the band gap that could enhance the utilization of TiO2 to absorb visible light and prolong the carrier lifetime; (iii) the core electron entrapment polarizes nonbonding electrons in the upper edges of the valence and conduction bands, which reduces not only the work function but also the band gap; and (iv) work function reduction enhances the reactivity of the carriers and band gap reduction promotes visible-light absorption. These observations may shed light on effective catalyst design and synthesis.
Mode areas and field-energy distribution in honeycomb photonic bandgap fibers

The field-energy distributions and effective mode areas of silica-based photonic bandgap fibers with a honeycomb air-hole structure in the cladding and an extra air hole defining the core are investigated. We present a generalization of the common effective-area definition, suitable for the problem at hand, and compare the results for the photonic bandgap fibers with those of index-guiding microstructured fibers. While the majority of the field energy in the honeycomb photonic bandgap fibers is found to reside in the silica, a substantial fraction (up to ∼30%) can be located in the air holes. This property may show such fibers as particularly interesting for sensor applications, especially those based on nonlinear effects or interaction with other structures (e.g., Bragg gratings) in the glass.
The response of human bone marrow to chronic cigarette smoking.

Chronic cigarette smoking in humans causes leukocytosis. Animal studies show that chronic smoking shortens the transit time of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) through the bone marrow. The present study examines the response of human bone marrow to chronic cigarette smoking. Three characteristics of peripheral blood PMNLs that indicate active bone marrow release (band cell counts, surface L-selectin expression and myeloperoxidase (MPO) content), were measured in 38 healthy chronic smokers (23+/-5 pack-yrs) and 15 age- and sex-matched nonsmoking controls. The total white cell (6.8+/-0.3x10(9) versus 5.3+/-0.2x10(9) cells x L(-1), p<0.0001) and PMNL (4.2+/-0.18x10(9) versus 3.2+/-0.1x10(9) cells x L(-1), p<0.003) counts were higher in smokers as were the percentage (4.8+/-0.6 versus 1.1+/-0.2, p<0.0001) and total number (0.21+/-0.04x10(9) versus 0.03+/-0.001x10(9) cells x L(-1), p<0.01) of band cells. Flow cytometry showed that the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of L-selectin (3.2+/-0.2 versus 2.6+/-0.1, p<0.05) on PMNLs was higher in smokers. There was no difference in the baseline or N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-stimulated expression of CD63 or CD18/CD11b (surface markers of PMNL activation) between smokers and controls. The MPO content of PMNLs was higher in smokers (3.4+/-0.3 versus 1.7+/-0.2 MFI, p<0.05). Smokers with a low (<75% of the predicted value) diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide had higher PMNL MPO levels than smokers with a diffusing capacity of >75% pred (p<0.05). In conclusion, chronic smoking causes phenotypic changes in circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes that are characteristic of chronic stimulation of the bone marrow and it is speculated that the increased number of immature polymorphonuclear leukocytes contributes to the chronic lung inflammation associated with cigarette smoking.
A Proposed Voice Encryption System Based on off-Line Ica Algorithm

The voice encryption plays a great role in many important communication systems, such as military communication systems, a bank communication system. This paper proposes the possibility of application of analog voice encryption using adaptive signal processing technique called the Independent Component Analysis (ICA) technique. Practically the devoice encryption process is implemented using the JADE algorithm that can be considered as an Off-Line mode of ICA technique, and taking into consideration the testability of many input speech signals in Arabic and English. The objective test using LPC and SNR is applied to evaluate the proposed System. Keywords— Adaptive Signal processing, analog voice encryption, Blind source Separation, ICA, JADE.
Convergence of the Structure Function of a Multifractal Random Walk in a Mixed Asymptotic Setting

Some asymptotic properties of a Brownian motion in multifractal time, also called multifractal random walk, are established. We show the almost sure and L 1 convergence of its structure function. This is an issue directly connected to the scale invariance and multifractal property of the sample paths. We place ourselves in a mixed asymptotic setting where both the observation length and the sampling frequency may go together to infinity at different rates. The results we obtain are similar to the ones that were given by Ossiander and Waymire [19] and Bacry et al. [1] in the simpler framework of Mandelbrot cascades.
Improving Time-Scale Modification of Music Signals Using Harmonic-Percussive Separation

A major problem in time-scale modification (TSM) of music signals is that percussive transients are often perceptually degraded. To prevent this degradation, some TSM approaches try to explicitly identify transients in the input signal and to handle them in a special way. However, such approaches are problematic for two reasons. First, errors in the transient detection have an immediate influence on the final TSM result and, second, a perceptual transparent preservation of transients is by far not a trivial task. In this paper we present a TSM approach that handles transients implicitly by first separating the signal into a harmonic component as well as a percussive component which typically contains the transients. While the harmonic component is modified with a phase vocoder approach using a large frame size, the noise-like percussive component is modified with a simple time-domain overlap-add technique using a short frame size, which preserves the transients to a high degree without any explicit transient detection.
A Model for the Analysis of Caries Occurrence in Primary Molar Tooth Surfaces

Recently methods of caries quantification in the primary dentition have moved away from summary ‘whole mouth’ measures at the individual level to methods based on generalised linear modelling (GLM) approaches or survival analysis approaches. However, GLM approaches based on logistic transformation fail to take into account the time-dependent process of tooth/surface survival to caries. There may also be practical difficulties associated with casting parametric survival-based approaches in a complex multilevel hierarchy and the selection of an optimal survival distribution, while non-parametric survival methods are not generally suitable for the assessment of supplementary information recorded on study participants. In the current investigation, a hybrid semi-parametric approach comprising elements of survival-based and GLM methodologies suitable for modelling of caries occurrence within fixed time periods is assessed, using an illustrative multilevel data set of caries occurrence in primary molars from a cohort study, with clustering of data assumed to occur at surface and tooth levels. Inferences of parameter significance were found to be consistent with previous parametric survival-based analyses of the same data set, with gender, socio-economic status, fluoridation status, tooth location, surface type and fluoridation status-surface type interaction significantly associated with caries occurrence. The appropriateness of the hierarchical structure facilitated by the hybrid approach was also confirmed. Hence the hybrid approach is proposed as a more appropriate alternative to primary caries modelling than non-parametric survival methods or other GLM-based models, and as a practical alternative to more rigorous survival-based methods unlikely to be fully accessible to most researchers.
Effect of diet quality on carbon and nitrogen turnover and isotopic discrimination in blood of a New World nectarivorous bat

SUMMARY Diet composition of carbon and nitrogen (C:N) could affect diet-tissue isotopic discrimination and elemental turnover rate in consumers but studies that test the nature of these changes are scarce. We compared carbon and nitrogen isotopic discrimination and turnover rates in individuals of Pallas' long-tongued bats Glossophaga soricina fed diets with protein soya isolate or amaranth grains as their main source of protein. Diets were of similar protein biological value but the soya diet had higher nitrogen content (2.2%N) and lower C:N ratio (39.6) than the amaranth diet (1.3%N, C:N=40.5). Most bats on the soya diet gained body mass whereas most bats on the amaranth diet lost body mass. Half-lives of carbon (24.3±3.8 days) and nitrogen (25.6±4.4 days) in bats switched to the soya diet were very similar. In contrast, in the bats switched to the amaranth diet, carbon half-life (39.7±3.4 days) was longer than that of nitrogen (25.0±6.0 days). The enrichment in 15N between diet and blood was higher when bats were fed the amaranth diet (4.4±0.2‰) than when they were fed the soya diet (3.3±0.2‰). Similarly, bats on the amaranth diet had higher 13C enrichment (2.0±0.2‰) than bats on the soya diet (0.1±0.1‰). Our results support recent hypotheses of the effect of nutrition on diet-tissue isotopic discrimination and turnover rate, and further shows that blood stable isotope analysis is an adequate approach to track seasonal dietary shifts in wild bats.
The role of recasts and negotiated prompts in an FL learning context in China with non-English major university students

This quasi-experimental classroom study examines the effects of recasts and negotiated prompts on oral interactions in a foreign language (FL) context where the instructional approach primarily focuses on grammar and accuracy. Ninety adult native speakers of Mandarin Chinese from two intact classes were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups (recast or negotiated prompt) or a control group, and were asked to complete pre-/post-tests on their use of question and past tense forms in English. Between the pre-test and the post-tests, the learners of the two experimental groups had three treatment lessons for feedback outside their usual English classes, the interaction data of which are reported. ANOVA analyses revealed that recasts were highly effective for accuracy development of wh-questions, interrogative questions and irregular past tense verbs. Negotiated prompts showed moderate effectiveness at most times for accuracy development of interrogative questions and both irregular and regular past tense verbs. These findings provide further insights into the role of corrective feedback (CF) in L2 development.
Evaluation of diet and growth in children with and without atopic eczema: follow-up study from birth to 4 years

Current research into dietary factors contributing to the development of allergic diseases is directed towards new active approaches instead of passive elimination diets. The present study aimed to investigate the explanatory role of the diet in a probiotic intervention study on the appearance of atopic eczema (AE) in childhood and the safety of perinatal supplementation with probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG; ATCC 53 103). A prospective follow-up study from birth to 48 months of children (n 159) with a family history of allergic disease was carried out. Outcome measures included growth, dietary intake assessed with 4 d food diaries and their association with AE by logistic regression models. Increased intakes of retinol, Ca and Zn, with perinatal administration of probiotics, reduced the risk of AE, whilst an increase in intake of ascorbic acid increased the likelihood of AE. Perinatal administration of probiotics was safe, as it did not influence the height (mean difference 0·04 (95 % CI −0·33, 0·40) sd scores, P=0·852) or the weight-for-height (mean difference −3·35 (95 % CI −7·07, 0·37)%, P=0·077) of the children at 48 months with and without perinatal administration of probiotics. Up to 48 months, AE did not affect height (mean difference −0·05 (95 % CI −0·42, 0·33) sd scores, P=0·815), but mean weight-for-height in children with AE was −5·1 % (95 % CI −8·9, −1·2 %) lower compared with children without (P=0·010). The joint effects of nutrients and probiotics need to be considered in active prevention and management schemes for allergic diseases.
A Eliciting Predictions for Discrete Decision Making

We consider a decision maker who can select one of a finite set of possible actions, each of which will result in one of a finite set of possible outcomes. If the decision maker has preferences over these outcomes, it will naturally prefer taking some actions to others, but may be uncertain of the result of each action. In this paper we describe how a decision maker can elicit expert predictions about the outcome of each action, allowing the decision maker to make an informed decision. We show that strictly proper decision making, where experts have an incentive to accurately reveal their beliefs about the outcome of each action, allows the decision maker to take a preferred action with probability arbitrarily close—but not equal—to one; with positive probability, the decision maker must take an action at random. Requiring a decision maker to sometimes act randomly is clearly undesirable, so we also describe an alternative where a single expert directly reveals a preferred decision instead of predicting each action’s outcome.
A Novel Method to Construct Taxonomy Electrical Appliances Based on Load Signaturesof

A load signature is an electrical expression that a load device or appliance distinctly possesses. Load signatures can be applied to produce many useful services and products, such as, determining the energy usage of individual appliances, monitoring the health of critical equipment, monitoring power quality, and developing facility management tools. Load signatures of typical yet extensive loads are needed to be collected before applying them to different services and products. As there are an enormous number of electrical appliances, it is beneficial to classify the appliances for building a well-organized load signature database. The objective of this study is to develop an effective method to classify the loads. A 2-dimensional form of load signatures, voltage-current (V-l) trajectory, is suggested for characterizing the typical household appliances.Hierarchical clustering method was employed to classify the appliances and construct the taxonomy of the appliances. The taxonomy based on V-l trajectory was compared to the taxonomies based on traditional power metrics and eigenvectors in the previous studies. It was found that the groups of appliances in the taxonomy based on V-I trajectory were well-separated and had engineering meanings .
Facing the challenge: the impact of recession and unemployment on mental health in Ireland.

The economic recession with its accompanying rise in unemployment rates is linked to extremely adverse effects for menâ? Ts mental health. This research report Facing the Challenge â? " The Impact of the Recession and Unemployment on Menâ? Ts Health in Ireland identifies a strong expectation of increased mental health problems for men given the very strong correlation between unemployment and male mental ill health. The report is the result of a research and consultation process carried out, in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, by Nexus Research Co-operative on behalf of IPH. 93% of frontline organisations, North and South, in contact with unemployed men linked health challenges to unemployment and recession and all organisations surveyed noted adverse health challenges for men they work with. In addition to health challenges being higher for unemployed men, they were also very high for men who saw themselves as being threatened with unemployment. The organisations surveyed and the men who were interviewed identified the challenges to health as: â? ¢ High levels of stress or anxiety â? ¢ Dependency on or over-use of alcohol/other drugs â? ¢ Deterioration in physical health â? ¢ Development of conflict in family or close personal relationships â? ¢ Isolation (including sharing or communicating problems) â? ¢ A reluctance to approach services or seek help
Public Intervention in Post-Secondary Education

This chapter provides an overview of the nature of state and federal subsidies to higher education and the empirical evidence on the impacts on students' college enrollment decisions. The discussion includes a brief discussion of the incentives created by federal and state subsidies for institutions and for students, a summary of trends in enrollment rates by race and income, a survey of the empirical evidence on the impacts of financial aid policies, and a discussion of the possible role supply constraints may have played on the rise in the payoff to schooling over the last two decades.
Genetic analysis of the age at menopause by using estimating equations and Bayesian random effects models.

Multi-wave self-report data on age at menopause in 2182 female twin pairs (1355 monozygotic and 827 dizygotic pairs), were analysed to estimate the genetic, common and unique environmental contribution to variation in age at menopause. Two complementary approaches for analysing correlated time-to-onset twin data are considered: the generalized estimating equations (GEE) method in which one can estimate zygosity-specific dependence simultaneously with regression coefficients that describe the average population response to changing covariates; and a subject-specific Bayesian mixed model in which heterogeneity in regression parameters is explicitly modelled and the different components of variation may be estimated directly. The proportional hazards and Weibull models were utilized, as both produce natural frameworks for estimating relative risks while adjusting for simultaneous effects of other covariates. A simple Markov chain Monte Carlo method for covariate imputation of missing data was used and the actual implementation of the Bayesian model was based on Gibbs sampling using the freeware package BUGS.
Real-time signal processing for fetal heart rate monitoring

An algorithm based on digital filtering, adaptive thresholding, statistical properties in the time domain, and differencing of local maxima and minima has been developed for the simultaneous measurement of the fetal and maternal heart rates from the maternal abdominal electrocardiogram during pregnancy and labor for ambulatory monitoring. A microcontroller-based system has been used to implement the algorithm in real-time. A Doppler ultrasound fetal monitor was used for statistical comparison on five volunteers with low risk pregnancies, between 35 and 40 weeks of gestation. Results showed an average percent root mean square difference of 5.32% and linear correlation coefficient from 0.84 to 0.93. The fetal heart rate curves remained inside a /spl plusmn/5-beats-per-minute limit relative to the reference ultrasound method for 84.1% of the time.