Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulation of Join Cardinalities in Random Databases Using Poisson Stochastic Processes

In this paper, using Poisson stochastic processes, we introduce an approach to the problem of the approximate join operation in random databases. It is shown that the cardinalities of the result sets ob tained from an approximate join operation follow this type of stochastic process. Initially, we treat the case of the approximate join be tween two random tables, which is accomplished using a homogeneous bidimensional Poisson process. Further, we extend the obtained result to the case of the multiple join. This generalization is made through a multidimensional Poisson process. As a consequence, the algorithms that simulate these processes can also simulate the cardinalities of the sets resulting from the approximate join operation.
Gender Differences in Demographic and Clinical Features of Physicians Admitted to a Program for Medical Professionals with Mental Disorders

Objective To examine the demographic and clinical differences between men and women admitted to a Physicians’ Health Programme (PHP). Method Retrospective chart review of 778 medical records of physicians admitted to the Barcelona PHP from February 1, 1998 until December 31, 2015. Results Women admitted to the Barcelona PHP were younger than men, were more likely to be self-referred and to be admitted for a non-addictive mental disorder. Prevalence of unipolar affective disorders (60.1 vs. 37.6%), adjustment disorders (62.4 vs. 37.6%), and obsessive–compulsive disorder (61.1 vs. 38.9%) was significantly higher among women, whereas prevalence of alcohol use disorders was lower (32.7 vs. 67.3%). Nevertheless, both groups were similar with regard to medical specialty, working status, length of their first treatment episode, and presence of hospitalization during that episode. After multivariate analysis, age, type of referral, and main diagnosis (addictive disorders vs. other mental disorders) discriminated the differences between groups. Conclusion Women physicians seem to be more prone to voluntarily ask for help from PHPs and are more likely to suffer from mood and anxiety disorders compared to men. However, mental disorders’ severity may be similar in both groups. More studies are needed to clarify the gender factors related to this behavior.
Ambient Carbon Monoxide Associated with Reduced Risk of COPD Hospitalizations

Authors affiliations: 1. The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. 2. Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory for Health Risk Analysis, Shenzhen Research Institute of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China. 3. School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China. 4. Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
WHEN SMALLER FAMILIES SEEM CONTAGIOUS

Despite some disagreements about specific timing, it is now widely accepted that France was the first European country to experience a systematic decline in fertility, a decline that took place in a very distinctive geographical pattern. Whereas two areas of low birth rates (the Seine valley and the Aquitaine region) kept spreading, two ‘islands’ of high fertility (Bretagne and the Massif Central) shrank until they more or less disappeared in the early 1900s. In an attempt to provide a sensible explanation of this pattern, we build an agent-based simulation model which incorporates both historical data on population characteristics and spatial information on the geography of France, and allows us to study the role of social influence in fertility decisions. We assess how different behavioural assumptions and network topologies cause variations in diffusion patterns, using quantitative data on the Ecclesiastical Oath of 1791 to proxy for the impact the Revolution had. Analysis of several simulations shows that a combination of both endogenous and exogenous factors help to explain the way in which the diffusion took place and suggests some of the mechanisms through which this was materialised.
M-TRAN II: metamorphosis from a four-legged walker to a caterpillar

We have been developing a self-reconfigurable modular robotic system (M-TRAN) which can make various 3-D configurations and motions. In the second prototype (M-TRAN II), various improvements are integrated in order to realize complicated reconfigurations and versatile whole body motions. Those are a reliable connection/detachment mechanism, on-board multi-computers, high speed inter-module communication system, low power consumption, precise motor control, etc. Programing environments are also integrated to design self-reconfiguration processes, to verify motions in dynamics simulation, and to realize distributed control on the hardware. Hardware design, developed software and experiments are presented in this paper.
Molecular Epidemiology of Imported Cases of Leishmaniasis in Australia from 2008 to 2014

Leishmaniasis is a vector borne disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Human leishmaniasis is not endemic in Australia though imported cases are regularly encountered. This study aimed to provide an update on the molecular epidemiology of imported leishmaniasis in Australia. Of a total of 206 biopsies and bone marrow specimens submitted to St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney for leishmaniasis diagnosis by PCR, 55 were found to be positive for Leishmania DNA. All PCR products were subjected to restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis for identification of the causative species. Five Leishmania species/species complexes were identified with Leishmania tropica being the most common (30/55). Travel or prior residence in a Leishmania endemic region was the most common route of acquisition with ~47% of patients having lived in or travelled to Afghanistan. Cutaneous leishmaniasis was the most common manifestation (94%) with only 3 cases of visceral leishmaniasis and no cases of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis encountered. This report indicates that imported leishmaniasis is becoming increasingly common in Australia due to an increase in global travel and immigration. As such, Australian clinicians must be made aware of this trend and consider leishmaniasis in patients with suspicious symptoms and a history of travel in endemic areas. This study also discusses the recent identification of a unique Leishmania species found in native kangaroos and a potential vector host which could create the opportunity for the establishment of a local transmission cycle within humans.
High-Resolution In Vivo Imaging of Hippocampal Dendrites and Spines

Structural changes in hippocampal dendrites and dendritic spines are thought to be a consequence of a wide range of experience- and activity-dependent manipulations. We explored the dynamics of hippocampal dendritic spines in vivo by developing a surgical preparation of the adult mouse brain that enabled two-photon imaging of fluorescently labeled CA1 pyramidal neurons. Dendritic trees and spines were repeatedly visualized over many hours in exquisite detail. We tested spine stability under both control conditions and during prolonged epileptic seizures. Remarkably, spines remained structurally stable after 30 min of experimental induction of epileptic seizures. Spines began to disappear only several hours after induction of epileptic activity. We thus demonstrate that this technique provides a methodology for direct in vivo optical studies of the intact mammalian hippocampus.
A literature review of UAV 3D path planning

3D path planning of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) targets at finding an optimal and collision free path in a 3D cluttered environment while taking into account the geometric, physical and temporal constraints. Although a lot of works have been done to solve UAV 3D path planning problem, there lacks a comprehensive survey on this topic, let alone the recently published works that focus on this field. This paper analyses the most successful UAV 3D path planning algorithms that developed in recent years. This paper classifies the UAV 3D path planning methods into five categories, sampling-based algorithms, node-based algorithms, mathematical model based algorithms, Bio-inspired algorithms, and multi-fusion based algorithms. For each category a critical analysis and comparison is given. Furthermore a comprehensive applicable analysis for each kind of method is presented after considering its working mechanism and time complexity.
Rate-cost tradeoffs in control. Part I: lower bounds

Consider a distributed control problem with a communication channel connecting the observer of a linear stochastic system to the controller. The goal of the controller is to minimize a quadratic cost function in the state variables and control signal, known as the linear quadratic regulator (LQR). We study the fundamental tradeoff between the communication rate r bits/sec and the limsup of the expected cost b. We obtain a lower bound on a certain cost function, which quantifies the minimum mutual information between the channel input and output, given the past, that is compatible with a target LQR cost. The rate-cost function has operational significance in multiple scenarios of interest: among other, it allows us to lower bound the minimum communication rate for fixed and variable length quantization, and for control over a noisy channel. Our results extend and generalize an earlier explicit expression, due to Tatikonda el al., for the scalar Gaussian case to the vector, non-Gaussian, and partially observed one. The bound applies as long as the system noise has a probability density function. Apart from standard dynamic programming arguments, our proof technique leverages the Shannon lower bound on the rate-distortion function and proposes new estimates for information measures of linear combinations of random vectors.
Prospero-related homeobox 1 gene (Prox1) is regulated by canonical Wnt signaling and has a stage-specific role in adult hippocampal neurogenesis

Neural stem cells (NSCs) generate new granule cells throughout life in the mammalian hippocampus. Canonical Wnt signaling regulates the differentiation of NSCs towards the neuronal lineage. Here we identified the prospero-related homeodomain transcription factor Prox1 as a target of β-catenin–TCF/LEF signaling in vitro and in vivo. Prox1 overexpression enhanced neuronal differentiation whereas shRNA-mediated knockdown of Prox1 impaired the generation of neurons in vitro and within the hippocampal niche. In contrast, Prox1 was not required for survival of adult-generated granule cells after they had matured, suggesting a role for Prox1 in initial granule cell differentiation but not in the maintenance of mature granule cells. The data presented here characterize a molecular pathway from Wnt signaling to a transcriptional target leading to granule cell differentiation within the adult brain and identify a stage-specific function for Prox1 in the process of adult neurogenesis.
WEALTH AND ASSET PRICE EFFECTS ON ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

Title Wealth and asset price effects on economic activity Authors(s) Whelan, Karl; Altissimo, Filippo; Georgiou, Evaggelia; Sastre, Teresa; Valderrama, Maria Teresa; Sterne, Gabriel; Stocker, Marc; Weth, Mark; Willman, Alpo Publication date 2005-06 Series European Central Bank Occasional Paper Series; No. 29 Publisher European Central Bank Link to online version http://www.ecb. eu/pub/pdf/scpops/ecbocp29.pdf Item record/more information http://hdl.handle. net/10197/210 Publisher's statement All rights reserved
INFECTION WITH HELICOBACTER PYLORI 207

antrum with small foci of gland loss. Adenocarcinomas were not observed in the stomachs of hundreds of untreated laboratory ferrets examined at routine necropsy (Fox et al., 1993a). (The Working Group noted that the study did not include a group uninfected with H. mustelae but given MNNG.) Cross-sectional and longitudinal observations in human populations indicate that a series of alterations of the gastric mucosa pre~ede gastric carcinoma (Siurala et aI., 1985; Correa et aI., 1990b; Kuipers et aL., 1994a): They follow a sequential presentation of chronic nonatrophic gastritis, atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia. Atrophy (Joss of gastric glands) is a pivotai change in the precancerous process. It radically alters the gastric microenvironment by reducing acid secretion, elevating the gastric luminal pH and resulting in an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria. Many such bacteria produce reductases which act on nitrate molecules (from food and other sources) and result in elevated concentrations of N02-in the gastric lumen. Dietary factors that are important in the progression of the precancerous process include high salt (NaCI) intake and low consumption of fresh fruits and The anatomIcal substratum resulting from H. pylori infection is chronic gastritis. , the pathological manifestations of chronic gastritis and several nosological entities of gastritis had been described previously. (a) Specifie lesions Colonies of H. pylori are characteristically located extracellularly in the mucus layer immediately adjacent to the gastric surface epithelium. They are prominently concentrated in front of the intercellular junctions of the epithelial cells. Most bacteria float freely within the mucus layer; a few adhere to pedestals formed by the epithelial cyoplasmic membrane. They may sometimes penetrate the intercellular spaces and, rarely, the ductules of the H. pylori infection is associated with degenerative changes in the cyoplasm of the surface epithelial cells, identified on haematoxylin-eosin staining as loss of the superficial portion of the cyoplasm, resulting in microerosions of the surface epithelium (Chan et al., 1991). Under the electron microscope, partial loss and stunting of the microvilli and numerous intracellular phagolysosomes may be seen (Chen et al. H. pylori infection results in infiltration of leukocyes into the gastrIc mucosa. The most abundant are B lymphocyes, which occupy the lamina propria and may lead to formation of
Peace-Making in Marsupials: The First Study in the Red-Necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)

The issue of reconciliation has been widely investigated in many eutherian mammal species. Nevertheless, no data are available for marsupial mammals. Indeed, the majority of reports focus on group dynamics from an ecological and reproductive perspective, but no study has investigated them from a social point of view. We observed the red-necked wallaby colony (Macropus rufogriseus) hosted at the Tierparc Zoo Berlin (Germany) and collected data on aggressive and post-conflict interactions between group members. We found that the phenomenon of reconciliation is present in the study species (mean group CCT 27.40% ±8.89% SE). Therefore, we demonstrated, for the first time, the occurrence of reconciliation in a gregarious marsupial mammal. Post-conflict reunion was not affected by the relationship quality between individuals (friendship or kinship) but it was fine-tuned according to the aggression intensity. For example, low intensity conflicts were reconciled whereas high intensity ones were not. Reconciliation reduced anxiety-related scratching in both of the former opponents and limited further attacks towards the victim during the post-conflict period. These findings suggest that the red-necked wallaby, like many eutherian species, can evaluate the costs of reconciliation and engage in peace-making behavior in the right contexts, in order to maximize its pay-offs.
An examination of the role and views of elected councillors in the governance of growth areas and whether political differences play a part in decision making

The aim of the research is to explore and understand the role of local councillors in local government. There are three dimensions that influence this role. The first is the tension between central and local government and the highly centralised party political system which constrains local autonomy. The second is the role of the political party in local government, and its dominance in policy making. The third is the evolving spatial planning system and the new emphasis on localism and collaborative planning. These themes are explored through an examination of the spatial planning system, and in particular a case study of plan making in the growth area of the Central Oxfordshire Sub- region. My reading and reflection have helped me formulate three research questions : a) Has the lack of local government autonomy inhibited the adoption of innovative forms of collaborative planning; b) Have councillors understood the central tenets of collaborative planning and acted upon them and c) Can local politicians who are not members of the council`s executive play a more effective community leadership role by becoming more involved in the scrutiny of policies for space and place - making. The study has contributed to knowledge in a number of ways.It provides confirmatory evidence for other research exploring the role of the councillor in local government. This study has shown how the politicisation that has affected local government has also had an influence on the role of spatial planning in local government and that the dominant role of the political party in local government also involves spatial planning.Finally it demonstrates the importance of effective scrutiny within local government so as to create political space for other stakeholders who otherwise are inhibited by this politicisation.
Honours Year Project Report Synthetic Image Categorization

We introduce NPIC, an image classification system that focuses on synthetic (e.g., non-photographic) images. We use class-specific keywords in an image search engine to create a noisily labeled training corpus of images for each class. NPIC then extracts both content-based image retrieval (CBIR) features and metadata-based textual features for each image for machine learning. We evaluate this approach on three different granularities: 1) natural vs. synthetic; 2) map vs. figure vs. icon vs. cartoon vs. artwork; 3) and further subclasses of the map and figure classes. The NPIC framework achieves solid performance (99%, 97% and 85% in cross validation, respectively). We find that visual features provide a significant boost in performance, and that textual and visual features vary in usefulness at the different levels of granularities of classification. Acknowledgement I would like to thank Dr. Min-Yen Kan, for his generous listening, patient guidance, and invaluable advice and help in pointing out the various tools I could utilize in this project.
Capturing the dynamics of commitment : temporal theory, methods, and an application to the organizational commitment attitude

Although many scholars acknowledge the fact that the inclusion of time in research efforts potentially improves theory, it is not yet systematically included in the study of Organizational Behavior. One of the potential explanations for the neglect of time is the dominance of a particular mode of thought – which we call ‘differential thinking’ – which biases research decisions. That is, we are used to think in terms of differences between individuals (differential thinking), and are less inclined think in terms of differences within individuals over time (temporal thinking). In this chapter we systematically juxtapose these two modes of thought, including their respective ontological and epistemological tenets. The potential use of temporal thinking to research on the organizational commitment attitude is discussed.
A High Rate of Non-Compliance Confounds the Study of Whole Grains and Weight Maintenance in a Randomised Intervention Trial—The Case for Greater Use of Dietary Biomarkers in Nutrition Intervention Studies

Observational studies consistently find an inverse relationship between whole-grain intake and weight gain. We aimed to confirm this in an open-label researcher-blinded parallel design randomised trial. A total of 179 overweight/obese women with a habitually low whole-grain intake (<16 g/day) were randomised to a weight maintenance diet with refined-grain (RG) or whole-grain (WG) foods (80 g/day) for 12 weeks after an initial weight loss program over 8 weeks. Body weight and composition was assessed at baseline, after the initial weight loss, and after the 12-week dietary intervention. During the 12-week dietary intervention phase, there were no group differences in changes in body weight and total fat mass %, whereas abdominal fat mass tended to increase more during the dietary intervention phase in the WG compared to the RG group (0.7 (SD 3.6) vs. −0.3 (SD 3.8) %; p = 0.052). Plasma alkylresorcinol concentrations, biomarkers of wholegrain wheat and rye intake, indicated poor compliance, particularly in the WG group, where >60% of participants had alkylresorcinol concentrations below 70 nmol/L, a concentration indicating low or no intake of whole-grain wheat. Further, weight regain was lower than expected in both intervention groups, further supporting a lack of compliance to the post-weight-loss diet. The rate of compliance was too low to conclude any effect of whole grain on weight maintenance, and reinforces the need to use objective measures of compliance in nutrition intervention studies.
On the classification of self-similar sets determined by two contractions on the plane

We classify binary self-similar sets, which are compact sets determined by two contractions on the plane, into four classes from the viewpoint of functional equations. In this classification, we can not only show close relationships among functions with self-similarity but also give solutions to a few open problems in other field. Introduction In the history of mathematics, we have seen some discoveries of strange functions, which gave us a strong impact; for examples, the Takagi function [19], constructed as a simple example of a nowhere differentiable but continuous function, the Von Koch curve [10], a continuous Jordan curve, which admits no tangent line anywhere, and the Levy curve [12], which is a continuous curve but with positive area, and so on. Each of these curves was discovered independently and initially, no relationships between them were known for a long time. However in 1984, Hata and Yamaguti showed the following beautiful relationship between the Takagi function T (x) and Lebesgue’s singular function M a (x) (Figure 1), which is a monotone increasing continuous function whose derivative is zero almost everywhere [22]. 2T (x) = ∂M a (x) ∂a ∣∣∣ a=1/2 , (1) where a is a real parameter with 0 < a < 1. A generalization of this relation was considered by Sekiguchi-Shiota in 1991. They computed the k-th partial derivative of M a (x) with respect to the
Fiscal Policy Spillovers: Points of Employment to Places of Residence

In this paper, we study the effects of interregional spillovers from the government spending component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act). Using cross-county Census Journey to Work commuting data, we cluster U.S. counties into local labor markets, each of which we further partition into two subregions. We then compare differential labor market outcomes and Recovery Act spending at the regional and subregional levels using instrumental variables. Among pairs of subregions, we find evidence of fiscal policy spillovers. For example, $1 of Recovery Act spending in a large subregion increases its own wage bill by $0.79 and increases the wage bill in its neighboring subregion by $0.59. We find similar spillover effects when we replace the wage bill with employment as our measure of economic activity. Next, we build a dynamic equilibrium trade model with interregional commuting capable of propagating these spillovers across regions.