Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An empirical investigation of factors influencing data quality improvement success

While some research has been done to identify the dimensions of data quality and to develop methodologies of improving particular aspects of data quality, the fundamental questions of these methodologies remain vague. This paper tries to fill this gap by empirically analyzing the factors influencing the success of data quality improvements. Hereto, we develop a model for data quality improvement success. This model is evaluated using survey data from 179 respondents. The significance of the model is computed using the maximum likelihood estimation of AMOS. The results show, that organizational implementation success is positively associated with perceived data quality, whereas no significant contribution of data quality projects to perceived data quality could be observed.
Microvascular Function Predicts Cardiovascular Events in Primary Prevention: Long-Term Results From the Firefighters and Their Endothelium (FATE) Study

Background— Biomarkers of atherosclerosis may refine clinical decision making in individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of the study was to determine the prognostic significance of endothelial function and other vascular markers in apparently healthy men. Methods and Results— The cohort consisted of 1574 men (age, 49.4 years) free of vascular disease. Measurements included flow-mediated dilation and its microvascular stimulus, hyperemic velocity, carotid intima-media thickness, and C-reactive protein. Cox proportional hazard models evaluated the relationship between vascular markers, Framingham risk score, and time to a first composite cardiovascular end point of vascular death, revascularization, myocardial infarction, angina, and stroke. Subjects had low median Framingham risk score (7.9%). Cardiovascular events occurred in 71 subjects (111 events) over a mean follow-up of 7.2±1.7 years. Flow-mediated dilation was not associated with subsequent cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 0.92; P=0.54). Both hyperemic velocity (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.54 to 0.90; P=0.006) and carotid intima-media thickness (hazard ratio, 1.45; confidence interval, 1.15 to 1.83; P=0.002) but not C-reactive protein (P=0.35) were related to events in a multivariable analysis that included Framingham risk score (per unit SD). Furthermore, the addition of hyperemic velocity to Framingham risk score resulted in a net clinical reclassification improvement of 28.7% (P<0.001) after 5 years of follow-up in the intermediate-risk group. Overall net reclassification improvement for hyperemic velocity was 6.9% (P=0.24). Conclusions— In men, hyperemic velocity, the stimulus for flow-mediated dilation, but not flow-mediated dilation itself was a significant risk marker for adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The prognostic value was additive to traditional risk factors and carotid intima-media thickness. Hyperemic velocity, a newly described marker of microvascular function, is a novel tool that may improve risk stratification of lower-risk healthy men.
FINITE PARTIALLY EXCHANGEABLE ARRAYS

Abstract. Let (ξi1,i2 ; 1 ≤ i1 ≤ n1, 1 ≤ i2 ≤ n2) be an n1 × n2 separately exchangeable array of random variables. The distribution of its m1×m2 subarray can be approximated by a mixture of arrays (f(αi1 , βi2); 1 ≤ i1 ≤ m1, 1 ≤ i2 ≤ m2) where αi1 and βi2 are mutually independent and identically distributed. In the variation distance our approximation is at most m1(m1 − 1)/n1 + m2(m2 − 1)/n2 far from the subarray. More-dimensional variants of this result are presented for both jointly and separately exchangeable finite arrays. The bounds on approximations are shown to be sharp. As a consequence, infinite de Finetti theorems for the partially exchangeable arrays with a compact Hausdorff state space are then obtained.
The analysis of Abell 1835 using a deprojection technique

We present the results from a detailed deprojection analysis of Abell 1835 as observed by XMM-Newton . I f we fi t the spectra with an isothermal plasma model, the deprojected temperature profile is flat in the outer region around 7.6 keV and decreases to ∼5.6 keV in the center, which may be connected with the gas cooling. In the central part, a two-component thermal plasma model can fit the spectrum significantly better. Moreover, the cool component (T ∼ 1.8 keV) has a much lower metal abundance than the hot component (T ∼ 8 keV), which may be due to the longer cooling time for the cool gas with lower abundance. In addition, it was found that without a main isothermal component, the standard cooling flow model cannot fit the spectrum satisfactorily. From the isothermal model fitting results we also derived the electron density ne, and fitted its radial distribution with a double-β model. The ne profile inferred with the double-β model and the deprojected X-ray gas temperature profile were then combined to derive the total mass and the total projected mass of the cluster. The projected mass is lower than that derived from the weak lensing method. However, assuming that the cluster extends to a larger radius ∼15 � as found by Clowe & Schneider (2002), the two results are consistent within the error bars. Furthermore, we calculated the projected mass within the radius of ∼153 kpc implied by the presence of a gravitational lensing arc, which is about half of the mass determined from the optical lensing.
‘Interaction’ in second language performance assessment: Whose performance?1

Discussions of interaction in second language performance assessment have generally been loosely psychological in orientation, forming part of attempts to model the nature of communicative ability within the individual. But in investigating the validity of performance assessments involving interactions between individuals (for example between candidate and interlocutor in speaking assessments), the intrinsically social nature of performance needs to be recognized. What would be the consequences for language testing research if it adopted a social perspective on the nature of interaction? The paper explores the necessity for such a reorientation, and suggests areas that would feature in a consequent research agenda
Scale‐dependent galaxy bias in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey as a function of luminosity and colour

It has been known for a long time that the clustering of galaxies changes as a function of galaxy type. This galaxy bias acts as a hindrance to the extraction of cosmological information from the galaxy power spectrum or correlation function. Theoretical arguments show that a change in the amplitude of the clustering between galaxies and mass on large scales is unavoidable, but cosmological information can be easily extracted from the shape of the power spectrum or correlation function if this bias is independent of scale. Scale-dependent bias is generally small on large scales, k < 0.1 h Mpc−1, but on smaller scales can affect the recovery of Ωmh from the measured shape of the clustering signal, and have a small effect on the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations. In this paper, we investigate the transition from scale-independent to scale-dependent galaxy bias as a function of galaxy population. We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 sample to fit various models, which attempt to parametrize the turn-off from scale-independent behaviour. For blue galaxies, we find that the strength of the turn-off is strongly dependent on galaxy luminosity, with stronger scale-dependent bias on larger scales for more luminous galaxies. For red galaxies, the scale dependence is a weaker function of luminosity. Such trends need to be modelled in order to optimally extract the information available in future surveys, and can help with the design of such surveys.
Integral Expressions for the Vassiliev Knot Invariants

It has been folklore for several years in the knot theory community that certain integrals on configuration space, originally motivated by perturbation theory for the Chern-Simons field theory, converge and yield knot invariants. This was proposed independently by Gaudagnini, Martellini, and Mintchev and Bar-Natan. The analytic difficulties involved in proving convergence and invariance were reportedly worked out by Bar-Natan, Kontsevich, and Axelrod and Singer. But I know of no elementary exposition of this fact. This thesis is an attempt to remedy this lack. I adopt an almost exclusively topological point of view, rarely mentioning Chern-Simons theory. There are also a few new results in this thesis. These include a new construction of the functorial compactification of configuration space (Section 3.2) as well as some variations on the integrals. For a suitable choice of this variation, the integral reduces to counting tinkertoy diagrams (Section 4.5). In particular, the invariants constructed take values in Q.
INTERSECTION COHOMOLOGY OF S 1-ACTIONS 1

(∗) · · · → H (M) ∮ ∗ −→ H (B) ∧[e] −→ H (B) π −→ H (M) → · · · . Here [e] ∈ H2(M/S1) denotes the Euler class of Φ and ∮ the integration along the fibers of the canonical projection π:M → M/S1. This result has been extended to almost free actions in [9]. In this context, the orbit space is not a manifold but a Sataké manifold. If the manifold M is compact, the Euler class vanishes if and only if there exists a locally trivial fibration Υ:M → S1 whose fibers are transverse to the orbits of Φ (see [9], [10]). Nevertheless, there are simple examples showing that the above results are not true if we allow the action Φ to have fixed points. In this work we construct a Gysin sequence for a generic action extending (∗). The first important remark is that the orbit space M/S1 is a singular manifold (more exactly, a stratified pseudomanifold in the sense of [5]), possibly with boundary. Consequently, the intersection cohomology introduced by Goresky and MacPherson in [5] appears as a natural cohomology theory to study S1-actions. The main result of this work (Theorem 3.1.8) shows that for any perversity r = (0, 0, 0, r5, r6, . . .) there exists an exact sequence
Smart antenna performance for correlated azimuth spread Rician K-factor

The recently-proposed superset of statistical beamforming (BF) and maximal-ratio combining (MRC) known as maximal-ratio eigencombining (MREC) promises to achieve near-optimum performance and to reduce numerical complexity. Furthermore, eigencombining can be exploited to greatly simplify the performance analysis of diversity schemes for correlated fading. This paper contributes a new MREC (BF, MRC) performance analysis and evaluation for Rician fading with lognormally-distributed K-factor, and Laplacian power azimuth spectrum with lognormally-distributed azimuth spread (AS). First, an average error probability (AEP) expression is derived for MREC for correlated Rician fading and perfectly known channel gains and eigenstructure. This AEP expression is then employed to study the effect on performance of the randomness of K and of the AS - K correlation. We find that disregarding this randomness and correlation may significantly distort performance indications.
Quality of life and factors predictive of burden among primary caregivers of chronic liver disease patients

Background Chronic liver disease increases the socioeconomic and emotional burden on the patient’s caregiver. This is important because a patient’s adherence to therapy and transplant eligibility is dependent on the caregiver’s ability to handle these challenges. Methods This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of 50 primary caregivers of patients with advanced liver disease. Caregivers completed the RAND 36-item (Short Form [SF-36]) Health Survey and the Zarit Burden Scale survey. Caregiver quality of life, based on the SF-36, was compared using t-tests with the scores of the National reference population as controls. Results In our cohort, the mean age of caregivers was 56.9±11.4 years, 40 (83.3%) were female, and 34 (70.8%) were spouses/significant others of the patient. Compared with the adjusted National norm data, caregivers scored substantially lower in categories of role limitations due to emotional problems (P<0.001), vitality (P=0.025), mental health (P=0.005), and social functioning (P=0.002). While the adjusted physical component score of the caregivers was comparable to the National mean, the mental component score (MCS) was lower than the National average (42.4±13.3 vs. 50.0±10, P<0.001). Though only 8 of 50 (16.0%) subjects reported a formal diagnosis of depression or anxiety, 23 (46.0%) had MCS <42, a strong predictor of clinical depression, based on previous studies. Conclusions Primary caregivers of patients with advanced liver disease have significantly lower SF-36 mental health scores compared with the general population. Comparison of SF-36 scores to caregiver history suggests under recognition of mental health problems in this population.
Expansion of Lysine-rich Repeats in Plasmodium Proteins Generates Novel Localization Sequences That Target the Periphery of the Host Erythrocyte*

Repetitive low complexity sequences, mostly assumed to have no function, are common in proteins that are exported by the malaria parasite into its host erythrocyte. We identify a group of exported proteins containing short lysine-rich tandemly repeated sequences that are sufficient to localize to the erythrocyte periphery, where key virulence-related modifications to the plasma membrane and the underlying cytoskeleton are known to occur. Efficiency of targeting is dependent on repeat number, indicating that novel targeting modules could evolve by expansion of short lysine-rich sequences. Indeed, analysis of fragments of GARP from different species shows that two novel targeting sequences have arisen via the process of repeat expansion in this protein. In the protein Hyp12, the targeting function of a lysine-rich sequence is masked by a neighboring repetitive acidic sequence, further highlighting the importance of repetitive low complexity sequences. We show that sequences capable of targeting the erythrocyte periphery are present in at least nine proteins from Plasmodium falciparum and one from Plasmodium knowlesi. We find these sequences in proteins known to be involved in erythrocyte rigidification and cytoadhesion as well as in previously uncharacterized exported proteins. Together, these data suggest that expansion and contraction of lysine-rich repeats could generate targeting sequences de novo as well as modulate protein targeting efficiency and function in response to selective pressure.
MEMORANDUM No 10 / 2000 Risk Externalities in A Payments Oligopoly

This paper discusses an oligopoly where firms exert negative externalities upon each other. A theoretical model is developed for a market where these externalities are particularly relevant: the intra-day credit market, which is crucial for the operation of an efficient payments system. A central bank participating actively in this market has two features that distinguishes it from the other banks: first, it is a publicly owned bank and may therefore be considered as maximizing welfare; secondly, it cannot become illiquid, and therefore it does not impose any systemic risk on other banks. The equilibrium outcome in this case is compared to the social optimum and to the equilibrium in a situation where the publicly owned bank is an ordinary one and thus can become illiquid. JEL Nos.: D43, G21, E58, L32
Matrix metalloproteinase 9 modulates collagen matrices and wound repair

Acute and chronic injuries are characterized by leukocyte infiltration into tissues. Although matrix metalloproteinase 9 (Mmp9) has been implicated in both conditions, its role in wound repair remains unclear. We previously reported a zebrafish chronic inflammation mutant caused by an insertion in the hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor gene 1 (hai1; also known as spint1) that is characterized by epithelial extrusions and neutrophil infiltration into the fin. Here, we performed a microarray analysis and found increased inflammatory gene expression in the mutant larvae, including a marked increase in mmp9 expression. Depletion of mmp9 partially rescued the chronic inflammation and epithelial phenotypes, in addition to restoring collagen fiber organization, as detected by second-harmonic generation imaging. Additionally, we found that acute wounding induces epithelial cell mmp9 expression and is associated with a thickening of collagen fibers. Interestingly, depletion of mmp9 impaired this collagen fiber reorganization. Moreover, mmp9 depletion impaired tissue regeneration after tail transection, implicating Mmp9 in acute wound repair. Thus, Mmp9 regulates both acute and chronic tissue damage and plays an essential role in collagen reorganization during wound repair. Highlighted article: In zebrafish, Mmp9 plays a dual role in wound repair through collagen reorganization: it is overexpressed in chronic tissue damage models and required for acute wound healing in control animals.
The Effects of Diversity in Global, Distributed Collectives: A Study of Open Source Project Success

Diversity is a defining characteristic of global collectives facilitated by the Internet. Though substantial evidence suggests that diversity has profound implications for a variety of outcomes including performance, member engagement, and withdrawal behavior, the effects of diversity have been predominantly investigated in the context of organizational workgroups or virtual teams. We use a diversity lens to study the success of nontraditional virtual work groups exemplified by open source software (OSS) projects. Building on the diversity literature, we propose that three types of diversity (separation, variety, and disparity) influence two critical outcomes for OSS projects: community engagement and market success. We draw on the OSS literature to further suggest that the effects of diversity on market success are moderated by the application development stage. We instantiate the operational definitions of three forms of diversity to the unique context of open source projects. Using archival data from 357 projects hosted on SourceForge, we find that disparity diversity, reflecting variation in participants' contribution-based reputation, is positively associated with success. The impact of separation diversity, conceptualized as culture and measured as diversity in the spoken language and country of participants, has a negative impact on community engagement but an unexpected positive effect on market success. Variety diversity, reflected in dispersion in project participant roles, positively influences community engagement and market success. The impact of diversity on market success is conditional on the development stage of the project. We discuss how the study's findings advance the literature on antecedents of OSS success, expand our theoretical understanding of diversity, and present the practical implications of the results for managers of distributed collectives.
Genetic, environmental and maternal effects on magpie nestling-fitness traits under different nutritional conditions: a new experimental approach

Rearing full siblings under different environmental conditions allows partitioning of the total phenotypic variance of a trait into its genetic and environmental components. This, in natural bird populations, is usually achieved by cross-fostering experimental designs. We estimated genetic and environmental components of nestling-fitness traits using an alternative experimental approach in a magpie (Pica pica) population. Two broods of full siblings were reared under contrasting environmental conditions of first and replacement clutches. With this approach, potential maternal effects related to differences in clutch size and egg size could also be partially evaluated. In addition, the nutritional condition of half of the nestlings within each nest was manipulated by providing a calorie-rich paste enriched with micronutrients. Our results are only indicative because of very low sample sizes. In food-supplemented nestlings, the heritability estimates of tarsus length, body mass and T-cell-mediated immune response tended to be higher compared with control nestlings. No causal conclusions could be drawn for changes in heritability estimates of body mass and T-cell-mediated immune response; for tarsus length, the results suggest a lower potential to adapt to poor nutritional conditions. Furthermore, we found some indication that maternal effects related to clutch/egg size inflated causal estimates of phenotypic variance in tarsus length.
Incorporating the effects of business environment in investment analyses of service platforms

Analyzing business models of service platforms and calculating their financial estimates is a complex task, depending heavily on the quality of the input data. This paper is assessing whether the techno-business analysis [1–3], scenario and driver-based modeling techniques and real option models can be intuitively combined, for use in business analyses and management of service platforms. This paper provides: (1) a theoretical analysis of available scenario techniques and their application in investment analysis, (2) a unified framework, combining real option analysis modeling techniques with techno-business-analysis and scenario techniques, (3) a verification of the framework on a practical case - a service platform for cross-domain services.
A Comparative Study of Wavelet Denoising for Multifunction Myoelectric Control

The aim of this study was to investigate the application of wavelet denoising in noise reduction for multifunction myoelectric control system. Six upper limb motions including hand open, hand close, wrist extension, wrist flexion, pronation, and supination. For each motion, two channels of electrodes were applied. A comparative study of four classical denoising algorithms including universal thresholding, SURE thresholding, hybrid thresholding, and minimax thresholding have been used to remove white Gaussian noise at various signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) from EMG signals. Applications of soft and hard thresholding as well as threshold rescaling methods were considered and the whole procedures of noise reduction were applied with different wavelet functions and different decomposition levels. Evaluations of the performance of noise reduction are determined using mean squared error (MSE). The results show that Daubechies wavelet with second orders (db2) provides marginally better performance than other possibilities. Suitable number of decomposition levels is four. Universal and soft thresholding is the best of wavelet denoising algorithms from eight possible denoising processes under investigation. In addition, the threshold using a level-dependent estimation of level noise showed better than others.