Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Apprenticeship learning using linear programming

In apprenticeship learning, the goal is to learn a policy in a Markov decision process that is at least as good as a policy demonstrated by an expert. The difficulty arises in that the MDP's true reward function is assumed to be unknown. We show how to frame apprenticeship learning as a linear programming problem, and show that using an off-the-shelf LP solver to solve this problem results in a substantial improvement in running time over existing methods---up to two orders of magnitude faster in our experiments. Additionally, our approach produces stationary policies, while all existing methods for apprenticeship learning output policies that are "mixed", i.e. randomized combinations of stationary policies. The technique used is general enough to convert any mixed policy to a stationary policy.
On optimizing backoff counter reservation and classifying stations for the IEEE 802.11 distributed wireless LANs

In this paper, we propose a novel contention-based protocol called backoff counter reservation and classifying stations for the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF). In the proposed scheme, each station has three states: idle, reserved, and contentious. A station is in the idle state if it has no frame ready to transmit. A station is in the reserved state if it has a frame ready to transmit and this frame's backoff counter has been successfully announced through the previous successfully transmitted frame so that other stations know this information. A station is in the contentious state if it has a frame ready to transmit, but this frame's backoff counter has not been successfully announced to other stations. All the stations in the idle state, the reserved state, and the contentious state form an idle group, a reserved group, and a contentious group, respectively. Two backoff schemes are proposed in the BCR-CS protocol based on the number of stations in the contentious group including the optimal pseudo-p-persistent scheme. The proposed schemes are compared with the DCF and the enhanced collision avoidance (ECA) scheme in the literature. Extensive simulations and some analytical analysts are carried out. Our results show that all proposed schemes outperform both the DCF and the ECA, and the BCR-CS with optimal pseudo-p-persistent scheme is the best scheme among the four schemes
Dependency-Based Text Compression for Semantic Relation Extraction

The application of linguistic patterns and rules are one of the main approaches for Information Extraction as well as for highquality ontology population. However, the lack of flexibility of the linguistic patterns often causes low coverage. This paper presents a weakly-supervised rule-based approach for Relation Extraction which performs partial dependency parsing in order to simplify the linguistic structure of a sentence. This simplification allows us to apply generic semantic extraction rules, obtained with a distantsupervision strategy which takes advantage of semi-structured resources. The rules are added to a partial dependency grammar, which is compiled into a parser capable of extracting instances of the desired relations. Experiments in different Spanish and Portuguese corpora show that this method maintains the highprecision values of rule-based approaches while improves the recall of these systems.
Location-Free Detection of Network Boundaries

A novel algorithm is proposed for the distributed and location-free detection of boundaries in sensor networks. The approach allows a node to decide autonomously, based solely on connectivity information of a small 2-hop neighborhood, whether it is in the interior of the network or on its fringes. This makes the presented algorithm well suited for scenarios that include mobility or dynamic changes to the network topology. The algorithm is compared qualitatively and quantitatively to multiple previous approaches. Various models and network settings are considered in extensive simulations. Even though the algorithm uses less information than most other approaches, it yields significantly better results. It is very robust against variations in node degree and does not rely on simplified assumptions of the communication model. Moreover, the approach is easy to implement on real sensor nodes, as it requires little computational power.
Being different at work: How gender dissimilarity relates to social inclusion and absenteeism

We investigated how and when gender dissimilarity relates to two highly important individual work outcomes: social inclusion and absenteeism. We collected survey data among 397 employees from a university of applied sciences and combined these with data from the organization’s personnel administration. Our results indicate that dissimilarity was negatively related to perceived work group inclusion. In addition, this negative effect was stronger when the group was perceived to have a negative diversity climate. Finally, there was a conditional indirect effect of gender dissimilarity on absenteeism through inclusion. That is, being different from other group members in terms of gender was associated with higher absenteeism through lower levels of perceived inclusion, but only when the group was perceived to have a negative diversity climate. Together, the present research demonstrates that sometimes being different is associated with more absences and underlines the importance of establishing a positive climate for gender diversity.
Mnemic neglect: Selective amnesia of one’s faults

ABSTRACT The mnemic neglect model predicts and accounts for selective memory for social feedback as a function of various feedback properties. At the heart of the model is the mnemic neglect effect (MNE), defined as inferior recall for self-threatening feedback compared to other kinds of feedback. The effect emerges both in mundane realism and minimal feedback settings. The effect is presumed to occur in the service of self-protection motivation. Mnemic neglect is pronounced when the feedback poses high levels of self-threat (i.e., can detect accurately one’s weakness), but is lost when self-threat is averted via a self-affirmation manipulation. Mnemic neglect is caused by self-threatening feedback being processed shallowly and in ways that separate it from stored (positive) self-knowledge. The emergence of mnemic neglect is qualified by situational moderators (extent to which one considers their self-conceptions modifiable, receives feedback from a close source, or is primed with improvement-related constructs) and individual differences moderators (anxiety, dysphoria, or defensive pessimism). Finally, the MNE is present in recall, but absent in recognition. Output interference cannot explain this disparity in results, but an inhibitory repression account (e.g., experiential avoidance) can: Repressors show enhanced mnemic neglect. The findings advance research on memory, motivation, and the self.
Impaired Vascular Growth in Late Adolescence After Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Background—Abnormal blood flow in a fetus small for gestational age indicates true fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). We tested the hypothesis that IUGR with abnormal fetal blood flow is associated with long-term abnormal vascular morphology and function in adolescence. Methods and Results—In a prospective study, vascular mechanical properties of the common carotid artery (CCA), abdominal aorta, and popliteal artery (PA) were assessed by echo-tracking sonography in 21 adolescents with IUGR and abnormal fetal aortic blood flow and in 23 adolescents with normal fetal growth and normal fetal aortic blood flow. Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilatation of the brachial artery was measured by high-resolution ultrasound. After adjustment for body surface area and sex, the IUGR group had significantly smaller end-diastolic vessel diameters than the referents in the abdominal aorta and PA (mean difference, 1.7 mm [95% CI, 0.62 to 2.74] and 0.6 mm [95% CI, 0.25 to 1.02], respectively) (P=0.003 and P=0.002, respectively), with a similar trend in the CCA (P=0.09). A higher resting heart rate was observed in the IUGR group (P=0.01). No differences were found in stiffness or in endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilatation between the 2 groups. Conclusions—IUGR caused by placental insufficiency appears to be associated with impaired vascular growth persisting into young adulthood in both men and women. The smaller aortic dimensions and the higher resting heart rate seen in adolescents with previous IUGR may be of importance for future cardiovascular health.
Efficient thermal placement of standard cells in 3D ICs using a force directed approach

As the technology node progresses, thermal problems are becoming more prominent especially in the developing technology of three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuits. The thermal placement method presented in this paper uses an iterative force-directed approach in which thermal forces direct cells away from areas of high temperature. Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to calculate temperatures efficiently during each iteration. Benchmark circuits produce thermal placements with both lower temperatures and thermal gradients while wirelength is minimally affected.
Greybody Factors and Charges in Kerr/CFT

We compute greybody factors for near extreme Kerr black holes in D = 4 and D = 5. In D = 4 we include four charges so that our solutions can be continuously deformed to the BPS limit. In D = 5 we include two independent angular momenta so Left-Right symmetry is incorporated. We discuss the CFT interpretation of our emission amplitudes, including the overall frequency dependence and the dependence on all black hole parameters. We find that all additional parameters can be incorporated in Kerr/CFT, with central charge independent of U(1) charges.
Cognitive Decline in Patients with Familial Alzheimer's Disease Associated with E280a Presenilin-1 Mutation: A Longitudinal Study

Few longitudinal studies have been carried out to investigate the cognitive decline in early onset of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). In this study 12 patients with FAD (M age = 49.61 years, SD = 4.99), 10 patients with sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD) (M age = 71.40, SD =10.00), and 15 matched normal controls (M age = 45.01, SD = 7.24) were selected. A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was administered three times over a period of 18 months. Individuals designated as FAD met the criteria for dementia and were positive for the E280A presenilin 1 mutation. Participants with SAD met the criteria for dementia and were negative for the E280A presenilin 1 mutation. Normal control participants were the FAD patients' relatives, who were negative for the mutation. Two groups of neuropsychological instruments were administered: (1) The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological test battery, and (2) additional neuropsychological tests of ion and constructional abilities. Patients with FAD were significantly impaired on all measures at the first examination except for reading of words. While the performance of the normal controls remained unchanged over the 18 months for most neuropsychological tests, the patients with FAD displayed a decline in verbal memory, language, constructional and abstraction tests. The greatest decline was observed on the Mini-Mental State Exam scores. Patients with SAD demonstrated a similar pattern of cognitive decline, but the decline was faster in FAD than in SAD participants.
A major costimulatory molecule on antigen-presenting cells, CTLA4 ligand A, is distinct from B7

CTLA4 ligands are important costimulatory molecules because soluble CTLA4Ig blocks the induction of T cell responses and induces T cell tolerance. As CTLA4 immunoglobulin (CTLA4Ig) binds B7 when the latter is expressed on fibroblasts, it was widely assumed that CTLA4Ig blocks T cell costimulation by blocking the function of B7. Here we show that the major costimulatory ligand bound by CTLA4Ig (which we term CTLA4 ligand A) on antigen-presenting cells are not encoded by the B7 gene. CTLA4 ligand A also differs from B7 in cellular distribution and in the respective levels of expression. Both B7 and CTLA4 ligand A are critically involved in T cell costimulation.
Uremia causes endothelial progenitor cell deficiency.

BACKGROUND Circulating bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) promote vascular repair. Their number in peripheral blood correlates with endothelial function and cardiovascular risk in humans. We explored whether uremia influences the number of EPCs. METHODS We assessed circulating CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells in whole blood using flow cytometry and EPCs (in vitro assay) in 46 patients with advanced renal failure and in 46 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. Further, the effect of uremia on EPC differentiation was studied in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS Both in renal patients (r= 0.34, P < 0.02) and in healthy subjects (r= 0.32, P= 0.04) the number of EPCs was significantly correlated to the absolute number of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. Renal patients had significantly fewer EPCs than healthy subjects, however (167 +/- 15 cells/high power field vs. 235 +/- 17 cells/high power field; P < 0.05). Uremic serum significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited EPC differentiation and functional activity in vitro. Amelioration of uremia after institution of renal replacement therapy in patients with terminal renal failure also significantly (P < 0.05) increased the number of EPCs. CONCLUSION Uremia inhibits differentiation of EPCs. This may impair cardiovascular repair mechanisms in patients with renal failure.
Quantum observables and recollapsing dynamics

Within a simple quantization scheme, observables for a large class of finite-dimensional time reparametrization invariant systems may be constructed by integration over the manifold of time labels. This procedure is shown to produce a complete set of densely defined operators on a physical Hilbert space, for which an inner product is identified, and to provide reasonable results for simple test cases. Furthermore, many of these observables have a clear interpretation in the classical limit and we use this to demonstrate that, for a class of minisuperspace models including LRS Bianchi IX and the Kantowski--Sachs model, this quantization agrees with classical physics in predicting that such spacetimes recollapse.
Askey-Wilson polynomials for root systems of type BC

This paper introduces a family of Askey-Wilson type orthogonal polynomials in n variables associated with a root system of type BCn. The family depends, apart from q, on 5 parameters. For n = 1 it specializes to the four-parameter family of one-variable Askey-Wilson polynomials. For any n it contains Macdonald’s two three-parameter families of orthogonal polynomials associated with a root system of type BCn as special cases.
Prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity in Latin America

The purpose of this work was to review the studies published over the last 10 years concerning the prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Latin American countries, to determine if there was an improvement in ROP prevalence rates in that period, and to identify the inclusion criteria for patients at risk of developing ROP in the screening programs. A total of 33 studies from ten countries published between 2000 and 2010 were reviewed. Prevalence of any ROP stage in the regions considered ranged from 6.6% to 82%; ROP severe enough to require treatment ranged from 1.2% to 23.8%. There was no routine screening for ROP, and there was a lack of services for treatment of the disease in many countries. Inclusion criteria for patients in the studies ranged between birth weight ≤1500 g and ≤2000 g and gestational age ≤32 and <37 weeks. Use of different inclusion criteria regarding birth weight and gestational age in several Latin American studies hindered comparative analysis of the published data. Highly restrictive selection criteria for ROP screening in relation to birth weight and gestational age should not be used throughout most Latin American countries because of their different social characteristics and variable neonatal care procedures. The studies included in this review failed to provide adequate information to determine if the prevalence of ROP has decreased in Latin America.
Maximum Dietary Content of Corn Dried Distiller’s Grains with Solubles in Diets for Laying Hens. Effects on Nitrogen Balance, Manure Excretion, Egg production, and Egg Quality

Recommended Citation Pineda, Lane; Roberts, Stacey; Kerr, Brian; Kwakkel, Rene; Verstegen, Martin; and Bregendahl, Kristjan (2008) "Maximum Dietary Content of Corn Dried Distiller’s Grains with Solubles in Diets for Laying Hens. Effects on Nitrogen Balance, Manure Excretion, Egg production, and Egg Quality," Animal Industry Report: AS 654, ASL R2334. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31274/ans_air-180814-121 Available at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ans_air/vol654/iss1/83
Introduction to the special issue – Heritage language studies and early child bilingualism research: Understanding the connection

This issue is the result of a colloquium with the same title organized at the ISB 10 conference at Rutgers, USA, in May 2015. All the presenters, the discussant and one additional colleague have contributed to this collection of articles, which brings together linguists from the domain of heritage studies with those working on early child bilingualism (ECB). A language qualifies as a heritage language (HL) if ‘it is a language spoken at home or otherwise readily available to young children, and crucially this language is not the dominant language of the larger (national) society’ (Rothman, 2009, p. 156). HLs are learned early in life, either simultaneously with the dominant language or prior to the acquisition of the dominant language of the country; heritage speakers (HSs) are thus early bilinguals. There is, however, a gap between linguists studying ECB and linguists studying HSs. Linguists working on ECB mainly look at the early development of both languages in children growing up bilingually from birth or shortly afterwards and tend to report on similar developmental patterns in monolingual and bilingual children, and on (temporary) delay, acceleration or cross-linguistic influence in this development, mostly in Western Europe and Canada (De Houwer, 1990; Meisel, 1990; Paradis & Genesee, 1996). Linguists studying HSs, on the other hand, mainly look at young adults’ competence in their HL and tend to focus on signs of incomplete acquisition, mostly in the USA (Benmamoun, Montrul, & Polinsky 2013; Montrul, 2008; Polinsky, 2006). This special issue brings together linguists from both fields to find out how to make the connection: to what extent can we observe similarities in the reported results on child bilinguals and HSs and to what extent do we observe differences? What motivates these similarities and differences? The contributions in this special issue all shed light on the comparison and thereby create new questions. We will briefly discuss some general factors that may influence different outcomes of early bilingualism over the lifespan (see also Hulk & Marinis, 2011).
Language and genre detection in audio content analysis

This paper presents an audio genre detection framework that can be used for a multi-language audio corpus. Cepstral coefficients are considered and analyzed as the feature set for both a language dependent and language independent genre identification (GID) task. Language information is found to increase the overall detection accuracy on an average by at least 2.6% from its language independent counterpart. Melfrequency cepstral coefficients have been widely used for Music Information Retrieval (MIR), however, the present study shows that Linear-frequency cepstral coefficients (LFCC) with a higher number of frequency bands can improve the detection accuracy. Two other GID architectures have also been considered, but the results show that the logenergy amplitudes from triangular linearly spaced filter banks and their deltas can offer average detection accuracy as high as 98.2%, when language information is taken into account.
Strategies for the development of occupational therapy in the Third World.

Provision of occupational therapy consultant services to developing countries requires sensitivity to cultural and health conditions of the host country. There is pressure to export specialized services, but there are questions about whether the Western biomedical model is appropriate in settings where primary health care is inadequate and specialized services would only reach a privileged few. The recommendation is for consultants to first conduct a culturally sensitive assessment to provide information on the patterns of morbidity and mortality, 2) the patterns of health care service distribution, and 3) the potential to sustain occupational therapy service for a long time. As much time should be spent on familiarizing oneself with the health and health care system of the population, including regional differences, while planning what services are needed. Showpiece services should be avoided and replaced with health units in poverty areas or rural communities where need is greatest. Occupational therapy can be sustained if there is a need for services compared with other services, if there is an appropriate government infrastructure, and if there is the ability to provide real employment opportunities. In countries where there are few resources, several strategies are suggested. Rehabilitation services should be developed after identifying the extent and nature of disabilities. Another strategy is to develop a comprehensive rehabilitation plan rather than a specialized occupational therapy plan which is aware of other development links and prevention. A comprehensive plan would include identifying the cooperative roles for therapists and the potential employment in government and private practice. Suggestions might be made for developing curricula and clinical fieldwork and for developing culturally sensitive educational materials for health care professionals. A 3rd strategy is to prioritize needs, i.e., a university specializing in pediatrics and malnutrition related diseases and the special needs of the elderly. Prevention is the most effective approach to disability, and area which developed countries have paid little attention to. Dietary supplements, vaccination, and early detection and screening are examples of preventive approaches. A variety of models should be considered, i.e., the Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil's educational model.
Laparoscopic repair of an incarcerated bochdalek hernia in an elderly man

Congenital posterolateral diaphragmatic defects, such as Bochdalek hernias (BHs), usually present during the neonatal period with respiratory symptoms and are associated with significant mortality (1). However, a subset of patients with BHs may remain asymptomatic during childhood, and the condition may present as a surgical emergency in adulthood (2). Surgical repair of the defect is the recommended therapy for all patients with BHs, regardless of the presence of symptoms (3). Traditionally, the repair of diaphragmatic defects has been performed via laparotomy or thoracotomy, but the use of laparoscopy has challenged the use of these traditional procedures. However, the laparoscopic management of incarcerated BH is rarely reported. In the present paper, we report the case of a patient who presented with a partial colonic obstruction that was caused by an incarcerated transverse colon through a Bochdalek defect and treated using a laparoscopic approach.