Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An upper bound on the error of alignment-based Transfer Learning between two linear, time-invariant, scalar systems

Methods from machine learning have successfully been used to improve the performance of control systems in cases when accurate models of the system or the environment are not available. These methods require the use of data generated from physical trials. Transfer Learning (TL) allows for this data to come from a different, similar system. This paper studies a simplified TL scenario with the goal of understanding in which cases a simple, alignment-based transfer of data is possible and beneficial. Two linear, time-invariant (LTI), single-input, single-output systems are tasked to follow the same reference signal. A scalar, LTI transformation is applied to the output from a source system to align with the output from a target system. An upper bound on the 2-norm of the transformation error is derived for a large set of reference signals and is minimized with respect to the transformation scalar. Analysis shows that the minimized error bound is reduced for systems with poles that lie close to each other (that is, for systems with similar response times). This criterion is relaxed for systems with poles that have a larger negative real part (that is, for stable systems with fast response), meaning that poles can be further apart for the same minimized error bound. Additionally, numerical results show that using the reference signal as input to the transformation reduces the minimized bound further.
Literary sociability: a transnational perspective

ABSTRACT This essay begins with vignettes showcasing the pedagogy of three teachers of literature in contrastive settings (one in Brazil, two in Australia). These act as prompts for a transnational dialogue between us that unfolds in our writing of this essay. The aim is not to assess or make judgements about the quality of the teaching presented but to identify and explore the assumptions we share about the value of literature teaching across the languages and national contexts that divide us. We argue the primacy of language as a social phenomenon, characterising the exchanges around literary texts in each classroom as forms of “literary sociability”.
Harvest Loss and Seed Bank Longevity of Flax (Linum usitatissimum) Implications for Seed-Mediated Gene Flow

Flax is a minor oilseed crop in Canada largely exported to the European Union for use as a source of industrial oil and feed ingredient. While flax could be genetically engineered (GE) to enhance nutritional value, the adoption of transgenic technologies threatens conventional flax market acceptability. Harvest seed loss of GE crops and the persistence of GE crop volunteers in the seed bank are major factors influencing transgene persistence. Ten commercial fields in Alberta, Canada, were sampled after harvesting conventional flax in 2006 and 2007, and flax seed density and viability were determined. Additionally, artificial seed banks were established at two locations in Alberta in 2005 and 2006 to quantify persistence of five conventional flax cultivars with variability in seed coat color (yellow or brown) and &agr;-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3cis&Dgr;9,13,15) content (3 to 55%) at three soil depths (0, 3, or 10 cm). Harvest methods influenced seed loss and distribution, > 10-fold more seed was distributed beneath windrows than between them. Direct harvested fields had more uniform seed distribution but generally higher seed losses. The maximum yield loss was 44 kg ha−1 or 2.3% of the estimated crop yield. Seed loss and the viability of flax seed were significantly influenced by year, presumably because weather conditions prior to harvest influenced the timing and type of harvest operations. In artificial seed bank studies, seed coat color or ALA content did not influence persistence. Flax seed viability rapidly declined in the year following burial with < 1% remaining midsummer in the year following burial but there were significant differences between years. In three of four locations, there was a trend of longer seed persistence at the deepest burial depth (10 cm). The current study predicts that seed-mediated gene flow may be a significant factor in transgene persistence and a source of adventitious presence. Nomenclature: Flax, Linum usitatissimum L.
Integrating information services with vocational training: the GIVTS project experience

The GIVTS project (Getting Information to Vocational Trainees: an evaluative study) was a two-year study (January 1997-January 1999) of the effectiveness of providing tailored information services to vocational trainees throughout their three-year training period to become general (family) practitioners (GPs). This paper focuses on the problems of collaborative working between the information services and vocational training to ensure that trainees obtain the support they need for evidence-based practice.
CaV 3 . 2 T-type Ca 2 channels mediate the augmented calcium influx in carotid body glomus cells by chronic intermittent hypoxia

Makarenko VV, Ahmmed GU, Peng YJ, Khan SA, Nanduri J, Kumar GK, Fox AP, Prabhakar NR. CaV3.2 T-type Ca channels mediate the augmented calcium influx in carotid body glomus cells by chronic intermittent hypoxia. J Neurophysiol 115: 345–354, 2016. First published November 11, 2015; doi:10.1152/jn.00775. 2015. — Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) is a hallmark manifestation of sleep apnea. A heightened carotid body activity and the resulting chemosensory reflex mediate increased sympathetic nerve activity by CIH. However, the mechanisms underlying heightened carotid body activity by CIH are not known. An elevation of intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca ]i) in glomus cells, the primary oxygensensing cells, is an essential step for carotid body activation by hypoxia. In the present study, we examined the effects of CIH on the glomus cell [Ca ]i response to hypoxia and assessed the underlying mechanisms. Glomus cells were harvested from adult rats or wild-type mice treated with 10 days of either room air (control) or CIH (alternating cycles of 15 s of hypoxia and 5 min of room air; 9 episodes/h; 8 h/day). CIH-treated glomus cells exhibited an enhanced [Ca ]i response to hypoxia, and this effect was absent in the presence of 2-(4-cyclopropylphenyl)-N-((1R)-1-[5-[(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)oxo]pyridin-2-yl]ethyl)acetamide (TTA-A2), a specific inhibitor of T-type Ca channels, and in voltage-gated calcium channel, type 3.2 (CaV3.2), null glomus cells. CaV3.2 knockout mice exhibited an absence of CIH-induced hypersensitivity of the carotid body. CIH increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in glomus cells. A ROS scavenger prevented the exaggerated TTA-A2-sensitive [Ca ]i response to hypoxia. CIH had no effect on CaV3.2 mRNA levels. CIH augmented Ca currents and increased CaV3.2 protein in plasma membrane fractions of human embryonic kidney-293 cells stably expressing CaV3.2, and either a ROS scavenger or brefeldin-A, an inhibitor of protein trafficking, prevented these effects. These findings suggest that CIH leads to an augmented Ca influx via ROSdependent facilitation of CaV3.2 protein trafficking to the plasma membrane.
Li coefficients for automorphic $L$-functions

Xian-Jin Li gave a criterion for the Riemann hypothesis in terms of the positivity of the set of coefficientsλn = P ρ 1 − � 1 − 1 � n , (n = 1,2, .), in which ρ runs over the nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function. We define similar coefficientsλn(π) associated to principal automorphic L-functions L(s, π) over GL(N). We relate these cofficients to values of Weil’s quadratic functional associated to the representation π on a suitable set of test functions. The positivity of the real parts of these coefficients is a necessary and sufficient condition for the Riemann hypothesis for L(s, π) to hold. We derive an unconditional asymptotic formula for the coefficients λn(π), in terms of the zeros of L(s, π). Assuming the Riemann hypothesis for L(s, π), we deduce that λn(π) = N 2 nlog n + C1(π)n + O( √ nlog n), where C1(π) is a real-valued constant and the implied constant in the remainder term depends on π. We also show that there exists a entire function Fπ(z) of exponential type that interpolates the generalized Li coefficients at integer values. Assuming the Riemann hypothesis there is an (essentially) unique interpolation function having exponential type at most π, and this function restricted to the real axis has a (tempered) distributional Fourier transform whose support is a countable set in [−π, π] having 0 as its only limit point.
The SENECA study: potentials and problems in relating diet to survival over 10 years

Abstract Objective: To give an overview of the evaluation of the modified diet history applied in the SENECA study (Survey in Europe on Nutrition and the Elderly; a Concerted Action). Design: Nineteen centres in 12 countries participated at baseline. Nine of these SENECA centres conducted a repeat measurement scheme in elderly people born between 1913 and 1918. These longitudinal centres included 100 subjects per sex per site. Methods: The relative validity of the method was tested by comparing results of the modified diet history with results obtained from a weighed record in 82 subjects. In the follow-up we compared changes in energy intake with changes in body weight and calculated the physical activity ratio in all longitudinal centres. In SENECA's finale we examined the predictive value of dietary patterns observed at baseline for survival 10 years later, making use of the original and an adapted Mediterranean Diet Score. Results: The modified diet history overestimated intake, compared with the weighed record. However, the physical activity ratio and an in-depth study in a metabolic room indicated that the diet history rather underestimated energy intake. We did not find a relationship between changes in energy intake and changes in body weight, but this could be explained by the fact that most likely we did not measure intake in the dynamic phase of body weight change. Based on the adapted Mediterranean Diet Score, the study results showed a positive relation between a healthy diet and survival. Conclusion: We conclude that the modified diet history has given sufficiently reliable results for the purposes of the study
Low-frequency rTMS in patients with subacute ischemic stroke: clinical evaluation of short and long-term outcomes and neurophysiological assessment of cortical excitability

Rationale: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is used alone or in combination with physiotherapy for rehabilitation of stroke patients. TMS mapping can also quantify the excitability of the motor area in both the ipsilesional (IL) and contralateral (CL) hemisphere. Objective: This study is the first to measure the dynamics of cortical excitability by TMS mapping before and after treatment with low-frequency (LF) rTMS in the contralesional hemisphere at three different timepoints. Furthermore, the patients were clinically evaluated during the same visit as the mapping to establish both short and long-term outcomes after rTMS treatment. Methods and Results: A total of 16 participants with acute ischemic stroke were assessed 10 days post-stroke by TMS mapping. The patients were randomized into two equal groups: a real rTMS group and a sham group. The rTMS group received LF-rTMS to the contralesional hemisphere for 10 days, starting on the first day after the first mapping. Each subject was also evaluated by mapping on days 45 and 90 after stroke onset. The primary clinical outcome measured was the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) on days 10, 45 and 90 post-stroke. At 10 days after stroke onset, both groups presented low excitability in the lesion side and high excitability in the non-affected side. In the real rTMS group, at 45 days after stroke, a downward trend in the excitability of the contralesional hemisphere and an upward trend in the excitability of the lesioned side were observed. At 90 days after stroke, a tendency toward balanced excitability between both hemispheres was observed. In the sham group, at both 45 and 90 days, we observed increased excitability in the non-affected side compared to the side with the lesioned motor area. At 45 days, the real rTMS group demonstrated a better recovery of the upper limb motor function than the sham group, but at 90 days, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Discussion:These results demonstrated that LF-rTMS treatment enhances rebalance of the excitability patterns in both hemispheres and led us to question the “one size fits all” approach widely used in rTMS interventions. Abbreviations: Amax = maximum amplitude, Amean = AM = averaged amplitude, APB = abductor pollicis brevis, CL = contralesional, DTI = diffusion tensor imaging, EEG = electroencephalography, EMG = electromyography, FMA-UE = Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity, HS = hot spot, IHC = interhemispheric functional connectivity, IL = ipsilesional, LF-rTMS = low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, MCA = middle cerebral artery, MEP(s) = motor evoked potential(s), NIBS = non-invasive brain stimulation, rMT = resting motor threshold, RP = responsive points, rTMS = repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS = transcranial magnetic stimulation
The effects of additive outliers on stationarity tests: a monte carlo study

Monte Carlo simulations are used to study the size and power properties of two stationarity tests developed by Kwiatkowski et al. (1992) [KPSS] and Leybourne and McCabe (1994) [LMC] when the data contain additive outliers. We show that the KPSS tests are very robust to additive outliers whereas the LMC test exhibits size distorsions and loss of power.
Comparing the job satisfaction and intention to leave of different categories of health workers in Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa

Background : Job satisfaction is an important determinant of health worker motivation, retention, and performance, all of which are critical to improving the functioning of health systems in low- and middle-income countries. A number of small-scale surveys have measured the job satisfaction and intention to leave of individual health worker cadres in different settings, but there are few multi-country and multi-cadre comparative studies. Objective : The objective of this study was to compare the job satisfaction and intention to leave of different categories of health workers in Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa. Methods : We undertook a cross-sectional survey of a stratified cluster sample of 2,220 health workers, 564 from Tanzania, 939 from Malawi, and 717 from South Africa. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, which included demographic information, a 10-item job satisfaction scale, and one question on intention to leave. Multiple regression was used to identify significant predictors of job satisfaction and intention to leave. Results : There were statistically significant differences in job satisfaction and intention to leave between the three countries. Approximately 52.1% of health workers in South Africa were satisfied with their jobs compared to 71% from Malawi and 82.6% from Tanzania (χ2=140.3, p<0.001). 18.8% of health workers in Tanzania and 26.5% in Malawi indicated that they were actively seeking employment elsewhere, compared to 41.4% in South Africa (χ2=83.5, p<0.001). The country differences were confirmed by multiple regression. The study also confirmed that job satisfaction is statistically related to intention to leave. Conclusions : We have shown differences in the levels of job satisfaction and intention to leave between different groups of health workers from Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa. Our results caution against generalising about the effectiveness of interventions in different contexts and highlight the need for less standardised and more targeted HRH strategies than has been practised to date.
WEIBULL DIAMETER DISTRIBUTION AND MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATORS ( MLE ) IN PINUS CARIBAEA PLANTATION , ENUGU NGWO , NIGERIA

Maximum likelihood estimators (MLE) method was used to generate the parameters for the Weibull diameter distribution functions for data collected from Temporary Sample Plots (TSPs) of Pinus caribaea plantation at Enugu Ngwo, Nigeria. Major growth characteristics variables such as mean diameter at breast height (MDBH), mean basal area (MBA) and quadratic mean diameter (QMD) exhibited a strong linear relationship with all the Weibull parameters and also emerged suitable as better predictors for Weibull probability distribution models at 5% level of significance with reasonable values of fit indices. The diameter Weibull distribution models showed consistent predictability potential and were recommended as parsimonious functions for diameter distribution of the Pinus caribaea stand.
Mediation and Spillover Effects in Group-Randomized Trials: A Case Study of the 4Rs Educational Intervention

Peer influence and social interactions can give rise to spillover effects in which the exposure of one individual may affect outcomes of other individuals. Even if the intervention under study occurs at the group or cluster level as in group-randomized trials, spillover effects can occur when the mediator of interest is measured at a lower level than the treatment. Evaluators who choose groups rather than individuals as experimental units in a randomized trial often anticipate that the desirable changes in targeted social behaviors will be reinforced through interference among individuals in a group exposed to the same treatment. In an empirical evaluation of the effect of a school-wide intervention on reducing individual students’ depressive symptoms, schools in matched pairs were randomly assigned to the 4Rs intervention or the control condition. Class quality was hypothesized as an important mediator assessed at the classroom level. We reason that the quality of one classroom may affect outcomes of children in another classroom because children interact not simply with their classmates but also with those from other classes in the hallways or on the playground. In investigating the role of class quality as a mediator, failure to account for such spillover effects of one classroom on the outcomes of children in other classrooms can potentially result in bias and problems with interpretation. Using a counterfactual conceptualization of direct, indirect, and spillover effects, we provide a framework that can accommodate issues of mediation and spillover effects in group randomized trials. We show that the total effect can be decomposed into a natural direct effect, a within-classroom mediated effect, and a spillover mediated effect. We give identification conditions for each of the causal effects of interest and provide results on the consequences of ignoring “interference” or “spillover effects” when they are in fact present. Our modeling approach disentangles these effects. The analysis examines whether the 4Rs intervention has an effect on childrens’ depressive symptoms through changing the quality of other classes as well as through changing the quality of a child's own class. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Refactoring Legacy Objects to Aspects

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is the current dominant programming paradigm in software engineering, to the point that several popular software (s/w) development techniques are often discussed in terms of the concepts of object technology. Examples are components [30][28], design patterns [18] and frameworks [22]. One key aim of all these techniques is to attain
An object-oriented library based on computational intelligence techniques for optimization in electromagnetics

This paper proposes a structure of classes that uses the concepts of object-oriented programming to develop a library based on computational intelligence techniques for optimization in electromagnetics. In this library, artificial neural networks and neurofuzzy networks are considered. Based on this division, the required classes for the library implementation are presented. Finally, the TEAM workshop problem 22 is investigated. The results obtained are in accordance with the best known in the literature.
Consumers as Co-developers: Learning and Innovation Outside the Firm

Abstract This study describes a process in which a firm relies on an external consumer community for innovation. While it has been recognized that users may sometimes innovate, little is known about what commercial firms can do to motivate and capture such innovations and their related benifits. We contribute to strategy literature by suggesting that learning and innovation efforts from which a firm may benifit need not necessarily be located within the organization, but may well reside in the consumer environment. We also contribute to the existing theory on ‘user-driven innovation’ by showing what firms purposively can do to generate consumer innovation efforts. An explorative case study shows that consumer innovation can be structured, motivated, and partly organized by a commercial firm that organizes the infrastructure for consumers’ interactive learning in a public online domain.
An Enhanced Biometric Based Authentication with Key-Agreement Protocol for Multi-Server Architecture Based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Biometric based authentication protocols for multi-server architectures have gained momentum in recent times due to advancements in wireless technologies and associated constraints. Lu et al. recently proposed a robust biometric based authentication with key agreement protocol for a multi-server environment using smart cards. They claimed that their protocol is efficient and resistant to prominent security attacks. The careful investigation of this paper proves that Lu et al.’s protocol does not provide user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy and is susceptible to server and user impersonation attacks, man-in-middle attacks and clock synchronization problems. In addition, this paper proposes an enhanced biometric based authentication with key-agreement protocol for multi-server architecture based on elliptic curve cryptography using smartcards. We proved that the proposed protocol achieves mutual authentication using Burrows-Abadi-Needham (BAN) logic. The formal security of the proposed protocol is verified using the AVISPA (Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications) tool to show that our protocol can withstand active and passive attacks. The formal and informal security analyses and performance analysis demonstrates that the proposed protocol is robust and efficient compared to Lu et al.’s protocol and existing similar protocols.