Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Ultrasonic and Radar Reflector Types in Concrete by Phase Evaluation of the Signal and the Reconstructed Image

Echo methods combined with imaging evaluation allow for investigation of the inner structure of concrete members. Ultrasonic echo and impulse radar data are analysed with reconstruction calculation procedures like 3D-SAFT (Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique) and 3D-FT-SAFT (Fourier-Transform SAFT). From the representations of the 3D-data sets (B-scans and C-scans) the location of rein- forcement bars, tendon-ducts, air voids and honeycombing can be deduced. In order to localise ungrouted areas (air inclusions) in tendon ducts or to decide whether a reflector measured with radar is metallic (reinforcement) or air-like (void), up to now the interpretation of the results is based on the intensity of the re- flection. This criterion is non unique in most cases, because the intensity of the backscattered waves is also influenced by the coupling conditions of the probes or by local variations of the concrete properties. A new approach is to take the phase information into account. The phase in- formation contained in the impulse-like data or in the complex type reconstructed image can help to decide whether the wave pulses pass from concrete to a denser material (e.g. steel) or to a less dense material (e.g. air), even layer thicknesses can be characterized. Since the evaluation of the data usually does not consider single A- scans but reconstructed data, the phase analysis has to be integrated in the recon- struction procedure. In order to investigate and improve the method, a specimen with planar reflec- tors was used containing four steel-plates of different thickness partly covered with polystyrene (symbolising air-like reflection) and the wave propagation was simu- lated by the FIT (Finite Integration Technique) method.
"smiles, kids, happy songs!": how to collect metaphors with older adults

In the context of an ageing society, vibrotactile wearable devices can open up new avenues for assisting older adults in their daily lives. They can provide information and yet free the hands, ears and eyes, which can be crucial to safety. However, designing intuitive informational vibrotactile messages for and with the older adults has seldom been investigated. This paper describes an initial study involving older adults in the design of vibrotactile messages for a pedestrian navigation application. The design is based on metaphors or everyday analogies in an attempt to strengthen the link between the pattern and its associated meaning. The study presents the method to collect these metaphors, focusing on the difficulties encountered with such an abstract task and the steps taken to adapt it to the audience. As a result, a number of metaphors were collected, in line with what matters for older adults (e.g. kids, health).
Demotivating Factors on English Speaking Skill: A Study of EFL Language Learners and Teachers' Attitudes

The present study was an attempt first to get the perspectives of two groups who are basically involved in the teaching and learning processes namely, language teachers and learners, regarding their views about the factors which may negatively affect the speaking performance of language learners; and second, to see what the similarities and differences are between the students and teachers' attitudes on the same issue. To achieve such a purpose, 215 Iranian male and female EFL learners and teachers were selected in the pre- and post- stages of the study to fill in the two developed questionnaires (one pertaining to students and one for teachers) on demotivating factors of speaking skill. Having analyzed the gathered data through repeated measure ANOVA and post hoc Bonferroni tests, it was revealed that students believe that factors related to teachers, equipments and class utility are the three most demotivating factors as far as speaking skill is concerned. Besides, based on teachers' perspective, the three most discouraging factors are related to teachers, time and classroom.
Characterizing and Predicting Bug Assignment in OpenStack

Open source software is becoming increasingly important in cloud computing. However, many cloud computing systems suffer from software bugs that cause significant dependability issues. Bug assignment and fixing are crucial parts of software maintenance to improve dependability. In this paper, we conduct an empirical study of 42,880 bug reports from OpenStack bug repository. We study the characteristics (e.g., distribution of bugs, distribution of assignees) of bug assignments in OpenStack and find the bug assignment pattern which we call as long tail. The findings can support the follow-up research on improving efficiency of bug assignment, that is, we propose a prediction method based on long tail model, and experimentally evaluate this method by applying it to OpenStack bug assignment.
Kernel Power Flow Orientation Coefficients for Noise-Robust Speech Recognition

Noise-robustness has become a crucial parameter in Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems today with their increased use in noise-filled real-world environments. One way to address this issue is to develop features that are innately noise-robust. The Kernel Power flow Orientation Coefficients (KPOCs) are a novel feature set based on spectro-temporal analysis that uses a bank of 2D kernels to extract the dominant orientation of the power flow at each point in the auditory spectrogram of the speech signal. The collection of dominant power flow orientation angles forms a novel representation of the speech signal named the Power flow Orientation Spectrogram (POS), which is innately resistant to the spectral masking introduced by the presence of noise and reverberation. This approach not only grants KPOC its noise robustness, but also keeps the number of output coefficients inherently small, thus eliminating the need of the feature dimensionality reduction otherwise necessary in the conventional the spectro-temporal approach. KPOCs performance has been evaluated on three experimental frameworks, and the results have shown that they outperform a number of well-known noise-robust features for average and low SNRs. The relative improvement in Word Recognition Accuracy (WRA) to the classic Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs) for the Aurora 2 task goes from 32% up to 190% for SNRs in the range from 10 down to - 5 dB. The experimental results also show that in clean training the performance of KPOC approaches that of the state-of-the-art noise-robust ASR frontends in all noise scenarios for small vocabulary ASR tasks.
Transparent DNA/RNA Co-extraction Workflow Protocol Suitable for Inhibitor-Rich Environmental Samples That Focuses on Complete DNA Removal for Transcriptomic Analyses

Adequate comparisons of DNA and cDNA libraries from complex environments require methods for co-extraction of DNA and RNA due to the inherent heterogeneity of such samples, or risk bias caused by variations in lysis and extraction efficiencies. Still, there are few methods and kits allowing simultaneous extraction of DNA and RNA from the same sample, and the existing ones generally require optimization. The proprietary nature of kit components, however, makes modifications of individual steps in the manufacturer’s recommended procedure difficult. Surprisingly, enzymatic treatments are often performed before purification procedures are complete, which we have identified here as a major problem when seeking efficient genomic DNA removal from RNA extracts. Here, we tested several DNA/RNA co-extraction commercial kits on inhibitor-rich soils, and compared them to a commonly used phenol-chloroform co-extraction method. Since none of the kits/methods co-extracted high-quality nucleic acid material, we optimized the extraction workflow by introducing small but important improvements. In particular, we illustrate the need for extensive purification prior to all enzymatic procedures, with special focus on the DNase digestion step in RNA extraction. These adjustments led to the removal of enzymatic inhibition in RNA extracts and made it possible to reduce genomic DNA to below detectable levels as determined by quantitative PCR. Notably, we confirmed that DNase digestion may not be uniform in replicate extraction reactions, thus the analysis of “representative samples” is insufficient. The modular nature of our workflow protocol allows optimization of individual steps. It also increases focus on additional purification procedures prior to enzymatic processes, in particular DNases, yielding genomic DNA-free RNA extracts suitable for metatranscriptomic analysis.
Modeling Decision Making Under Risk using Neurochemistry

Challenges to the descriptive validity of the expected utility model have led to the development of non-expected utility models of decision making under risk including prospect theory which incorporates psychological considerations to account for the loss-gain differentiation in risk attitude and overweighting of small probabilities associated with sizable outcomes. We propose a neurochemical extension of prospect theory by linking two evolutionarily ancient neurotransmitters – dopamine and serotonin – to the valuation and saliency of outcomes over gains and losses. This model provides a biological basis for the phenomenon of loss aversion, diminishing valuation sensitivity towards gains and losses, and nonlinear response to probabilistic stimuli. We derive its testable implications linking the decision maker’s genetic makeup modulating her dopamine and serotonin tones to her attitude towards the fourfold risks of moderate prospects, moderate hazards, longshot prospects, and longshot hazards. The empirical validity of our model is corroborated by evidence from within-subject correlations of attitude towards fourfold risks as well as evidence from recent published findings on the molecular genetics of risk taking.
Sonic/vocal‐acousticolateralis pathways in teleost fishes: A transneuronal biocytin study in mochokid catfish

Mochokid catfish have two sound‐producing (sonic) organs—a pectoral spine stridulatory apparatus and a swimbladder whose vibration is established by nearby “drumming” muscles. Dextran‐biotin or biocytin application to sonic nerves or muscles identified topographically separated motoneuron pools. Pectoral spine‐related motoneurons are located within the ventral motor column whereas swimbladder motoneurons lie just ventral to the central canal or fourth ventricle. Axons of both groups of motoneurons exit the brain and spinal cord via ventral roots of occipital (swimbladder and pectoral) and spinal (swimbladder only) nerves. Transneuronal biocytin transport identified an extensive premotor network only for the swimbladder motor nuclei. Premotoneuron somata are located ipsilaterally in 1) a dorsolateral region of the sonic motor nucleus (SMN); motoneurons were clustered in the ventromedial region of the SMN and 2) the ventromedial medulla at the rostral pole of the SMN. Biocytin‐filled fibers and less frequently premotoneuron somata were also found in the contralateral SMN. Biocytin‐labeled fibers were continuous farther rostrally with 1) a commissural bundle that terminated bilaterally in the medial reticular formation near the caudal pole of the descending octaval nucleus and 2) a lateral brainstem bundle that terminated ipsilaterally in regions of the medulla and cerebellum considered to subserve acoustic and lateral line functions.
OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STATISTICS UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE No . 1 / 07 Linear Statistical Inference for Global and Local Minimum Variance Portfolios

Traditional portfolio optimization has often been criticized for not taking estimation risk into account. Estimation risk is mainly driven by the parameter uncertainty regarding the expected asset returns rather than their variances and covariances. The global minimum variance portfolio has been advocated by many authors as an appropriate alternative to the tangential portfolio. This is because there are no expectations which have to be estimated and thus the impact of estimation errors can be substantially reduced. However, in many practical situations an investor is not willing to choose the global minimum variance portfolio but he wants to minimize the variance of the portfolio return under specific constraints for the portfolio weights. Such a portfolio is called local minimum variance portfolio. Smallsample hypothesis tests for global and local minimum variance portfolios are derived and the exact distributions of the estimated portfolio weights are calculated in the present work. The first two moments of the estimator for the expected portfolio returns are also provided and the presented instruments are illustrated by an empirical study.
HIV’s Nef Interacts with β-Catenin of the Wnt Signaling Pathway in HEK293 Cells

The Wnt signaling pathway is implicated in major physiologic cellular functions, such as proliferation, migration, cell fate specification, maintenance of pluripotency and induction of tumorigenicity. Proliferation and migration are important responses of T-cells, which are major cellular targets of HIV infection. Using an informatics screen, we identified a previously unsuspected interaction between HIV’s Nef protein and β-catenin, a key component of the Wnt pathway. A segment in Nef contains identical amino acids at key positions and structurally mimics the β-catenin binding sites on endogenous β-catenin ligands. The interaction between Nef and β-catenin was confirmed in vitro and in a co-immunoprecipitation from HEK293 cells. Moreover, the introduction of Nef into HEK293 cells specifically inhibited a Wnt pathway reporter.
A New Leptoceratopsid (Ornithischia: Ceratopsia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Shandong, China and Its Implications for Neoceratopsian Evolution

Background The ceratopsians represent one of the last dinosaurian radiations. Traditionally the only universally accepted speciose clade within the group was the Ceratopsidae. However, recent discoveries and phylogenetic analyses have led to the recognition of a new speciose clade, the Leptoceratopsidae, which is predominantly known from the Upper Cretaceous of North America. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report a new leptoceratopsid taxon, Zhuchengceratops inexpectus gen. et sp. nov., based on a partial, articulated skeleton recovered from the Upper Cretaceous Wangshi Group of Zhucheng, Shandong Province, China. Although Zhuchengceratops is significantly different from other known leptoceratopsids, it is recovered as a derived member of the group by our phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, Zhuchengceratops exhibits several features previously unknown in leptoceratopsids but seen in ceratopsids and their close relatives, suggesting that the distribution of morphological features within ceratopsians is more complex than previously realized. Conclusion/Significance The discovery of Zhuchengceratops increases both the taxonomic diversity and the morphological disparity of the Leptoceratopsidae, providing further support for the hypothesis that this clade represents a successful radiation of horned dinosaurs in parallel with the Ceratopsidae in the Late Cretaceous. This documents a surprising case of the coexistence and radiation of two closely-related lineages with contrasting suites of jaw and dental features that probably reflect adaptation to different food resources.
Prognostic indexes in follicular lymphoma: a comparison of different prognostic systems.

BACKGROUND The International Prognostic Index (IPI), initially designed for aggressive lymphomas, is also used in follicular lymphoma (FL) and other indolent lymphomas. Two new prognostic indexes have recently been proposed for FL [the Italian Lymphoma Intergroup (ILI) Index and the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI)]. PATIENTS AND METHODS Three indexes, IPI [age >60 years, extranodal involvement two or more sites, elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status > or =2, stage > or =3], ILI (age >60 years, extranodal involvement two or more sites, elevated LDH, male sex, B symptoms, erythrocyte sedimentation rate > or =30 mm first hour) and FLIPI (age >60 years, stage > or =3, elevated LDH, nodal involvement five or more, haemoglobin level < or =12 g/dl) were calculated in 411 patients with FL. RESULTS Overall concordance between the three indexes was 54%. A total of 126 (31%) patients were included in the high-risk group according to IPI, 131 (32%) according to ILI and 157 (38%) after FLIPI application. Ten-year overall survival rates after applying the prognostic indexes (IPI, ILI and FLIPI) were, respectively: 72%, 71% and 72%, in the low-risk group; 51%, 60% and 49% in the intermediate-risk group; and 24%, 16% and 31% in the high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS In this series, all three indexes, IPI, ILI and FLIPI, were useful to classify FL patients into differentiated risk groups, although the FLIPI identified a larger proportion of high-risk patients than the IPI and ILI.
Pretreatment with 8-methoxypsoralen, a potent human CYP2A6 inhibitor, strongly inhibits lung tumorigenesis induced by 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone in female A/J mice.

Human CYP2A6 has been recognized as being involved in the mutagenic activation of promutagens such as the tobacco-specific nitrosamine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). Methoxsalen (8-methoxypsoralen) was reported to inhibit CYP2A6. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of methoxsalen on NNK-induced lung tumorigenesis in female A/J mice were examined. Female A/J mice were treated with methoxsalen at doses of 50 or 12.5 mg/kg body weight, given by stomach tube, daily for 3 days. One h after the final treatment, NNK was injected i.p. at a dose of 2 mg/mouse. The experiments were terminated 16 weeks after the first methoxsalen treatment, and lung adenomas were analyzed. Pretreatment of methoxsalen significantly reduced tumor incidence from 93.8% to 16.7% (50 mg/kg) and 20.0% (12.5 mg/kg), and tumor multiplicity from 5.97 to 0.23 (50 mg/kg) and 0.25 (12.5 mg/kg) tumors/mouse. These results clearly demonstrated that methoxsalen, a potent human CYP2A6 inhibitor, is a strong chemopreventive agent against NNK-induction of lung tumorigenesis.
HF Test Current Injection-Based Self-Sensing Control of PMSM for Low- and Zero-Speed Range Using Two-Degree-of-Freedom Current Control

This paper deals with an innovative self-sensing control scheme based on test current instead of voltage injection. Using two-degree-of-freedom current control, one can overcome the bandwidth limitations that made test current injection unattractive during the last 20 years. The two-degree-of-freedom control scheme consists of a model-based dynamic feedforward control to set the reference response and model reference tracking controllers providing disturbance rejection and position error signals for self-sensing control. Since two-degree-of-freedom control is a model-based control scheme, the compensation for secondary saliencies is inherently included in the precontrol. It is analytically shown that, in the case of alternating test current instead of voltage injection, just the precise knowledge, in general, of the current- and position-dependent secondary diagonal element of the inductance matrix is needed in the case of inductance saliency-based self-sensing control. The effectiveness of the proposed method is proven by experimental results.
Direct evidence for the role of pigment cells in the brain of ascidian larvae by laser ablation

SUMMARY The anterior sensory vesicle of ascidian larvae contains a single large vesicle in which lie two distinct types of pigment cells, anterior and posterior. The ultrastructure of these pigment cells suggests that the anterior pigment cell is an otolith, presumably used for gravity detection, and the posterior pigment cell is an ocellus, used for photoreception. However, there is no direct experimental evidence for this assignment of function. Upward swimming behaviour occurring during the initial period of larval life was examined before and after laser ablation of the anterior pigment and posterior pigment cells. Posterior pigment cell-ablated larvae retained the upward swimming behaviour, but anterior pigment cell-ablated larvae lost it. These results suggest that the anterior pigment acts as a gravity sensor. The negatively phototactic swimming during the latter part of larval life was also examined before and after laser ablation of the anterior pigment or posterior pigment cells. Anterior pigment cell-ablated larvae retained the phototactic response, but posterior pigment cell-ablated larvae lost it. These results suggest that the posterior pigment of the sensory vesicle is involved in the negatively phototactic, downward swimming behavior. The effect of pressure on swimming behaviour was studied, and a putative pressure-detection organ was found not to be involved in the larval swimming behaviour. These are the first published experimental results that permit a functional role in ascidian larval behavior to be assigned to the sensory organs.
Will Public Pre-K Really Close Achievement Gaps? Gaps in Prekindergarten Quality Between Students and Across States

Publicly funded pre-K is often touted as a means to narrow achievement gaps, but this goal is less likely to be achieved if poor and/or minority children do not, at a minimum, attend equal quality pre-K as their non-poor, non-minority peers. In this paper, I find large “quality gaps” in public pre-K between poor, minority students and non-poor, non-minority students, ranging from 0.3 to 0.7 SD on a range of classroom observational measures. I also find that even after adjusting for several classroom characteristics, significant and sizable quality gaps remain. Finally, I find much between-state variation in gap magnitudes and that state-level quality gaps are related to state-level residential segregation. These findings are particularly troubling if a goal of public pre-K is to minimize inequality.
Recidivism among Determinately Sentenced Juvenile Homicide Offenders in Texas

Juvenile homicide offenders pose a significant risk to society considering the severity of the crime, yet this population of delinquents receives little attention in terms of recidivism research. This study examined the recidivism outcomes of a group of 256 determinately sentenced homicide offenders in Texas. Each of these juveniles had be confined to and subsequently release from the Texas Youth Commission, and were followed for three years following release. The aim of this research study was to distinguish recidivists from non-recidivists across demographic, delinquent history, and risk factor measures. These same measures were then used to predict recidivism among the entire sample. Overall, the measures of race, gender, and previous delinquent adjudications emerged significant. First, Black youth were significantly more likely to recidivate than both Hispanic and White youth. Additionally, recidivism among males was significantly greater than non-recidivism among males. In contrast, there were fewer females in recidivist group than the non-recidivist group. Finally, youth with a greater number of previous delinquent adjudications were significantly more likely to recidivate, and the risk of recidivism increased as the number of previous adjudications increased. These findings are consistent with previous literature and indicate that these factors are prevalent in analyzing the recidivist behavior of determinately sentenced juvenile homicide offenders.