Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Inhomogeneous Bernoulli Convolutions and Random Power Series

There exists an extended literature on the fascinating field of Bernoulli convolution, see especially [9] and references in there. Two highlights in the field are the relation of Bernoulli convolutions to algebraic number theory found by Erdos [3] and Salem [13] and the proof of absolute continuity of almost all Bernoulli convolutions by Solomyak [15], which was simplified and generalized to biased convolutions by Peres and Solomyak, see [10] and [11]. All these results assume that the convolutions considered are homogenous in the sense that the probabilities of the convolved measures are constant. In this paper we ask the natural question if these results may be generalized to inhomogeneous Bernoulli
Does measuring code change improve fault prediction?

Background: Several studies have examined code churn as a variable for predicting faults in large software systems. High churn is usually associated with more faults appearing in code that has been changed frequently. Aims: We investigate the extent to which faults can be predicted by the degree of churn alone, whether other code characteristics occur together with churn, and which combinations of churn and other characteristics provide the best predictions. We also investigate different types of churn, including both additions to and deletions from code, as well as overall amount of change to code. Method: We have mined the version control database of a large software system to collect churn and other software measures from 18 successive releases of the system. We examine the frequency of faults plotted against various code characteristics, and evaluate a diverse set of prediction models based on many different combinations of independent variables, including both absolute and relative churn. Results: Churn measures based on counts of lines added, deleted, and modified are very effective for fault prediction. Individually, counts of adds and modifications outperform counts of deletes, while the sum of all three counts was most effective. However, these counts did not improve prediction accuracy relative to a model that included a simple count of the number of times that a file had been changed in the prior release. Conclusions: Including a measure of change in the prior release is an essential component of our fault prediction method. Various measures seem to work roughly equivalently.
On time-frequency masking in voiced speech

This paper addresses the issue of masking of noise in voiced speech. First, we examine the audibility of cyclostationary narrow-band noise bursts added to voiced speech generated by synthetic excitation. Varying the temporal location of noise within a pitch cycle corresponds to varying its phase spectrum. Using this fact, we found that a change of phase of the noise in the high frequency region is more perceptible for a low-pitched sound than for a high-pitched sound. We then propose a pitch-dependent temporal weighting function which can be employed in quantization of pitch cycle waveforms. In a second experiment, we found that the audibility of high-frequency noise added to natural speech can be significantly reduced using this weighting function.
Improving pupil referral unit outcomes: pupil perspectives

Concern has been expressed about the quality of alternative provision for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and the poor academic and social outcomes many experience. Little research has sought the views of the young people themselves regarding the enablers and barriers to positive outcomes they have encountered. A total of 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants aged 12 to 16 years drawn from pupil referral units in two local authorities. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts identified a range of factors perceived by the young people as enabling or impeding their achievement of positive academic and social–emotional outcomes. Implications for practice development in pupil referral units are discussed, along with the importance of pupil involvement for improving engagement and outcomes.
Sex Differences in Self-Reported Achievement Motivation

Significant over-all sex differences were not obtained for scores of 134 women and 127 men (majority aged 18 to 20 yr.), on Hermans' Prestatie Motivatie Test. A stepwise multiple regression indicated that there were significant sex differences on 3 of the 9 aspects of n Ach measured by the test, Achievement Behavior, Persistence, and Time Perspective, based upon 5 items of 29 Chi square analyses produced significant sex differences on 5 of the 9 n Ach aspects: Achievement Behavior, Persistence, Time Perspective, Task Tension, and Partner Choice, based upon 7 out of 29 items. Differences favored females in Achievement Behavior. Findings are discussed in terms of current social and research trends. Shortcomings are also discussed.
Mapping urban subsidence with TerraSAR-X data by PSI analysis

With a spatial resolution of up to 1 m, the German radar satellite TerraSAR-X has significantly improved the applicability of spaceborne SAR interferometry (InSAR) technique for fast ground motion monitoring due to its high spatial resolution and short time interval. In this work we present the first Permanent Scatterer Interferometry analysis with TerraSAR-X data for urban subsidence mapping in Tianjin city in China. Totally 17 scenes strip mode SAR images have been collected from Feb to Oct 2009 to perform the PSI analysis. The resulted average subsidence velocity demonstrates the ability of high resolution data for detailed monitoring of urban subsidence. Comparison between PSI result of TerraSAR-X and ENVISAT show the potential of TerraSAR-X data for urban motion as well as large scale manmade linear infrastructure monitoring.
A survey on multi‐output regression

In recent years, a plethora of approaches have been proposed to deal with the increasingly challenging task of multi‐output regression. This study provides a survey on state‐of‐the‐art multi‐output regression methods, that are categorized as problem transformation and algorithm adaptation methods. In addition, we present the mostly used performance evaluation measures, publicly available data sets for multi‐output regression real‐world problems, as well as open‐source software frameworks. WIREs Data Mining Knowl Discov 2015, 5:216–233. doi: 10.1002/widm.1157
Association of Thyroid Hormone Concentrations with Levels of Organochlorine Compounds in Cord Blood of Neonates

Background Thyroid hormones are important regulators of brain development. During critical periods of development, even transient disorders in thyroid hormone availability may lead to profound neurologic impairment. Animal experiments have shown that certain environmental pollutants, including heavy metals and organochlorine compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins, can interfere with thyroid hormone homeostasis. Whether these contaminants can affect circulating levels of thyroid hormones in humans is unclear, however, because the results of available studies are inconsistent. Objectives The aim of the present study is to examine the possible relationships between concentrations of environmental pollutants and thyroid hormone levels in human umbilical cord blood. Methods We measured concentrations of environmental pollutants [including selected PCBs, dioxin-like compounds, hexachlorobenzene, p,p′-DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene), cadmium, lead] and thyroid hormones in the cord blood of 198 neonates. Results A statistically significant inverse relationship between concentrations of organochlorine compounds and levels of both free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4), but not thyroid-stimulating hormone, was observed. We found no association between concentrations of heavy metals and thyroid hormone levels. Conclusions Our results suggest that environmental chemicals may affect the thyroid system of human neonates. Although the differences in fT3 and fT4 levels associated with the organochlorine compounds were within the normal range, the observed interferences may still have detrimental effects on the neurologic development of the individual children, given the importance of thyroid hormones in brain development.
Using Student-Generated Analogies to Investigate Conceptions of Energy: A multidisciplinary study

The concept of energy is widely employed in introductory science courses. However, the term energy is defined and utilized in different ways depending on the context, even within a given discipline. Through the lens of metaphor theory, these various definitions of energy are seen as metaphors that highlight and obscure characteristics of energy. Working under this framework, undergraduate students in introductory biology, chemistry, and physics courses were asked to write analogies that reflect their understanding of the role of energy in the context of ecosystems (n = 49), chemical reactions (n = 36), mechanical systems (n = 65), and electrical circuits (n = 44). These analogies were analyzed qualitatively using metaphor theory to gain understanding of how students conceptualize energy in these different contexts. The results of this study indicate that students use seven different conceptual metaphors to explain the role of energy in various scientific contexts: energy as a substance that can be accounted for, energy as a substance that can flow, can change forms, can be carried, can be lost, can be an ingredient or a product, and energy as a process or interaction. This result gives teachers a framework to use in evaluating student ideas about energy.
Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Sea Turtles in Elementary Students on Zakynthos, Greece

Abstract The authors constructed a 32-item survey instrument to measure knowledge and aspects of attitudes (issue understanding and concern, locus of control, and verbal commitment) regarding sea turtle conservation on Zakynthos, Greece. It was completed by 332 5th and 6th grade students from 21 classes in 3 geographic settings. The results indicate low knowledge scores, but high score levels for attitudes. Knowledge, understanding and/or concern, and locus of control significantly correlated with grade level. Overall, a significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitudes was demonstrated. The findings of the study may be useful in designing environmental education programs to promote sea turtle conservation.
Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump blockade decreases O2 use of unloaded contracting rat heart slices: thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid.

We previously established a new measuring method of the myocardial O2 consumption of mechanically unloaded rat left-ventricular slices. O 2 consumption of unstimulated myocardium corresponds to basal metabolism. We have found O2 consumption of stimulated myocardium to include basal metabolism and O 2 consumption for Ca2+ handling in the excitation-contraction coupling, but not for crossbridge cycling. Thus, O2 consumption for the excitation-contraction coupling is obtained by subtracting basal metabolism from O2 consumption of the stimulated myocardium. We have shown that O2 consumption for the excitation-contraction coupling corresponds to 40% of basal metabolism. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the component of myocardial O2 consumption for the excitation-contraction coupling by this method. Blockade of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump by thapsigargin (0.1-1 micro mol/l), or by cycloplazonic acid (10 micro mol/l), significantly reduced O2 consumption for the excitation-contraction coupling by 40 or 70% of the respective controls. Neither thapsigargin nor cyclopliazonic acid reduced basal metabolism O2 consumption. The magnitude of free shortening of the unloaded myocardial slices, quantified by slice surface area reduction, was small (about 1.5%) because of the lack of external preload. Thapsigargin (1 micro mol/l) and cycloplazonic acid (10 micro mol/l) markedly attenuated the already reduced free shortening. 2,3-butanedione monoxime (5 mmol/l) also largely suppressed the free shortening, although this agent did not alter the O2 consumption of either unstimulated or stimulated myocardium. Some residual cross-bridge cycling may occur without detectable O2 consumption. Our present energetic results revealed that the O2 consumption of myocardial slices for the Ca2+ handling in the excitation-contraction coupling was mainly used for the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump.
Word, Pseudoword, and Nonword Processing: A Multitask Comparison Using Event-Related Brain Potentials

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to words, pseudowords, and nonwords were recorded in three different tasks. A letter search task was used in Experiment 1. Performance was affected by whether the target letter occurred in a word, a pseudoword, or a random nonword. ERP results corroborated the behavioral results, showing small but reliable ERP differences between the three stimulus types. Words and pseudowords differed from nonwords at posterior sites, whereas words differed from pseudowords and nonwords at anterior sites. Since deciding whether the target letter was present or absent co-occurred with stimulus processing in Experiment 1, a delayed letter search task was used in Experiment 2. ERPs to words and pseudowords were similar and differed from ERPs to nonwords, suggesting a primary role of orthographic and phonological processing in the delayed letter search task. To increase semantic processing, a categorization task was used in Experiment 3. Early differences between ERPs to words and pseudowords at left posterior and anterior locations suggested a rapid activation of lexico-semantic information. These findings suggest that the use of ERPs in a multiple task design makes it possible to track the time course and the activation of multiple sources of linguistic information when processing words, pseudowords, and nonwords. The task-dependent nature of the effects suggests that the language system can use multiple sources of linguistic information in flexible and adaptive ways.
Efficient System-Level Testing of Embedded Real-Time Software

When developing complex embedded applications, the software is often built in the form of subsystems or components, which are later integrated and assembled to a full system. Throughout all stages of development and assembly, software testing is performed. On unitor componentlevel, the structure and run-time properties of the software can fairly easily be predicted. This enables a thorough testing based on the structure of the software (as well as testing based on the intended functionality of the software). However, in the later stages of the assembly process, the structure of the software becomes more complex and less obvious. Hence, the developers are forced to base their testing solely on the intended functionality o f the software, leading to a reduced testing-induced quality assurance. At the same time, bugs found in the later stages of testing (i.e., integrationand system-level testing) a re significantly more costly to correct. Using dynamic and static information of the software, this situation can be significantly improved. This paper outlines a framework for more efficient system-level testing of real-time softwa re for embedded applications.
Impact of place attachment on risk perception: Exploring the multidimensionality of risk and its magnitude

Abstract The literature is inconclusive regarding the relationship between place attachment and risk perception. Place attachment relates to reduced risk perception in some contexts and higher levels in others. Furthermore, longitudinal studies have shown that this relationship can change over time. In order to elucidate this relationship, we explored the multidimensionality of risk perception using the Slovic et al. paradigm with three types of risks: environmental, social and economic. A sample of 157 residents reported both place attachment and perceived risk. The results show that place attachment contributes to amplifying high probability risks and attenuates the perception of low probability ones. The results further show that place attachment is associated with the “control of risk” dimension including “voluntariness” and “controllability”.
Transcriptome-Based Characterization of Interactions between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus in Lactose-Grown Chemostat Cocultures

ABSTRACT Mixed populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts and lactic acid bacteria occur in many dairy, food, and beverage fermentations, but knowledge about their interactions is incomplete. In the present study, interactions between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, two microorganisms that co-occur in kefir fermentations, were studied during anaerobic growth on lactose. By combining physiological and transcriptome analysis of the two strains in the cocultures, five mechanisms of interaction were identified. (i) Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus hydrolyzes lactose, which cannot be metabolized by S. cerevisiae, to galactose and glucose. Subsequently, galactose, which cannot be metabolized by Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, is excreted and provides a carbon source for yeast. (ii) In pure cultures, Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus grows only in the presence of increased CO2 concentrations. In anaerobic mixed cultures, the yeast provides this CO2 via alcoholic fermentation. (iii) Analysis of amino acid consumption from the defined medium indicated that S. cerevisiae supplied alanine to the bacterium. (iv) A mild but significant low-iron response in the yeast transcriptome, identified by DNA microarray analysis, was consistent with the chelation of iron by the lactate produced by Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. (v) Transcriptome analysis of Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus in mixed cultures showed an overrepresentation of transcripts involved in lipid metabolism, suggesting either a competition of the two microorganisms for fatty acids or a response to the ethanol produced by S. cerevisiae. This study demonstrates that chemostat-based transcriptome analysis is a powerful tool to investigate microbial interactions in mixed populations.
Control of Insulin mRNA Stability in Rat Pancreatic Islets

Stabilization of insulin mRNA in response to glucose is a significant component of insulin production, but the mechanisms governing this process are unknown. We presently observe that insulin mRNA is a highly abundant messenger and that the content of this mRNA is mainly controlled by changes in messenger stability. We also demonstrate specific binding of the polypyrimidine tract-binding protein to a pyrimidine-rich sequence located in the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of insulin mRNA. This binding was increased in vitro by dithiothreitol and in vivo by glucose. Inhibition of polypyrimidine tract-binding protein binding to the pyrimidine-rich sequence by mutation of the core binding site resulted in a destabilization of a reporter gene mRNA. Thus, glucose-induced binding of polypyrimidine tract-binding protein to the 3′-UTR of insulin mRNA could be a necessary event in the control of insulin mRNA levels.
On Free Resolutions of Iwasawa Modules

Let $\Lambda$ (isomorphic to $\mathbb{Z}_p[[T]]$) denote the usual Iwasawa algebra and $G$ denote the Galois group of a finite Galois extension $L/K$ of totally real fields. When the non-primitive Iwasawa module over the cyclotomic $\mathbb{Z}_p$-extension has a free resolution of length one over the group ring $\Lambda[G]$, we prove that the validity of the non-commutative Iwasawa main conjecture allows us to find a representative for the non-primitive $p$-adic $L$-function (which is an element of a $K_1$-group) in a maximal $\Lambda$-order. This integrality result involves a careful study of the Dieudonne determinant. Using a cohomolgoical criterion of Greenberg, we also deduce the precise conditions under which the non-primitive Iwasawa module has a free resolution of length one. As one application of the last result, we consider an elliptic curve over $\mathbb{Q}$ with a cyclic isogeny of degree $p^2$. We relate the characteristic ideal in the ring $\Lambda$ of the Pontryagin dual of its non-primitive Selmer group to two characteristic ideals, viewed as elements of group rings over $\Lambda$, associated to two non-primitive classical Iwasawa~modules.
Authoritarianism And Political Ideas Of Latvian Nationalist Intellectuals

This article explores the authoritarian elements of Eastern European nationalism from an historical point of view. The focus is on the case of Latvian nationalist ideas and particularly the authoritarian nationalism serving the interests of the Kārlis Ulmanis regime between 1934 and 1939. The evidence is collected from the political writings of nationalist intellectuals, who are treated as the authors of Latvian nationalist philosophy. It is concluded that the nationalist intellectuals were willing to accept authoritarianism as a realization of their visions of perfect national existence. Consequently, Latvian nationalism lost its conceptual independence and became an instrument of Ulmanis’ political rhetoric. Thus, the article provides insights about the complex relations between intellectuals and political power.
Autocrine and paracrine unpaired signaling regulate intestinal stem cell maintenance and division

Summary The Janus kinase (JAK) signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway is involved in the regulation of intestinal stem cell (ISC) activity to ensure a continuous renewal of the adult Drosophila midgut. Three ligands, Unpaired 1, Unpaired 2 and Unpaired 3 (Upd1, Upd2 and Upd3, respectively) are known to activate the JAK/STAT pathway in Drosophila. Using newly generated upd mutants and cell-specific RNAi, we showed that Upd1 is required throughout the fly life to maintain basal turnover of the midgut epithelium by controlling ISC maintenance in an autocrine manner. A role of Upd2 and Upd3 in basal conditions is discernible only in old gut, where they contribute to increased ISC abnormal division. Finally, upon an acute stress such as oral bacterial infection, we showed that Upd3 is released from enterocytes and has an additive effect with Upd2 to promote rapid epithelial regeneration. Taken together, our results show that Upd ligands are required to maintain the midgut homeostasis under both normal and pathological states.