Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Programming Boosting for Discriminative Macro-Action Discovery

We consider the problem of automatic macroaction discovery in imitation learning, which we cast as one of change-point detection. Unlike prior work in change-point detection, the present work leverages discriminative learning algorithms. Our main contribution is a novel supervised learning algorithm which extends the classical Boosting framework by combining it with dynamic programming. The resulting process alternatively improves the performance of individual strong predictors and the estimated changepoints in the training sequence. Empirical evaluation is presented for the proposed method on tasks where change-points arise naturally as part of a classification problem. Finally we show the applicability of the algorithm to macro-action discovery in imitation learning and demonstrate it allows us to solve complex image-based goal-planning problems with thousands of features.
Research report The song system of the human brain

Although sophisticated insights have been gained into the neurobiology of singing in songbirds, little comparable knowledge exists for humans, the most complex singers in nature. Human song complexity is evidenced by the capacity to generate both richly structured melodies and coordinated multi-part harmonizations. The present study aimed to elucidate this multi-faceted vocal system by using 15 O-water positron emission tomography to scan ‘‘listen and respond’’ performances of amateur musicians either singing repetitions of novel melodies, singing harmonizations with novel melodies, or vocalizing monotonically. Overall, major blood flow increases were seen in the primary and secondary auditory cortices, primary motor cortex, frontal operculum, supplementary motor area, insula, posterior cerebellum, and basal ganglia. Melody repetition and harmonization produced highly similar patterns of activation. However, whereas all three tasks activated secondary auditory cortex (posterior Brodmann Area 22), only melody repetition and harmonization activated the planum polare (BA 38). This result implies that BA 38 is responsible for an even higher level of musical processing than BA 22. Finally, all three of these ‘‘listen and respond’’ tasks activated the frontal operculum (Broca’s area), a region involved in cognitive/motor sequence production and imitation, thereby implicating it in musical imitation and vocal learning.
Pulmonary Effects of Noninvasive Ventilation Combined with the Recruitment Maneuver After Cardiac Surgery

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate the pulmonary effects of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) with or without recruitment maneuver (RM) after open heart surgery. METHODS: One-hundred patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were randomized into four groups after the operation: 1) RM with sustained inflation during mechanical ventilation postoperatively (RM group, n = 25); 2) RM combined with NIV applied for 1/2-h periods every 6 h in the first postoperative day after tracheal extubation (RM-NIV group, n = 25); 3) NIV after tracheal extubation (NIV group, n = 25); and 4) a control group consisting of patients receiving neither RM nor NIV (control group, n = 25). Pulmonary function tests, oxygenation index, and atelectasis on chest radiograph were evaluated and compared among the groups. RESULTS: RM provided higher arterial oxygen levels during mechanical ventilation and after tracheal extubation compared to other interventions. Oxygenation was better in the RM-NIV and NIV groups than in the control group (P = 0.02 and P = 0.008, respectively) at the end of the study. The postoperative atelectasis score of the control group (median: 1) was higher than those of the RM (1; P = 0.03), RM-NIV (0; P < 0.01) and NIV (0; P < 0.01) groups. Pulmonary function of the NIV groups on postoperative day 2 was better than in the other groups, whereas the tests were similar among the groups on postoperative day 7. CONCLUSIONS: NIV associated with RM provided better oxygenation both during and after the mechanical ventilation period. NIV either alone or in combination with RM provided lower atelectasis scores and better early pulmonary function tests compared to the control group, without a significant difference regarding the duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit stay, and the length of hospitalization. NIV combined with RM is recommended after open heart surgery to prevent postoperative atelectasis and hypoxemia.
The Nigerian Unorganized Rural Financial Institutions and Operations: A Framework for Improved Rural Credit Schemes in a Fragile Environment

Abstract The Nigerian’s financial system is dualized: The formal and the informal (unorganized) financial markets. In this regards, the paper investigates the various institutions, modus operandi and the extent of financial intermination in different social settings. Empirical results shows that traditional savings and credit associations (TRASCAs) are prevalent in semi-urban and rural areas among semi-skilled and unskilled workers and traders, while daily Saving Enterprises (DSEs) and Professional Money Lending Scheme (PMLs) strive in semi-urban and urban centers among artisans, traders and skilled workers. The performance analysis of these unorganized financial markets possibly reflects strong savings propensities and more robust lending activities. Given the failure of most government rural financial intermediation programmes, the paper therefore suggest that money market development policies should be tailored to suit the peculiarities (economic, social, etc.) of the target population, in order to foster the development of dependable rural financial market.
Double Sparse Multi-Frame Image Super Resolution

A large number of image super resolution algorithms based on the sparse coding are proposed, and some algorithms realize the multi-frame super resolution. In multi-frame super resolution based on the sparse coding, both accurate image registration and sparse coding are required. Previous study on multi-frame super resolution based on sparse coding firstly apply block matching for image registration, followed by sparse coding to enhance the image resolution. In this paper, these two problems are solved by optimizing a single objective function. The results of numerical experiments support the effectiveness of the proposed approch.
Nerve Conduction Study in Healthy Individuals: a Gender Based Study

Background: Nerve conduction study (NCS) assesses peripheral nerve functions and has clinical implication. Objective: To study effect of gender on NCS variables in healthy adults. Settings and Design: Department of Physiology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal. Material and Method: The study was done in 34 (m=19, 32±11 years; f=15, 32±12 years) consenting healthy adults. The compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) were recorded. Statistical analysis: The effect of gender on NCS variables was analyzed using Mann Whitney U test. Results: Male vs. female: males had increased CMAP and F-wave latencies (ms) in all tested motor nerves. CMAP duration (ms) was longer in males (p<0.05) in all tested motor nerves: right median (5.9±1.3 vs. 4.92±0.65), left median (5.54±0.91 vs. 4.72±0.57), right ulnar (5.55±1.01 vs. 4.56±0.59), left ulnar (5.71±0.97 vs. 4.64±0.51), right tibial (6.58±0.95 vs. 5.95±0.71), and left tibial (6.98±1.31 vs. 6.21±0.78). Females showed higher sural SNAP amplitude (µV) (23.26±9.23 vs. 15.94±8.42). SNAP duration (ms) was longer in males: right ulnar (1.16±0.19 vs. 1.03±0.06). SNAP latencies (ms) were also longer in males: right sural (2.61±0.44 vs. 2.21±0.36). Males had greater height (165.9±4.74 vs. 149.3±7.24) and weight (60.4±7.2 vs. 53±7.2). Conclusion: Gender has definite effects on NCS variables. Males had higher CMAP amplitude, longer latencies and duration. SNAP latencies and duration were longer in males whereas amplitude was higher in females. Without adjustment for these factors, the sensitivity and specificity of NCS will decrease when using the same reference data in patients with different gender. Keywords: compound muscle action potential; gender; nerve conduction study; sensory nerve action potential DOI: 10.3126/hren.v8i3. 4210 Health Renaissance , September-December 2010; Vol 8 (No.3);169-175
Equilibria in Large Games with Strategic Complementarities ∗

We study a class of static games with a continuum of players and complementarites. Using monotone operators on the space of distributions, we prove existence of the greatest and least distributional Nash equilibrium under different set of assumptions than one stemming from Mas-Colell (1984) original work, via constructive methods. In addition, we provide computable monotone comparative statics results for ordered perturbations of the space of our games. We complement our paper with results concerning equilibria on strategies as introduced by Schmeidler (1973). Finally we discuss the equilibrium uniqueness and present applications for Bertrand competition, general equilibrium models, and so called ”beauty contests”. keywords: large games, distributional equilibria, supermodular games, computation JEL codes: C72
A Maximum Variance Cluster Algorithm

We present a partitional cluster algorithm that minimizes the sum-of-squared-error criterion while imposing a hard constraint on the cluster variance. Conceptually, hypothesized clusters act in parallel and cooperate with their neighboring clusters in order to minimize the criterion and to satisfy the variance constraint. In order to enable the demarcation of the cluster neighborhood without crucial parameters, we introduce the notion of foreign cluster samples. Finally, we demonstrate a new method for cluster tendency assessment based on varying the variance constraint parameter.
Continued improvement in myocardial T2* over two years of deferasirox therapy in β-thalassemia major patients with cardiac iron overload

Background The efficacy of cardiac iron chelation in transfusion-dependent patients has been demonstrated in one-year prospective trials. Since normalization of cardiac T2* takes several years, the efficacy and safety of deferasirox was assessed for two years in patients with β-thalassemia major in the cardiac sub-study of the EPIC trial. Design and Methods Eligible patients with myocardial T2* greater than 5 to less than 20 ms received deferasirox, with the primary endpoint being the change in T2* from baseline to two years. Results Baseline myocardial T2* was severe (>5 to <10 ms) in 39 patients, and moderate-to-mild (10 to <20 ms) in 62 patients. Mean deferasirox dose was 33.1±3.7 mg/kg/d in the one-year core study increasing to 36.1±7.7 mg/kg/d during the second year of treatment. Geometric mean myocardial T2* increased from a baseline of 11.2 to 14.8 ms at two years (P<0.001). In patients with moderate-to-mild baseline T2*, an increase was seen from 14.7 to 20.1 ms, with normalization (≥20 ms) in 56.7% of patients. In those with severe cardiac iron overload at baseline, 42.9% improved to the moderate-to-mild group. The incidence of drug-related adverse events did not increase during the extension relative to the core study and included (≥5%) increased serum creatinine, rash and increased alanine aminotransferase. Conclusions Continuous treatment with deferasirox for two years with a target dose of 40 mg/kg/d continued to remove iron from the heart in patients with β-thalassemia major and mild, moderate and severe cardiac siderosis. (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT 00171821)
PAC-Bayesian Bounds based on the Rényi Divergence

We propose a simplified proof process for PAC-Bayesian generalization bounds, that allows to divide the proof in four successive inequalities, easing the "customization" of PAC-Bayesian theorems. We also propose a family of PAC-Bayesian bounds based on the Renyi divergence between the prior and posterior distributions, whereas most PAC-Bayesian bounds are based on the Kullback-Leibler divergence. Finally, we present an empirical evaluation of the tightness of each inequality of the simplified proof, for both the classical PAC-Bayesian bounds and those based on the Renyi divergence.
Breaking the Screen Barrier

This thesis is based on an important development in human-computer interface design: the move from primarily screen-based interfaces – based on the Windows-Icons-Menus-Pointer (WIMP) and Graphical Users Interfaces (GUI) paradigm developed for desktop computers – to computer interfaces which take advantage of the richness of the user’s physical environment. A common thread in the thesis is the attempt to expand the user’s workspace, whether that expansion is kept within the limits of the computer screen or brings the interaction to devices outside the desktop – i.e. to “break the screen barrier”, figuratively or literally. The thesis consists of five papers. The first paper describes flip zooming, a visualization method that uses the workspace on a screen more effectively. The second paper puts flip zooming and other similar methods within a general theoretical framework, which is both descriptive and constructive. The third paper describes WEST, A Web Browser for Small Terminals, which was an application where flip zooming was implemented on hand-held computers. The fourth paper describes the Hummingbird, a mobile counterpart to desktop-based workplace awareness applications. The fifth and final paper gives a general theory for interactive systems where physical objects are used to access digital information that is not contained within the actual object. Additionally, the introduction discusses how the thesis relates to Simon’s science of the artificial, Dahlbom’s foundations for an artificial science, and the new informatics, the scientific discipline within which the work was performed. A spiral model of design, Verplank’s spiral, is used to describe the research process.
A New Formal Approach for Predicting Period Doubling Bifurcations in Switching Converters

Period doubling bifurcation leading to subharmonic oscillations are undesired phenomena in switching converters. In past studies, their prediction has been mainly tackled by explicitly deriving a discrete time model and then linearizing it in the vicinity of the operating point. However, the results obtained from such an approach cannot be applied for design purpose. Alternatively, in this paper, the subharmonic oscillations in voltage mode controlled DC-DC buck converters are predicted by using a formal symbolic approach. This approach is based on expressing the subharmonic oscillation conditions in the frequency domain and then converting the results to generalized hypergeometric functions. The obtained expressions depend explicitly on the system parameters and the operating duty cycle making the results directly applicable for design purpose. Under certain practical conditions concerning these parameters, the hypergeometric functions can be approximated by polylogarithm and standard functions. The new approach is demonstrated using an example of voltage-mode-controlled buck converters. It is found that the stability of the converter is strongly dependent upon a polynomial function of the duty cycle.
Fronthaul Compression for Cloud Radio Access Networks: Signal processing advances inspired by network information theory

Cloud radio access networks (C-RANs) provide a novel architecture for next-generation wireless cellular systems whereby the baseband processing is migrated from the base stations (BSs) to a control unit (CU) in the "cloud. " The BSs, which operate as radio units (RUs), are connected via fronthaul links to the managing CU. The fronthaul links carry information about the baseband signals-in the uplink from the RUs to the CU and vice versa in the downlink-in the form of quantized in-phase and quadrature (IQ) samples. Due to the large bit rate produced by the quantized IQ signals, compression prior to transmission on the fronthaul links is deemed to be of critical importance and is receiving considerable attention. This article provides a survey of the work in this area with emphasis on advanced signal processing solutions based on network information theoretic concepts. Analysis and numerical results illustrate the considerable performance gains to be expected for standard cellular models.
Response of Gene Expression and Alternative Splicing to Distinct Growth Environments in Tomato

Phenotypic plasticity is the phenomenon that one particular genotype produces different phenotypes under different environmental conditions, but its underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms are poorly understood. Plastic traits may be under the control of genes whose expression is modulated by environmental cues. In this study, we investigated phenotypic plasticity in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and its ancestral species S. pimpinellifolium by comparing the global gene expression of young seedlings grown under two distinct growth conditions. Our results show that more than 7000 genes exhibited differential expression in response to environmental changes from phytotron to a plastic greenhouse, and 98 environmentally sensitive genes displayed the same patterns of expression response across the two tomato species. We also found that growth conditions had a remarkable impact on transcriptome complexity, attributable to alternative splicing (AS), in which 665 splice variants showed differential expression in response to the environmental changes. Moreover, more splice variants and AS events per gene were detected in plastic greenhouse-grown seedlings than their phytotron counterparts, and these seedlings also had higher percentages of intron retention events. The identification of the conserved environmentally-sensitive genes and the splice variants in this study will be useful for further analysis of gene regulation of environmental response in tomato and other crops.
Factors Affecting Graft Survival among Patients Receiving Kidneys from Live Donors: A Single-Center Experience

Introduction. The aim of this report is to study the graft and patient survival in a large cohort of recipients with an analysis of factors that may affect the final outcomes. Methods. Between March 1976 and March 2008, 1967 consecutive live-donor renal transplants were carried out. Various variables that may have an impact on patients and/or graft survival were studied in two steps. Initially, a univariate analysis was carried out. Thereafter, significant variables were embedded in a stepwise regression analysis. Results. The overall graft survival was 86.7% and 65.5%, at 5 and 10 years, respectively. The projected half-life for grafts was 17.5 years and for patients was 22 years. Five factors had an independent negative impact on graft survival: donor's age, genetic considerations, the type of primary immunosuppression, number of acute rejection episodes, and total steroid dose during the first 3 months after transplantation. Conclusions. Despite refinements in tissue matching techniques and improvements in immunosuppression protocols, an important proportion of grafts is still lost following living donor kidney transplantation, presumably due to chronic allograft nephropathy.
Extended object tracking with convolution particle filtering

This paper proposes a sequential Monte Carlo filter (particle filter) for state and parameter estimation of dynamic systems. It is applied to the problem of extended object tracking in the presence of dense clutter. The unknown length of a stick-shape object is estimated in addition to the kinematic parameters. The kernel density estimation technique is utilised to approximate the joint posterior density of target state and static size parameters. The convolution particle filtering approach is validated on a Poisson model for the measurements, originating from the target and clutter. Examples illustrating the filter performance are presented. Simulation results show that the convolution particle filter provides accurate on-line tracking, with very good estimates both for the target kinematic states and for the parameters of the target extent.
Development And Evaluation Of The Pupils’ Personality Traits, In The Physical-Education Lesson

This research, by its methodology, designed for and implemented at upper secondary-education level, offers new variants of learning contents, meant to ensure an efficient action, oriented not only towards human biology, but also towards the aspects related to the formation of behaviour adequate to contemporary Romanian society’s expectations. The study was conducted over two school years, at the level of the 9 and 10 grades, resorting to both an experimental and a control class; in the control class, the physical-education classes covered a traditional methodology, focused on the pupils’ motor-actuating performance. The teaching methodology consisted in six categories of motor-actuating games, taken from non-formal education, amounting to 112 games / activities. With a view to assessing the specific skills enunciated by the specialized curriculum, at the content “Development of Personality Traits”, within the same methodology, we resorted to the process of their operationalization, which materialized in the elaboration of several skills to assess, for each learning unit allotted to the relevant thematic category. After going through the testing stages, calculating the average scores for each skill to assess within the four personality-development units, the obtained and statistically processed data highlighted that, in the experimental class, in terms of targeted skill acquisition, a significantly higher evolution to that of the control class, was registered. © 2017 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy. org.uk
A chaos-based video watermarking algorithm

A B S T R A C T The intriguing characteristics of chaotic maps have prompted researchers to use these sequences in watermarking systems to good eect. In this paper we aim to use a tent map to encrypt the binary logo to achieve a like-noise signal. This approach makes extraction of the watermark signal by potential attacker very hard. Embedding locations are selected based on certain principles. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed watermarking method is highly superior to other techniques reported in literature and readily achieves the desired robustness and security level.
Large Amplitude Dust-acoustic Solitons in a Plasma Consisting of SuperthermalElectron-positron Pairs and Dust Particulates

The occurrence and propagation of large amplitude dust-acoustic solitary waves (DASWs) are studied in a three-component plasma consisting of negatively charged dust grains and electron-positron pairs by employing a pseudopotential technique. Here, we focus on a superthermal plasma modeled by a -like distribution and consider a finite temperature for dust particulates. It is shown that the solitary waves with negative polarity are allowed in the system and there is a critical value for dust charge Z d above/below which the subsonic/supersonic solitary structures can propagate. In the case of negative fullerene ions, Z d = 1, it is observed that subsonic DASWs can propagate in the plasma. In addition, it is revealed that the propagation of double layers is not possible in this plasma system.
Peak Covariance Stability of Kalman Filtering with Markovian Packet Losses

In this paper, we consider state estimation using a Kalman filter of a linear time-invariant process over an unreliable network. The stability of Kalman filtering with random packet losses is studied, where the packet losses are modeled by the Gilbert-Elliott channel model and the stability is measured by the so-called peak covariance stability introduced in [1]. We give two sufficient conditions for the peak covariance stability: one combined with a numerical method provides an accurate criterion, and the other is in a simple form and easy to check, both of which are shown to be less conservative than existing works in practice. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of our result compared with relevant literature.