Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approximate solutions of nonlinear random operator equations: convergence in distribution.

For nonlinear random operator equations where the distributions of the stochastic inputs are approximated by sequences of random variables converging in distribution and where the underlying deterministic equations are simultaneously approximated, we prove a result about tightness and convergence in distribution of the approximate solutions. We apply our result to a random differential equation under Peano conditions and to a random Hammerstein integral equation and its quadrature approximations. 1. Introduction. In [15], we developed a theory of convergence of approximate solutions of random operator equations using concepts like consistency, stability, and compactness in sets of measurable functions. The results of that paper are valid for rather general notions of convergence including almost-sure convergence and convergence in probability, but excluding convergence in distribution. Of course, all the results in [15] that guarantee e.g. almost-sure convergence of approximate solutions imply their convergence in distribution. However, an adequate theory for convergence in distribution should also use weaker assumptions on the way the "stochastic inputs" (operator, right-hand side) are approximated that do not imply e.g. almost-sure convergence of the "stochastic outputs" (approximate solutions). It is shown in the concluding remarks of [15] that it is not possible to carry over the theory developed there to the case of convergence in distribution in a straightforward way. In this paper, we prove a result about convergence in distribution of approximate solutions of random operator equations in fixed-point form; the conditions needed are such that they do not imply stronger modes of convergence for the approximate solutions: The stochastic quantities entering into the equation are approximated with respect to convergence in distribution only. Note that convergence in distribution is often sufficient for approximating statistical characteristics of the solution, since if (xn) converges to x in distribution, then (E(f(xn))) -> E(f(x)) for all bounded continuous real functions /, where E denotes the expected value (see [6, p. 23]).
Secrecy in Cooperative Senma with Unauthorized Intrusions

The theory of the broadcast channel with confidential messages is exploited for characterizing the achievable region (rate versus equivocation) of a wireless sensor network with unauthorized intruders. Reference is made to a network of cooperative sensors polled by a mobile agent (C-SENMA), and it is assumed that the intruder can intercept symbols that a certain subset of the nodes deliver to the mobile agent. The attempt is to maintain secrecy against the intruder, while achieving the best transmission rate toward the intender listener (the mobile agent)
Polar coded HARQ scheme with Chase combining

A hybrid automatic repeat request scheme with Chase combing (HARQ-CC) of polar codes is proposed. The existing analysis tools of the underlying rate-compatible punctured polar (RCPP) codes for additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels are extended to Rayleigh fading channels. Then, an approximation bound of the throughput efficiency for the polar coded HARQ-CC scheme is derived. Utilizing this bound, the parameter configurations of the proposed scheme can be optimized. Simulation results show that, the proposed HARQ-CC scheme under a low-complexity SC decoding is only about 1.0dB away from the existing schemes with incremental redundancy (HARQ-IR). Compared with the polar coded HARQ-IR scheme, the proposed HARQ-CC scheme requires less retransmissions and has the advantage of good compatibility to other communication techniques.
Evidence of Serological Cross-Reactivity between Genotype 1 and Genotype 3 Erythrovirus Infections

Candotti and colleagues (1) reported the prevalence of a third strain of human erythrovirus, genotype 3 (V9), in the Ghanaian population and, in part, concluded that a genotype 1 (B19)-based assay failed to detect genotype 3 immunoglobulin G (IgG) in 38.5% of Ghanaian samples containing genotype 3 antibodies. We disagree with this conclusion for the following reasons.
Pre-eclampsia is associated with sleep-disordered breathing and endothelial dysfunction

Pre-eclamptic toxaemia (PET) may be associated with both endothelial dysfunction (ED) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). It was hypothesised that females with PET would demonstrate both SDB and ED, and that a correlation between these two would suggest a potential causative association. A total of 17 females with PET and 25 matched females with uncomplicated pregnancy were studied. They underwent a nocturnal ambulatory sleep study (using Watch_PAT100) and noninvasive evaluation of endothelial function utilising the reactive hyperaemia test (using Endo_PAT 2000). A higher ratio of post- to pre-occlusion pulse-wave amplitude (endothelial function index (EFI)) indicated better endothelial function. Females with PET had a significantly higher respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and lower EFI than controls (18.4±8.4 versus 8.3±1.3·h−1, and 1.5±0.1 versus 1.8±0.1, respectively). Blood pressure significantly correlated with RDI and with EFI. EFI tended to correlate with RDI. In conclusion, these results suggest that both sleep-disordered breathing and endothelial dysfunction are more likely to occur in females with pre-eclamptic toxaemia than in females with uncomplicated pregnancies. The current authors speculate that respiratory disturbances contribute to the functional abnormality of the blood vessels seen in females with pre-eclamptic toxaemia, although causality cannot be determined based on this study.
Traditional femininity norms and alcohol problems in a Canadian sample of young women

ABSTRACT The gender gap in drinking has narrowed in recent decades, particularly during young adulthood. In light of this change, the current study examines the relationship between traditional femininity norms and alcohol-related problems for young women, and considers the social contexts of drinking. Young women in Canada (N = 132, ages 19–25, M = 21.64; SD = 2.05) completed measures of past year alcohol problems (Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire; Kahler, C. W., D. R. Strong, and J. P. Read. 2005. “Toward efficient and comprehensive measurement of the alcohol problems continuum in college students: The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire.” Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 29 (7): 1180–1189) and conformity to traditional femininity norms (Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory-45; Parent, M. C., and B. Moradi. 2010. “Confirmatory factor analysis of the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory and development of the CFNI-45.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 34 (1): 97–109). Women also reported the number of drinks they typically consumed in same-gender and mixed-gender social contexts. Specific aspects of traditional femininity related positively, whereas others related inversely, to alcohol problems. Overall, the desire to be thin emerged as the strongest positive correlate, and sexual fidelity was the strongest negative correlate, of alcohol problems. These findings were consistent across social contexts and suggest that body ideals and gender-specific norms associated with young women’s sexuality are particularly salient within the culture of heavy drinking in young adulthood. Clinical implications will also be discussed.
Graph-based concept weighting for medical information retrieval

This paper presents a graph-based method to weight medical concepts in documents for the purposes of information retrieval. Medical concepts are extracted from free-text documents using a state-of-the-art technique that maps n-grams to concepts from the SNOMED CT medical ontology. In our graph-based concept representation, concepts are vertices in a graph built from a document, edges represent associations between concepts. This representation naturally captures dependencies between concepts, an important requirement for interpreting medical text, and a feature lacking in bag-of-words representations. We apply existing graph-based term weighting methods to weight medical concepts. Using concepts rather than terms addresses vocabulary mismatch as well as encapsulates terms belonging to a single medical entity into a single concept. In addition, we further extend previous graph-based approaches by injecting domain knowledge that estimates the importance of a concept within the global medical domain. Retrieval experiments on the TREC Medical Records collection show our method outperforms both term and concept baselines. More generally, this work provides a means of integrating background knowledge contained in medical ontologies into data-driven information retrieval approaches.
Neuronal Projections from V1 to V2 in Amblyopia

The mechanism of amblyopia in children with congenital cataract is not understood fully, but studies in macaques have shown that geniculate synapses are lost in striate cortex (V1). To search for other projection abnormalities in amblyopia, the pathway from V1 to V2 was examined using a triple-label technique in three animals raised with monocular suture. [3H]proline was injected into one eye to label the ocular dominance columns. Cholera toxin B subunit conjugated to gold (CTB-Au) was injected into V2 to label V1 projection neurons. Alternate sections were processed for cytochrome oxidase (CO) and CTB-Au, or dipped for autoradiography. Eight fields of CTB-Au-labeled cells in V1 opposite injection sites were plotted in layers 2/3 or 4B. After thin stripe injection, labeled cells were concentrated in CO patches. Despite column shrinkage, cells in deprived and normal columns were equal in size and density in both layers 2/3 and 4B. After pale or thick stripe injection, labeled cells were concentrated in interpatches. Only 23% of projection neurons originated from deprived columns. This reduction exceeded the degree of column shrinkage, a result explained by the fact that column shrinkage causes disproportionate loss of interpatch territory. These data indicate that early monocular form deprivation does not alter the segregation of patch and interpatch pathways to V2 stripes or cause selective loss or atrophy of V1 projection neurons. The effect of shrinkage of geniculocortical afferents in layer 4C following visual deprivation is not amplified further by attenuation of the amblyopic eye's projections from V1 to V2.
How intragroup dynamics affect behavior in intergroup conflict: The role of group norms, prototypicality, and need to belong

This study explores the role of intragroup dynamics in intergroup conflict. In a computer-mediated negotiation experiment (N = 107), we investigated how a group representative’s standing in the group, group norm, and the representative’s need to belong influence behavior in intergroup negotiations. We hypothesized that the extent to which peripheral representatives adhere to group norms is contingent on their need to belong, whereas prototypical representatives behave in norm-congruent ways regardless of their need to belong. In support of this idea, results showed that prototypicals behaved more cooperatively when the group norm prescribed cooperation rather than competition. By contrast, peripherals only adhered to the group norm when they had a high need to belong. These findings suggest that peripherals only represent the interests of their group when doing so furthers their self-interest. We discuss implications for theorizing about prototypicality, social exclusion, and conformity to group norms.
Real‐Time Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

A recursive algorithm suitable for functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) calculations is presented. The correlation coefficient of a time course of images with a reference time series, with the mean and any linear trend projected out, may be computed with 22 operations per voxel, per image; the storage overhead is four numbers per voxel. A statistical model for the FMRI signal is presented, and thresholds for the correlation coefficient are derived from it. Selected images from the first real‐time functional neuroimaging experiment (at 3 Tesla) are presented. Using a 50‐MHz workstation equipped with a 14‐bit analog‐to‐digital converter, each echo planar image was acquired, reconstructed, correlated, thresh‐olded, and displayed in pseudocolor (highlighting active regions in the brain) within 500 ms of the RF pulse.
An 87mA·min iontophoresis controller IC with dual-mode impedance sensor for patch-type transdermal drug delivery system

In this paper, we present an iontophoresis controller IC with real-time monitoring of total injected charge quantity and skin condition. The proposed IC contains 32-level programmable current stimulator, a temperature sensor and a dual impedance sensor to monitor skin temperature, contact and tissue impedances. The measured temperature and impedances, related with the skin condition, are used for adaptive charge injection by modifying the current stimulation levels through the real-time feedback path. An implemented fabric patch type drug delivery system provides up to 87mA-min dosage larger than the dosage range (80mA-min) of commercial iontophoresis patches [4].
Evolution of thread-level parallelism in desktop applications

As the effective limits of frequency and instruction level parallelism have been reached, the strategy of microprocessor vendors has changed to increase the number of processing cores on a single chip each generation. The implicit expectation is that software developers will write their applications with concurrency in mind to take advantage of this sudden change in direction. In this study we analyze whether software developers for laptop/desktop machines have followed the recent hardware trends by creating software for chip multi-processing. We conduct a study of a wide range of applications on Microsoft Windows 7 and Apple's OS X Snow Leopard, measuring Thread Level Parallelism on a high performance workstation and a low power desktop. In addition, we explore graphics processing units (GPUs) and their impact on chip multi-processing. We compare our findings to a study done 10 years ago which concluded that a second core was sufficient to improve system responsiveness. Our results on today's machines show that, 10 years later, surprisingly 2-3 cores are more than adequate for most applications and that the GPU often remains under-utilized. However, in some application specific domains an 8 core SMT system with a 240 core GPU can be effectively utilized. Overall these studies suggest that many-core architectures are not a natural fit for current desktop/laptop applications.
How Do Wage Shocks Affect the Labor Supply Decisions of Married Couples ?

Do married couples make joint labor supply decisions in response to each other’s wage shocks? The study of this question aids in understanding the degree of intra-household insurance against rising income volatility. Existing studies on insurance for income shocks either focus on inter-temporal consumption smoothing, which takes labor supply decisions as given, or they lopsidedly focus on wives’ labor responses to husbands’ shocks, but not the reverse. This paper develops an intra-household insurance model based on the collective framework to examine joint labor supply decisions of married couples and the impact of permanent shocks versus transitory shocks. Estimation results suggest the following: couples insure against both permanent and transitory wage shocks via household labor supply; the labor supply response is larger when shocks are permanent; intra-household insurance reduces household earnings volatility by 4.3% and reduces male earnings volatility by 9.5%. JEL classification : D12; D13; D81; J22
Neurotrophic and Neuroprotective Actions of (−)- and (+)-Phenserine, Candidate Drugs for Alzheimer’s Disease

Neuronal dysfunction and demise together with a reduction in neurogenesis are cardinal features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) induced by a combination of oxidative stress, toxic amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and a loss of trophic factor support. Amelioration of these was assessed with the Aβ lowering AD experimental drugs (+)-phenserine and (−)-phenserine in neuronal cultures, and actions in mice were evaluated with (+)-phenserine. Both experimental drugs together with the metabolite N1-norphenserine induced neurotrophic actions in human SH-SY5Y cells that were mediated by the protein kinase C (PKC) and extracellular signal–regulated kinases (ERK) pathways, were evident in cells expressing amyloid precursor protein Swedish mutation (APPSWE), and retained in the presence of Aβ and oxidative stress challenge. (+)-Phenserine, together with its (−) enantiomer as well as its N1- and N8-norphenserine and N1,N8-bisnorphenserine metabolites, likewise provided neuroprotective activity against oxidative stress and glutamate toxicity via the PKC and ERK pathways. These neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions were evident in primary cultures of subventricular zone (SVZ) neural progenitor cells, whose neurosphere size and survival were augmented by (+)-phenserine. Translation of these effects in vivo was assessed in wild type and AD APPswe transgenic (Tg2576) mice by doublecortin (DCX) immunohistochemical analysis of neurogenesis in the SVZ, which was significantly elevated by 16 day systemic (+)-phenserine treatment, in the presence of a (+)-phenserine-induced elevation in brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
How Should Retirees Manage Investment and Longevity Risk in a Defined Contribution World?

The decumulation phase of the financial life-cycle is not well understood by the generation about to retire. They over-estimate the lifetime income a given lump sum of retirement savings will provide. This article sets out a framework for comparing the relative risks of longevity and investment policy, and for understanding how a retiree’s age and wealth (or lack of it) are important factors in how spending, investment, and insurance decisions should be made. It concludes by describing two new forms of financial products that help remove the undesirable gambling component from the traditional life annuity.
Modeling and simulation of magnetic shape-memory polymer composites September 6

Composites of small magnetic-shape-memory (MSM) particles embedded in a polymer matrix have been proposed as an energy damping mechanism and as actuators. Compared to a single crystal bulk material, the production is simpler and more flexible, as both type of the polymer and geometry of the microstructure can be tuned. Compared to polycrystals, in composites the soft polymer matrix permits the active grains to deform to some extent independently; in particular the rigidity of grain boundaries arising from incompatible orientation is reduced. We study the magnetic-field-induced deformation of composites, on the basis of a continuous model incorporating elasticity and micromagnetism, in a reduced two-dimensional, plane strain setting. The aim is to give conceptual guidance for the design of composite materials independent of the concrete macroscopic device. Thus on the background of homogenization theory, we determine the macroscopic behaviour by studying an affine-periodic cell problem. An energy descent algorithm is developed, whose main ingredients are a boundary element method for the computation of the elastic and magnetic field energies; and a combinatorial component reflecting the phase transition in the individual particles, which are assumed to be of single–domain type. Our numerical results demonstrate the behavior of the macroscopic material properties for different possible microstructures, and give suggestions for the optimization of the composite.
Stock Returns and Accounting Earnings

Although much market-based accounting research is based on regressions of abnormal returns on contemporaneous unexpected earnings, many have despaired about the intrinsic ability of accounting earnings to explain stock returns. These regressions exhibit low R2, lower than expected coefficients on unexpected earnings (ERC's), and various unusual features including non-linearity, lower R2 and response coefficients for loss firms, and lower R2 and response coefficients for high-growth and high-tech firms. Some improvement in explanatory power has been achieved by including various proxies for information that is currently available about future period earnings. This paper contributes to that line of research by deriving a specification, from the abnormal earnings model, that extends the traditional ERC regression by including current period forecast revisions of future period earnings. Relative to the traditional regression, the full specification increases R2 substantially, reduces the bias in coefficient estimates (caused by omitted correlated variables), and mutes the three unusual features mentioned above.
"Call for Prices": Strategic Implications of Raising Consumers' Costs

Many consumer durable retailers often do not advertise their prices and instead ask consumers to call them for prices. It is easy to see that this practice increases the consumers' cost of learning the prices of products they are considering, yet firms commonly use such practices. Not advertising prices may reduce the firm's advertising costs, but the strategic effects of doing so are not clear. Our objective is to examine the strategic effects of this practice. In particular, how does making price discovery more difficult for consumers affect competing retailers' price, service decisions, and profits? We develop a model in which a manufacturer sells its product through a high-service retailer and a low-service retailer. Consumers can purchase the retail service at the high-end retailer and purchase the product at the competing low-end retailer. Therefore, the high-end retailer faces a free-riding problem. A retailer first chooses its optimal service levels. Then, it chooses its optimal price levels. Finally, a retailer decides whether to advertise its prices. The model results in four structures: (1) both retailers advertise prices, (2) only the low-service retailer advertises price, (3) only the high-service retailer advertises price, and (4) neither retailer advertises price. We find that when a retailer does not advertise its price and makes price discovery more difficult for consumers, the competition between the retailers is less intense. However, the retailer is forced to charge a lower price. In addition, if the competing retailer does advertise its prices, then the competing retailer enjoys higher profit margins. We identify conditions under which each of the above four structures is an equilibrium and show that a low-service retailer not advertising its price is a more likely outcome than a high-service retailer doing so. We then solve the manufacturer's problem and find that there are several instances when a retailer's advertising decisions are different from what the manufacturer would want. We describe the nature of this channel coordination problem and identify some solutions.