Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying the neighborhood preservation of self-organizing feature maps

It is shown that a topographic product P, first introduced in nonlinear dynamics, is an appropriate measure of the preservation or violation of neighborhood relations. It is sensitive to large-scale violations of the neighborhood ordering, but does not account for neighborhood ordering distortions caused by varying areal magnification factors. A vanishing value of the topographic product indicates a perfect neighborhood preservation; negative (positive) values indicate a too small (too large) output space dimensionality. In a simple example of maps from a 2D input space onto 1D, 2D, and 3D output spaces, it is demonstrated how the topographic product picks the correct output space dimensionality. In a second example, 19D speech data are mapped onto various output spaces and it is found that a 3D output space (instead of 2D) seems to be optimally suited to the data. This is an agreement with a recent speech recognition experiment on the same data set.
Phylogenetic Analyses: A Toolbox Expanding towards Bayesian Methods

The reconstruction of phylogenies is becoming an increasingly simple activity. This is mainly due to two reasons: the democratization of computing power and the increased availability of sophisticated yet user-friendly software. This review describes some of the latest additions to the phylogenetic toolbox, along with some of their theoretical and practical limitations. It is shown that Bayesian methods are under heavy development, as they offer the possibility to solve a number of long-standing issues and to integrate several steps of the phylogenetic analyses into a single framework. Specific topics include not only phylogenetic reconstruction, but also the comparison of phylogenies, the detection of adaptive evolution, and the estimation of divergence times between species.
Sharing the reduction effort to limit global warming to 2°C

In order to stabilize long-term greenhouse gas concentrations at 450 ppm CO2-eq or lower, developed countries as a group should reduce emissions by 25–40% below 1990 levels by 2020, while developing countries' emissions need to be reduced by around 15–30%, relative to their baseline levels, according to the IPCC and our earlier work. This study examines 19 other studies on the emission reductions attributed to the developed and developing countries for meeting a 450 ppm target. These studies considered different allocation approaches, according to equity principles. The effect of the assumed global emissions cap in these studies is analysed. For developed countries, the original reduction range of 25–40% by 2020 is still within the average range of all studies, but does not cover it completely. Comparing the studies shows that assuming a global emissions cap of 5–15% above 1990 levels by 2020 generally leads to more stringent reduction targets than when a global emissions cap of 20–30% above 1990 levels is assumed. For developing countries, the reduction range of 15–30% below their baseline levels by 2020 corresponds to an increase on the 1990 level from 70% (about the 2006 level) to 120%. Reducing deforestation emissions by 50% below baseline levels by 2020 may relax the emission reductions for either group of countries; for developing countries by about 7% or for developed countries by about 15% (but not for both).
Typification for Façade Structures Based on User Perception

Typification is a well-established operator of map generalization. Although it is widely used in many existing research fields, less discussion has been devoted to the quality of typification. This paper presents a user survey for the evaluation of different typification results of facade structures under different constraints. The survey shows that preservation of the shape of the features is the most important constraint for a reasonable typification process, which has also been quantitatively verified by calculating the similarities between the typified facades and the original facade using attributed relational graph (ARG) and nested earth mover’s distance (NEMD) algorithms. Based on that, an algorithm is developed to generate perceivably reasonable representation from the original facade with decreasing map scale. The algorithm is implemented and tested on a number of facades. Experiments reveal that the typification can be automatically conducted and can create results which are well associated with the original facades.
Participatory Institutions in Democratic Brazil

Brazil has conducted some of the world's most stunning experiments in participatory democracy, most notably the creation of city budgets through local citizens' meetings. Leonardo Avritzer introduces a fresh analytical approach to reveal the social and institutional conditions that make civic participation most effective, expanding the empirical base for assessing these institutions. By examining participatory health councils and city master plans within a diverse group of cities-Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, and Salvador-this book goes beyond the current literature, which has focused almost exclusively on budgeting in Porto Alegre. Ultimately, Participatory Institutions in Democratic Brazil provides a more complex understanding of the links among participation, citizenship, and democracy through a set of case studies that will resonate both inside and outside Brazil.
Nonsmooth optimization for nonlinear missile autopilot: Improvement under time domain constraints

In this paper, a new parametric optimization approach to retune nonlinear controllers is proposed. It discusses the design of these controllers under temporal constraints. The formulated optimization problem is often complex; it involves nonsmooth design parameters and criteria. An efficient optimization algorithm based on the approximation of the epsilon subdifferential notion is presented. It only requires gradients which are computed using parametric sensitivity functions. The proposed approach is applied to tune a nonlinear missile autopilot. The purpose especially concerns how to appropriately apply our procedure in order to improve performance of a controlled nonlinear dynamic system. We show that the choice of the controller structure and parameters has a great effect on the validation of the temporal specifications. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Intervention for executive functions after traumatic brain injury: A systematic review, meta-analysis and clinical recommendations

A systematic review of studies that focused on the executive functions of problem solving, planning, organising and multitasking by adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) was performed through 2004. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to evaluate the 15 studies that met inclusion criteria. Demographic variables, design and intervention features, and impairment and activity/participation outcomes (ICF) (World Health Organization, 2001) were documented. Five randomised control treatment (RCT) studies used step-by-step, metacognitive strategy instruction (MSI) and outcomes were evaluated in a meta-analysis. Effect sizes (ESs) from immediate impairment outcomes after MSI and “control” intervention were similar to each other, and both were significantly larger than chance. ESs from immediate activity/participation outcomes after MSI were significantly larger than the ESs from control intervention, and both were significantly larger than chance. These results, along with positive outcomes from the other group, single-subject design and single case studies, provided sufficient evidence to make the clinical recommendation that MSI should be used with young to middle-aged adults with TBI, when improvement in everyday, functional problems is the goal (Level A) (American Academy of Neurology, 2004). Although maintenance effects were generally positive, there was insufficient data quantitatively to evaluate this. Furthermore, there was insufficient evidence to make clinical recommendations for children or older adults. Intervention that trained verbal reasoning and multi-tasking was promising, although the evidence is insufficient to make clinical recommendations at this time. Additional research needs were highlighted.
Macroeconomic Sources of Forex Risk

This Paper is an exploration into the links between macroeconomics and finance as they affect the FOREX risk premium. SDF theory is used in which the factors are observable macroeconomic variables. Three SDF theories are compared: a benchmark model based on traditional tests of FOREX efficiency; consumption-based CAPM; and the monetary model of the exchange rate. The theory takes account of both domestic and foreign investors. The joint distribution of the excess return to FOREX and the macro factors satisfies the no-arbitrage assumption, and is a suitably restricted version of multivariate GARCH-in-mean. Monthly data for the sterling-dollar exchange rate 1975-97 are used. The results suggest that the FOREX risk premium is best modelled by CAPM based and the factors that determine next period’s exchange rate.
THE FIRST X-SHOOTER OBSERVATIONS OF JETS FROM YOUNG STARS

We present the first pilot study of jets from young stars conducted with X-shooter, on the ESO/Very Large Telescope. As it offers simultaneous, high-quality spectra in the range 300–2500 nm, X-shooter is uniquely important for spectral diagnostics in jet studies. We chose to probe the accretion/ejection mechanisms at low stellar masses examining two targets with well-resolved continuous jets lying on the plane of the sky: ESO-HA 574 in Chameleon I and Par-Lup3-4 in Lupus III. The mass of the latter is close to the sub-stellar boundary (M⋆ = 0.13 M☉). A large number of emission lines probing regions of different excitation are identified, position–velocity diagrams are presented, and mass outflow/accretion rates are estimated. Comparison between the two objects is striking. ESO-HA 574 is a weakly accreting star for which we estimate a mass accretion rate of (in M☉ yr−1), yet it drives a powerful jet with ∼ 1.5–2.7 × 10−9 M☉ yr−1. These values can be reconciled with a magneto-centrifugal jet acceleration mechanism assuming that the presence of the edge-on disk severely depresses the luminosity of the accretion tracers. In comparison, Par-Lup3-4, with stronger mass accretion ( M☉ yr−1), drives a low-excitation jet with about ∼ 3.2 × 10−10 M☉ yr−1 in both lobes. Despite the low stellar mass, / for Par-Lup3-4 is at the upper limit of the range usually measured for young objects, but still compatible with a steady magneto-centrifugal wind scenario if all uncertainties are considered.
Gender Promotion Differences in Economics Departments in Japan: A Semi-parametric Duration Analysis

By using a unique data set of academic economists in Japanese universities, we conduct the first detailed study of gender differences in the duration of promotion within Japanese academia. We employ a duration model that simultaneously allows: a non-parametric estimation of the baseline hazard function; a non-parametric unobserved heterogeneity component; and the estimation of parameterized coefficients for the observed explanatory variables. Our results show that there are no gender promotion differences, after controlling for personal, job, institutional, human capital characteristics, and unobserved heterogeneity. Our results contrast with the results of previous studies which consistently report substantial gender promotion gaps within US and UK academia. We show that age and education are the most dominant determinants of the survival probability of promotion to full-professor, with minimal rewards given for higher research output. Although the effect of age is not large enough to warrant the conclusion that promotion within Japanese academia is automatically done based on age as it is commonly believed by Japanese academics, a heavy emphasis on objective factors such as age and education may be one reason for why there are no gender promotion differences.
The Drinfel'd polynomial of a tridiagonal pair

Let $K$ denote a field and let $V$ denote a vector space over $K$ with finite positive dimension. We consider a pair of linear transformations $A:V \to V$ and $A^*:V \to V$ that satisfy the following conditions: (i) each of $A,A^*$ is diagonalizable; (ii) there exists an ordering $\{V_i\}{i=0}^d$ of the eigenspaces of $A$ such that $A^* V_i \subseteq V_{i-1} + V_{i} + V_{i+1}$ for $0 \leq i \leq d$, where $V_{-1}=0$ and $V_{d+1}=0$; (iii) there exists an ordering $\{V^*_i\}{i=0}^\delta$ of the eigenspaces of $A^*$ such that $A V^*_i \subseteq V^*_{i-1} + V^*_{i} + V^*_{i+1}$ for $0 \leq i \leq \delta$, where $V^*_{-1}=0$ and $V^*_{\delta+1}=0$; (iv) there is no subspace $W$ of $V$ such that $AW \subseteq W$, $A^* W \subseteq W$, $W \neq 0$, $W \neq V$. We call such a pair a {\it tridiagonal pair} on $V$. It is known that $d=\delta$ and for $0 \leq i \leq d$ the dimensions of $V_i$, $V_{d-i}$, $V^*_i$, $V^*_{d-i}$ coincide. The pair $A,A^*$ is called {\it sharp} whenever $\dim V_0=1$. It is known that if $K$ is algebraically closed then $A,A^*$ is sharp. Assuming $A,A^*$ is sharp, we use the data $\Phi=(A; \{V_i\}{i=0}^d; A^*; \{V^*_i\}{i=0}^d)$ to define a polynomial $P$ in one variable and degree at most $d$. We show that $P$ remains invariant if $\Phi$ is replaced by $(A;\{V_{d-i}\}{i=0}^d; A^*; \{V^*_i\}{i=0}^d)$ or $(A;\{V_i\}{i=0}^d; A^*; \{V^*_{d-i}\}{i=0}^d)$ or $(A^*; \{V^*_i\}{i=0}^d; A; \{V_i\}{i=0}^d)$. We call $P$ the {\it Drinfel'd polynomial} of $A,A^*$. We explain how $P$ is related to the classical Drinfel'd polynomial from the theory of Lie algebras and quantum groups. We expect that the roots of $P$ will be useful in a future classification of the sharp tridiagonal pairs. We compute the roots of $P$ for the case in which $V_i$ and $V^*_i$ have dimension 1 for $0 \leq i \leq d$.
Housing environment preference of young consumers in Guangzhou, China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the demand pattern and housing preference of young consumers in Guangzhou, China. This study seeks to offer more information for urban planners and housing developers about housing demand from social and cultural perspective.Design/methodology/approach – Assisted by a questionnaire survey, a housing environment preference pattern is generated by ranking quality attributes with respect to their relative importance to young consumers. The outcome is analysed by pair‐wise comparison of attributes based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Findings – It is found that “public traffic network” (11.72 per cent), “proximity to workplace” (10.22 per cent), “sense of safety” (9.74 per cent), “medical and health facility” (8.54 per cent) and “education facility” (8.50 per cent) are the top five determinants in housing consumption of young consumers in Guangzhou.Research limitation/implication – The database used is relatively small.Originality/value – The housi.
Bayesian Model Comparison for Time-Varying Parameter VARs with Stochastic Volatility

We develop importance sampling methods for computing two popular Bayesian model comparison criteria, namely, the marginal likelihood and deviance information criterion (DIC) for TVP-VARs with stochastic volatility. The proposed estimators are based on the integrated likelihood, which are substantially more reliable than alternatives. Specifically, integrated likelihood evaluation is achieved by integrating out the time-varying parameters analytically, while the log-volatilities are integrated out numerically via importance sampling. Using US and Australian data, we find overwhelming support for the TVPVAR with stochastic volatility compared to a conventional constant coefficients VAR with homoscedastic innovations. Most of the gains, however, appear to have come from allowing for stochastic volatility rather than time variation in the VAR coefficients or contemporaneous relationships. Indeed, according to both criteria, a constant coefficients VAR with stochastic volatility receives similar support as the more general model with time-varying parameters.
Deregulation in the New Zealand Electricity Industry : Cases of Anticipatory and Reactive Change

The past decade has borne witness to a series of legislated changes corporatising and redefining the operating environment of New Zealand’s electricity industry. Driven by a desire to enhance New Zealand’s attractiveness to industry on a global scale, these discontinuous and controversial changes have created a newly competitive environment that has forced electricity companies to rethink entrenched structural and strategic norms. Yet despite similarities in strategy, structure and of course product, individual electricity companies have developed in an idiosyncratic manner that has resulted in visibly distinct change processes. In this study the variables determining different organisational strategic change approaches (anticipatory, reactive) in a time of discontinuous change are examined. In an exploratory study utilising the theories of Nadler and Tushman (1990) and qualitative method of withinand cross case analysis, the cases of two New Zealand electricity distribution companies are discussed. Illustrative of reactive and anticipatory strategic change, the findings enhance previous research and the implications to change management are discussed.
Competition or Cooperation in Urban Service Delivery?

Inter‐municipal cooperation is now as common among US local governments as for profit privatization. This article uses data from a national survey in 2007 to explore the benefits of cooperation – economies of scale, service coordination across the metropolitan region and greater community control. While privatization reforms have focused on harnessing the benefits of a competitive market, cooperation may be the new frontier where economies of scale and efficiency gains can be achieved with governments working together in a new form of collaborative service delivery.
Dielectric Characteristics of Electric Vehicle Traction Motor Winding Insulation Under Thermal Aging

The electric motor is the heart of the electric vehicle. It is crucial that any occurring faults are detected promptly so that a catastrophic failure is avoided. At the same time, deep knowledge of the degradation mechanisms is required to allow maximum performance at minimum cost. This paper focuses on this balance. Statistical results from measurements of unaged and accelerated aged winding insulation samples provide information about the degradation processes, enabling steps toward a reliable prognosis model of the motor's remaining life.
The 9/11 Commission Report

Abstract : We present the narrative of this report and the recommendations that flow from it to the President of the United States, the United States Congress, and the American people for their consideration. Ten Commissioners -- five Republicans and five Democrats chosen by elected leaders from our nation's capital at a time of great partisan division -- have come together to present this report without dissent. We have come together with a unity of purpose because our nation demands it. September 11, 2001, was a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history of the United States. The nation was unprepared. How did this happen, and how can we avoid such tragedy again? To answer these questions, the Congress and the President created the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (Public Law 107-306, November 27, 2002). Our mandate was sweeping. The law directed us to investigate "facts and circumstances relating to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001," including those relating to intelligence agencies, law enforcement agencies, diplomacy, immigration issues and border control, the flow of assets to terrorist organizations, commercial aviation, the role of congressional oversight and resource allocation, and other areas determined relevant by the Commission. In pursuing our mandate, we have reviewed more than 2.5 million pages of documents and interviewed more than 1,200 individuals in 10 countries. This included nearly every senior official from the current and previous administrations who had responsibility for topics covered in our mandate. We have sought to be independent, impartial, thorough, and nonpartisan. From the outset, we have been committed to share as much of our investigation as we can with the American people. Our aim has not been to assign individual blame. Our aim has been to provide the fullest possible account of the events surrounding 9/11 and to identify lessons learned.
Infants' and mothers' vagal reactivity in response to anger.

BACKGROUND Exposure to anger in the family is a risk factor for disruptive behavior disorders characterized by ineffective vagal regulation. Effects of anger on developing vagal regulation may be due to direct exposure or to effects on parents' regulation of emotion as parents support infants' regulation. Little is known about the impact of anger during infancy when important regulatory systems emerge. METHODS Six-month-old infants (N = 48) and their mothers were exposed to anger, excitement, or neutral affect then observed in the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). Vagal tone, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), was measured. RESULTS Infants exposed to anger subsequently showed greater RSA withdrawal to mothers' still-face than infants exposed to other emotions. Mothers exposed to anger showed greater RSA withdrawal than other mothers during emotion exposure and across all episodes of the SFP. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to anger may sensitize infants to stress and lead to increased need for physiological regulation. Exposure to anger makes increased demands on mothers' self-regulation, which could detract from their abilities to support infants' regulation.
Forecasting the Periodic Net Discount Rate with Genetic Programming

This paper examines the periodic net discount rate using genetic programming (GP) techniques to build better short-term forecasts. Standard GP techniques require human judgment as to which data window to use, which may be problematic due to structural breaks and persistence (or long memory) in the net discount rate. We use a recently developed extension of GP to overcome this problem. While our results show no significant out-of-sample forecast improvement relative to the linear alternative or random walk model over the full sample, they do provide evidence as to the stochastic nature of the net discount rate considering the AR(3) model yielded lower forecasting errors in the post-1982 sample.