Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of a Modified First-Order System Least Squares Method for Linear Elasticity with Improved Momentum Balance

A modified first-order system least squares formulation for linear elasticity, obtained by adding the antisymmetric displacement gradient in the test space, is analyzed. This approach leads to surprisingly small momentum balance error compared to standard least squares approaches. It is shown that the modified least squares formulation is well posed and its performance is illustrated by adaptive finite element computation based on using a closely related least squares functional as a posteriori error estimator. The results of our numerical computations show that, for the modified least squares approach, the momentum balance error converges at a much faster rate than the overall error. We prove that this is due to a strong connection of the stress approximation to that obtained from a mixed formulation based on the Hellinger-Reissner principle (with exact local momentum balance). The practical significance is that our proposed approach is almost momentum-conservative at a smaller number of degrees of freedom than mixed approximations with exact local momentum balance.
Who's Behind the Camera? Identifying the Authorship of a Photograph

We introduce the novel problem of identifying the photographer behind the photograph. To explore the feasibility of current computer vision techniques to address the problem, we created a new publicly downloadable dataset of over 100,000 images taken by 25 well-known photographers. Using this dataset, we examined the effectiveness of a variety of features (low and high-level, including CNN features) at classifying the photographs. Our quantitative and qualitative results illustrate that high-level features significantly outperform low-level features at this task. We also provide additional qualitative results demonstrating how these learned models can be used to draw interesting conclusions about what specific photographers tend to shoot.
Examining sufficiency and equity in the geographic distribution of physicians in Japan: a longitudinal study

Objectives The objective of this study was to longitudinally examine the geographic distribution of physicians in Japan with adjustment for healthcare demand according to changes in population age structure. Methods We examined trends in the number of physicians per 100 000 population in Japan's secondary medical areas (SMAs) from 2000 to 2014. Healthcare demand was adjusted using health expenditure per capita. Trends in the Gini coefficient and the number of SMAs with a low physician supply were analysed. A subgroup analysis was also conducted where SMAs were divided into 4 groups according to urban–rural classification and initial physician supply. Results The time-based changes in the Gini coefficient and the number of SMAs with a low physician supply indicated that the equity in physician distribution had worsened throughout the study period. The number of physicians per 100 000 population had seemingly increased in all groups, with increases of 22.9% and 34.5% in urban groups with higher and lower initial physician supply, respectively. However, after adjusting healthcare demand, physician supply decreased by 1.3% in the former group and increased by 3.5% in the latter group. Decreases were also observed in the rural groups, where the number of physicians decreased by 4.4% in the group with a higher initial physician supply and 7.6% in the group with a lower initial physician supply. Conclusions Although the total number of physicians increased in Japan, demand-adjusted physician supply decreased in recent years in all areas except for urban areas with a lower initial physician supply. In addition, the equity of physician distribution had consistently deteriorated since 2000. The results indicate that failing to adjust healthcare demand will produce misleading results, and that there is a need for major reform of Japan's healthcare system to improve physician distribution.
The effect of timing of the first kidney transplantation on survival in children initiating renal replacement therapy.

BACKGROUND Controversy exists concerning the timing of the first kidney transplantation for children who need to start renal replacement therapy (RRT). Our aim was to estimate the effect of timing of the first transplantation on patient survival in children, for the first time also taking into account the mortality on dialysis before transplantation. METHODS We included 2091 patients who started RRT between the age of 3 and 18 years in the period 1988-2007, from 13 European renal registries. A multistate model was used to simulate patient survival assuming (i) pre-emptive transplantation, (ii) transplantation after 1 or 2 years on dialysis and (iii) remaining on dialysis. RESULTS Over the 20-year period, the highest 8-year survival probabilities were achieved in children transplanted pre-emptively {living donor (LD): 95.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 93.1-98.8], deceased donor (DD): 95.3% (95% CI: 90.9-99.9)} rather than after 2 years of dialysis [LD: 94.2% (95% CI: 91.6-96.8), DD: 93.4% (95% CI: 91.0-95.9)], although these differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Even after taking mortality on dialysis into account, the potentially negative effect of postponing transplantation for 1 or 2 years was relatively small and not statistically significant. Therefore, if pre-emptive transplantation is not possible, starting RRT with a short period of dialysis and receiving a transplant thereafter seems an acceptable alternative from the perspective of patient survival.
Lethal Mutations in the Isoprenoid Pathway of Salmonella enterica

ABSTRACT Essential isoprenoid compounds are synthesized using the 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway in many gram-negative bacteria, some gram-positive bacteria, some apicomplexan parasites, and plant chloroplasts. The alternative mevalonate pathway is found in archaea and eukaryotes, including cytosolic biosynthesis in plants. The existence of orthogonal essential pathways in eukaryotes and bacteria makes the MEP pathway an attractive target for the development of antimicrobial agents. A system is described for identifying mutations in the MEP pathway of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Using this system, point mutations induced by diethyl sulfate were found in the all genes of the essential MEP pathway and also in genes involved in uptake of methylerythritol. Curiously, none of the MEP pathway genes could be identified in the same parent strain by transposon mutagenesis, despite extensive searches. The results complement the biochemical and bioinformatic approaches to the elucidation of the genes involved in the MEP pathway and also identify key residues for activity in the enzymes of the pathway.
Eagle-Eyes: A System for Iris Recognition at a Distance

In recent years the human iris has established itself as a robust, highly accurate biometric. Academic research of iris biometrics is expanding and several iris recognition products have become commercially available. Conventional iris recognition systems impose constraints with regard to a subjects proximity to the device as well as their movement. Recent innovations in iris acquisition systems and recognition algorithms have aimed to relax these constraints. This paper discusses the design of a novel prototype iris recognition system for long-range human identification. Eagle-Eyestrade is a multi-biometric system that is capable of acquiring, a face and two iris images from multiple humans present anywhere within its large capture volume. Eagle-Eyes uses multiple cameras with hierarchically-ordered field of views, a highly precise pan- tilt unit and a long focal length zoom lens. This solution performs enrollment, acquisition and processing of iris biometrics using a device and data agnostic architecture. Preliminary experimental results are reported.
Brain stimulation and constraint for perinatal stroke hemiparesis

Objective: To determine whether the addition of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and/or constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) to intensive therapy increases motor function in children with perinatal stroke and hemiparesis. Methods: A factorial-design, blinded, randomized controlled trial (clinicaltrials.gov/NCT01189058) assessed rTMS and CIMT effects in hemiparetic children (aged 6–19 years) with MRI-confirmed perinatal stroke. All completed a 2-week, goal-directed, peer-supported motor learning camp randomized to daily rTMS, CIMT, both, or neither. Primary outcomes were the Assisting Hand Assessment and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure at baseline, and 1 week, 2 and 6 months postintervention. Outcome assessors were blinded to treatment. Interim safety analyses occurred after 12 and 24 participants. Intention-to-treat analysis examined treatment effects over time (linear mixed effects model). Results: All 45 participants completed the trial. Addition of rTMS, CIMT, or both doubled the chances of clinically significant improvement. Assisting Hand Assessment gains at 6 months were additive and largest with rTMS + CIMT (β coefficient = 5.54 [2.57–8.51], p = 0.0004). The camp alone produced large improvements in Canadian Occupational Performance Measure scores, maximal at 6 months (Cohen d = 1.6, p = 0.002). Quality-of-life scores improved. Interventions were well tolerated and safe with no decrease in function of either hand. Conclusions: Hemiparetic children participating in intensive, psychosocial rehabilitation programs can achieve sustained functional gains. Addition of CIMT and rTMS increases the chances of improvement. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that combined rTMS and CIMT enhance therapy-induced functional motor gains in children with stroke-induced hemiparetic cerebral palsy.
Using Validation Sets to Avoid Overfitting in AdaBoost

AdaBoost is a well known, effective technique for increasing the accuracy of learning algorithms. However, it has the potential to overfit the training set because its objective is to minimize error on the training set. We demonstrate that overfitting in AdaBoost can be alleviated in a time-efficient manner using a combination of dagging and validation sets. Half of the training set is removed to form the validation set. The sequence of base classifiers, produced by AdaBoost from the training set, is applied to the validation set, creating a modified set of weights. The training and validation sets are switched, and a second pass is performed. The final classifier votes using both sets of weights. We show our algorithm has similar performance on standard datasets and improved performance when classification noise is added.
Study of Sexual Functioning Determinants in Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract: Our goal was to identify the treatment, personal, interpersonal, and hormonal (testosterone) factors in breast cancer survivors (BCSs) that determine sexual dysfunction. The treatment variables studied were type of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and tamoxifen. The personal, interpersonal, and physiologic factors were depression, body image, age, relationship distress, and testosterone levels. A sample of 55 female breast cancer survivors seen for routine follow‐up appointments from July 2002 to September 2002 were recruited to complete the Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI), Hamilton Depression Inventory (HDI), Body Image Survey (BIS), Marital Satisfaction Inventory‐Revised (MSI‐R), a demographic questionnaire, and have a serum testosterone level drawn. The average time since diagnosis was 4.4 years (SD 3.4 years). No associations were found between the type of cancer treatment, hormonal levels, and sexual functioning. BCS sexual functioning was significantly poorer than published normal controls in all areas but desire. The BCSs’ level of relationship distress was the most significant variable affecting arousal, orgasm, lubrication, satisfaction, and sexual pain. Depression and having traditional role preferences were the most important determinants of lower sexual desire. BCSs on antidepressants had higher levels of arousal and orgasm dysfunction. Women who were older had significantly more concerns about vaginal lubrication and pain. Relationship concerns, depression, and age are important influences in the development of BCS sexual dysfunction. The relationship of testosterone and sexual dysfunction needs further study with larger samples and more accurate assay techniques.
Perceived party polarization, news attentiveness, and political participation: a mediated moderation model

ABSTRACT Perception of party polarization has a positive impact on political participation. While past research suggests that such impact depends upon people’s information use, empirical evidence is lacking. We used a mediated moderation model to test the multiplicative effect between polarization perception and media use on political participation. The data for analysis came from a survey of 625 representative Hong Kong residents in 2015. Findings show that the impact of perceived party polarization on political participation is contingent upon one’s news attentiveness, and that internal political efficacy serves as a mediator that partially explains the interaction effect. Narrowed gaps in political knowledge, efficacy, and participation were observed between light and heavy news users as perceived party polarization rises. The implications of the findings with respect to political participation, role of news media use, and the formation of efficacy beliefs in the context of party polarization are discussed.
Use of the Dual‐Probe Heat‐Pulse Technique to Monitor Soil Water Content in the Vadose Zone

The dual‐probe heat‐pulse (DPHP) technique is emerging as a useful technique for measuring soil volumetric water content (θ). However, few published data are available regarding the performance of the DPHP technique under field conditions. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the DPHP technique for measuring θ under field conditions. We used 24 DPHP sensors to monitor θ in a soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] field during the 2001 and 2002 growing seasons. The DPHP sensors demonstrated durability in field conditions and clear sensitivity to temporal and spatial variations of θ at the scale of measurement. The mean θ measured by the DPHP sensors (θDPHP) was on average 0.040 m3 m−3 larger than the mean θ measured by soil sampling (θSS). The response of the DPHP sensors was linear. Regressions of θDPHP vs. θSS yielded r2 values of 0.949 and 0.843 at depths of 7.5 and 37.5 cm. The DPHP technique showed good resolution with RMSE values for the regression of 0.009 and 0.011 m3 m−3 at the two measurement depths. The slopes of the regressions were 0.75 rather than 1.0. Errors in θSS are a likely cause of this low slope. We shifted all the θ values for each sensor up or down by a constant value to make the first θ measurement from each sensor equal θ determined from soil sampling near that sensor at the time of installation. This simple matching point procedure improved the accuracy of the DPHP technique, resulting in a −0.024 m3 m−3 average difference between θDPHP and θSS Also, the matching point procedure markedly reduced the variability between sensors, reducing the average SD from 0.063 to 0.026 m3 m−3 This procedure requires no additional soil sampling and is recommended for field applications of the DPHP technique.
Correlations between body heights and formant frequencies in young male speakers: a pilot study

This paper investigates the relationships between body height and formant frequencies in young male adults. A total of 121 speakers were recorded uttering four Chinese vowels. The body height data of the speakers was close to be normally distributed, with a large range and standard deviation. Three subsets of formant parameters: the individual first four formant frequencies, formant interspaces and the sum of different formant frequencies were investigated. Moderate but significant negative relationships were found between most formant parameters of the three subsets and height. Comparatively, the strongest correlations were found between the subset of different formant frequency summations and height. A regression function was also given through multiple regression analysis. These results imply that formant parameters, especially the sum of different formant frequencies, can provide a relatively accurate indication of male speakers' heights.
Mental causation and mental properties

The aim of this paper is to defend the causal homogeneity of functional, mental properties against Kim's attack. It is argued that (a) token identity is sufficient for mental causation, that (b) token identity implies a sort of functional reduction, but that (c) nonetheless functional, mental properties can be causally homogeneous despite being multiply realizable: multiple composition is sufficient for multiple realizability, but multiple composition does not prevent the realizers from having their pertinent effects in common. Thus, the causal exclusion problem provides no argument for abandoning the position that there are functional, mental properties that are natural kind properties.
The Consequences of Labor Market Flexibility: Panel Evidence Based on Survey Data

We introduce a new data set on hiring and firing restrictions for 21 OECD countries for the period 1984-90. The data are based on surveys of business people in the countries covered, so the indices we use are subjective in nature. Controlling for country and time fixed effects, and using dynamic panel data techniques, we find evidence that increasing the flexibility of the labor market increases both the employment rate and the rate of participation in the labor force. A conservative estimate suggests that if France were to make its labor markets as flexible as those in the US, its employment rate would increase 1.6 percentage points, or 14% of the employment gap between the two countries. The estimated effects are larger in the female than in the male labor market, although both groups seem to have similar long run coefficients. There is also some evidence that more flexibility leads to lower unemployment rates and to lower rates of long-term unemployment. We also find evidence consistent with the hypothesis that inflexible labor markets produce "jobless recoveries" and introduce more unemployment persistence.
Br Ief Definitive Repor T Identification and Treatment of the Staphylococcus Aureus Reservoir in Vivo

Staphylococcus aureus causes much morbidity and collectively , in North America, is responsible for more annual deaths than those caused by HIV and influenza combined (Magill et al., 2014). Skin and soft tissue infections are widespread and are usually treatable; however, in several patients these infections disseminate, leading to bacteremia and sepsis (Lowy, 1998). Furthermore, as a result of the large increase in invasive procedures requiring catheterization, as well as increases in the frequency of heart valve and joint replacement, the incidence of S. aureus bacteremia is increasing (Saginur and Suh, 2008). High mortality rates of up to 30% are documented when S. aureus enters the blood stream, making it one of the most common serious infections worldwide (Mer-mel et al., 2009; Thwaites et al., 2011). This is compounded by the lack of a staphylococcal vaccine (Fowler and Proctor, 2014) and the emergence of the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, making vancomycin one of the few remaining useful antibiotics (Klevens et al., 2006, 2007). Vancomycin requires i.v. administration for 2–6 wk; however, vancomy-cin use can be limited by its nephrotoxicity. In addition, repeated vancomycin treatment regimens are problematic in as much as they increase the risk of developing resistance to this critical antibiotic. The need for a 2–6 wk vancomycin administration protocol contrasts with the very effective staphylococcal killing that is observed for this antibiotic in test tubes. This, and the fact that clinical infection relapse is not uncommon, raises the possibility that there is an in vivo staphylococcal reservoir which is poorly accessed by vancomycin (Kullar et al., 2011). Intracellular persistence of S. aureus has been proposed to be an immune evasion mechanism that may concomitantly serve to circumvent antibiotic treatment. Studies dating back over half a century have shown that S. aureus can survive in vitro in endothelial cells, epithelial cells, osteoclasts, and even in professional phagocytes such as neutrophils and macrophages (Rog-In fact, it was recently shown that MRSA placed inside cultured cells can survive intracellularly when those cultured cells were injected into mice, and required expensive antibody-based immunotherapy to be eradicated (Lehar et al., 2015). However, there is still no real direct evidence that Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia is reaching epidemic proportions causing morbidity, mortality, and chronic disease due to relapses, suggesting an intracellular reservoir. Using spinning-disk confocal intravital microscopy to track MRSA-GFP in vivo, we identified that within minutes after intravenous infection MRSA is …
A Phonetic Analysis of Korean EFL Learners' Production of English Reduced Vowel

Kwon, Harim. 2007. A F'honetic Analysis of Korean EFL, Learners' Production of English Reduced Vowel. SNU Working Papers i n English Linguistics and Language 6, 1-13. This study investigates the phonetic properties of English reduced vowel of Korean EFL learners. Five native speakers of Korean (experimental group) and two native speakers of English (control group) participated in the study. While pronouncing Enghsh reduced vowels, Korean EFL learners were different from English native speakers in two acoustic features. Firstly, the learners' duration of the reduced vowels was sigruficantly longer than that of the native speakem Secondly, the vowel quality (first and second formant frequencies) of reduced vowels was also different between the learners and the native speakers. The formant frequencies of English reduced vowels of Korean EFL leaners were more like those of native speakers' /? / or / o / rather than the reduced vowels. However, the learners were nativelike in having a lower fundamental frequency for the reduced vowels. The results are discussed in terms of the &ect of the first language of the learners, especially the effect of phonological status of certain phonetic features.
Unsupervised training of phone duration and energy models for text-to-speech synthesis

A new model of phone duration and energy is presented. These parameters are modelled in two stages. The first stage builds a statistics tree that contains phone duration and energy mean and standard deviation values at each node. The branches of the tree are characterised by a set of factors related to phonetic context. The second stage considers phone duration and energy to be modified by two syllable-level prosodic coefficients. The duration and energy of the phones of a syllable are influenced to differing degrees by these coefficients. Weights are associated with the different phone positions in a syllable. A simulated annealing technique is used to find the set of weights that allow the prosodic coefficients to be calculated for all syllables and, in turn, minimise the error in predicting the phone duration and energy during synthesis. They are predicted with a mean squared error of 15.4ms and 6.8dB respectively. During synthesis, the syllable-level prosodic coefficients are predicted by regression trees from linguistic information. Manual prosodic labelling is not required at any stage.