Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel robust stability criteria of neutral-type bidirectional associative memory neural networks

The existence, uniqueness and global robust exponential stability is analyzed for a class of uncertain neutral-type bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with time-varying delays. Without assuming the boundedness of the activation functions, by constructing a novel class of augmented LyapunovKrasovskii functional, new relaxed delay-dependent stability criteria of the unique equilibrium point are presented in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Following the idea of convex combination and free-weighting matrices method, less conservative results are obtained. Two examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed conditions.
Evaluation of population parameters and biometric data of an Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto Friv.) population in the Great Plain of Hungary

The Eurasian Collared Dove shows different patterns in density all over Hungary. In some cases, the population has decreased to a lower level, but there are habitats where the population remained stable. Several factors were taken into consideration during the evaluation of this phenomenon. These publications state that the increased urbanization of corvids, the lack of food sources, and the changes in nesting sites caused the decrease in numbers. During our research, we intend to contrast the differences in population structure of Collared Doves that differ from each other in the density of predators presented at nesting sites. As a first step, in this paper, numerous samples (n=118) were taken from a population that is less influenced by corvid species’ nest predation. Our prediction was that the population parameters remained at the level of 1980’s, in which the population of Eurasian Collared Dove has reached its maximum, according to further publications. During the evaluation process, our data were collected from hunting bags near Nyíregyháza. Results were compared with former publications. We stated that the population structure, such as age and gender distribution remained stable in the evaluated population. In addition, morphometric factors of the collected individuals were also measured, such as weight, wing length, 3rd primary feather, and tail length, which were compared with former surveys. During statistical tests no significant difference was revealed among population parameters, but there were significant differences between most of the morphometric data, (p>0.05).
Clock Tree Synthesis Considering Slew Effect on Supply Voltage Variation

This work tackles a problem of clock power minimization within a skew constraint under supply voltage variation. This problem is defined in the ISPD 2010 benchmark. Unlike mesh and cross link that reduce clock skew uncertainty by multiple driving paths, our focus is on controlling skew uncertainty in the structure of the tree. We observe that slow slew amplifies supply voltage variation, which induces larger path delay variation and skew uncertainty. To obtain the optimality, we formulate a symmetric clock tree synthesis as a mathematical programming problem in which the slew effect is considered by an NLDM-like cell delay variation model. A symmetry-to-asymmetry tree transformation is proposed to further reduce wire loading. Experimental results show that the proposed four methods save up to 20% of clock tree capacitance loading. Beyond controlling slew to suppress supply-voltage-variation-induced skew, we also discuss the strategies of clock tree synthesis under variant variation scenarios and the limitations of the ISPD 2010 benchmark.
Multi-agent modeling methods for massivley Multi-Player On-Line Role-Playing Games

Massively Multi-Player On-Line Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) give us the opportunity to study two important aspects of computing: (1) large-scale virtual social interaction of people (players) and (2) the design, development and coordination of large-scale distributed artificial intelligence (AI). A common denominator for both aspects are the methods used to study them: social interaction can be described and simulated using agent-based models (ABM) whilst distributed AI is commonly modeled in terms of multi-agent systems (MAS). The important question to ask in both perspectives is how do agents organize in order to perform their tasks and reach their objectives? In the following paper we will present and overview of agent-based approaches to modeling MMORPG's agents including human players, artificial players (bots) and non-playing characters (NPCs). We will put a special accent on useful agent behaviors, coordination and consensus mechanisms as well as organization and social network structure of agent societies.
Finger Detection for Sign Language Recognition

Computer recognition of sign language is an important research problem for enabling communication with hearing impaired people. This paper introduces an efficient and fast algorithm for identification of the number of fingers opened in a gesture representing an alphabet of the American Sign Language. Finger Detection is accomplished based on the concept of Boundary Tracing and Finger Tip Detection. The system does not require the hand to be perfectly aligned to the camera or use any special markers or input gloves on the hand.
"Friends don't let friends fat talk" : memorable messages and the impact of a narrative sharing and dissonance-based intervention on sorority affiliated peer health educators

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iv LIST OF TABLES . ix 1. CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE . 1 2. CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW . 6 Peer Health Education . 7 Functions of Peer Health Education . 7 Benefits to Student Participants and Universities . 10 Benefits to Peer Health Educators . 11 Health Interventions . 13 Health Interventions and Self-Efficacy . 14 Narrative Theory . 16 Dissonance-based Interventions . 21 Memorable Messages . 24 3. CHAPTER 3 – METHODS . 28 About The Body Project Training . 28 Participants . 31 Procedure . 31 Data Collection . 32 Preand Post-Test Surveys . 32 Observation and Role of the Researcher . 36 Interviews . 37 Analysis . 39 4. CHAPTER 4 – RESULTS . 43 The Body Project Training Weekend: Observations . 43 Session One . 46 Session Two . 48 Preand Post-Test Survey Results . 50 Memorable Messages . 55 Activities and Co-Construction of Meaning . 56 Memorable Messages as New Ways of Thinking . 60 Messages Delivered by Professional Facilitators . 63 Impact of Narrative Sharing and Dissonance-Based Training on Participants . 65 Confidence and Empowerment . 66 Feminism and Feminist Ideals . 67 Choosing to Share or Not to Share with Outside Parties . 69 5. CHAPTER 5 – DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION . 73 Peer Health Education . 73 Health Interventions . 77 The Necessity of Co-Creating the Messages . 78 Narrative Sharing . 79 Dissonance-Based Intervention and Self-Efficacy . 82
Stability Study of Fuzzy Control Processes Application to a Nonlinear Second Order System

In this paper, the stability study of fuzzy control systems is presented. The approach developed is based on the convergence of regular vector norms, where the comparison, the overvaluing principle and the Borne and Gentina criterion are used. The controller is of type PI-fuzzy with different partition of the two fuzzy inputs. The system to be controlled is a nonlinear system and the application example is of second order.
Estimating drug effects in the presence of placebo response: Causal inference using growth mixture modeling

Placebo‐controlled randomized trials for antidepressants and other drugs often show a response for a sizeable percentage of the subjects in the placebo group. Potential placebo responders can be assumed to exist also in the drug treatment group, making it difficult to assess the drug effect. A key drug research focus should be to estimate the percentage of individuals among those who responded to the drug who would not have responded to the placebo (‘Drug Only Responders’). This paper investigates a finite mixture model approach to uncover percentages of up to four potential mixture components: Never Responders, Drug Only Responders, Placebo Only Responders, and Always Responders. Two examples are used to illustrate the modeling, a 12‐week antidepressant trial with a continuous outcome (Hamilton D score) and a 7‐week schizophrenia trial with a binary outcome (illness level). The approach is formulated in causal modeling terms using potential outcomes and principal stratification. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) with maximum‐likelihood estimation is used to uncover the different mixture components. The results point to the limitations of the conventional approach of comparing marginal response rates for drug and placebo groups. It is useful to augment such reporting with the GMM‐estimated prevalences for the four classes of subjects and the Drug Only Responder drug effect estimate. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Catch Me If You Can: Pursuit and Capture in Polygonal Environments with Obstacles

We resolve a several-years old open question in visibility-based pursuit evasion: how many pursuers are needed to capture an evader in an arbitrary polygonal environment with obstacles? The evader is assumed to be adversarial, moves with the same maximum speed as pursuers, and is "sensed'' by a pursuer only when it lies inline-of-sight of that pursuer. The players move in discrete time steps, and the capture occurs when a pursuer reaches the position of the evader on its move. Our main result is that O(√h + log n) pursuers can always win the game with a deterministic search strategy in any polygon with n vertices and h obstacles (holes). In order to achieve this bound, however, we argue that the environment must satisfy a minimum feature size property, which essentially requires the minimum distance between any two vertices to be of the same order as the speed of the players. Without the minimum feature size assumption, we show that Ω < ( √(n/log n)) pursuers are needed in the worst-case even for simply-connected (hole-free) polygons of n vertices! This reveals an unexpected subtlety that seems to have been overlookedin previous work claiming that O(log n) pursuers can always win insimply-connected n-gons. Our lower bound also shows that capturing an evader is inherently more difficult than just "seeing" it because O(log n) pursuers are provably sufficient for line-of-sight detection even against an arbitrarily fast evaderin simple n-gons.
Loneliness and inducing incremental theories of social interactions to produce adaptive change

Correspondence Emiko Taniguchi, Department of Communicology, University of Hawai'i at M anoa, 2560 Campus Road, George Hall 316, Honolulu, HI 96822. Email: emikotan@hawaii.edu College students (n = 388) participated in a two-part online study (a survey and an experiment) examining the role of implicit theories in the experience of loneliness. Survey results revealed that lonely people tend to endorse entity theories of social competence and friendship. Experimental results showed that inducing an incremental theory of social competence reduced communication apprehension and increased social engagement among individuals regardless of their levels of loneliness. Inducing an incremental theory of friendship increased social engagement but did not influence the level of communication apprehension or social avoidance. Overall, the results suggest that an incremental theory of social interactions can reduce thoughts that are not conducive to fostering social connections among people in general, including lonely ones.
Erythropoietin Improves the Survival of Fat Tissue after Its Transplantation in Nude Mice

Background Autologous transplanted fat has a high resorption rate, providing a clinical challenge for the means to reduce it. Erythropoietin (EPO) has non-hematopoietic targets, and we hypothesized that EPO may improve long-term fat graft survival because it has both pro-angiogenic and anti-apoptotic properties. We aimed to determine the effect of EPO on the survival of human fat tissue after its transplantation in nude mice. Methodology/Principal Findings Human fat tissue was injected subcutaneously into immunologically-compromised nude mice, and the grafts were then treated with either 20 IU or 100 IU EPO. At the end of the 15-week study period, the extent of angiogenesis, apoptosis, and histology were assessed in the fat grafts. The results were compared to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-treated and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated fat grafts. The weight and volume of the EPO-treated grafts were higher than those of the PBS-treated grafts, whose weights and volumes were not different from those of the VEGF-treated grafts. EPO treatment also increased the expression of angiogenic factors and microvascular density, and reduced inflammation and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in the fat grafts. Conclusions/Significance Our data suggest that stimulation of angiogenesis by a cluster of angiogenic factors and decreased fat cell apoptosis account for potential mechanisms that underlie the improved long-term survival of fat transplants following EPO treatment.
Sexual Behaviors and Perceptions of HIV Risk in a Multiethnic U.S. Sample of Women Who Have Sex with Women

Abstract This study investigated the sexual practices and perceptions of HIV risk in a national sample women who have sex with women (WSW). A multiethnic sample of 239 WSW aged 18–68 years attending GLBTQ pride events in three U.S. cities (Chicago, Atlanta, and Fort Lauderdale) completed an anonymous survey regarding their sexual behaviors, thoughts and perceptions of HIV risk. In the past 6 months, 18% of participants reported one or more male partners. Perception of HIV risk was associated with having more male partners (r = .244, p < .01), no primary relationship (r = .185, p < .01), shorter time with primary partners (r = .191, p < .05), multiple female partners (r = .169, p < .05), and a primary relationship with a man (r = .208, p < .01). Participants reported low levels of safer sex, but those who had sex with men reported using more protection with men compared with women. Most participants believed WSW could be at risk for HIV, but felt little personal risk. Understanding behaviors and perceptions of risk while taking into account the unique contexts of the lives of WSW from diverse communities may help guide the development of relevant, targeted public health interventions that address HIV-risk in this group. For the purpose of this paper, we define lesbians as homosexual women, or women who have sexual desire and relationships with other women. WSW are women who have, or have had, sex with women who may or may not self-identify as lesbian.
We’re better when we blend: The benefits of couple identity fusion

Abstract When forming a relationship, romantic partners must develop a conceptualization of their self in the relationship, or an understanding of their couple identity. Drawing from the theory of identity fusion, the current study explored the implications of different types of couple identities for overcoming relationship challenges. Results demonstrated that individuals who perceived greater fusion with their partner (i.e., perceived an equal blending of the personal and partner’s self in creating their unique couple identity) exhibited reduced vigilance for relationship threats and enacted more constructive coping responses to relationship conflict. Conversely, individuals who perceived an imbalanced couple identity (i.e., perceived either their own or their partner’s identity as dominant in the couple identity), exhibited fewer of these pro-relationship behaviors.
Magnitude, Distribution, and Estimated Level of Underreporting of Acute Gastroenteritis in Jamaica

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean. The epidemiology of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is important to Jamaica, particularly in the areas of health, tourism, and because of the potential impact on the local workforce and the economy. Data collected by the National Surveillance Unit on the prevalence of AGE transmitted by food are not accurate. To determine the true magnitude, risk factors, and the extent of underreporting of AGE in Jamaica, we conducted a cross-sectional, population-based retrospective survey during the periods of 21 February–7 March and 14-27 June 2009, corresponding to high- and low-AGE season respectively. Of the total 1,920 persons selected randomly by a multistage cluster-sampling process, 1,264 responded (response rate 65.8%). Trained interviewers administered a standardized, validated questionnaire during face-to-face interviews. The overall prevalence of self-reported AGE was 4.0% (95% CI 2.9-5.1) at a rate of 0.5 episodes/per person-year. The highest monthly prevalence of AGE (14.6%) was found among the 1-4 year(s) age-group and the lowest (2.1%) among the 25-44 years age-group. Of the 18 cases (36%) who sought medical care, 11% were hospitalized, 33% were treated with antibiotics, and 66.7% received oral rehydration fluids. Only 2 cases who sought medical care reportedly submitted stool specimens. The mean duration of diarrhoea was 3.1 days, which resulted in a mean loss of 4 productive days, with over half of the cases requiring someone to care for them. The burden of syndromic AGE for 2009 was extrapolated to be 122,711 cases, showing an underreporting factor of 58.9. For every laboratory-confirmed AGE case, it was estimated that 383 more cases were occurring in the population. This research confirms that the prevalence of AGE is underreported in Jamaica and not being adequately detected by the current surveillance system. The components of the integrated surveillance system for AGE in Jamaica, particularly the laboratory aspect, need to be strengthened.
Competition and Enterprise Performance in Transition Economies: Evidence from a Cross-Country Survey

This paper uses a survey of 3,300 firms in 25 transition countries to shed light on the factors that influence restructuring by firms and their subsequent performance as measured by growth in sales and in sales per employee over a three-year period. We begin by surveying what a decade of transition has taught us about the factors that determine how firms respond to the new market environment. We go on to analyse the impact on performance of ownership, soft budget constraints, the general business environment and a range of measures of the intensity of competition as perceived by a firm. We find that competition has an important and non-monotonic effect on the growth of sales and of labour productivity: some degree of perceived market power is associated with higher sales growth, but competitive pressure is also important. Similar competition effects are found upon firms' decisions to develop and improve their products, but market power has an unambiguously negative impact on purely defensive (cost-reducing) restructuring activity. New firms have grown relatively fast, but among old firms ownership per se has no significant relationship to performance (though state-owned firms have engaged in significantly less development of new products). Soft budget constraints have a broadly negative and the business environment a broadly positive impact on restructuring and performance.
Comparison of the effect of W-shaped and linear skin incisions on scar visibility in bilateral external dacryocystorhinostomy

Background The aim of this study was to compare the effect of W-shaped skin (WS) and linear skin (LS) incisions on cutaneous scar tissue formation in patients who have undergone bilateral external dacryocystorhinostomy. Methods Sixteen patients (14 females and two males) with acquired bilateral nasolacrimal duct obstruction were included in this prospective, interventional comparative study. LS incision was applied to one side and WS skin incision to the other side. The skin incisions were assessed 6 months after each procedure by the patients themselves and by two ophthalmologists who were unaware of the skin incision shape and side. Scar tissue that was not recognized under the same light conditions and in the same room from a 100 cm distance was recorded as grade 1. Minimally visible scar tissue was assessed as grade 2, moderately visible scar tissue as grade 3, and easily visible scar tissue as grade 4. Results The mean scar assessment scores recorded by the first ophthalmologist were 2.50±0.82 for the LS group and 1.25±0.45 for the WS group (P<0.001). The second ophthalmologist’s assessment scores were 2.25±0.86 for the LS group and 1.25±0.45 for the WS group (P<0.001). The mean patient self-assessment score for the incision scars was 2.44±1.03 for the LS group and 1.56±0.73 for the WS group (P<0.001). Conclusion Compared with LS incision, WS incision resulted in less cutaneous scar tissue formation in patients who have undergone bilateral external dacryocystorhinostomy.
Updating working memory in aircraft noise and speech noise causes different fMRI activations

The present study used fMRI/BOLD neuroimaging to investigate how visual-verbal working memory is updated when exposed to three different background-noise conditions: speech noise, aircraft noise and silence. The number-updating task that was used can distinguish between “substitution processes,” which involve adding new items to the working memory representation and suppressing old items, and “exclusion processes,” which involve rejecting new items and maintaining an intact memory set. The current findings supported the findings of a previous study by showing that substitution activated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the posterior medial frontal cortex and the parietal lobes, whereas exclusion activated the anterior medial frontal cortex. Moreover, the prefrontal cortex was activated more by substitution processes when exposed to background speech than when exposed to aircraft noise. These results indicate that (a) the prefrontal cortex plays a special role when task-irrelevant materials should be denied access to working memory and (b) that, when compensating for different types of noise, either different cognitive mechanisms are involved or those cognitive mechanisms that are involved are involved to different degrees.
Restless bandits, partial conservation laws and indexability

We show that if performance measures in a general stochastic scheduling problem satisfy partial conservation laws (PCL), which extend the generalized conservation laws (GCL) introduced by Bertsimas and Niño-Mora (1996), then the problem is solved optimally by a priority-index policy under a range of admissible linear performance objectives, with both this range and the optimal indices being determined by a one-pass adaptive-greedy algorithm that extends Klimov's: we call such scheduling problems PCL-indexable. We further apply the PCL framework to investigate the indexability property of restless bandits (two-action finite-state Markov decision chains) introduced by Whittle, obtaining the following results: (i) we present conditions on model parameters under which a single restless bandit is PCL-indexable, and hence indexable; membership of the class of PCL-indexable bandits is tested through a single run of the adaptive-greedy algorithm, which further computes the Whittle indices when the test is positive; this provides a tractable sufficient condition for indexability; (ii) we further introduce the subclass of GCL-indexable bandits (including classical bandits), which are indexable under arbitrary linear rewards. Our analysis is based on the achievable region approach to stochastic optimization, as the results follow from deriving and exploiting a new linear programming reformulation for single restless bandits.