Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Unified Framework for Jointly Learning Distributed Representations of Word and Attributes

Distributed word representations have achieved great success in natural language processing (NLP) area. However, most distributed models focus on local context properties and learn task-specific representations individually, therefore lack the ability to fuse multi-attributes and learn jointly. In this paper, we propose a unified framework which jointly learns distributed representations of word and attributes: characteristics of word. In our models, we consider three types of attributes: topic, lemma and document. Besides learning distributed attribute representations, we find that using additional attributes is beneficial to improve word representations. Several experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the learned topic representations, document representations, and improved word representations, respectively. The experimental results show that our models achieve significant and competitive results.
Prevalence of obesity - baseline assessment in the prospective cohort 'PONS' study.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the population of Świętokrzyskie Province in Poland. METHODS Body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC) in the Polish-Norwegian Study (PONS) was measured in 2,567 females and 1,287 males. Anthropometric measurements included fat mass, height, weight, waist and hip circumference. BMI and WHR were calculated. RESULTS Data showed that 52% of males and 42% of females were overweight (25.0 ≤ BMI<30.0 kg/m2), and the prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2) was 35% in both genders. The average BMI was higher in males (28.5 kg/m2) than in females (28.2 kg/m2). Analysis of WC showed that 36% of males and 45% of females had abdominal obesity, whereas measurements of WHR showed abdominal obesity in 64% of males and 79% of females. Generally, the prevalence of obesity was higher in the older age group (55-64 years) and in rural inhabitants. The prevalence of overweight increased with educational level, but the prevalence of obesity decreased with level of education in both males and females. CONCLUSIONS Almost 80% of the PONS population were either overweight or obese; therefore, the PONS population is at increased risk of developing obesity-related diseases.
STATE CORPORATION INCOME TAXATION: AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE ON NEXUS

Acting in the interest of their residents, U.S. states have incentives to impose taxes on the profits of corporations owned by nonresidents, within limits imposed by federal statutes and by the Constitution. This paper presents a model within which a state—using an apportionment formula that includes a sales factor—would choose to tax the income of out-of-state corporations that derive revenues from the sale or licensing of intangible assets to in-state customers, provided that such corporations have sufficient nexus to be taxable. Although such policies enable states to capture rents from nonresidents, they also introduce tax distortions by imposing implicit tariffs on sales by out-of-state firms.
Early Developmental conditions and reproductive success in humans: Downstream effects of prenatal famine, birthweight, and timing of birth

Growth, survival, and breeding success of individuals in populations of wild mammals are influenced by the climatic and nutritional conditions that individuals experience during their early development. Recent findings have shown that early conditions also have consequences for subsequent survival and reproductive performance in humans. Environmental conditions which affect early development of individuals, such as the quality and quantity of nutrition received in utero and infancy, predict the onset of many chronic diseases in adulthood, affect longevity and may also influence a range of measures of reproductive performance in both food‐limited and contemporary Western human populations. These associations are proposed to result from foetal programming, where a stimulus or insult during a critical period early in life may permanently affect body structure, physiology, and metabolism. Here I review studies showing how birthweight, season of birth, or exposure to prenatal starvation affect different aspects of an individual's subsequent reproductive success in humans and the growth, survival, and reproductive performance of the offspring produced. I show that early maternal and environmental conditions can have a large impact on human reproductive strategies and fitness that can span across generations. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:370–379, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Speaker-Specific Adaptation of Maeda Synthesis Parameters for Auditory Feedback

SPEAKER-SPECIFIC ADAPTATION OF MAEDA SYNTHESIS PARAMETERS FOR AUDITORY FEEDBACK Joseph Vonderhaar, B.S. Marquette University, 2017 The Real-time Articulatory Speech Synthesizer (RASS) is a research tool in the Marquette Speech and Swallowing lab that simultaneously collects acoustic and articulatory data from human participants. The system is used to study acoustic to articulatory inversion, articulatory to acoustic synthesis mapping, and the effects of realtime acoustic feedback. Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA) is utilized to collect position data via sensors placed in a subject’s mouth. These kinematic data are then converted into a set of synthesis parameters that controls an articulatory speech synthesizer, which in turn generates an acoustic waveform matching the associated kinematics. Independently from RASS, the synthesized acoustic waveform can be further modified before it is returned to the subject, creating the opportunity for involuntary learning through controlled acoustic feedback. In order to maximize the impact of involuntary learning, the characteristics of the synthetically generated speech need to closely match those of the participant. There are a number of synthesis parameters that cannot be directly controlled by the subject’s articulatory movements such as fundamental frequency and parameters corresponding to physiological measures such as vocal tract length and overall vocal tract size. The goal of this work is to develop a mechanism for automatically determining RASS internal synthesis parameters that provide the closest synthesis parameter match to the subject’s acoustic characteristics, ultimately increasing the system’s effect positive effect on involuntary learning. The methods detailed in this thesis examine the effects of altering both timeindependent and time-dependent synthesis parameters to increase the acoustic similarity between the synthesized and real subject speech. The fundamental frequency and first two formant values are studied in particular across multiple vowels to determine the timeindependent parameter settings. Time-dependent parameter analysis is performed through the use of a real-time parameter-tracking configuration. Results of this work provide a way of adapting the Maeda synthesis parameters in RASS to be speakerspecific and individualize the study of auditory feedback. This research will allow researchers to better customize the RASS system for individual subjects and alter involuntary learning.
China's Grain Security warning based on the integration of AHP-GRA

According to the meaning of food security, the index system for China's food security was established and the weight on each index was given by adopting AHP method. This paper made measurement and evaluation on the level of China's food security from 2001 to 2007 by using the AHP-GRA method. The results show that the model which conforms to China's actual situation can be used as a food safety pre-warning monitoring. Finally, the paper gives some effective proposals on how to promote China's Grain Security.
Are Volatility Estimators Robust with Respect to Modeling Assumptions?

We consider microstructure as an arbitrary contamination of the underlying latent securities price, through a Markov kernel Q. Special cases include additive error, rounding, and combinations thereof. Our main result is that, subject to smoothness conditions, the two scales realized volatility (TSRV) is robust to the form of contamination Q. To push the limits of our result, we show what happens for some models involving rounding (which is not, of course, smooth) and see in this situation how the robustness deteriorates with decreasing smoothness. Our conclusion is that under reasonable smoothness, one does not need to consider too closely how the microstructure is formed, while if severe non-smoothness is suspected, one needs to pay attention to the precise structure and also to what use the estimator of volatility will be put.
Cellular and Molecular Characteristics of RSV-Induced Disease in Humans

In this online Open Access book on "Human RSV Infections", several distinguished authors contribute their experience in respiratory syncytial virology. A major focus lies on the fascinating pathophysiology of RSV and represents recent and actual work on different mechanisms involved in the complex pathogenesis of the virus. The second section elucidates epidemiologic and diagnostic aspects of RSV infection covering a more clinical view of RSV disease. At last, treatment modalities including the search for a vaccine that is still not in sight are discussed and conclude this book, thus building up a circle that runs from experimental models of RSV related lung disease over clinical aspects of disease to the latest news of therapeutic and prophylactic approaches to human RSV infection.
Interobserver Variability of Sonographic Features Used in the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess interobserver variability in assigning features in the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS) lexicon and in making recommendations for thyroid nodule biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study cohort comprised 100 nodules in 92 patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration with definitive cytologic results (Bethesda category II or VI) or diagnostic lobectomy between April 2009 and May 2010. Eight board-certified radiologists evaluated the nodules according to the five feature categories that constitute ACR TI-RADS and gave a biopsy recommendation based on their own practice. Variability in feature assignment and biopsy recommendation was assessed with the Fleiss kappa statistic. RESULTS Agreement in interpretation was fair to moderate for all features except shape (κ = 0.61) and macrocalcifications (κ = 0.73), which had substantial agreement. The features with the poorest agreement were margin and other types of echogenic foci, which had kappa values ranging from 0.25 to 0.39, indicating fair agreement. Interobserver agreement regarding biopsy recommendation was fair (κ = 0.22) based on radiologists' current practice. Applying ACR TI-RADS resulted in moderate agreement (κ = 0.51). CONCLUSION Variability in interpreting thyroid nodule sonographic features was highest for margin and all types of echogenic foci, except for macrocalcifications. Because radiologists' interpretations of these features change the level of suspicion of thyroid malignancy, the results of this study suggest a need for further education. Despite the variability in assigning features, adoption of ACR TI-RADS improves agreement for recommending biopsy.
“Keyhole” method for accelerating imaging of contrast agent uptake

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging methods with good spatial and contrast resolution are often too slow to follow the uptake of contrast agents with the desired temporal resolution. Imaging can be accelerated by skipping the acquisition of data normally taken with strong phase‐encoding gradients, restricting acquisition to weak‐gradient data only. If the usual procedure of substituting zeros for the missing data is followed, blurring results. Substituting instead reference data taken before or well after contrast agent injection reduces this problem. Volunteer and patient images obtained by using such reference data show that imaging can be usefully accelerated severalfold. Cortical and medullary regions of interest and whole kidney regions were studied, and both gradientand spin‐echo images are shown. The method is believed to be compatible with other acceleration methods such as half‐Fourier reconstruction and reading of more than one line of k space per excitation.
The Roles of Size and Size Difference in Australian and Chinese Inter-firm Collaborations

There has been considerable debate on the contribution and significance of firm size to the establishment, operation and success of business collaboration. One important source of this debate arises from differing definitions of firm size used in previous research. This paper uses firm size categories and size differences between collaborating firms to examine their contribution to the formation and performance of inter-firm collaboration in Australia and China. Both qualitative case study and quantitative data analyses are adopted in this paper. Results from both the qualitative case study and quantitative study in Australia and China show that size plays a significant positive role in the formation and performance of business collaboration. Firms prefer collaborating with larger partners. Bigger firms are more likely to achieve success collaborations. However, size difference plays a negative role in business collaboration. Collaborating with a bigger partner makes it harder to succeed. On the other hand, size and size difference play very different roles in performance and outcomes of business collaboration in different countries. This paper compares the roles of firm size and size difference in Australian and Chinese inter-firm collaboration. The results provide important strategic implications for business managers, industry regulators, and policy decision makers regarding international business collaboration.
Morphological effects on pronunciation

Converging, albeit inconsistent, empirical evidence suggests that the morphological structure of a word influences its pronunciation. We investigated this issue using Ultrasound Tongue Imaging in the context of an experimental cognitive psychology paradigm. Scottish speakers were trained on apparently homophonous monomorphemic and bimorphemic novel words (e.g. zord, zorred), and tested on speech production tasks. Monomorphemic items were realised acoustically with shorter durations than bimorphemic items; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Progressive coarticulatory effects were also observed in the monomorphemic condition for some speakers. A dynamic analysis of the articulatory data revealed that the observed differences in the pronunciations of the two types of items could be due to factors other than morphological structure. Our results, albeit inconclusive, make a significant contribution to the literature in this research domain insofar as the presence or absence of morphological effects on pronunciation has important implications for extant theories of speech production.
Complexity of equilibria in linear service-providing games

A fundamental problem in algorithmic game theory is to determine the hardness of computing equilibria in various classes of games. It is di cult to pinpoint the properties that a ect hardness, since computing an equilibrium seems to be hard even for 2-player games with very special payo matrices. To address this problem, we introduce an LP-based model (a special case of the Generalized Nash Equilibrium Problem) where the interaction of players is limited to providing services to each other at xed prices. This enables us to investigate computational complexity as a function of the structure of provider-customer relationships. Our model guarantees the existence of equilibria with polynomial bit-size. If the service prices are optimal in some sense, then socially optimal solutions are in equilibrium and can be computed in polynomial time. However, for arbitrary service prices, the computation of an equilibrium is PPAD-complete. To study the complexity in terms of the structure of interactions between players, we introduce a digraph describing the provider-customer relatioships, and give a polynomial-time algorithm if every strong component of the digraph is a simple directed cycle. The proof is based on a new algorithmic result on approximating a xed point of a multidimensional function having a cyclic structure.
Un co rre cte d Pr oo f Implicit and Explicit Mechanisms of Word Learning in a Narrative Context : An Event-related Potential Study

■ The vast majority of word meanings are learned simply by extracting them from context rather than by rote memorization or explicit instruction. Although this skill is remarkable, little is known about the brain mechanisms involved. In the present study, ERPs were recorded as participants read stories in which pseudowords were presented multiple times, embedded in consistent, meaningful contexts (referred to as meaning condition, M+) or inconsistent, meaningless contexts (M−). Word learning was then assessed implicitly using a lexical decision task and explicitly through recall and recognition tasks. Overall, during story reading, M− words elicited a larger N400 than M+ words, suggesting that participants were better able to semantically integrate M+ words than M− words throughout the story. In addition, M+ words whose meanings were subsequently correctly recognized and recalled elicited a more positive ERP in a later time window compared with M+ words whose meanings were incorrectly remembered, consistent with the idea that the late positive component is an index of encoding processes. In the lexical decision task, no behavioral or electrophysiological evidence for implicit priming was found for M+ words. In contrast, during the explicit recognition task, M+ words showed a robust N400 effect. The N400 effect was dependent upon recognition performance, such that only correctly recognized M+ words elicited an N400. This pattern of results provides evidence that the explicit representations of word meanings can develop rapidly, whereas implicit representations may require more extensive exposure or more time to
The connection between lymphangiogenic signalling and prostaglandin biology: A missing link in the metastatic pathway

Substantial evidence supports important independent roles for lymphangiogenic growth factor signaling and prostaglandins in the metastatic spread of cancer. The significance of the lymphangiogenic growth factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and VEGF-D, is well established in animal models of metastasis, and a strong correlation exits between an increase in expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-D, and metastatic spread in various solid human cancers. Similarly, key enzymes that control the production of prostaglandins, cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2, prototypic targets of Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)), are frequently over-expressed or de-regulated in the progression of cancer. Recent data have suggested an intersection of lymphangiogenic growth factor signaling and the prostaglandin pathways in the control of metastatic spread via the lymphatic vasculature. Furthermore, this correlates with current clinical data showing that some NSAIDs enhance the survival of cancer patients through reducing metastasis. Here, we discuss the potential biochemical and cellular basis for such anti-cancer effects of NSAIDs through the prostaglandin and VEGF signaling pathways.
Authorship Pattern and Collaboration Coefficient of India in Biotechnology research during 2001-2016: Based on Scopus Database

The study presents the growth trend about authorship pattern and author collaboration in the Biotechnology for sixteen years with the sample of 18918 articles which have been collected from Scopus database during year 2001-2016. A predefined search string has been used for data download. The five scientometric tools collaboration coefficient (CC), authorship pattern (AP), activity index (AI), Relative Growth Rate (RGR) and Doubling time of Literature (Dt.) have been used for the data analysis. The average number of authors per article for India has been counted as 4.92. In the study, the collaboration coefficient for 16 years (2001-2016) is noticed as 0.63 for India. The study shows that multiauthorship articles are higher in average and they are dominant over single authorship pattern. The science growth rate is always useful for the study, so that relative growth rate and doubling time of literature tools have been used for the study to explore needs of manpower and finance for future and present research activity. The mean of relative growth rate for sixteen year shows the decreasing rate and for last four years its pattern of publication is stable. The corresponding doubling time for different years [Dt (P)] gradually fallowed the increasing pattern. It has been found that majority of the Biotechnology researchers are working through team research or collaborative research rather than individual research. The average activity index of India for sixteen years is counted as 91.78. The highest AI year for India is 2016 with 180.3 whereas the lowest counted in 2001 with 42.38. The international collaboration pattern shows for India, United States is the most favoured nation.
The Determinants of Corporate Cash Holdings in Nigeria: Evidence from General Method of Moments (GMM)

The study examines the determinants of corporate cash holding of non-financial quoted firms in Nigeria using a sample of fifty four non-financial quoted firms listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange for the period 1995-2009. Data were sourced from the Annual reports of the sampled firms and analyzed using Generalized Method of Moments(GMM). The study finds evidence supportive of a target adjustment model and that firms can not instantaneously adjust towards the target cash level owing to the fact that adjustment cost being costly,. Also, the result shows significant negative relationship between cash holdings and firm size, net working capital, return on asset and bank relationship and positive relationship with growth opportunities, leverage, inventories, account receivables and financial distress. Furthermore, there is no significant relationship between cash holdings and cash flow. In Nigerian setting, most of the variables that are relevant for explaining cash holdings in the Developed countries are found by this study to be relevant also in Nigeria. Keywords—Adjustment Model , Cash holding, Determinant, Generalized Method of Moments(GMM)
Position of the rightmost individual in a branching random walk through an interface

We study the maximal displacement of a branching random walk in a time-inhomogeneous environment, which consists of two macroscopic stages with different branching mechanisms. The study of the different asymptotics of this maximum, up to a stochastically bounded term, shows that the first order (ballistic) is given by the solution of an optimisation problem under constraints. The second order, a logarithmic correction, exhibits a phase transition.