Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Derive a MODIS-Based Calibration for the AVHRR Reflective Solar Channels of the NOAA KLM Operational Satellites

The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) has been on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) polar-orbiting satellites (POSs) beginning with the Television Infrared Observation Satellite N launched in October 1978. Since then, a series of AVHRR sensors have collected over 30 years of continuous daily global observations. Recently, the NOAA K, L, and M POSs have provided an improved monitoring of the Earth's environment. The AVHRR instrument carried on NOAA-15 (NOAA-K) was launched in May 1998. It is followed by NOAA-16 to NOAA-18 (NOAA-L, NOAA-M, and NOAA-N), Metop-A, and NOAA-19 (NOAA-N'). All of them have been operating to date. An accurate and consistent calibration for the AVHRR reflective solar channels has been challenging as there is no onboard calibrator and vicarious calibration often needs to accumulate large number of reliable observations to derive any meaningful long-term trends. In this paper, we use the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites-endorsed calibration/validation Libya-4 (28.55 N, 23.39 W) desert site to track the long-term stability of reflective solar channels of the NOAA KLM AVHRR. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Terra and Aqua platforms is used as a reference to recalibrate the NOAA KLM trends. This study is focused on evaluating the calibration accuracy for the visible and near-infrared channels of each AVHRR instrument using MODIS channels 1 (620-670 nm) and 2 (841-876 nm). A site-specific bidirectional reflectance distribution function developed based on observations made by MODIS is used to normalize AVHRR-observed reflectances. Impacts of atmospheric water vapor on AVHRR-to-MODIS reflectance ratios are corrected with measured total water-vapor contents derived using the split-window temperature difference technique. Finally, MODIS-based AVHRR calibration results, which track the AVHRR on-orbit change, are applied on top of the AVHRR prelaunch values and presented in the form of quadratic polynomials as a function of time. All recalibrated AVHRR reflectances are compared with those provided from a Level 1B product. Additional validation is performed using NOAA-17 AVHRR observations acquired over Antarctic Dome Concordia site where the impact due to atmospheric water vapor is believed to be extremely small.
Adjunctive steroid treatment: Local guidelines and patient outcome in adult bacterial meningitis

Our objective was to evaluate local guidelines regarding early steroid treatment in adult community acquired bacterial meningitis, and assess the actual treatment given and its correlation to clinical outcome. Patient outcome was obtained retrospectively from the medical records of 210 adults admitted to 47 hospitals in Denmark during 2002–2004 (population 5.4 million) and was combined with results from a questionnaire regarding treatment guidelines in these hospitals. In 36 of 47 departments responding to the questionnaire, 21 recommended early steroid treatment, but none did so initially during 2002. Early steroid treatment was given to 15% of patients and was given more often when recommended locally (41% vs 11%, OR =5.7 (2.4–13.5)). Unfavourable outcome was demonstrated rarely in patients treated with early steroids compared to the non-steroid group (17% vs 42%, p<0.05). In the 32 cases with petechial skin lesions, these were caused by pneumococci (15), meningococci (15), Staphylococcus aureus (1) and enterococci (1), and thus the presence of such lesions should not make the clinician abstain from early steroid treatment of bacterial meningitis. In conclusion, concordance with the new consensus of early steroid treatment was poor on a national basis, and better (41%) when adequate local guidelines were available. Early steroid treatment was associated with favourable outcome, and improved implementation of adequate guidelines may contribute to better patient outcome in bacterial meningitis.
Are users the gold standard for accessibility evaluation?

User testing is considered a key part of web accessibility evaluation. However, little is known about how effective is for identifying accessibility problems. Our experience, informed by a series of studies with blind users, corroborates that a website with a significant number of guideline violations can be perceived as accessible, and on the contrary, some participants may not perceive a highly accessible website as accessible. Accessibility guidelines are often criticised by their partial coverage and questionable validity. However, we should be very careful about making categorical statements in this regard as there are a number of variables that may introduce biases in user tests. We identify sources of bias related to user expertise, the experimental setting, employed language and reporting that, if not adequately controlled, may influence on the validity and reliability of the evaluation results. We discuss the limitations and practical implications of user testing with blind users for web accessibility evaluation.
Salivary Hormonal Values from High-Speed Resistive Exercise Workouts

Caruso, JF, Lutz, BM, Davidson, ME, Wilson, K, Crane, CS, Craig, CE, Nissen, TE, Mason, ML, Coday, MA, Sheaff, RJ, and Potter, WT. Salivary hormonal values from high-speed resistive exercise workouts. J Strength Cond Res 26(3): 625–632, 2012—Our study purpose examined salivary hormonal responses to high-speed resistive exercise. Healthy subjects (n = 45) performed 2 elbow flexor workouts on a novel (inertial kinetic exercise; Oconomowoc, WI, USA) strength training device. Our methods included saliva sample collection at both preexercise and immediately postexercise; workouts entailed two 60-second sets separated by a 90-second rest period. The samples were analyzed in duplicate for their testosterone and cortisol concentrations ([T], [C]). Average and maximum elbow flexor torque were measured from each exercise bout; they were later analyzed with a 2(gender) × 2(workout) analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures for workout. The [T] and [C] each underwent a 2(gender) × 2(time) ANOVA with repeated measures for time. A within-subject design was used to limit error variance. Average and maximum torque each had gender (men > women; p < 0.05) effects. The [T] elicited a 2-way interaction (p < 0.05), as men incurred a significant 14% increase over time, but women's values were unchanged. Yet multivariate regression revealed that 3 predictor variables (body mass and average and maximum torques) did not account for a significant amount of variance associated with the rise in male [T]. Changes in [C] were not significant. In conclusion, changes in [T] concur with the results from other studies that showed significant elevations in male [T], despite the brevity of current workouts and the rather modest volume of muscle mass engaged. Practical applications imply that salivary assays may be a viable alternative to blood draws from athletes, yet coaches and others who may administer this treatment should know that our results may have produced greater pre-post hormonal changes if postexercise sample collection had occurred at a later time point.
Contrasting Effects of Matrix Protein on Apoptosis in HeLa and BHK Cells Infected with Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Are due to Inhibition of Host Gene Expression

ABSTRACT Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a potent inducer of apoptosis in host cells. Recently, it has been shown that two VSV products are involved in the induction of apoptosis, the matrix (M) protein, and another viral product that has yet to be identified (S. A. Kopecky et. al., J. Virol. 75:12169-12181, 2001). Comparison of recombinant viruses containing wild-type (wt) or mutant M proteins showed that wt M protein accelerates VSV-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells, while wt M protein delays apoptosis in VSV-infected BHK cells. Our hypothesis to explain these results is that both effects of M protein are due to the ability of M protein to inhibit host gene expression. This hypothesis was tested by infecting cells with an M protein mutant virus defective in the inhibition of host gene expression (rM51R-M virus) in the presence or absence of actinomycin D, another inhibitor of host gene expression. Actinomycin D accelerated induction of apoptosis of HeLa cells infected with rM51R-M virus and delayed apoptosis in BHK cells infected with rM51R-M virus, similar to the effects of wt M protein. The idea that the induction of apoptosis by M protein in HeLa cells is due to its ability to inhibit host gene expression was further tested by comparing the activation of upstream caspase pathways by M protein versus that by actinomycin D or 5,6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside (DRB). Expression of M protein activated both caspase-8 and caspase-9-like enzymes, as did treatment with actinomycin D or DRB. Induction of apoptosis by M protein, actinomycin D, and DRB was inhibited in stably transfected HeLa cell lines that overexpress Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein that inhibits the caspase-9 pathway. A synthetic inhibitor of caspase-8, Z-IETD-FMK, did not inhibit induction of apoptosis by M protein, actinomycin D, or DRB. Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that the induction of apoptosis by M protein is caused by the inhibition of host gene expression and that the caspase-9 pathway is more important than the caspase-8 pathway for the induction of apoptosis by M protein and other inhibitors of host gene expression.
Divergent selection on locally adapted major histocompatibility complex immune genes experimentally proven in the field

Although crucial for the understanding of adaptive evolution, genetically resolved examples of local adaptation are rare. To maximize survival and reproduction in their local environment, hosts should resist their local parasites and pathogens. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) with its key function in parasite resistance represents an ideal candidate to investigate parasite-mediated local adaptation. Using replicated field mesocosms, stocked with second-generation lab-bred three-spined stickleback hybrids of a lake and a river population, we show local adaptation of MHC genotypes to population-specific parasites, independently of the genetic background. Increased allele divergence of lake MHC genotypes allows lake fish to fight the broad range of lake parasites, whereas more specific river genotypes confer selective advantages against the less diverse river parasites. Hybrids with local MHC genotype gained more body weight and thus higher fitness than those with foreign MHC in either habitat, suggesting the evolutionary significance of locally adapted MHC genotypes.
Is there a perception-based alternative to kinematic models of tempo rubato?

THE RELATION BETWEEN MUSIC and motion has been a topic of much theoretical and empirical research. An important contribution is made by a family of computational theories, so-called kinematic models, that propose an explicit relation between the laws of physical motion in the real world and expressive timing in music performance. However, kinematic models predict that expressive timing is independent of (a) the number of events, (b) the rhythmic structure, and (c) the overall tempo of the performance. These factors have no effect on the predicted shape of a ritardando. Computer simulations of a number of rhythm perception models show, however, a large effect of these structural and temporal factors. They are therefore proposed as a perception-based alternative to the kinematic approach.
Hypercomplex signals-a novel extension of the analytic signal to the multidimensional case

The construction of Gabor's (1946) complex signal-which is also known as the analytic signal-provides direct access to a real one-dimensional (1-D) signal's local amplitude and phase. The complex signal is built from a real signal by adding its Hilbert transform-which is a phase-shifted version of the signal-as an imaginary part to the signal. Since its introduction, the complex signal has become an important tool in signal processing, with applications, for example, in narrowband communication. Different approaches to an n-D analytic or complex signal have been proposed in the past. We review these approaches and propose the hypercomplex signal as a novel extension of the complex signal to n-D. This extension leads to a new definition of local phase, which reveals information on the intrinsic dimensionality of the signal. The different approaches are unified by expressing all of them as combinations of the signal and its partial and total Hilbert transforms. Examples that clarify how the approaches differ in their definitions of local phase and amplitude are shown. An example is provided for the two-dimensional (2-D) hypercomplex signal, which shows how the novel phase concept can be used in texture segmentation.
Bringing Ideology in: Differing Oppositional Challenges to Hegemony in Singapore and Malaysia

This article explores the nature of the main opposition parties to the incumbent hegemonic regimes in Malaysia and Singapore. I argue that the differing characters of these opposition parties should be considered. In Singapore, where there is no ideological challenge to the ruling party, I contend that even if the opposition takes over it will be the end of a hegemonic party but not hegemony. In Malaysia, the opposite is true. This article contributes to the literature on transition theory in two ways: (1) it recognizes the diversity of authoritarian regimes and enhances analyses of various authoritarian regimes by focusing on one type – hegemonic parties; and (2) it brings ideology into the reckoning by focusing on the nature of the opposition parties most likely to take over.
A Statistical Framework for Multi-Object Recognition

In this paper, we present a statistical framework for the recognition of multiple objects in an image, which is a generalization of the Bayesian decision rule. The approach takes into account the interdependence of several operations including recognition and transformation of the objects and segmentation. We present first experimental results on single objects and on artificially generated scenes. Although the computational complexity of the approach is high, the additional effort seems justified and there is potential for reduction of complexity.
The Role of Leader-Follower Relationships in Leader Communication: A Test Using the LMX and Motivating Language Models

This paper provides evidence on the necessity of congruency between leader behavior and communications in order to maximize worker outcomes. The study uses structural equation model comparisons to test competing models of leader communication and behavior. Results show that the best model is one where leader behavior (as encapsulated through the LMX model) fully mediates the relationship between leader communication (as measured using the motivating language framework) and worker performance and job satisfaction.
ROS-DET: robust detector of switching mechanisms in gene expression

A switching mechanism in gene expression, where two genes are positively correlated in one condition and negatively correlated in the other condition, is a key to elucidating complex biological systems. There already exist methods for detecting switching mechanisms from microarrays. However, current approaches have problems under three real cases: outliers, expression values with a very small range and a small number of examples. ROS-DET overcomes these three problems, keeping the computational complexity of current approaches. We demonstrated that ROS-DET outperformed existing methods, under that all these three situations are considered. Furthermore, for each of the top 10 pairs ranked by ROS-DET, we attempted to identify a pathway, i.e. consecutive biological phenomena, being related with the corresponding two genes by checking the biological literature. In 8 out of the 10 pairs, we found two parallel pathways, one of the two genes being in each of the two pathways and two pathways coming to (or starting with) the same gene. This indicates that two parallel pathways would be cooperatively used under one experimental condition, corresponding to the positive correlation, and the two pathways might be alternatively used under the other condition, corresponding to the negative correlation. ROS-DET is available from http://www.bic. kyoto-u.ac. jp/pathway/kayano/ros-det.htm.
An Analytic Approach for Discovery

With the widespread awareness of Big Data, mission leaders now expect that the data available to their organizations will be immediately relevant to their missions. However, the continuing onslaught of the ”data tsunami”, with data becoming more diverse, changing nature more quickly, and growing in volume and speed, confounds all but the simplest analysis and the most capable organizations. The core challenge faced by an analyst is to discover the most important knowledge in the data. She must overcome potential errors and inaccuracies in the data and explore it, even though she understands it incompletely, guided by her knowledge of the data’s domain. We have solved customer problems by quickly analyzing numerous dimensions of data to check its sanity and to compare it to expected values. Guided by what we find initially, we quickly move on to further (unanticipated) dimensions of the data; discovery depends on this ability. This approach vitally brings the analyst into direct interaction with the data. We implement this approach by exploiting the ability of graphs (vertices and edges) to represent highly heterogeneous data. We use RDF as the data representation and SPARQL for queries. We use non-parametric tests, which are readily targeted to any type of data. This graph-analytic approach, using proven techniques with widely diverse data, represents a guidepost for delivering greatly improved analysis on much more complex data.
Alterations in 3-Hydroxyisobutyrate and FGF21 Metabolism Are Associated With Protein Ingestion–Induced Insulin Resistance

Systemic hyperaminoacidemia, induced by either intravenous amino acid infusion or protein ingestion, reduces insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. Studies of mice suggest that the valine metabolite 3-hydroxyisobutyrate (3-HIB), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), adiponectin, and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) may be involved in amino acid–mediated insulin resistance. We therefore measured in 30 women the rate of glucose disposal, and plasma 3-HIB, FGF21, adiponectin, and NEFA concentrations, under basal conditions and during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure (HECP), with and without concomitant ingestion of protein (n = 15) or an amount of leucine that matched the amount of protein (n = 15). We found that during the HECP without protein or leucine ingestion, the grand mean ± SEM plasma 3-HIB concentration decreased (from 35 ± 2 to 14 ± 1 µmol/L) and the grand median [quartiles] FGF21 concentration increased (from 178 [116, 217] to 509 [340, 648] pg/mL). Ingestion of protein, but not leucine, decreased insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (P < 0.05) and prevented both the HECP-mediated decrease in 3-HIB and increase in FGF21 concentration in plasma. Neither protein nor leucine ingestion altered plasma adiponectin or NEFA concentrations. These findings suggest that 3-HIB and FGF21 might be involved in protein-mediated insulin resistance in humans.
The Australian Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications

In this paper, we investigate the Mill’s ratio estimation problem and get two new inequalities. Compared to the well known results obtained by Gordon, they becomes tighter. Furthermore, we also discuss the inverse Q-function approximation problem and present some useful results on the inverse solution. Numerical results confirm the validness of our theoretical analysis. In addition, we also present a conjecture on the bounds of inverse solution on Qfunction.
A Qualitative Assessment of Barriers to Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Adolescents in Western Kenya

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) requires nearly perfect adherence to be effective. This study aims to identify key factors identified by HIV-infected adolescents on ART as contributing to medication adherence in western Kenya. Using a qualitative study design, three adolescent focus groups discussions were conducted at an urban and rural clinic site in western Kenya. The study population included HIV-infected adolescents receiving ART through the USAID-AMPATH HIV care system. A trained facilitator conducted groups in Kiswahili using a semistructured interview guide probing multiple aspects of experience of taking medicines. Transcribed focus group dialogs were analyzed using constant comparison, progressive coding, and triangulation. The adolescents described a context of negative societal beliefs about HIV, necessitating a lifestyle of secrecy and minimizing the information shared about HIV or ART. Assessing and addressing adolescents’ fears and behaviors regarding medication secrecy and disclosure may enable more accurate monitoring of adherence and development of intervention strategies.
Impact of Corporate Governance on Corporate Financial Performance

Corporate governance is the new buzz-word in corporate world these days. It is viewed as a moral duty. It involves promoting the compliance of law in letter and spirit and demonstrating ethical conduct. The relationship between corporate governance and financial performance has caught wide attention of researchers in the last decade. Numerous researches have been conducted in past to investigate this linkage, but there has been lack of conclusive evidence. The results obtained from existing researches have been mixed. In this paper, we attempt to investigate the impact of corporate governance on corporate financial performance in an Indian context, using a sample of 20 companies listed on S&P CNX Nifty 50 Index. Various tests like – regression, correlation, t-test and F-test have been performed using secondary data over a period of two years from FY 2010-11 to FY 2011-12 to study this linkage. We have also controlled for size of firm. We find that governance ratings have positive and significant impact on corporate financial performance. But like any other research, the present study is also subject to certain limitations, which should be considered while using the results of this study and the future researchers should attempt to overcome these limitations.
The five‐factor personality inventory: cross‐cultural generalizability across 13 countries

In the present study, we investigated the structural invariance of the Five‐Factor Personality Inventory (FFPI) across a variety of cultures. Self‐report data sets from ten European and three non‐European countries were available, representing the Germanic (Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, USA), Romance (Italy, Spain), and Slavic branches (Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia) of the Indo‐European languages, as well as the Semito‐Hamitic (Israel) and Altaic (Hungary, Japan) language families. Each data set was subjected to principal component analysis, followed by varimax rotation and orthogonal Procrustes rotation to optimal agreement with (i) the Dutch normative structure and (ii) an American large‐sample structure. Three criteria (scree test, internal consistency reliabilities of the varimax‐rotated components, and parallel analysis) were used to establish the number of factors to be retained for rotation. Clear five‐factor structures were found in all samples except in the smallest one (USA, N = 97). Internal consistency reliabilities of the five components were generally good and high congruence was found between each sample structure and both reference structures. More than 80% of the items were equally stable within each country. Based on the results, an international FFPI reference structure is proposed. This reference structure can facilitate standardized communications about Big Five scores across research programmes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.