Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Specific-class distance measures for nominal attributes

The classification accuracy of many machine learning methods depends upon their ability to accurately measure the similarity between different instances. Similarity is measured using a distance metric or measure. In this work, several novel distance measures for nominal values are proposed. These distance measures exploit the class of a training example against which a new instance is compared. The experiments, conducted using 50 benchmark data sets, indicate that the proposed functions are superior in many cases to the Value Difference Metric VDM that is widely used in instance based learning. Some of the proposed measures have proven to be less sensitive to missing values and noise in the training data sets and have maintained good classification accuracy in the presence of unknown and noisy attribute values. Like VDM, the proposed measures work only with labelled training data sets which makes them unsuitable for unsupervised learning methods.
Topographic, pedologic and climatic interactions influencing streamflow generation at multiple catchment scales

Dominant flow pathways (DFPs) in mesoscale watersheds are poorly characterized and understood. Here, we make use of a conservative tracer (Gran alkalinity) and detailed information about climatic conditions and physical properties to examine how temporally and spatially variable factors interact to determine DFPs in 12 catchments draining areas from 3.4 to 1829.5 km² (Cairngorms, Scotland). After end‐member mixing was applied to discriminate between near surface and deep groundwater flow pathways, variation partitioning, canonical redundancy analyses and regression models were used to resolve: (i) What is the temporal variability of DFPs in each catchment? ; (ii) How do DFPs change across spatial scales and what factors control the differences in hydrological responses? ; and (iii) Can a conceptual model be developed to explain the spatiotemporal variability of DFPs as a function of climatic, topographic and soil characteristics? Overall, catchment characteristics were only useful to explain the temporal variability of DFPs but not their spatial variation across scale. The temporal variability of DFPs was influenced most by prevailing hydroclimatic conditions and secondarily soil drainability. The predictability of active DFPs was better in catchments with soils supporting fast runoff generation on the basis of factors such as the cumulative precipitation from the seven previous days, mean daily air temperature and the fractional area covered by Rankers. The best regression model R2 was 0.54, thus suggesting that the catchments’ internal complexity was not fully captured by the factors included in the analysis. Nevertheless, this study highlights the utility of combining tracer studies with digital landscape analysis and multivariate statistical techniques to gain insights into the temporal (climatic) and spatial (topographic and pedologic) controls on DFPs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hydrographic observations in Denmark Strait in fall 1997, and their implications for the entrainment into the overflow plume

Denmark Strait is the most important exit for water masses formed in the Arctic Mediterranean Sea and supplies a substantial fraction of the North Atlantic Deep Water. Observations obtained from RV Aranda in August‐September 1997 indicate that the water crossing the 620m deep sill is mainly drawn from the intermediate waters of the East Greenland Current. The overflow plume was stratified and capped by a less saline layer as it descended beyond 2000m. The presence of a low salinity lid implies that entrainment of ambient water is small and that the downstream evolution of the plume characteristics is due to mixing, within the plume, between the initial overflow waters. Low salinity, but dense, water from the East Greenland Current flowing over the shelf may cross the shelf break south of the sill and add a less dense fraction to the overflow.
Task Matching and Scheduling in Heterogenous Computing Environments Using a Genetic-Algorithm-Based Approach

To exploit a heterogeneous computing (HC) environment, an application task may be decomposed into subtasks that have data dependencies. Subtask matching and scheduling consists of assigning subtasks to machines, ordering subtask execution for each machine, and ordering intermachine data transfers. The goal is to achieve the minimal completion time for the task. A heuristic approach based on a genetic algorithm is developed to do matching and scheduling in HC environments. It is assumed that the matcher/scheduler is in control of a dedicated HC suite of machines. The characteristics of this genetic-algorithm-based approach include: separation of the matching and the scheduling representations, independence of the chromosome structure from the details of the communication subsystem, and consideration of overlap among all computations and communications that obey subtask precedence constraints. It is applicable to the static scheduling of production jobs and can be readily used to collectively schedule a set of tasks that are decomposed into subtasks. Some parameters and the selection scheme of the genetic algorithm were chosen experimentally to achieve the best performance. Extensive simulation tests were conducted. For small-sized problems (e.g., a small number of subtasks and a small number of machines), exhaustive searches were used to verify that this genetic-algorithm-based approach found the optimal solutions. Simulation results for larger-sized problems showed that this genetic-algorithm-based approach outperformed two nonevolutionary heuristics and a random search.
Effects of climate, sea level, and tectonics unraveled for last deglaciation turbidite records of the Arabian Sea

Turbidite sedimentation in a slope basin of the active margin of southwestern Pakistan (Makran) and on the abyssal plain of the Arabian Sea (Indus Fan) off the passive margin of southeastern Pakistan (Sindh) was most frequent during the last sea-level lowstand. In both regions turbidite sedimentation rates decreased during early sea-level rise. It stopped on the midfan of the Indus system after 11500 14C yr B.P., while turbidite sedimentation in the slope basin of the Makran continued, although at slower rates. After ca. 7000 14C yr B.P. sedimentation rates in the Makran decreased further as a consequence of increasing continental aridity, but turbidite sedimentation did not stop. The climate signal is identified in the hemipelagic intervals by conspicuous trends in grain size and chemical composition. The continued sedimentation on the Makran can be attributed to the narrow shelf width, which is a characteristic of active plate margins.
Undrained monotonic and cyclic simple shear behaviour of carbonate sand

The paper presents a study of the undrained behaviour of an uncemented carbonate sand (Quiou sand) under simple shear loading conditions. The experimental study was conducted through cyclic and monotonic undrained/constant volume simple shear tests carried out on reconstituted specimens prepared by using the sedimentation in water (WS) method. Tests were carried out on specimens reconstituted at two void ratios (i.e. loose and dense) and different effective consolidation stresses. Furthermore, to account for the effect of non-zero mean shear stress level, cyclic simple shear tests were performed under both symmetrical and non-symmetrical cyclic loading. Two types of failure modes have been observed in cyclic tests, that is ‘cyclic liquefaction’ or ‘cyclic mobility’, depending on whether or not they were conducted under shear stress reversal conditions. A unified framework seems to exist whereby undrained monotonic and cyclic response can be comparatively analysed. In particular, normalising the cyclic liq.
Aquarius and Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Salinity from Space

Aquarius is an L-band radiometer and scatterometer instrument combination designed to map the salinity field at the surface of the ocean from space. The instrument is designed to provide global salinity maps on a monthly basis with a spatial resolution of 150 km and an accuracy of 0.2 psu. The science objective is to monitor the seasonal and interannual variation of the large scale features of the surface salinity field in the open ocean. This data will promote understanding of ocean circulation and its role in the global water cycle and climate. Aquarius is the primary instrument on the Aquarius/SAC-D mission which is a partnership between the space agencies in the USA (NASA) and Argentina (CONAE). Launch is scheduled for late in 2010.
Adaptive Estimation of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps With Proven Stability and Parameter Convergence

Fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) have been introduced by Kosko to model complex behavioral systems in various scientific areas. One issue that has not been adequately studied so far is the conditions under which they reach a certain equilibrium point after an initial perturbation. This is equivalent to studying the existence and uniqueness of solutions for their concept values. In this paper, we study the existence of solutions of FCMs equipped with continuous differentiable sigmoid functions having contractive or, at least, non-expansive properties. This is done by using an appropriately defined contraction mapping theorem and the non-expansive mapping theorem. It is proved that when the weight interconnections fulfill certain conditions, the concept values will converge to a unique solution, regardless of the exact values of the initial concept values perturbations, or in some cases, a solution exists that may not necessarily be unique; otherwise, the existence or the uniqueness of equilibrium cannot be assured. Based on these results, an adaptive weight-estimation algorithm is proposed that employs appropriate weight projection criteria to assure that the uniqueness of FCM solution is not compromised. In view of these results, recently proposed extensions of FCM, which are the fuzzy cognitive networks (FCN), are invoked.
EARLY DIAGENETIC IRON SULPHIDE IN RECENT SEDIMENTS OF THE WASH (ENGLAND)

SUMMARY Microscopical and chemical examination of intertidal flats of the Wash indicate that phases of iron corresponding to ferric hydroxide and iron monosulphide are involved in the early diagenetic formation of pyrite, the first being an important source of the iron. Sedimentological data are tested against analyses of total iron extractable by hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid, and of the pyritic fraction of this iron; ignition data for residual organic matter are considered. The occurrence of the pyrite as isolated grains and spherules of framboidal texture is recorded, their size ranges given, and iron monosulphide recognised as the precursor of both forms. Ordering in the pyrite framboidal spherules is recorded and internal coalescence confirmed as a feature of primary growth which obscures the ordering.
The Impact of Financial Conflicts of Interest in Plastic Surgery: Are They All Created Equal?

BackgroundRecently, several studies have demonstrated that articles that disclose conflicts of interests (COI) are associated with publication of positive results. The purpose of this study was to learn more about the different types of COI as they relate to the general topic of COI in plastic surgery. Specifically, we aimed to examine whether different types of COI are more likely than others to be associated with the presentation of positive findings. MethodsWe reviewed all original articles in Annals of Plastic Surgery, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, and Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013. All scientific articles were analyzed, and several article characteristics were extracted. Disclosed COI were categorized into the following categories: consultant/employee, royalties/stock options, and research support. The findings reported in each article abstract were blindly graded as reporting a positive, negative, neutral, or not applicable result. A multivariable analysis was performed to determine whether an association existed between certain types of COI and publication of positive conclusions. ResultsA total of 3124 articles were identified of which 1185 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Financial COI were reported in 153 studies (12.9%). The most common type of COI was “research support” (7.3%), whereas the least common was “royalties/stock options” (1.2%). Rates of different types of COI varied significantly by plastic surgery subspecialty field (P < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, authors who disclosed COI related to research support, consultant/employee, and royalties/stock options were 1.31, 6.62, and 8.72 times more likely, respectively, to publish positive findings when compared with authors that disclosed no COI after correcting for potential confounding factors. However, consultancy/employee status was the only COI category statistically associated with publication of positive results (P < 0.001). ConclusionsSelf-reported COI are uncommon in plastic surgery research. Our results provide evidence that certain types of financial COI are more likely than others to be associated with the presentation of positive findings. This analysis suggests that certain investigators may be more biased, consciously or unconsciously, by the type of financial benefit offered by industry.
The Short‐Term Impact of Adjunctive Tiagabine on Health‐Related Quality of Life

Summary: Combinations of tiagabine (TGB), carbamazepine (CBZ), and phenytoin (PHT) were compared for their impact on health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) and adverse effects related to treatment efficacy for people with frequent complex partial seizures. Two independent, randomized, double‐blind clinical trials for efficacy and safety were conducted simultaneously with treatment groups: CBZ+PHT versus CBZ+TGB, and PHT+CBZ versus PHT+TGB. Treatment was initiated at week 0 and continued through week 16. HRQOL was evaluated with the QOLIE‐89. Treatment success was defined as ≥50% reduction in complex partial seizures. Among patients who achieved a ≥50% reduction in seizures, addition of TGB to baseline PHT enhanced patient perceptions of attention/concentration (13%; p = 0.002), memory (17%; p = 0.042), and language subscales (22%; p = 0.004). Addition of CBZ to PHT led to positive change in the work/driving/social relations subscale (14%; p = 0.004). These improvements were significantly different only between visits, not between the two treatment groups. Seizure worry subscale scores showed improvement among all treatment groups and was probably related to participation in the clinical trial. These exploratory analyses suggest a possible early positive effect of TGB on patient‐perceived cognitive domains using the QOLIE‐89. These findings are limited by the small sample size and could be related to reduction in seizures.
Lithostratigraphy of the uppermost Fossil Bluff Group (Early Cretaceous) of Alexander Island, Antarctica: History of an Albian regression

The Fossil Bluff Group of south-east Alexander Island contains strata ranging from Kimmeridgian to Albian in age and represents the infill of a fore-arc basin to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula volcanic arc. Recent field work has identified approximately 2800 m of younger rock above the 4000 m already defined, including the top of the previously described Pluto Glacier Formation. A new unit, the Rhea Corner Member is defined, near the top of the Pluto Glacier Formation. The sequence above this is named as the Neptune Glacier Formation, comprising three members, the Deimos Ridge, Triton Point and Mars Glacier members. They represent the youngest part of the Fossil Bluff Group. Both the Deimos Ridge and Mars Glacier members are fully marine, but the Triton Point Member, which is late Albian in age, contains the only record of emergent conditions in 6.8 km of strata. It is a fluvial unit and contains extensive fossil forest horizons, with standing trees up to 5 m tall preserved by widespread flood deposits. The Neptune Glacier Formation therefore records a significant regression-transgression cycle of Albian age.
Do Probiotics have a role in the Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis? A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Metaanalysis

Objective To investigate clinical evidence for the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods A systematic search was conducted to review the results of all randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. Primary outcome measurements were total nasal and ocular symptom scores (SS) and quality of life (QoL) questionnaires. Secondary outcome measurements were individual nasal SS and immunologic parameters. Results Twenty-two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies were included. Seventeen trials showed significant benefit of probiotics clinically, whereas eight trials showed significant improvement in immunologic parameters compared with placebo. All five studies with Lactobacillus paracasei (LP) strains demonstrated clinically significant improvements compared with placebo. Probiotics showed significant reduction in nasal and ocular SS (standardized mean difference [SMD], -1.23, p < 0.001; and SMD, -1.84, p < 0.001; respectively), total, nasal, and ocular QoL scores compared with placebo (SMD, -1.84, p < 0.001; SMD, -2.30, p = 0.006; and SMD, -3.11, p = 0.005; respectively). Although heterogeneity was high, in subgroup analysis, SMD for total nasal and ocular symptoms with patients with seasonal AR and for nasal QoL scores for studies with LP-33 strain were significant and homogenous. Scores of nasal blockage, rhinorrhea, and nasal itching were significantly lower in the probiotic group compared with placebo. The meta-analysis studies SS the Japanese guidelines revealed a significant, homogenous SMD score of -0.34 for individual nasal SS, above the minimal important clinical difference value of 0.3. The T-helper 1 to T-helper 2 ratio was significantly lower in the probiotic group compared with placebo (SMD, -0.78; p = 0.045). Conclusion Despite high variability among the studies, synthesis of available data provided significant evidence of beneficial clinical and immunologic effects of probiotics in the treatment of AR, especially with seasonal AR and LP-33 strains. With the rising pool of studies, the most promising strains in specific allergies can be revealed and adjuvant therapy with probiotics can be recommended for the treatment of AR.
Reconstructing 16S rRNA genes in metagenomic data

Metagenomic data, which contains sequenced DNA reads of uncultured microbial species from environmental samples, provide a unique opportunity to thoroughly analyze microbial species that have never been identified before. Reconstructing 16S ribosomal RNA, a phylogenetic marker gene, is usually required to analyze the composition of the metagenomic data. However, massive volume of dataset, high sequence similarity between related species, skewed microbial abundance and lack of reference genes make 16S rRNA reconstruction difficult. Generic de novo assembly tools are not optimized for assembling 16S rRNA genes. In this work, we introduce a targeted rRNA assembly tool, REAGO (REconstruct 16S ribosomal RNA Genes from metagenOmic data). It addresses the above challenges by combining secondary structure-aware homology search, zproperties of rRNA genes and de novo assembly. Our experimental results show that our tool can correctly recover more rRNA genes than several popular generic metagenomic assembly tools and specially designed rRNA construction tools. Availability and implementation: The source code of REAGO is freely available at https://github.com/chengyuan/reago. Contact: yannisun@msu.edu
The Effects of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Infusion on Hemodynamic, Renal, and Hormonal Responses During Gastrectomy

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) antagonizes the reninangiotensin-aldosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormonecortisol, vasopressin, and endothelin systems. Surgical injury stimulates these systems and causes vasoconstriction and antidiuresis. We assessed the hemodynamic, renal, and endocrine effects of continuous intravenous infusion of ANP in patients anesthetized with sevoflurane undergoing gastrectomy. ANP (0.1 micro g [center dot] kg-1 [center dot] min-1; ANP group, n = 9) or saline (control group, n = 9) was infused continuously for 3 h from the start of the operation. The ANP group showed much higher urinary volume and sodium, potassium, and chloride excretion than the control group, although the former had lower arterial blood pressure. ANP infusion slightly inhibited aldosterone secretion and initially tended to inhibit renin secretion stimulated by surgery, but it did not affect surgery-induced increases in the plasma concentrations of vasopressin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, or endothelin. Two patients in the ANP group experienced excessive hypotension, one experienced bradycardia, and two experienced mild hypoxemia, which required treatment but were resolved easily. These findings suggest that ANP infusion may be used with caution for controlling renal function and arterial blood pressure during surgery. Implications: Continuous intravenous infusion of atrial natriuretic peptide, 0.1 micro g [center dot] kg-1 [center dot] min-1, during gastrectomy was associated with higher water and sodium excretion and lower arterial blood pressure. It tended to inhibit the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system compared with saline infusion, which suggests that atrial natriuretic peptide may be useful for intraoperative circulation control. (Anesth Analg 1997;85:907-12)
Alterations in Blood–Brain Barrier Function by Morphine and Methamphetamine

Abstract: The possibility that stress associated with morphine and amphetamine administration or withdrawal will influence the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and brain dysfunction was examined in a rodent model. Repeated daily administration of morphine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) resulted in drug dependence in rats on the sixth day and onwards. Measurement of the BBB permeability to large molecule tracers normally bound to proteins, e.g., Evans blue albumin and radioiodine ([131]Iodine) did not show any leakage on the 12th day of drug dependence. On the other hand, spontaneous withdrawal of morphine on day 1 resulted in profound stress symptoms. These symptoms were much more intense on the second day of morphine withdrawal. Alterations in the BBB to protein tracers were seen in several regions of the brain. This increase in BBB to protein tracers was most pronounced on the second day of morphine withdrawal. These rats also exhibited abnormal neuronal, glial and stress protein, the heat‐shock protein 72 kD (HSP‐72 kD) response. On the other hand, acute administration of methamphetamine (40 mg/kg, i.p.) in mice resulted in marked extravasation of endogenous serum protein as seen with increased expression of albumin immunohistochemistry. These observations suggest that psychostimulants and associated stress are capable to influence the brain function, probably through modifying the BBB function, not reported earlier.
Detecting Multiple Authorship of United States Supreme Court Legal Decisions Using Function Words

This paper uses statistical analysis of function words used in legal judgments written by United States Supreme Court justices, to determine which justices have the most variable writing style (which may indicated greater reliance on their law clerks when writing opinions), and also the extent to which different justices' writing styles are distinguishable from each other.