Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating Missing Data Using Neural Network Techniques , Principal Component Analysis and Genetic Algorithms

The common problem of missing data in databases is being dealt with, in recent years, through estimation methods. Auto-associative neural networks combined with genetic algorithms have proved to be a successful approach to missing data imputation. Similarly, two new auto-associative models are developed to be used along with the Genetic Algorithm to estimate missing data and these approaches are compared to a regular auto-associative neural network and Genetic algorithm approach. One method combines three neural networks to form a hybrid auto-associative network, while the other merges Principle Component Analysis and neural networks. The hybrid network and Genetic Algorithm approach proves most accurate, when estimating one missing value, while the PCA and neural network version is more consistent and captures patterns in the data most efficiently, in the chosen application.
Message digest as authentication entity for mobile cloud computing

With the development of the World Wide Web (WWW) and virtualization technologies, cloud computing has started to play a key role in the new computation era. Cloud computing can be used to serve a wide range of applications, from personal to organizational, by means of various infrastructure, software, and platform services. However, the ease of access from terminal devices to powerful processing units and information-rich databases makes the cloud susceptible to a variety of different attacks. The widespread use of cloud computing brings with it a hoard of security, privacy and integrity issues. In this paper, we propose an innovative authentication scheme for mobile cloud computing, MDA. The proposed scheme only uses existing hardware and platforms to prevent most of the potential attacks during the authentication process between a mobile device and the cloud. Technically, the encrypted hashed message (i.e. message digest) is employed by MDA to achieve secure authentication. The performance of MDA is evaluated via protocol simulation and security analysis.
An Examination of Data Revisions in the Quarterly National Accounts

The paper presents a real time database of economic time series for Ireland. The database contains a record of what was considered official data at each point in time. The database is used to describe the properties of data revisions to the growth rates of GDP and its expenditure components in the Quarterly National Accounts. The revisions, although significant in an absolute sense, are small relative to average growth over the sample by international standards. Nonetheless, using the methodology of Mankiw et al (1984), it is found that initial estimates of GDP growth are not rational forecasts of final GDP growth. This means that there is a predictable element to the revisions. A number of rational forecasts of GDP growth are constructed using various forecasting regressions. It is found that forecasts of GDP growth estimated using the initial announcement and a measure of stock prices are more accurate reflections of true GDP growth than the initial announcements.
Learning and problem-solving with multilayer connectionist systems (adaptive, strategy learning, neural networks, reinforcement learning)

THE DIFFICULTIES OF LEARNING IN MULTILAYERED NETWORKS OF COMPUTATIONAL UNITS HAS LIMITED THE USE OF CONNECTIONIST SYSTEMS IN COMPLEX DOMAINS. THIS DISSERTATION ELUCIDATES THE ISSUES OF LEARNING IN A NETWORK''S HIDDEN UNITS, AND REVIEWS METHODS FOR ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED THROUGH THE YEARS. ISSUES OF LEARNING IN HIDDEN UNITS ARE SHOWN TO BE ANALOGOUS TO LEARNING ISSUES FOR MULTILAYER SYSTEMS EMPLOYING SYMBOLIC REPRSENTATIONS. COMPARISONS OF A NUMBER OF ALGORITHMS FOR LEARNING IN HIDDEN UNITS ARE MADE BY APPLYING THEM IN A CONSISTENT MANNER TO SEVERAL TASKS. RECENTLY DEVELOPED ALGORITHMS, INCLUDING RUMELHART, ET AL''S, ERROR BACK-PROPOGATIONS ALGORITHM AND BARTO, ET AL''S, REINFORCEMENT-LEARNING ALGORITHMS, LEARN THE SOLUTIONS TO THE TASKS MUCH MORE SUCCESSFULLY THAN METHODS OF THE PAST. A NOVEL ALGORITHM IS EXAMINED THAT COMBINES ASPECTS OF REINFORCEMENT LEARNING AND A DATA-DIRECTED SEARCH FOR USEFUL WEIGHTS, AND IS SHOWN TO OUT PERFORM REINFORMCEMENT-LEARNING ALGORITHMS. A CONNECTIONIST FRAMEWORK FOR THE LEARNING OF STRATEGIES IS DESCRIBED WHICH COMBINES THE ERROR BACK-PROPOGATION ALGORITHM FOR LEARNING IN HIDDEN UNITS WITH SUTTON''S AHC ALGORITHM TO LEARN EVALUATION FUNCTIONS AND WITH A REINFORCEMENT-LEARNING ALGORITHM TO LEARN SEARCH HEURISTICS. THE GENERAL- ITY OF THIS HYBRID SYSTEM IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS
The Image of the Human Being in Information Systems Development : Some Reflections by Systems Designers

This paper describes the qualitatively different views of users that Finnish IS designers have. This view is a basis for the IS-user relationship. A method of empirical research for investigating human beings’ views of the surrounding world, phenomenography, is presented. The preliminary results of the analysis indicate that IS designers tend to give meaning to users through the intentions of the situation in question rather than connecting characteristics typical of a human being to the user. A Human being is understood, on the one hand, in terms of information technology, business or organisational work processes and, on the other hand, with the aid of self-reflection. The meanings that the designers connect directly to the users describe and sustain the traditional IS-user relationship in IS literature and also bring forth emotional characteristics of a human being.
Cheap and Clean: How Americans Think about Energy in the Age of Global Warming

How do Americans think about energy? Is the debate over fossil fuels highly partisan and ideological? Does public opinion about fossil fuels and alternative energies divide along the fault between red states and blue states? And how much do concerns about climate change weigh on their opinions? In Cheap and Clean, Stephen Ansolabehere and David Konisky show that Americans are more pragmatic than ideological in their opinions about energy alternatives, more unified than divided about their main concerns, and more local than global in their approach to energy. Drawing on extensive surveys they designed and conducted over the course of a decade (in conjunction with MIT's Energy Initiative), Ansolabehere and Konisky report that beliefs about the costs and environmental harms associated with particular fuels drive public opinions about energy. People approach energy choices as consumers, and what is most important to them is simply that energy be cheap and clean. Most of us want energy at low economic cost and with little social cost (that is, minimal health risk from pollution). The authors also find that although environmental concerns weigh heavily in people's energy preferences, these concerns are local and not global. Worries about global warming are less pressing to most than worries about their own city's smog and toxic waste. With this in mind, Ansolabehere and Konisky argue for policies that target both local pollutants and carbon emissions (the main source of global warming). The local and immediate nature of people's energy concerns can be the starting point for a new approach to energy and climate change policy.
Implications for altered glutamate and GABA metabolism in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of aged schizophrenic patients.

OBJECTIVE Pharmacological, clinical, and postmortem studies suggest altered gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic and glutamatergic function in patients with schizophrenia. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is one key locus of abnormality. The precise neurochemical mechanisms underlying neurotransmitter alterations, such as hypoglutamatergia or GABA dysfunction, are not well understood. This study investigated key biochemical elements of GABA and glutamate metabolism in brain specimens from schizophrenic patients. The activities of nine principal GABA and glutamate-associated metabolic enzymes were measured concurrently in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of antemortem-assessed and neuropathologically characterized schizophrenic and comparison subjects. METHOD Postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex specimens from schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and normal nonpsychiatric comparison subjects were assayed to determine activities of the principal glutamate and GABA-metabolizing enzymes glutamine synthetase, glutamate dehydrogenase, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, phosphate-activated glutaminase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutamic acid decarboxylase, GABA-transaminase, and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase. RESULTS Glutamic acid decarboxylase activities were twofold greater and phosphate-activated glutaminase activities were fourfold greater in the schizophrenic group than in the comparison group. Differences in postmortem interval, tissue pH, inhibition of phosphate-activated glutaminase, and medication effects could not account for the differences. Differences in phosphate-activated glutaminase and glutamic acid decarboxylase activities in equivalent specimens from Alzheimer's patients were not observed. The activities of the remaining enzymes were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS Greater phosphate-activated glutaminase and glutamic acid decarboxylase activities, specific to schizophrenia patients, provide additional biochemical evidence that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex glutamate and GABA metabolism is altered in schizophrenic subjects. These greater activities are consistent with models of a dysregulated glutamatergic/GABA-ergic state in schizophrenia.
Circadian and seasonal preferences for hematophagy among Haemagogus capricornii, Hg. janthinomys, and Hg. leucocelaenus (Diptera: Culicidae) in different regions of Brazil

Since the 1980s, and with greater evidence in the 1990s, wild-type yellow fever (WTYF) has re-emerged in both Africa and the Americas (Vasconcelos 2003a). In Brazil, the natural focus of WTYF is maintained within about 70% of the territory by a cycle that involves non-human primates and mosquitoes mainly of the genus Haemagogus (Vasconcelos et al. 1997a). Among the 28 known species of Haemagogus (Arnell 1973), three are considered as the main vectors in the natural cycle of WTYF. Haemagogus (Haemagogus) capricornii Lutz, 1904 is an efficient vector of WTYF virus (Waddell 1949). Because of similar behavior and morphology, it has often been confused with Haemagogus (Haemagogus) janthinomys Dyar, 1921. Since this latter species presents the greatest geographical distribution among the Brazilian species (Vasconcelos et al. 1997b), it is today considered to be the principal vector of WTYF virus. On the other hand, Hg. (Conopostegus) leucocelaenus (Dyar & Shannon, 1924) is the most common species of this genus in Brazil and has recently been found naturally infected with the WTYF virus in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Vasconcelos 2003b). Knowledge of the feeding activity of culicids is of fundamental importance in assessing their participation in disease transmission (Guimarães and Victorio 1986). The present study was designed to observe the hematophagous behavior of populations of Hg. capricornii, Hg. janthinomys, and Hg. leucocelaenus in three different geographical regions of Brazil. The influences of temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the activity of these species at different times of the day and over the course of the seasons of the year were analyzed. Following the methodology of Guimarães et al. (1987), daytime and dusk captures were performed every two months and for five consecutive days at ground level during
Lattice Mixing and Vanishing Trapdoors A Framework for Fully Secure Short Signatures and more

We propose a framework for adaptive security from hard random lattices in the standard model. Our approach borrows from the recent Agrawal-Boneh-Boyen families of lattices, which can admit reliable and punctured trapdoors, respectively used in reality and in simulation. We extend this idea to make the simulation trapdoors cancel not for a speci(cid:28)c target but on a non-negligible subset of the possible challenges. Conceptually, we build a compactly representable, large family of input-dependent (cid:16)mixture(cid:17) lattices, set up with trapdoors that (cid:16)vanish(cid:17) for a secret subset wherein we hope the attack occurs. Technically, we tweak the lattice structure to achieve (cid:16)naturally nice(cid:17) distributions for arbitrary choices of subset size. The framework is very general. Here we obtain fully secure signatures, and also IBE, that are compact, simple, and elegant.
Assessing Communication Skills of Medical Students in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) - A Systematic Review of Rating Scales

Background Teaching and assessment of communication skills have become essential in medical education. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been found as an appropriate means to assess communication skills within medical education. Studies have demonstrated the importance of a valid assessment of medical students’ communication skills. Yet, the validity of the performance scores depends fundamentally on the quality of the rating scales used in an OSCE. Thus, this systematic review aimed at providing an overview of existing rating scales, describing their underlying definition of communication skills, determining the methodological quality of psychometric studies and the quality of psychometric properties of the identified rating scales. Methods We conducted a systematic review to identify psychometrically tested rating scales, which have been applied in OSCE settings to assess communication skills of medical students. Our search strategy comprised three databases (EMBASE, PsycINFO, and PubMed), reference tracking and consultation of experts. We included studies that reported psychometric properties of communication skills assessment rating scales used in OSCEs by examiners only. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. The quality of psychometric properties was evaluated using the quality criteria of Terwee and colleagues. Results Data of twelve studies reporting on eight rating scales on communication skills assessment in OSCEs were included. Five of eight rating scales were explicitly developed based on a specific definition of communication skills. The methodological quality of studies was mainly poor. The psychometric quality of the eight rating scales was mainly intermediate. Discussion Our results reveal that future psychometric evaluation studies focusing on improving the methodological quality are needed in order to yield psychometrically sound results of the OSCEs assessing communication skills. This is especially important given that most OSCE rating scales are used for summative assessment, and thus have an impact on medical students’ academic success.
Fraunhofer HHI at TRECVID 2004: Shot Boundary Detection System

This paper describes the shot boundary detection and determination system developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-HertzInstitut, used for the evaluation at TRECVID 2004. The system detects and determines the position of hard cuts, dissolves, fades, and wipes. It is very fast and has proved to have a very good detection performance. As input for our system, we use luminance pixel values of sub-sampled video data. The hard cut detector uses pixel and edge differences with an adaptive thresholding scheme. Flash detection and slow motion detection lower the false positive rate. Dissolve and fade detection is done with edge energy statistics, pixel and histogram differences, and a linearity measure. Wipe detection works with an evenness factor and double Hough transform. The difference between the submitted runs is basically only different threshold settings in the detectors, resulting in different recall and precision values.
EGFR Signaling Regulates Maspin/SerpinB5 Phosphorylation and Nuclear Localization in Mammary Epithelial Cells

Maspin (SerpinB5) is a non-inhibitory serpin (serine protease inhibitor) with very diverse biological activities including regulation of cell adhesion, migration, death, control of gene expression and oxidative stress response. Initially described as a tumor and metastasis suppressor, clinical data brought controversies to the field, as some studies reported no correlation between SerpinB5 expression and prognosis value. These data underscore the importance of understanding SerpinB5 function in a normal physiological context and the molecular mechanism involved. Several SerpinB5 phosphoforms have been detected in different cell lines, but the signaling pathways involved and the biological significance of this post-translational modification in vivo remains to be explored. In this study we investigated SerpinB5 expression, subcellular localization and phosphorylation in different stages of the mouse mammary gland development and the signaling pathway involved. Here we show that SerpinB5 is first detected in late pregnancy, reaches its highest levels in lactation and remains at constant levels during post-lactational regression (involution). Using high resolution isoelectric focusing followed but immunoblot, we found at least 8 different phosphoforms of SerpinB5 during lactation, which decreases steadily at the onset of involution. In order to investigate the signaling pathway involved in SerpinB5 phosphorylation, we took advantage of the non-transformed MCF-10A model system, as we have previously observed SerpinB5 phosphorylation in these cells. We detected basal levels of SerpinB5 phosphorylation in serum- and growth factor-starved cells, which is due to amphiregulin autocrine activity on MCF-10A cells. EGF and TGF alpha, two other EGFR ligands, promote important SerpinB5 phosphorylation. Interestingly, EGF treatment is followed by SerpinB5 nuclear accumulation. Altogether, these data indicate that SerpinB5 expression and phosphorylation are developmentally regulated. In vitro analyses indicate that SerpinB5 phosphorylation is regulated by EGFR ligands, but EGF appears to be the only able to induce SerpinB5 nuclear localization.
Gradient flows on projection matrices for subspace estimation

Estimation of dynamic subspaces is important in blind-channel identification for multiuser wireless communications and active computer vision. Mathematically, a subspace can either be parameterized non-uniquely by a linearly-independent basis, or uniquely, by a projection matrix. We present a stochastic gradient technique for optimization on projective representations of subspaces. This technique is intrinsic, i.e. it utilizes the geometry of underlying parameter space (Grassman manifold) and constructs gradient flows on the manifold for local optimization. The addition of a stochastic component to the search process guarantees global minima and a discrete jump component allows for uncertainty in rank of the subspace (simultaneous model order estimation).
Predictions for the CO emission of galaxies from a coupled simulation of galaxy formation and photon dominated regions

In this Chapter, I present a hybrid model which combines the galaxy formation model GALFORM with the Photon Dominated Region code UCL \(_{-}\) PDR to study the emission from the rotational transitions of \(^{12}\mathrm{CO}\) (CO) in galaxies from \(z=0\) to \(z=6\). From the predicted H\(_2\) mass and the conditions in the interstellar medium, the CO emission in the rotational transitions 1-0 to 10-9 is estimated by applying the UCL \(_{-}\) PDR model to each galaxy. Deviations from the Milky-Way CO-H\(_2\) conversion factor come mainly from variations in metallicity, and in the average gas and star formation rate surface densities. In the local universe, the model predicts a CO\((\mathrm{{1}-{0}})\) luminosity function, CO-to-total infrared (IR) luminosity ratios for multiple CO lines and a CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) which are in good agreement with observations of luminous and ultra-luminous IR galaxies. At high redshifts, the predicted CO SLED of the brightest IR galaxies reproduces the shape and normalisation of the observed CO SLED. The model predicts little evolution in the CO-to-IR luminosity ratio for different CO transitions, in good agreement with observations up to \(z\approx 5\). This new hybrid model is used to explore the potential of using colour selected samples of high-redshift star-forming galaxies to characterise the evolution of the cold gas mass in galaxies through observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array.
Entrepreneurship and the Discipline of External Finance

I confirm the finding that the propensity to start a new firm rises sharply among those in the top five percentiles of personal wealth. This pattern is more pronounced for entrants in less capital intensive sectors. Prior to entry, founders in this group earn about 6% less compared to those who stay in paid employment. Their firms are more likely to fail early and conditional on survival, less likely to be make money. This pattern is only true for the most-wealthy individuals, and is attenuated for wealthy individuals starting firms in capital intensive industries. Taken together, these findings suggest that the spike in entry at the top end of the wealth distribution is driven by low-ability individuals who can afford to start (and sometimes continue running) weaker firms because they do not face the discipline of external finance.
Evaluation of reprocessing medical devices in 14 German regional hospitals and at 27 medical practitioners‘ offices within the European context – consequences for European harmonization

Safe reprocessing of medical devices through cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization is essential for the prevention of health care associated infections (HAI) and to guarantee patient safety. Several studies detected residual contamination and even severe infections of patients, despite carrying out reprocessing. To develop appropriate solutions, the existing situation in Germany and selected European countries was analyzed. Additionally, in 27 medical practitioners’ offices and 14 hospitals, the true practice of reprocessing was analyzed using a questionnaire, a checklist, and inspection on site. A structured analysis of potential alternatives to the internal reprocessing was conducted within the German and European context. The results indicate that the conditions for the execution of the reprocessing process in the analyzed health facilities in southern Hesse (Germany) do not satisfy legal requirements. The detected deficiencies were consistent with other reports from Germany and Europe. The analysis gave insight into several reasons for the detected deficiencies. The three main reasons were the high costs for proper implementation, the subjective value assigned to the reprocessing unit in health care facilities, and deficits in monitoring by the health authority. Throughout the European Union, a similar regulatory framework for the performance of the reprocessing process exists, while the environment, structures of the health systems and administrative supervision vary significantly. The German states as well as selected European countries are currently discussing the challenges of increased quality-assured execution of the reprocessing process. For instance, the same supervisory system for hospitals and medical practitioners should be established at an equal standard. Alternatives such as the use of single-use medical devices, outsourcing the decontamination processes, or the cooperation of health facilities may be considered. This paper also discusses economic and ecological aspects. Finally, different options are recommended to ensure the exclusive use of reliable medical devices for surgical procedures that guarantee an adequate standard of patient safety within economic constraints.