Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In a Nonbaumetrhc Random Design Regression Model

In a nonparametric regession model with random design , where the regression function m is given by rn (x). = E (Y I X = x), estimation of the location 0 (mode) and size m(B) of a unique maximum of rn is considered. As estimators, location 6 and size fi(8) of a maximum of the Nadaraya-Watson kernel estimator m for the curve m are chosen. Within this setting, we establish joint asymptotic normality and asymptotic independence for 8 and fi (4) (which can be exploited for constructing simultaneous confidence intervals for 0 and rn(0)) under mild local smoothness assumptions on m and the design density g (imposed in a neighborhood of 8). The bandwidths employed for rir are data-dependent and of plug-in type. This is handled by viewing the estimators as stochastic processes indexed by a so-called scaling parameter and proving functional central limit theorems for those processes. In the same way, we obtain, as a by-product, an asymptotic normality result for the Nadaraya-Watson estimator itself at a finite number of distinct points, which improves on previous results.
Goal-Directed Mechanical Ventilation: Are We Aiming at the Right Goals? A Proposal for an Alternative Approach Aiming at Optimal Lung Compliance, Guided by Esophageal Pressure in Acute Respiratory Failure

Patients with acute respiratory failure and decreased respiratory system compliance due to ARDS frequently present a formidable challenge. These patients are often subjected to high inspiratory pressure, and in severe cases in order to improve oxygenation and preserve life, we may need to resort to unconventional measures. The currently accepted ARDSNet guidelines are characterized by a generalized approach in which an algorithm for PEEP application and limited plateau pressure are applied to all mechanically ventilated patients. These guidelines do not make any distinction between patients, who may have different chest wall mechanics with diverse pathologies and different mechanical properties of their respiratory system. The ability of assessing pleural pressure by measuring esophageal pressure allows us to partition the respiratory system into its main components of lungs and chest wall. Thus, identifying the dominant factor affecting respiratory system may better direct and optimize mechanical ventilation. Instead of limiting inspiratory pressure by plateau pressure, PEEP and inspiratory pressure adjustment would be individualized specifically for each patient's lung compliance as indicated by transpulmonary pressure. The main goal of this approach is to specifically target transpulmonary pressure instead of plateau pressure, and therefore achieve the best lung compliance with the least transpulmonary pressure possible.
'Self-Organization' of welfare-services in deprived and wealthier urban neighborhoods in the Dutch Participation Society

8 ! Chapter 1: Introduction . 11 ! 1.1 The debate on self-organizing welfare: a challenge for urban equality . 11! 1.2 Outline of the dissertation . 16! Chapter 2: Welfare service changes in the city . 18 ! 2.1 1900-1970: Creation of the European welfare states . 19! 2.2 1970 until today: Changing economies and populations bringing new social risks . 20! 2.3: New Public Management in welfare services: the market turn . 22! 2.4 The ‘Social Investment State’ . 26! 2.5 Civil society delivering welfare services: the ‘participation society’ . 30! 2.6 Political reasons for the ‘voluntary turn’ . 32! 2.6.1 Volunteering to bring more direct democracy . 33! 2.6. 2 Volunteering to answer to the complexity and place-specificness of social problems . 34! 2.6. 3 Volunteering to bring back solidarity between citizens . 35! 2.6. 4 Volunteering to repair community in ethnic concentration neighbourhoods . 37! 2.6. 6 Volunteering enables the state to govern at a distance: ‘Neoliberal communitarianism’ . 40! 2.7 Conclusion . 43! Chapter 3: A theoretical frame for understanding neighbourhood differences in welfare self-organisation . 46 ! 3.1 Looking at the area populations’ individual level characteristics . 46! 3.2 Looking at organisational density and institutional responsiveness in the area . 49! 3.3 Hypotheses and subquestions . 52! 3.4 Conclusion . 55! Chapter 4: Rotterdam’s turn towards self-organized welfare services. 57 ! 4.1 Rotterdam: the deindustrializing city . 58! 4.2 Rotterdam: the multicultural city . 64! 4.3 Rotterdam welfare service politics . 66! 4.3.1 An exceptional political landscape . 66! 4.3.2 Problematizing Rotterdam’s poorer neighbourhoods: not clean, not safe, not friendly . 67! 4.3.3 LR’s analysis of the causes of lost liveability . 68! 4.3.4 LR’s solutions to repair liveability: being selective about who comes to the city . 69! 4.3. 5 Frontline governance: face-to-face with the existing population . 71! 4.4 Interpretative frames for ‘Policy Laboratory’ Rotterdam . 79! 4.5 Conclusion . 82! Chapter 5: Research approach . 83 ! 5.1 The case-study neighbourhoods . 83! 5.2 Data collection methods . 87! Chapter 6: Activation: who self-organizes what kind of welfare services and why? 89 ! 6.1 Different neighbourhoods, different self-organized welfare services . 89!
Is the Aggregate Investor Reluctant to Realise Losses? Evidence from Taiwan

We ask whether the typical investor and the aggregate investor exhibit a bias known as the disposition effect, the tendency to sell investments that are held for a profit at a faster rate than investments held for a loss. We analyse all trading activity on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) for the five years ending in 1999. Using a dataset that contains all trades (over one billion) and the identity of every trader (nearly four million), we find that in aggregate, investors in Taiwan are about twice as likely to sell a stock if they are holding that stock for a gain rather than a loss. Eighty-four percent of all Taiwanese investors sell winners at a faster rate than losers. Individuals, corporations, and dealers are reluctant to realise losses, while mutual funds and foreigners, who together account for less than 5% of all trades (by value), are not.
Distributed moving horizon estimation for nonlinear constrained systems

In this paper we consider a nonlinear constrained system observed by a sensor network and propose a distributed state estimation scheme based on moving horizon estimation (MHE). In order to embrace the case where the whole system state cannot be reconstructed from data available to individual sensors, we resort to the notion of MHE detectability for nonlinear systems, and add to the MHE problems solved by each sensor a consensus term for propagating information about estimates through the network. We characterize the error dynamics and provide conditions on the local exchanges of information in order to guarantee convergence to zero and stability of the state estimation error provided by any sensor. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Face-to-Face Communication and Social Positioning in the Experience World of Finnish Technical Professionals

The objective of the research was to examine the experience world of professionals in the field of technology as users of foreign languages to illustrate the general meaning structure in the agency of a foreign language user. The theoretical framework of this research was phenomenological. The fieldwork was carried out through thematic interviews with seven interviewees in a medium-sized Finnish engineering company with international operations. Through a phenomenological method of analysis the individual meaning units were identified. Out of these individual meaning units a common meaning structure that reflected the experiences of all the interviewees was uncovered. Face-to-face communication and social positioning manifested as common meaning units, significant elements forming this structure in the accounts of the interviewees. Thus the findings of this research project suggest that in foreign language education special attention should be paid on establishing oral communication and thereby nurturing interactive communication skills in the students, instead of focusing on providing web-based language education.
Le codage prédictif : une implementation dans un réseau de eurones basé sur les latences des spikes, et son lien avec la perception et les oscillations

In this thesis, we investigated predictive coding and its relationship with perception and oscillations. We first reviewed my current understanding about facts of neuron and neocortex and state-of-the-arts of predictive coding in the introduction. In the main chapters, firstly, we proposed the idea that correlated spike times create selective inhibition in a nonselective excitatory feedback network in a theoretical study. Then, we showed the perceptual effect of predictive coding: shape perception enhances perceived contrast. At last, we showed that predictive coding can use oscillations with different frequencies for feedforward and feedback. This thesis provided an innovative and viable neuronal mechanism for predictive coding and empirical evidence for excitatory predictive feedback and the close relationship between the predictive coding and oscillations.
Analyses of volatiles produced by the African fruit fly species complex (Diptera, Tephritidae)

Abstract Ceratitis fasciventris, Ceratitis anonae and Ceratitis rosa are polyphagous agricultural pests originating from the African continent. The taxonomy of this group (the so-called Ceratitis FAR complex) is unclear. To clarify the taxonomic relationships, male and female-produced volatiles presumably involved in pre-mating communication were studied using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) followed by multivariate analysis, and gas chromatography combined with electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD). GC×GC-TOFMS analyses revealed sex specific differences in produced volatiles. Male volatiles are complex mixtures that differ both qualitatively and quantitatively but share some common compounds. GC-EAD analyses of male volatiles revealed that the antennal sensitivities of females significantly differ in the studied species. No female volatiles elicited antennal responses in males. The results show clear species-specific differences in volatile production and provide complementary information for the distinct delimitation of the putative species by chemotaxonomic markers.
Simulation of primary fuel atomization processes at subcritical pressures.

This report documents results from an LDRD project for the first-principles simulation of the early stages of spray formation (primary atomization). The first part describes a Cartesian embedded-wall method for the calculation of flow internal to a real injector in a fully coupled primary calculation. The second part describes the extension to an all-velocity formulation by introducing a momentum-conservative semi-Lagrangian advection and by adding a compressible term in the Poisson's equation. Accompanying the description of the new algorithms are verification tests for simple two-phase problems in the presence of a solid interface; a validation study for a scaled-up multi-hole Diesel injector; and demonstration calculations for the closing and opening transients of a single-hole injector and for the high-pressure injection of liquid fuel at supersonic velocity.
A similarity-aware approach to testing based fault localization

Debugging is a time-consuming task in software development and maintenance. To accelerate this task, several approaches have been proposed to automate fault localization. In particular, testing based fault localization (TBFL), which utilizes the testing information to localize the faults, seem to be very promising. However, the similarity between test cases in the test suite has been ignored in the research on TBFL. In this paper, we investigate this similarity issue and propose a novel approach named similarity-aware fault localization (SAFL), which can calculate the suspicion probability of each statement with little impact by the similarity issue. To address and deal with the similarity between test cases, SAFL applies the theory of fuzzy sets to remove the uneven distribution of the test cases. We also performed an experimental study for two real-world programs at different size levels to evaluate SAFL together with another two approaches to TBFL. Experimental results show that SAFL is more effective than the other two approaches when the test suites contain injected redundancy, and SAFL can achieve a competitive result with normal test suites. SAFL can also be more effective than applying test suite reduction to current approaches to TBFL.
Mobile network measurements - It's not all about signal strength

Platforms for measuring cellular networks from mobile phones are very popular. Unfortunately, they all suffer from a simplistic approach and measurement errors, and questions how to interpret these measurements. One such error source is that it is easy to measure the signal strength but hard to draw exact conclusions from it. Our work focuses on understanding the measured signal strength and analyzing it's relationship to enduser service quality. To study interesting causalities, such as the above, between different parameters we developed a measurement platform called Netradar for gathering information from mobile devices. We show the correlation between signal strength and TCP goodput in graphs and geographical maps, and the behavior depending on time of the day. We also discuss grouping of measurements to enable estimating the quality of connectivity in an area.
Determinants of mild gestational hyperglycemia and gestational diabetes mellitus in a large dutch multiethnic cohort.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to identify independent determinants of mild gestational hyperglycemia (MGH) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and to assess the correlation between fasting glucose and C-peptide levels among control, MGH, and GDM women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 1,022 consecutive women were evaluated with a 1-h 50-g glucose challenge test (GCT) at between 16 and 33 weeks of gestation. Women with a capillary whole-blood glucose > or =7.8 mmol/l in the GCT underwent a 3-h 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). On the basis of a positive GCT, the women with a positive OGTT were classified as GDM, whereas the women with a negative OGTT were classified as MGH. The following data were collected for all women: age, prepregnancy BMI, ethnicity, clinical and obstetric history, pregnancy outcome, and C-peptide level. RESULTS A total of 813 women (79.6%) were normal, 138 (13.5%) had MGH, and 71 (6.9%) had GDM. There was a stepwise significant increase in mean fasting glucose (3.6 +/- 0.4, 3.9 +/- 0.4, and 4.7 +/- 0.7 mmol/l, respectively) and C-peptide level (0.60 [0.1-2.4], 0.86 [0.3-2.0], and 1.00 [0.5-1.6] nmol/l, respectively) among the three diagnostic groups. Maternal age, non-Caucasian ethnicity, and prepregnancy BMI were associated with GDM, whereas only maternal age and prepregnancy BMI were associated with MGH. A positive correlation between levels of fasting glucose and C-peptide was found in control women (r = 0.39 [95% CI 0.31-0.46]). A similar result was seen in MGH women (r = 0.38 [95% CI 0.23-0.52]), whereas the correlation between fasting glucose and C-peptide was nearly lost in GDM women (r = 0.14 [CI -0.09 to 0.36]). The fasting C-peptide-to-glucose ratio was reduced by 60% in GDM patients versus control subjects and MGH patients (0.41 +/- 0.25 vs. 0.70 +/- 0.20 and 0.73 +/- 0.23, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Of the well-known independent determinants of GDM, only maternal age and prepregnancy BMI were associated with MGH. It appears that additional factors promoting loss of beta-cell function distinguish MGH from GDM. One of these factors appears to be ethnicity.
Three-dimensional calculation of atmospheric neutrinos

A Monte-Carlo calculation of the atmospheric neutrino fluxes [1,2] has been extended to take account of the three-dimensional (3D) nature of the problem, including the bending of secondary particles in the geomagnetic field. Emphasis has been placed on minimizing the approximations when introducing the 3D considerations. In this paper, we describe the techniques used and quantify the effects of the small approximations which remain. We compare 3D and 1D calculations using the same physics input in order to evaluate the conditions under which the 3D calculation is required and when the considerably simpler 1D calculation is adequate. We find that the 1D and 3D results are essentially identical for neutrino energy greater than 5 GeV except for small effects in the azimuthal distributions due to bending of the secondary muon by the geomagnetic field during their propagation in the atmosphere.
Adaptive pitch control of a six degree-of-freedom ducted-fan aircraft

The improved agility and performance of modern aircraft has led to a re-evaluation of many control techniques and the requisite for more contemporary methods capable of providing consistent handling qualities. Offering robust control in the face of both parametric and unstructured uncertainty, this paper details the application of a neural network-based controller to a twin ducted fan aircraft. Augmenting the existing pitch and altitude controller, the step response of the system is examined within the nominal flight regime and at the bounds of the aircraft's flight envelope. No a priori knowledge of the system dynamics is assumed.
Rating Equity Funds against Return of Random Traders

In this paper, we study the problem of benchmarking returns of equity funds. We present a novel approach, the random-trader scheme, to benchmark return of an equity fund during a specific period. A random trader uses all-in-all-out strategy to trade in the market at random timing with capital being negligible as compared with the market size.In this paper, we study the problem of benchmarking returns of equity funds. We present a novel approach, the random-trader scheme, to benchmark return of an equity fund during a specific period. A random trader uses all-in-all-out strategy to trade in the market at random timing with capital being negligible as compared with the market size. Let DRRT be the distribution of returns of random traders, and Rrt be a random variable sampling from DRRT. In this paper we model DRRT as a log-normal distribution, denoted as sDRRT, and provide an efficient algorithm to compute the mean and variance of sDRRT, denoted as μDRRT and σDRRT, respectively. Using TAIEX index as data set, our experiments showed sDRRT approximates DRRT well when the length of given period is one month. We then score each equity fund by the cumulative distribution function of sDRRT i.e., s(m; DRRT) = Pr[Rrt ≤ R(m)] , where R(m) denotes the return of the equity fund m during the given period. Using the historical data on equity funds in Taiwan, we observed interesting characteristics. When analyzing monthly returns, although there are some winners who are able to achieve scores higher than . 9 sometimes, it is difficult for them to always keep up at the high scores. However, few equity funds showed the stability of scores higher than . 7, when analyzing long-term returns. Furthermore, there are times when most funds obtain high scores. There are also times when no funds perform well.
Training-related changes of brain activation for speech production in healthy speakers – a longitudinal fMRI study to mimic aphasia therapy

ABSTRACT Background: Re-learning of lexical entries is fundamental to rehabilitation of the common word finding deficits in language disorders after brain damage. Previous studies examined and compared neural correlates of speech production and word learning in aphasic and healthy speakers, but longitudinal control studies were rarely set out to mimic the lexical confusion and therapeutic remediation in aphasia. Aims: Thus, we aimed to examine functional brain organisation before (familiar word naming), during (learning phase) and after (consolidation phase) standardised training of speech production modulated by aphasia therapy. Methods & Procedures: During the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurement, participants were asked to name pictures using familiar words; during learning and in the consolidation phase, they were asked to name pictures using newly acquired pseudowords. To examine differential involvement of brain areas dependent on learning and consolidation success, we followed up activations for finally correctly learned (CoL) items between fMRI measurements, and compared activation during naming of CoL versus finally not learned (NoL) items at each measurement. Outcomes & Results: Naming accuracy of participants improved significantly. Although performance increase until the second fMRI measurement was minor, brain activation was present for CoL in comparison to NoL items in right hemisphere homologues of fronto-temporal language-related areas in this phase. Comparing learning with consolidation phases for pseudowords, naming CoL items was accompanied by activation in areas related to monitoring and selection between multiple lexical competitors, and in the right posterior middle temporal gyrus. Conversely, activation specific to the consolidation phase, and also to CoL items in that phase, consisted of a widely distributed network involving areas associated with motor, language and consolidation processes. Activation in right supramarginal and left superior temporal gyrus was related to individual learning success. Conclusions: We were able to demonstrate phase- and performance-dependent activation differences in various areas of the speech production network, which were in part correlated with learning success. The observed similarities to therapy-induced activation changes in aphasia reveal that the novel paradigm is useful in mimicking therapy and may uncover compensatory mechanisms specific to aphasia.
The Ambulance: Toward a Labor Theory of Poverty Governance

This article reimagines poverty governance as a labor process. Extending theories of bureaucratic fields and street-level bureaucracies, the proposed model suggests that the state manages the poor through fragmented activities embedded in horizontal and vertical relations of production. I use an ethnography of 911 ambulance operations in a single California county to advance this perspective. From plugging gunshot wounds to moving sidewalk slumberers, ambulance crews interact with a mostly impoverished clientele base by transforming spaces in bodies and bodies in spaces. This two-sided governance puts the ambulance in recurrent contact with the hospital emergency department and the police squad car. Across these institutions, ambulance crews struggle with their nurse and police counterparts over the horizontal shuffling of burdensome work, shaping the life chances of their subjects in the process. At the same time, bureaucratic and capitalistic forces from above activate a lean ambulance fleet that is minimally wasteful and highly flexible. This verticality structures clientele processing through the ambulance and fuels tensions across the frontlines of governance. In an effort to advance theory and fill an empirical gap, this article proposes a new model for understanding the management of marginality and highlights an overlooked case of poverty regulation.