Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Data Assimilation with Gaussian Mixture Models Using the Dynamically Orthogonal Field Equations. Part I: Theory and Scheme

AbstractThis work introduces and derives an efficient, data-driven assimilation scheme, focused on a time-dependent stochastic subspace that respects nonlinear dynamics and captures non-Gaussian statistics as it occurs. The motivation is to obtain a filter that is applicable to realistic geophysical applications, but that also rigorously utilizes the governing dynamical equations with information theory and learning theory for efficient Bayesian data assimilation. Building on the foundations of classical filters, the underlying theory and algorithmic implementation of the new filter are developed and derived. The stochastic Dynamically Orthogonal (DO) field equations and their adaptive stochastic subspace are employed to predict prior probabilities for the full dynamical state, effectively approximating the Fokker–Planck equation. At assimilation times, the DO realizations are fit to semiparametric Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) using the Expectation-Maximization algorithm and the Bayesian Information Cri.
Learning transformations for clustering and classification

A low-rank transformation learning framework for subspace clustering and classification is here proposed. Many high-dimensional data, such as face images and motion sequences, approximately lie in a union of low-dimensional subspaces. The corresponding subspace clustering problem has been extensively studied in the literature to partition such high-dimensional data into clusters corresponding to their underlying low-dimensional subspaces. However, low-dimensional intrinsic structures are often violated for real-world observations, as they can be corrupted by errors or deviate from ideal models. We propose to address this by learning a linear transformation on subspaces using matrix rank, via its convex surrogate nuclear norm, as the optimization criteria. The learned linear transformation restores a low-rank structure for data from the same subspace, and, at the same time, forces a a maximally separated structure for data from different subspaces. In this way, we reduce variations within subspaces, and increase separation between subspaces for a more robust subspace clustering. This proposed learned robust subspace clustering framework significantly enhances the performance of existing subspace clustering methods. Basic theoretical results here presented help to further support the underlying framework. To exploit the low-rank structures of the transformed subspaces, we further introduce a fast subspace clustering technique, which efficiently combines robust PCA with sparse modeling. When class labels are present at the training stage, we show this low-rank transformation framework also significantly enhances classification performance. Extensive experiments using public datasets are presented, showing that the proposed approach significantly outperforms state-of-the-art methods for subspace clustering and classification.
Domestic Violence, Employment, and Divorce

Conventional wisdom suggests abused women get caught in a cycle of violence and are unable or unwilling to leave their spouses. We estimate a model of domestic violence to determine who abuses, who is abused, and how women respond to abuse via employment and divorce. In contrast to conventional wisdom, abused women are 1.7-5.7 times more likely to divorce. Employment before abuse occurs is found to be a significant deterrent. For men, witnessing violence as a child is a strong predictor of abusive behavior: re-socializing men from violent homes lowers abuse rates by 26%-48%. Copyright 2006 by the Economics Department Of The University Of Pennsylvania And Osaka University Institute Of Social And Economic Research Association.
Design and performance analysis of UWB circular disc monopole textile antenna and bending consequences

In this paper the design of a lower band UWB (Ultra Wide Band) textile antenna for the material with substrate permittivity, εr = 3 is realized. The appearance of wearable intelligent textile systems revealed the necessity for WBAN (Wireless Body Area Network) system to provide standalone outfit in recent years. The operating frequency of the designed circular disc monopole textile antenna is 1GHz to 4GHz. Here, dacron fabric is used as the antenna substrate and woven copper thread is used as the conductive part of the antenna patch. This paper demonstrates the effects of antenna bending at five different angles. Here, the resonance frequency fluctuations due to impedance matching as well as the effects of radiation pattern deformation and efficiency due to antenna bending at different angles are focused.
Moderate Psychosocial Stress Appears Not to Impair Recall of Words Learned 4 Weeks Prior to Stress Exposure

Recent studies in humans have reported that recall of previously learned material is especially sensitive to the disruptive effects of pharmacologically induced cortisol elevations. Whether similar effects occur after exposure to psychosocial stress remains to be shown. Moreover it is unknown whether stress before or after the initial learning interacts with the later effects of repeated stress on delayed recall (e.g. state-dependent learning). Forty subjects participated in the present experiment. They learned a word list either one hour before or 10 u min after exposure to a psychosocial laboratory stressor. Delayed recall was tested 4 weeks later, again either before or after stress. Salivary cortisol levels increased significantly in response to both stress exposures. Stress had no effects on the initial learning and also did not impair delayed recall. Moreover there was no evidence for state-dependent learning. The current data seem to be in conflict with previous studies demonstrating that delayed recall is especially sensitive to elevated cortisol levels. Several reasons for these discrepancies are discussed. Among them is the small sample size, the moderate cortisol increase in response to the second stress exposure but also the long recall delay, which might lead to memory traces less susceptible to stress.
Final Height in Children with Idiopathic Growth Hormone Deficiency Treated with Recombinant Human Growth Hormone: The Belgian Experience

Background: The growth response to recombinant hGH (rhGH) treatment and final height of 61 Belgian children (32 boys) with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (GHD) were studied. Patients/Methods: Two patient groups were compared: Group 1 with spontaneous puberty (n = 49), Group 2 with induced puberty (n = 12). The patients were treated with daily subcutaneous injections of rhGH in a dose of 0.5–0.7 IU/kg/week (0.17–0.23 mg/kg/week) from the mean ± SD age of 11.9 ± 3.1 years during 5.1 ± 2.1 years. Results: rhGH treatment induced a doubling of the height velocity during the first year and resulted in a normalisation of height in 53 (87%) patients. Final height was –0.7 ± 1.1 SDS, being 170.4 ± 7.2 cm in boys and 158.0 ± 6.4 cm in girls. Corrected for mid-parental height, final height was 0.0 ± 1.1 SDS. Ninety-two percent of the patients attained an adult height within the genetically determined target height range. Although height gain during puberty was smaller in the patients with induced puberty (boys: 17.1 ± 7.0 cm vs. 27.5 ± 6.6 cm (p < 0.005); girls: 9.6 ± 7.4 cm vs. 22.2 ± 6.1 cm (p < 0.005)), no differences in final height after adjustment for mid-parental height were found between patients with spontaneous or induced puberty. Conclusions: We conclude that patients with idiopathic GHD treated with rhGH administered as daily subcutaneous injections in a dose of 0.5–0.7 IU/kg/week reach their genetic growth potential, resulting in a normalisation of height in the majority of them, irrespective of spontaneous or induced puberty.
Headache as A Surrogate Marker of the Molecular Mechanisms Implicated in Progressing Stroke

The mechanism for headache in patients with acute ischaemic stroke are not completely understood. We analysed the relationship between headache and the early worsening of neurological symptoms in patients with acute ischaemic stroke, and we studied the possible biochemical mechanisms implicated. Headache at the onset of ischaemic stroke predicted progression with a sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of 56%, 99%, and 98%, respectively. CSF concentrations of glutamate, Interleukin-6, and NO-m were significantly greater in patients with progressing stroke than in patients with nonprogressing stroke, and these biochemical markers were also significantly higher in patients with headache than in those without headache. Results of this study suggest that headache at the onset of ischaemic stroke is an independent predictor of neurological worsening and we hypothesize that headache might be a surrogate marker of the molecular mechanisms involved in neurological worsening after acute stroke.
Priming of Abstract Letter Identities in the Letter Match Task

Previous studies of letter recognition have not found priming for abstract letter identities. We used a task that required participants to decide whether a target is the same or different from a reference letter presented in opposite case, which avoids the shortcomings of tasks used in previous studies. We found robust priming effects in this task, which were the same size for letter pairs that have similar visual features across case (e.g., c/C, x/X) and dissimilar features (e.g., a/A, b/B). Also, the pattern of priming was the same whether the prime was in the same or different case as the reference. We take these findings as evidence that abstract letter identities support priming in this task. We suggest that the same–different match task is a useful tool for studying representations used to support masked priming in letter recognition and with other stimuli with limited set size.
The Effect of Bisphasic Calcium Phosphate Block Bone Graft Materials with Polysaccharides on Bone Regeneration

In this study, bisphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) and two types of polysaccharide, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and hyaluronic acid (HyA), were used to fabricate composite block bone grafts, and their physical and biological features and performances were compared and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Specimens of the following were prepared as 6 mm diameter, 2 mm thick discs; BPC mixed with CMC (the BCP/CMC group), BCP mixed with crosslinked CMC (the BCP/c-CMC group) and BCP mixed with HyA (the BCP/HyA group) and a control group (specimens were prepared using particle type BCP). A scanning electron microscope study, a compressive strength analysis, and a cytotoxicity assessment were conducted. Graft materials were implanted in each of four circular defects of 6 mm diameter in calvarial bone in seven rabbits. Animals were sacrificed after four weeks for micro-CT and histomorphometric analyses, and the findings obtained were used to calculate new bone volumes (mm3) and area percentages (%). It was found that these two values were significantly higher in the BCP/c-CMC group than in the other three groups (p < 0.05). Within the limitations of this study, BCP composite block bone graft material incorporating crosslinked CMC has potential utility when bone augmentation is needed.
Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Protect Neural Progenitor Cells against Oxidative Injury

The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), derived mainly from fish oil, play important roles in brain development and neuroplasticity. Here, we reported that application of ω-3 PUFAs significantly protected mouse neural progenitor cells (NPCs) against H2O2-induced oxidative injury. We also isolated NPCs from transgenic mice expressing the Caenorhabditis elegans fat-1 gene. The fat-1 gene, which is absent in mammals, can add a double bond into an unsaturated fatty acid hydrocarbon chain and convert ω-6 to ω-3 fatty acids. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining showed that a marked decrease in apoptotic cells was found in fat-1 NPCs after oxidative injury with H2O2 as compared with wild-type NPCs. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis demonstrated a much higher expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a master transcriptional factor for antioxidant genes, in fat-1 NPCs. The results of the study provide evidence that ω-3 PUFAs resist oxidative injury to NPCs.
Impact of Aortic Stenosis on Postoperative Outcomes After Noncardiac Surgeries

Background—Preoperative management of patients with aortic stenosis (AS) who need noncardiac surgery (NCS) remains controversial. We sought to determine the impact of AS on the postoperative outcomes after NCS. Methods and Results—Patients undergoing NCS with moderate AS (valve area: 1.0–1.5 cm2) or severe AS (valve area: <1.0 cm2) were identified using the surgical and the echocardiographic databases. Using propensity score analysis, we obtained 4 matched control patients without AS for each patient with AS undergoing NCS. The propensity score matching used the 6 revised cardiac risk index criteria, in addition to age and sex. Primary outcome was a composite of 30-day mortality and postoperative myocardial infarction. We matched 634 patients with AS undergoing NCS to 2536 controls. There were 244 patients with severe AS and 390 patients with moderate AS. Thirty-day mortality was 2.1% for AS patients compared with 1.0% in non-AS controls (P=0.036). Postoperative myocardial infarction was more frequent in patients with AS compared with controls (3.0% versus 1.1%; P=0.001). Combined primary outcome was significantly worse for both moderate and severe AS patients compared with respective controls (4.4% versus 1.7%; P=0.002; and 5.7% versus 2.7%; P=0.02, respectively). High-risk surgery, symptomatic severe AS, coexisting mitral regurgitation, and preexisting coronary disease were significant predictors of primary outcome in patients with AS. Conclusion—Presence of AS adversely affects postoperative outcomes among patients undergoing NCS, evidenced by a higher 30-day mortality and postoperative myocardial infarction after NCS.
Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate Metabolites May Alter Thyroid Hormone Levels in Men

Background Phthalates are used extensively in many personal-care and consumer products, resulting in widespread nonoccupational human exposure through multiple routes and media. A limited number of animal studies suggest that exposure to phthalates may be associated with altered thyroid function, but human data are lacking. Methods Concurrent samples of urine and blood were collected from 408 men. We measured urinary concentrations of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), the hydrolytic metabolite of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and other phthalate monoester metabolites, along with serum levels of free thyroxine (T4), total triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Oxidative metabolites of DEHP were measured in urine from only 208 of the men. Results We found an inverse association between MEHP urinary concentrations and free T4 and T3 serum levels, although the relationships did not appear to be linear when MEHP concentrations were categorized by quintiles. There was evidence of a plateau at the fourth quintile, which was associated with a 0.11 ng/dL decrease in free T4 [95% confidence interval (CI), –0.18 to –0.03] and a 0.05 ng/mL decrease in T3 (95% CI, –0.10 to 0.01) compared with the first (lowest) MEHP quintile. The inverse relationship between MEHP and free T4 remained when we adjusted for oxidative metabolite concentrations; this simultaneously demonstrated a suggestive positive association with free T4. Conclusions Urinary MEHP concentrations may be associated with altered free T4 and/or total T3 levels in adult men, but additional study is needed to confirm the observed findings. Future studies must also consider oxidative DEHP metabolites relative to MEHP as a potential marker of metabolic susceptibility to DEHP exposure.
Acute effects of various doses of nitrate-rich beetroot juice on high-intensity interval exercise responses in women: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial

ABSTRACT Background This study investigated the acute effects of various doses of nitrate-rich beetroot juice on the responses to high-intensity interval exercise in women. Methods A double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was conducted with 13 recreationally active young women (age = 23 ± 2 years). All participants performed interval exercise (8 × 1-min bouts of cycling at 85% of peak power output [PPO] interspersed with 1-min active recovery at 20% of PPO) 2.5 h after consumption of the randomly assigned beetroot juice containing 0 mmol (placebo), 6.45 mmol (single-dose), or 12.9 mmol (double-dose) NO3−. The heart rate (HR), blood pressure, blood lactate, blood glucose, oxygen saturation, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and emotional arousal were assessed. Results Nitrate supplementation significantly altered the HR and RPE responses across the three trials. The mean HR was lower in the single- and double-dose groups than in the placebo control group during both work intervals and recovery periods, as well as across the overall protocol (all p < .05). The mean RPE was lower in the single- and double-dose groups than in the control group during recovery periods and across the overall protocol (all p < .001). However, there was no significant difference in either HR or RPE between the single- and double-dose groups at any time point. Conclusions Acute nitrate ingestion led to significant decreases in the mean HR and RPE during high-intensity interval exercise, but no additional benefit was observed with higher nitrate content. These findings may assist practitioners in implementing more effective nitrate supplementation strategies during high-intensity interval exercise.
Using the Implication/Realization Model for Measuring Melodic Similarity

The concept of melodic similarity has become increasingly relevant in the light of music retrieval and music content processing systems. We propose a new way of measuring melodic similarity, based on analyses of the melody according to the Implication/Realization (I/R) model [7] for melodic structure and cognition. The similarity is assessed as the edit-distance between these I/R analyses. We present some experiments and results, comparing this approach to edit-distance based measures on other melodic representations. We argue that the I/R representation combines some advantages of the other measures, and is a good compromise between concrete and abstract levels of melody representation.
Dataflow models for shared memory access latency analysis

Performance analysis of applications in multi-core platforms is challenging because of temporal interference while accessing shared resources. Especially, memory arbiters introduce a non-constant delay which significantly influences the execution time of a task. In this paper, we selected a priority-based budget scheduler as memory arbiter which bounds temporal interference by construction and is well suited for bursty service provision. While existing performance analysis approaches assume a constant memory access latency leading to high overestimation, we propose in this paper a conservative data flow model for this scheduler, in which the history of memory accesses is considered. In a case study with an MP3-decoder for an ARM7 processor, we show that using a constant memory access latency for the selected scheduler results in an overestimation of three order of magnitudes. Compared to simulation, the proposed data flow model shows an overestimation of less than 3% while in previous work the overestimation was up to 104%. Furthermore, the proposed approach improves the performance by about 20% compared to a time-division-multiplex scheduler.
Embedded strong discontinuity finite elements for fractured geomaterials with variable friction

The strong discontinuity approach to modelling strain localization, combined with an enhanced strain element, has been used for more than a decade to model strain localization in materials including geomaterials. Most implementations of enhanced strain elements in the post‐localization regime use very simple constitutive formulations along the discontinuity, such as linear softening or a constant friction coefficient. However, the softening relations can be much more complex for geomaterials. For rocks this softening is induced by micro‐fractures coalescing into macroscopic cracks during a narrow time interval called ‘slip weakening. ’ During this interval the cohesive resistance on the nucleating crack decays to zero while the frictional resistance increases. Furthermore, research has shown that the coefficient of friction for these materials is not constant, but in fact is a function both of the slip speed and the state of the material, including wear, temperature, and other factors. In this paper we augment the modelling capabilities of an enhanced strain element by incorporating a cohesive softening law and a popular rate‐ and state‐dependent friction model commonly used for describing the constitutive properties of rocks and rock‐like materials sliding along the fractured surface. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Rheasilvia Impact Crater as a Probe of Vesta's Internal Structure: Results from Numerical Simulations

RESULTS FROM NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS. M. Jutzi P. Gillet, J.-A. Barrat, E. Asphaug, W. Benz. Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland, martin.jutzi@space.unibe. ch. Earth and Planetary Science Laboratory, EPFL, Switzerland. Université de Brest, France, Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, US.
Herbicide Leaching in Soil with Different Properties: Perspectives from Commercial Formulations and Analytical Standards

The leaching of herbicides into the soil is essential to control germinating seeds and parts of vegetative weeds. However, herbicide transportation to deeper soil layers can result in groundwater contamination and, consequently, environmental issues. In this research, our objective was to investigate differences in herbicide leaching between commercial formulations and analytical standards using three different soils. Leaching experiments were carried out for diuron, hexazinone, and sulfometuron-methyl herbicides isolated and in binary and ternary mixtures. The herbicide residue quantification was performed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). Diuron had less mobility in soils and was retained in the most superficial layers. Hexazinone and sulfometuron-methyl were more mobile and leached into deeper layers. The leaching process was more intense for hexazinone and sulfometuron-methyl. The additives present in the commercial formulation favored the leaching in soils of diuron, hexazinone, and sulfometuron-methyl herbicides isolated and mixture compared to the analytical standard. This fact highlights the importance of considering these effects for the positioning of herbicides in the field to increase the efficiency of weed control and minimize the potential for environmental contamination.