Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bayesian Large Deviations Probabilistic Interpretation and Justification of Empirical Likelihood

eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide. Abstract: In this paper we demonstrate, in a parametric Estimating Equations setting, that the Empirical Likelihood (EL) method is an asymptotic instance of the Bayesian non-parametric Maximum-A-Posteriori approach. The resulting probabilistic interpretation and justifcation of EL rests on Bayesian non-parametric consistency in L-divergence. In this paper we demonstrate, in a parametric Estimating Equations setting, that the Empirical Likelihood (EL) method is an asymptotic instance of the Bayesian non-parametric Maximum-A-Posteriori approach. The resulting probabilistic interpretation and justi(cid:12)cation of EL rests on Bayesian non-parametric consistency in L -divergence. a
K-Shortest Simple Paths Using Biobjective Path Search

In this paper we introduce a new algorithm for the \emph{$k$-Shortest Simple Paths} (\kspp{k}) problem with an asymptotic running time matching the state of the art from the literature. It is based on a black-box algorithm due to \citet{Roditty12} that solves at most $2k$ instances of the \emph{Second Shortest Simple Path} (\kspp{2}) problem without specifying how this is done. We fill this gap using a novel approach: we turn the scalar \kspp{2} into instances of the Biobjective Shortest Path problem. Our experiments on grid graphs and on road networks show that the new algorithm is very efficient in practice.
Guide Your Agent with Adaptive Multimodal Rewards

Developing an agent capable of adapting to unseen environments remains a difficult challenge in imitation learning. This work presents Adaptive Return-conditioned Policy (ARP), an efficient framework designed to enhance the agent's generalization ability using natural language task descriptions and pre-trained multimodal encoders. Our key idea is to calculate a similarity between visual observations and natural language instructions in the pre-trained multimodal embedding space (such as CLIP) and use it as a reward signal. We then train a return-conditioned policy using expert demonstrations labeled with multimodal rewards. Because the multimodal rewards provide adaptive signals at each timestep, our ARP effectively mitigates the goal misgeneralization. This results in superior generalization performances even when faced with unseen text instructions, compared to existing text-conditioned policies. To improve the quality of rewards, we also introduce a fine-tuning method for pre-trained multimodal encoders, further enhancing the performance. Video demonstrations and source code are available on the project website: \url{https://sites.google. com/view/2023arp}.
Survey of Consciousness Theory from Computational Perspective

Human consciousness has been a long-lasting mystery for centuries, while machine intelligence and consciousness is an arduous pursuit. Researchers have developed diverse theories for interpreting the consciousness phenomenon in human brains from different perspectives and levels. This paper surveys several main branches of consciousness theories originating from different subjects including information theory, quantum physics, cognitive psychology, physiology and computer science, with the aim of bridging these theories from a computational perspective. It also discusses the existing evaluation metrics of consciousness and possibility for current computational models to be conscious. Breaking the mystery of consciousness can be an essential step in building general artificial intelligence with computing machines.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Stock Market Eciency

We investigate the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (hereafter CSR) and I/B/E/S analysts’ earnings per share (EPS) forecasts using a large sample of US rm forecasts for the 1997-2004 period. We show that the net dierence between CSR strengths and weaknesses signicantly reduces both the absolute forecast error on EPS and its standard deviation after controlling for standard regressors plus year, industry, and rm/broker eects. Our ndings are consistent with the hypothesis that reduced transaction costs (and conicts) with stakeholders and more transparent accounting practices implied by CSR signicantly aect the bias. The CSR eect is strongly asymmetric and mainly driven by CSR weaknesses, consistent with the fact that the predicted channels of inuence are mainly captured by CSR weakness scores. A crucial aspect of our ndings is that CSR contributes to make nancial markets ecient as unbiasedness and eciency are (in almost all specications) not violated in the subsample of the top 20 percent (lowest CSR weaknesses) companies, while they are in the bottom 20 percent CSR companies.
Stability Factors F c , F s , and F γ for Twin Tunnels in Three Dimensions

: This paper aims to study the three-dimensional (3D) tunnel heading pressure of twin circular tunnels in a drained cohesive – frictional soil using a stability factor approach and ﬁ nite-element limit analysis (FELA). The primary concept adopted will be the use of a conventional equation that is similar to the traditional bearing capacity factors (e.g., N c , N s , and N γ ) in Terzaghi ’ s bearing capacity equation. For various spacing ratios ( S / D ) between the tunnels, the stability of the tunnels is expressed in terms of nondimensional tunnel stability factors (e.g., F c , F s , and F γ ), which are functions of the depth ratio ( C/D ) and soil internal friction angle ( ϕ ). For conciseness, the results will be presented in charts and tables with the tunnel stability factors that used the rigorous FELA upper (UB) and lower bound (LB) solutions. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0002264 . © 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers .
Entropy, homology and semialgebraic geometry

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Concentration of H, Si, Cl, K, Fe, and Th in the low- and mid-latitude regions of Mars

[1] We report maps of the concentrations of H, Si, Cl, K, Fe, and Th as determined by the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) on board the 2001 Mars Odyssey Mission for ±∼45° latitudes. The procedures by which the spectra are processed to yield quantitative concentrations are described in detail. The concentrations of elements determined over the locations of the various Mars landers generally agree well with the lander values except for Fe, although the mean of the GRS Fe data agrees well with that of Martian meteorites. The water-equivalent concentration of hydrogen by mass varies from about 1.5% to 7.5% (by mass) with the most enriched areas being near Apollinaris Patera and Arabia Terra. Cl shows a distribution similar to H over the surface except that the Cl content over Medusae Fossae is much greater than elsewhere. The map of Fe shows enrichment in the northern lowlands versus the southern highlands. Silicon shows only very modest variation over the surface with mass fractions ranging from 19% to 22% over most of the planet, though a significant depletion in Si is noted in a region west of Tharsis Montes and Olympus Mons where the Si content is as low as 18%. K and Th show a very similar pattern with depletions associated with young volcanic deposits and enrichments associated with the TES Surface Type-2 material. It is noted that there appears to be no evidence of significant globally distributed thick dust deposits of uniform composition.
Impact of the Crossing Angle on Luminosity Asymmetries at the LHC in 2016 Proton Physics Operation

During 2016 proton physics operation at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), an asymmetry of up to 10% was observed between the luminosities measured by the ATLAS and CMS experiments. As the same bunch pairs collide in both experiments, a difference in luminosities must be of either geometric or instrumental origin. This paper quantifies the impact of the crossing angle on this asymmetry. As the beams cross in different planes in the two experiments, nonround beams are expected to yield an asymmetry due to the crossing angle. Results from crossing angle measurements at both experiments are also shown and the impact on the luminosities is evaluated. INTRODUCTION The luminosity in a collider [1] assuming Gaussian bunches is given by L = nb frevN1N2 4πσxσy F (1) where frev is the revolution frequency, nb is the number of colliding bunch pairs, N1,2 are the bunch intensities, σx,y are the transverse beam sizes at the Interaction Point (IP) and F is the geometric factor F = 1 √ 1 + ( σs σxing α 2 )2 (2) where σs is the r.m.s. bunch length, σxing is the transverse beam size in the crossing plane, and α is the full crossing angle. The transverse beam size in either plane can be expressed as σx,y = √ β∗γ−1εx,y where εx,y are the normalized transverse emittances, β∗ is the β-function at the IP, and γ is the relativistic factor. At the LHC, the beams cross in the vertical plane in the ATLAS experiment (IP1) and in the horizontal plane in the CMS experiment (IP5). If the beams are not round (σx , σy), or the crossing angles are not equal in the two IPs, this causes a luminosity ratio equal to the ratio of the geometric factors1 [2] R = LATLAS LCMS = FIP1 FIP5 = √ 1 + ( σs σy αI P5 2 )2 √ 1 + ( σs σx αI P1 2 )2 (3) 1 under the assumption of equal β∗ and hence equal beam sizes in IP1 and IP5 OBSERVED LUMINOSITY RATIO The measured2 peak luminosities during 2016 proton physics are shown in Fig. 1, the ratios are displayed in Fig. 2. The ratio of the total integrated luminosities over the year was R = 0.94. 5000 5100 5200 5300 5400 0 5 10 15 LHC fill number pe ak L [1 0 3 3 cm −2 s − 1 ]
Safety of a rapid outpatient hydration protocol for patients with renal impairment requiring intravenous iodinated contrast media for computed tomography

patients with suboptimal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). METHODS From June 2015, we amended our CT preparation protocol to mandate rapid hydration (oral, intravenous or both) for patients with an eGFR of 30–60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Patients receiving this hydration protocol from June to November 2015 were followed up for one month to monitor any admissions for fluid overload, and up to one year to determine the long-term effect on eGFR. RESULTS 226 outpatients received the hydration protocol, which correlated with a 95% reduction in postponement of imaging appointments. No complications of fluid overload from hydration were encountered. A significant association was observed between age and decrease in eGFR, but this was not significant when stratified by drop in eGFR category. No statistical significance was found between decrease in eGFR and gender or race. Higher baseline eGFR was less likely to be associated with decrease in eGFR after imaging. Type of hydration was not related to a drop in eGFR category for patients with an eGFR of 45–59 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . CONCLUSION We defined a shorter hydration regimen that is safe to use in the outpatient setting.
Fermented Foods and Beverages

Changes in present-day society such as diets with more sugar, salt, and saturated fat, bad habits and unhealthy lifestyles contribute to the likelihood of the involvement of the microbiota in inflammatory diseases, which contribute to global epidemics of obesity, depression, and mental health concerns. The microbiota is presently one of the hottest areas of scientific and medical research, and exerts a marked influence on the host during homeostasis and disease. Fermented foods and beverages are generally defined as products made by microbial organisms and enzymatic conversions of major and minor food components. Further to the commonly-recognized effects of nutrition on the digestive health (e.g., dysbiosis) and well-being, there is now strong evidence for the impact of fermented foods and beverages (e.g., yoghurt, pickles, bread, kefir, beers, wines, mead), produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms, on general health, namely their significance on the gut microbiota balance and brain functionality. Fermented products require microorganisms, i.e., Saccharomyces yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, yielding alcohol and lactic acid. Ingestion of vibrant probiotics, especially those contained in fermented foods, is found to cause significant positive improvements in balancing intestinal permeability and barrier function. Our guts control and deal with every aspect of our health. How we digest our food and even the food sensitivities we have is linked with our mood, behavior, energy, weight, food cravings, hormone balance, immunity, and overall wellness. We highlight some impacts in this domain and debate calls for the convergence of interdisciplinary research fields from the United Nations’ initiative. Worldwide human and animal medicine are practiced separately; veterinary science and animal health are generally neither considered nor inserted within national or international Health discussions. The absence of a clear definition and subsequent vision for the future of One Health may act as a barrier to transdisciplinary collaboration. The point of this mini review is to highlight the role of fermented foods and beverages on gut microbiota and debate if the need for confluence of transdisciplinary fields of One Health is feasible and achievable, since they are managed by separate sectors with limited communication.
Carotid Endarterectomy Versus Stenting: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Background: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to update the available evidence on the safety and efficacy of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) versus carotid artery stenting (CAS) in the treatment of carotid artery stenosis. Methods: A comprehensive search was performed of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, bibliographies of included articles and past systematic reviews, and abstract lists of recent scientific conferences. For each reported outcome, a Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The I2 statistic was used as a measure of heterogeneity. Results: Twelve RCTs enrolling 6,973 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Carotid artery stenting was associated with a significantly greater odds of periprocedural stroke (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.47) and a significantly lower odds of periprocedural myocardial infarction (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.78) and cranial neuropathy (OR 0.08, 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.16). The odds of periprocedural death (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.56 to 2.18), target vessel restenosis (OR 1.95, 95% CI 0.63 to 6.06), and access-related hematoma were similar following either intervention (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.21). Conclusions: In comparison with CEA, CAS is associated with a greater odds of stroke and a lower odds of myocardial infarction. While the results our meta-analysis support the continued use of CEA as the standard of care in the treatment of carotid artery stenosis, CAS is a viable alternative in patients at elevated risk of cardiac complications.
Seasonal Variation of PH 2.5 and PM 10 Concentrations and Potential Human Health Risk in 5 Urban and 1 Rural Residential Communities of Rivers State

: This study investigated the spatial and temporal variations and health risk associated with particulate matter (PM) (10µm and 2.5µm), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), methanal (HCHO), relative humidity and temperature of six (6) communities (Mgbosimini, GRA Phase II, Rumueprikom, Ozuoba, Aluu and Isiokpo) of two (2) Local Government Areas in Rivers State during the months of November 2020 through April 2021. Air samples from the communities were measured for mass concentration for PM using a high-volume air sampler and weighing scale while a hand-held air quality device for TVOC, HCHO, relative humidity and temperature during the sampling period. Three (3) locations each in the sampling area where analysed and the average computed as the average for the month. Results obtained showed significant difference within the period of sampling (temporal) and across the communities (spatial) for PM, TVOC and HCHO. Also, the results showed a decrease in concentration for PM but an increase for TVCO and HCHO over the period of sampling except for Aluu that had a decrease in TVOC. Health risk assessment for adults revealed that except for Mgbosimini in November 2020, all other stations in November/December 2020 and January 2021 had health index greater than one (HI ˃ 1) indicating risk to adults due to inhalation of PM 2.5 in the air. In the months of February, March and April 2021, Rumueprikom, Aluu and Isiokpo had HI ˃1, indicating health risk at these locations while Mgbosimini and GRA Phase II had HI <1 indicating no risk. Thus, the quality of air is not necessarily determined by urban-rural distribution but on the specific activities that may contribute to the quality of air and if the activities are persistent or consistent irrespective of the month, then there would be no significant reduction in air pollution.
Affordances of Plurilingual Instruction in Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Study with a Quasi-experiment in an English Language Program

While calls have been made for a multi/plural turn in Applied Linguistics, there remains a paucity of research investigating instruction that addresses the turn and its effects on student learning compared with monolingual one-language-only instruction. This study examines the effects of plurilingual instruction on students’ plurilingual and pluricultural competence (PPC) relative to monolingual English-only instruction. Moreover, it investigates potential additional affordances. Seven teachers in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program in a Canadian university taught two intact groups for four months: treatment (plurilingual instruction, n = 79) and comparison (monolingual instruction, n = 50) groups. Results from pre-and post-tests of the PPC scale show that students in the treatment group had higher PPC levels over time relative to students in the comparison group. Moreover, analyses of diaries and focus groups with students in the treatment group show that plurilingual instruction offers affordances such as cognition, empathy, and criticality. These results are signiﬁcant as they suggest that plurilingual instruction may be more effective than monolingual instruction in the development of PPC and it offers several additional affordances.
Can parental leave be shared?

We examine the consequences of recent policies promoting parental leave sharing using a 2015 French reform. The reform reduced the duration of mothers’ paid leave to give 12 months of nontransferable leave to fathers. Leave can be taken while working part-time for up to 80% of standard working hours, which can be a more attractive option for fathers. We find that the take-up rates for fathers remained low, as less than 3% of fathers took any form of leave after the reform. Surprisingly, we also find low take-up rates for fathers working part-time after the reform and for whom taking paid part-time leave would have increased their median income by 15% without requiring them to change in their labour supply. For fathers working part-time, non-take-up rates of part-time leave benefits are as high as 81% compared with less than 25% for mothers. The reform dramatically increased the annual earnings of mothers, but it had no effect on the earnings of fathers. JEL classification: J16, D13, J18
Differences in Social Skills of Cypriot Students in the Physical Education Class

Social skills are of vital importance in successful living. Acquisition and performance of social skills in education may rely on several factors. The main aim of this study was to identify the possible influence of age and gender on Greek Cypriot students’ social skills (‘acquaintance’, ‘responsibility’, ‘reward’, ‘help’, ‘goals’) and total social skills score, in physical education. A secondary aim was to examine whether ethnicity differentiates students’ perceptions of their social skills. Four hundred and fifty one students (N = 451) from eight randomly selected schools in Nicosia participated. Four hundred and thirty one of them (n=431) were Greek Cypriot students, from upper elementary (n = 202, Mage = 11.24, SDage = 0.41) and high school (n = 229, Mage = 13.1, SDage = 0.45) while the remaining twenty (n=20) were their foreign classmates. Students completed the Student’s Behaviours’ Self-Evaluation Scale (Vernadakis, Kellis, Albanidis, Derri, & Kourtesses, 2010). With regard to the first purpose of the study, Manova 2 (age group) X 2 (gender) revealed significant differences between high school Greek Cypriot boys and girls in ‘acquaintance’, ‘reward’, ‘goals’, and in total social skills score as well, in favor of girls. Also, older boys exhibited significantly lower perceptions of ‘reward’ and ‘goals’, and lower total social skills score than younger boys, while older girls outperformed the younger in ‘acquaintance’. On average, female students displayed higher scores on ‘help’ and ‘responsibility’ than their male peers. The comparison between foreign and Greek Cypriot students (a similar group, randomly selected of the corresponding sample), showed that the former outperformed the latter only in ‘acquaintance’. The results suggest that students’ perceptions vary according to age, gender, and ethnicity. Understanding the effect of these factors is considered imperative to designing and implementing the physical education lesson to address social skills enhancement and facilitate student development.
Pre-collisional geodynamics of the Mediterranean Sea: the Mediterranean Ridge and the Tyrrhenian Sea

Today the Mediterranean Sea consists of a series of small-sized and almost geographically disconnected oceanic or continental crust rooted marine basins. It is also an area almost totally surrounded by mountain ranges, which chiefly belong to the alpine realm. This overall geodynamic setting results from a long term convergence between the two major, African and European, plates. Previous collisions have led to the edification of surrounding chains, while subduction and new-collisional processes tend to create new extensional back-arc basins and wide tectonized accretionary prisms. In this paper we briefly outline the most recent and almost land-locked back-arc basin that has developed in the Mediterranean,i.e., the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the Mediterranean Ridge, which may be regarded as a collisional sedimentary wedge predating a future mountain chain.
Model-based loudness compensation for broad- and narrow-band signals

A fundamental problem when attempting to restore loudness perception in hearing-impaired listeners are differences in the loudness perception of narrow- and broad-band signals when compared to normal-hearing listeners. Here, a multi-channel dynamic compression algorithm is presented where the signal-to-masking ratio (SMR) is used to modify the channel gain function. Result 1: The evaluation of this approach using a loudness model showed that the loudness perception of hearing-impaired listeners can be restored to the loudness perception of a normal-hearing listener for signals with different bandwidths. Result 2: Inconsistencies between the individual measured loudness function using the categorical loudness scaling procedure and the model predictions were found. The available model parameters, being i) hearing threshold level, ii) outer, and iii) inner hair-cell loss, were not sufficient to fit the model to the individual narrow-band loudness perceptions.