Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the computational asymptotics of Gaussian variational inference

Variational inference is a popular alternative to Markov chain Monte Carlo methods that constructs a Bayesian posterior approximation by minimizing a discrepancy to the true posterior within a pre-specified family. This converts Bayesian inference into an optimization problem, enabling the use of simple and scalable stochastic optimization algorithms. However, a key limitation of variational inference is that the optimal approximation is typically not tractable to compute; even in simple settings the problem is nonconvex. Thus, recently developed statistical guarantees—which all involve the (data) asymptotic properties of the optimal variational distribution—are not reliably obtained in practice. In this work, we provide two major contributions: a theoretical analysis of the asymptotic convexity properties of variational inference in the popular setting with a Gaussian family; and consistent stochastic variational inference (CSVI), an algorithm that exploits these properties to find the optimal approximation in the asymptotic regime. CSVI consists of a tractable initialization procedure that finds the local basin of the optimal solution, and a scaled gradient descent algorithm that stays locally confined to that basin. Experiments on nonconvex synthetic examples show that compared with standard stochastic gradient descent, CSVI improves the likelihood of obtaining the globally optimal posterior approximation.
Computation Offloading in Hierarchical Multi-Access Edge Computing Based on Contract Theory and Bayesian Matching Game

Multi-access edge computing (MEC) has emerged as a promising paradigm because of its good performance for computation-intensive and latency-critical applications. However, the enormous computing requests from computation service subscribers (CSSs) still cannot be satisfied by pre-existing edge computation nodes (ECNs). To fully utilize the advantage of the MEC network, a hierarchical computation offloading framework is developed under network virtualization (NV) scenario. Accordingly, a two-step sequential process is designed to stimulate the proposed framework. In the first step, an incentive mechanism is proposed in which more temporary ECNs can be motivated by MEC operator and then join the MEC network. Without perfect ECN information, the optimal contract items (the ECN's CPU contribution and reward) between the MEC operator and ECNs can be achieved by taking account of individual rationality (IR) and incentive compatible (IC) constraints. After acquiring the ECNs’ CPU contributions, the computing resource allocation problem between the ECNs and CSSs is then considered in the second step. Since the CSSs have private information, a Bayesian matching game with externality is leveraged to model the problem. Whereas, the conventional resident-oriented Gale-Shapley (RGS) algorithm cannot ensure the stability. Hence, an iterative matching algorithm that can always converge to stable results is developed. Finally, simulation results demonstrate that our proposed two-step sequential decision process can significantly improve social welfare considering the practical scenarios, with reasonable computational complexity.
A taxonomic review of the Night Frog genus Nyctibatrachus Boulenger, 1882 in the Western Ghats, India (Anura: Nyctibatrachidae) with description of twelve new species

A taxonomic revision of the genus Nyctibatrachus is presented. As a result, we recognize 27 species, 12 of which are new to science and described herein. Three ‘lost’ species— Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris , Nyctibatrachus sylvaticus and Nannobatrachus kempholeyensis are rediscovered after their original descriptions and the latter two species are neotypified. Four species are lectotypified ( Nannobatrachus beddomii , Nyctibatrachus deccanensis , Nyctibatrachus major and Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris ). The taxonomic revision and description of new species is based on new morphological, behavioural, ecological and molecular data from available type specimens and/or recent collections from throughout the distribution range of Nyctibatrachus . Specimens from the type localities of all previously described species were collected and discussed along with the type specimens. Nyctibatrachus sholai is considered a junior subjective synonym of N. deccanensis . Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris modestus is resurrected from synonymy, but allocated to the genus Fejervarya . A new gland, the subocular gland is introduced to anuran morphological terminology. Both the courtship behaviour and ovipositional sites of four species are described for the first time. The process of fertilisation was carried out in the absence of physical contact between males and females in all four species. Furthermore, previously unreported parental care behaviour is documented for the genus, including biparental egg attendance (probably clutch hydration) and egg guarding (active predator defense). A brief outline of tadpole development from egg to metamorph is provided for Nyctibatrachus aliciae , with figures of the major developmental stages.
Inhibition of Mild Steel Corrosion in HCl Solution by Pentaclethra macrophylla Bentham Extract

Weight loss and electrochemical techniques (open circuit potential, linear sweep voltammetry and potentiodynamic polarization) were used to assess the effectiveness of Pentaclethra macrophylla Bentham (PMB) extracts as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1.0 M HCl solution at 30 - 45℃. It was found that Pentaclethra macrophylla Bentham extracts retarded the dissolution of mild steel in 1.0 M HCl solution. The inhibition efficiency increased with increase in extract concentration and did significantly well at increased temperature, which is suggestive of physical and chemical adsorption mechanism. Open circuit potential shows reduction of resistance polarization Rp with the addition of the PMB extract. Potentiodynamic polarization result suggests that PMB extracts functioned as mixed-type inhibitor. The adsorption of PMB extracts onto the mild steel surface followed Langmuir and Temkin adsorption isotherm models. The mechanism of physisorption of the extracts onto the mild steel surface is proposed from the trend of inhibition efficiency with temperature which is corroborated by the values of activation parameters obtained from the experimental data.
Queer-Spectrum Student Experiences and Resources in Undergraduate Mathematics

Author(s): Voigt, Matthew K | Advisor(s): Rasmussen, Chris | Abstract: Supporting student success in introductory mathematics courses is a growing national imperative in order to both diversify and increase the number of well-prepared Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduates. Efforts to diversify STEM fields have focused on broadening participation, addressing equitable outcomes, and promoting inclusive learning environments for an array of student identities. At the same time, educational research, institutional programs, and policies to support Queer-spectrum students remain largely underdeveloped and undertheorized. By Queer-spectrum, I mean students who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-spirit, Intersex, Pansexual, Asexual, or in other ways Queer because of their queer sexual identity or non-cisgender identity (Kumashiro, 2001). Broadly speaking, this dissertation study seeks to explore the lived experience of Queer-spectrum undergraduate STEM students through a transformative mixed methods design (Mayoh a Onwuegbuzie, 2015), which is structured in three phases.Drawing on large scale quantitative survey data (n=25,785) for the first phase, I examine how Queer-spectrum students describe mathematical learning opportunities in introductory mathematics courses and how these reported descriptions differ within Queer-spectrum students and between Queer-spectrum and Straight students. In the second phase of this study, I use a phenomenological approach and grounded theory techniques to identify mathematical discourses (e.g., beliefs, norms) related to Queer identity based on individual interviews with 17 Queer-spectrum students. Based on this analysis, I define the exclusion-irrelevancy space to network together mathematical discourses that positions queer identity as excluded and irrelevant to the pursuit of STEM. In the third phase of this study, I draw on thematic analysis and Nasir’s (2011) identity resource constructs to document the resources that support Queer-spectrum students in STEM using focus groups with Queer-spectrum students at four universities. Taken together, these three phases seek to transform and advocate for inclusive STEM environments for Queer-spectrum students. The aim of this study is to provide both a broad understanding of Queer-spectrum student experiences in mathematics while providing illustrative accounts to capture the nuance of the lived experiences for Queer-spectrum students. I conclude this dissertation study by looking across the three phases and, most importantly, provide implications for practice and policy in STEM education to promote more inclusive STEM environments.
microRNA‐222 promotes colorectal cancer cell migration and invasion by targeting MST3

Metastasis is one of the major causes of death in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. MiR‐222 has been reported to be an oncogene in many types of cancer. However, its role in CRC cell invasion and migration as well as CRC downstream signaling pathways remains largely unknown. Our study found that miR‐222 overexpression promotes the migration and invasion of CRC cell lines, and miR‐222 interference results, as expected, in inhibition of migration and invasion. Bioinformatic analysis and dual luciferase reporter assay showed that mammalian STE20‐like protein kinase 3 (MST3) may be the target gene of miR‐222. Down‐expression of MST3 in CRC cell lines enhanced their migration and invasion, but overexpression of MST3 could attenuate miR‐222 overexpression in the promotion of migration and invasion in colorectal cell lines. HCT116 cell lines overexpressing miR‐222 were transplanted into nude mice resulting in more lung metastases than in the control group. Further study found that MST3 may play a role in paxillin phosphorylation to reduce adhesion, or increase the invadopodia. These findings demonstrate that miR‐222 modulates MST3 and therefore plays a critical role in regulating CRC cell migration and invasion. Thus, miR‐222 may be a novel therapeutic target for CRC.
KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES OF STOMA CARE AMONG PATIENTS AT TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL LAHORE PAKISTAN

Introduction: Stoma and ostomy are Greek terms meaning mouth or opening done to treat several benign and malignant intestinal conditions, due to a change in bowel habits, anatomically modified by surgical creation of an opening in the abdominal wall involving parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Formation of colostomy is sometimes necessary and at other times mandatory. The colostomy patients wear a disposable pouch to collect the stool. A colostomy may be temporary or permanent, depending on the medical reason for the surgery Methodology: quantitative observational descriptive study design was used to assess the knowledge and practices of stoma care among patients at tertiary care hospital, data was collected through the standardized questionnaire regarding stoma care. The questionnaire consists of 28 items. Results: The findings of this study revealed that there are poor knowledge and practices of patients regarding stoma care. Conclusion: In this study, patients with moderately levels of knowledge about stoma care and those who cannot manage all aspects of care independently were not more psychosocially adjusted to their stomas than persons with high knowledge and not more dependence on others for care. The results of this and other studies suggest providing knowledge and emphasizing/teaching self-care before hospital discharge may optimize quality of life for persons with a colostomy. Key words: Stoma, Practice, Care, Patient. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/74-10 Publication date: May 31 st 2020
Identification of Cotton Physio-Morphological Marker for the Development of Cotton Resistant Varieties against Sucking Insect Pests: A Biorational Approach for Insect-Pest Management

Saima Siddiqui1, Ghulam Hussain Abro1, Tajwar Sultana Syed 1, Abdul Sattar Buriro2, Sohail Ahmad3, Muhammad Zeeshan Majeed4 and Muhammad Asam Riaz4* 1Department of Entomology, Faculty of Crop Protection, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan 2Agriculture Research Institute, Tandojam, Pakistan 3Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan 4Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Article Information Received 03 July 2019 Revised 02 October 2019 Accepted 21 October 2019 Available online 04 September 2020
Attachment Patterns and Their Relationship to Self-Assertion Among Secondary School Students

The study aimed to identify the nature of attachment patterns and their relationship to self-assertion among secondary school students at Tla al-Ali Secondary School for Girls. The sample which was selected in a random cluster method consisted of (250) female student at Tla al-Ali Secondary School in Amman. The researcher used the Pearson correlation coefficient and the regression equation to verify the study hypotheses. The study showed the following results: a) there is a correlation relationship with a negative statistical significance at the level of significance (0.01) between the total degree of attachment patterns and the degree of self-assertion among secondary school students. b) the is a correlative relationship of positive statistical significance at the level of significance (0.01) between the pattern of secure attachment and the degree of self-assertion among secondary school students. c) there is a correlation of negative statistical significance at the level of significance (0.01) between the pattern of fearful avoidance attachment and the degree of self-assertion among secondary school students. d) there is a correlation of negative statistical significance at the level of significance (0.01) between the preoccupied attachment pattern and the degree of self-assertion among secondary school students. e) There is a correlation relationship with a negative statistical significance at the level of significance (0.01) between the dismissive-avoidant attachment pattern and the degree of self-assertion among secondary school students. Some attachment patterns, and not others, indicate self-assertion among secondary school students. Keywords: attachment patterns - self-assertion- secondary school students. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-12-03 Publication date: June 30th 2020
College students’ produce handling attitudes, practices, beliefs, and knowledge at home and workplace

Outbreaks of illness caused by contaminated fresh produce are on the rise. Most fresh produce is delivered to consumers without any processing and is consumed raw, which increases the risk of foodborne illness. Many college students lack food safety knowledge, which makes them likely targets for contracting or transmitting foodborne illnesses. The purpose of this study was to assess the produce handling attitudes, practices, beliefs, and knowledge among college students while specifically exploring the differences in produce handling between home and the workplace. College students at least 18 years or older who had foodservice work experience participated in this study. Seven hundred eighty-one usable questionnaires (7.1% response rate) were collected at a large university in the Midwest. Results of this study indicated that college students are knowledgeable about produce handling in terms of cleaning and preparing fresh produce. However, only one-quarter of participants (n = 204, 26.1%) were knowledgeable about the recommended duration for handwashing. College students said they do believe that food poisoning can affect their health but most did not believe fresh produce could cause food poisoning. Overall, the participants had higher scores for produce handling attitudes and practices at work than at home. There is a need for produce safety training for college students that can lead to improved safe produce handling not only at work but also at home.
An investigation into the factors predicting acute appendicitis and perforated appendicitis.

BACKGROUND To investigate the factors predicting acute appendicitis (AAp) and perforated AAp in patients who underwent surgery with a preliminary diagnosis of AAp. METHODS Between May 2009 and December 2018, 1316 patients underwent appendectomy with a presumed diagnosis of AAp. To investigate the factors predicting AAp, patients were divided into two groups considering the histopathological presence of inflammatory changes in the appendix: AAp positive (AAp group; n=1043) and AAp negative (Non-AAp group; n=273). Also, to investigate the factors predicting appendiceal perforation, patients with AAp were divided into two groups considering the presence of perforation: non-perforated AAp (n=850) and perforated AAp (n=193). ROC curve analysis was used to identify optimum cut-off values of quantitative variables. The groups were compared using univariate analysis methods and parameters with a p≤ 0.20 were taken into a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS Multivariate analysis method related to factors predicting AAp showed that gender (male; p=0.034; OR=1.4), WBC (≥10.900; p=0.022; OR=1.5), MPV (≥29.1; p=0.006; OR=1.6), TBil (≥0.61; p=0.034; OR=1.4), CRP (≥0.725; p=0.002; OR=1.7), NLR (≥5.13; p=0.034; OR=1.5), PNR (<24.04; p=0.001; OR=1.9) and US findings (AAp+; p<0.001; OR=2.9) were independent factors for predicting AAp. Multivariate analysis method related to factors predicting appendiceal perforation showed that age (≥32 years; p<0.001; OR=2.5), TBil (≥0.67; p=0.046; OR=1.5), CRP (≥3.75; p<0.001; OR=3.0) and NLR (≥5.69; p=0.006; OR=1.8) were independent factors for predicting perforated AAp. CONCLUSION We believe that predicting both AAp and perforation will help the clinician evaluate patients who applied to the emergency unit with presumed diagnosis AAp. This approach will also contribute to reducing the negative appendectomy and perforation rates.
Taper Design for Active Arrays With Maximized EIRP for Bounded Sidelobe Level

Tapering an active array antenna system on transmit lowers the sidelobe level, but it adversely affects equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) by reducing both power and gain. In this article, we analyze this effect. First, we propose a new taper efficiency coefficient, which allows us to assess the effect of tapering on EIRP (in contrast to the standard taper efficiency that describes the effect of tapering on gain only). Then, we present an optimization method to compute the taper weights that maximize the defined efficiency for an assumed bound on the sidelobe level. The obtained optimal weights can be used not only to taper an antenna array but also as a benchmark for other tapers. Therefore, we analyze several known tapers and compare their transmit efficiencies. As a result, we find that for some combinations of sidelobe level and array length, the proposed optimal taper provides substantially better efficiency than Dolph–Chebyshev or Taylor tapers.
Corporate Governance, Ownership Structures and IT Investments. An Institutional approach.

The research aims to highlight the relationships of traditional and new ownership structures on information technology (IT) investments for firms listed on Iberoamerican stock markets after a global crisis. The study uses a neo-institutional economic framework to show the corporate governance’s changes through institutional logic of ownership structures as well as IT investments growth in Iberoamerica. A literature review considers the relevance of concentrated ownership, top foreign ownership and common ownership of new institutional investors. The research design is a non-experimental longitudinal study with an annual panel data from 2009 to 2015, using 2,156 firm-year observations listed in stock market of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru (MILA) and Spain (IBEX). The findings show that IT investment growth is negatively affected by concentrated ownerships and top foreign ownership, this last as unexpected situation, while it is positively affected by the new institutional investors. The contribution is to expand this research topic as continuing and permanent discussion of academics on corporate governance closer to IT approach, and vice versa.
Financial Incentives for Downloading COVID–19 Digital Contact Tracing Apps

Contact tracing is a key approach for controlling the COVID–19 pandemic. Traditional tracing methods might however miss a number of contacts between infected and susceptible persons. Digital contact tracing apps have been developed to assist health departments in notifying individuals of recent exposures to SARS-CoV-2. These apps are used in several countries throughout the world, and some US states have either launched or are planning to launch such apps. The potential effects of digital contact tracing apps depend however on their widespread adoption. Most investigations of the determinants of adoption among potential users have focused on issues related to privacy features (e.g., who can access data, whether location is recorded) and the accuracy of the app in notifying users of exposures to SARS-CoV-2 (e.g., false notifications). In this paper, we investigate whether financial incentives might help further accelerate the adoption of digital contact tracing apps. We conducted a discrete choice experiment with an online sample of 394 US residents aged 18–69 years old. We asked participants to make a series of choices between two hypothetical versions of a digital contact tracing app characterized by several randomly selected attributes, including varying levels of financial cost or incentives to download. In this experiment, financial incentives were more than twice as important in the decision-making process about DCT app downloads than privacy and accuracy. In order to accelerate adoption, US States planning to launch digital contact tracing apps should consider offering financial incentives for download to potential users.
Sparse Vector Coding-Based Multi-Carrier NOMA for In-Home Health Networks

In-home health networks greatly rely on the massive connected monitoring devices. Compared to orthogonal multiple access (OMA), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) can connect more monitoring devices and enhance the spectrum efficiency (SE) performance, which makes it an ideal solution to in-home health networks. However, conventional NOMA (C-NOMA) is mostly constrained to single-carrier scenario. The problem of multi-carrier NOMA lies in the inter-carrier interference (ICI) from neighboring carriers. In this article, we propose a sparse vector coding-based NOMA (SVC-NOMA) to suppress the ICI. We give closed-form expressions of capacity and symbol error rate (SER) performances for both C-NOMA and SVC-NOMA within the considered multi-carrier scenario. Simulation results demonstrate that compared to C-NOMA, SVC-NOMA has better capacity and SER performances. In addition, we find from our results that there is a trade-off between SVC-NOMA’s ICI suppression ability and the system capacity performance.
A Parametric Analysis and Sensitivity Study of the Acoustic Propagation for Renewable Energy

As countries explore renewable energy opportunities, offshore wind farms are being developed along coastlines. To construct these wind farms, piles are driven into the seafloor as foundational structures for the turbines. Pile driving involves risk of noise pollution that can affect marine fauna. To mitigate these risks, risk assessments and permits are required and are based on the best oceanographic understanding and acoustic modeling available at the time of the permitting process. This project aims to facilitate improved risk prediction by recommending the most efficient acoustic models and ranking the most influential environmental parameters at two representative sites.