Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Analysis of the Strong Uncorrelating Transformation in Blind Separation of Complex-Valued Sources

The strong uncorrelating transformation (SUT) is an effective tool for blind separation of complex-valued independent sources, commonly applied to the (spatial) sample autocovariance and pseudo-autocovariance matrices of the observed mixtures. In this work we analyze the performance (in terms of the resulting interference to source ratio (ISR)) of SUT-based blind separation of general wide-sense stationary complex-valued sources. Based on a small-errors analysis, we derive explicit expressions for the attainable ISR in terms of the temporal correlations and pseudo-correlations of the sources. We demonstrate by simulation that the empirical performance closely follows our analytic prediction at moderate to long observation lengths. An important implication ensuing from our analysis is that a rectilinear (“maximally improper”) source can be perfectly separated from all the other (nonrectilinear) sources.
Densification mechanisms during reactive spark plasma sintering of Titanium diboride and Zirconium diboride

Abstract In this study, dense fine-grained ZrB2 and TiB2 were fabricated using reactive spark plasma sintering (RSPS) of ball-milled Zr/B and Ti/B mixtures. Systematic investigations were carried out to understand the mechanisms of reactive sintering. Two densification mechanisms were found to be operating during RSPS. The first stage of densification was due to self-propagating high temperature synthesis reaction leading to formation of ZrB2 and TiB2 compacts having relative density of ~48 and ~65%, respectively. The second stage of densification occurred at temperatures more than 1100 °C and resulted in final relative density of more than 98%. Electron backscatter diffraction and electron microscopy studies on interrupted RSPS samples as well as dense samples showed deformed grains and presence of slip steps while grain orientation spread map and pole figure analysis confirmed plastic flow. Plastic flow-aided pore closure is shown as major mechanism during reactive sintering.
The Effect of Gasoline Prices on Household Location

Abstract By raising commuting costs, an increase in gasoline prices should reduce the demand for housing in areas far from employment centers relative to locations closer to jobs. Using annual panel data on a large number of postal codes and municipalities from 1981 to 2008, we find that a 10% increase in gas prices leads to a 10% decrease in construction in locations with a long average commute relative to other locations but to no significant change in house prices. Thus, the supply response prevents the change in housing demand from capitalizing in house prices.
Applying Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Rule Based Classifiers Through a Cluster-Based Class Representation

Fuzzy Rule-Based Classification Systems (FRBCSs) have the potential to provide so-called interpretable classifiers, i.e. Classifiers which can be introspective, understood, validated and augmented by human experts by relying on fuzzy-set based rules. This paper builds on prior work for interval type-2 fuzzy set based FRBCs where the fuzzy sets and rules of the classifier are generated using an initial clustering stage. By introducing Subtractive Clustering in order to identify multiple cluster prototypes, the proposed approach has the potential to deliver improved classification performance while maintaining good interpretability, i.e. Without resulting in an excessive number of rules. The paper provides a detailed overview of the proposed FRBC framework, followed by a series of exploratory experiments on both linearly and non-linearly separable datasets, comparing results to existing rule-based and SVM approaches. Overall, initial results indicate that the approach enables comparable classification performance to non rule-based classifiers such as SVM, while often achieving this with a very small number of rules.
A pertinent evaluation of automatic video summary

Video summarization is useful to find a concise representation of the original video, nevertheless its evaluation is somewhat challenging. This paper proposes a simple and efficient method for precisely evaluating the video summaries produced by the existing techniques. This method includes two steps. The first step is to establish a set of matched frames between automatic summary (AT) and the ground truth summary (GT) through two-way search, in which the similarity between two frames are measured using correlation coefficient. The second step is to estimate the consistency among these established matches, so that the difference among these frames in the AT and GT are preserved respectively. To accomplish this, a compatibility matrix is built based on the features extracted from each of these frames. The consistency values among these matched frames are estimated as the eigenvector of this matrix corresponding to the maximum eigenvalue. Such matched frames with a small enough consistency value will be rejected, leading to more accurate performance estimation of the video summarization techniques. Experimental results based on a publicly accessible dataset shows that the proposed method is effective in finding true matches and provide more realistic measurement of the performance for various techniques.
Recommendations for Using the IRAP with a Medicated In-Patient Population with a Diagnosis of Psychosis

El presente informe de interes profesional pretende esbozar la viabilidad de utilizar el Procedimiento de Evaluacion Relacional Implicita (IRAP) en un estudio piloto de individuos que escucharon voces y de los cuales la mayoria habian recibido un diagnostico de psicosis y una muestra comparativa de pacientes no vocales controles auditivos contra los cuales los datos clinicos podrian ser comparados (oyentes clinicos, N = 9, controles, N = 9). El IRAP evaluo la aceptacion y la evitacion de voces positivamente versus valencia negativa. Todos los participantes clinicos completaron el IRAP en terminos de alcanzar los criterios estandar de precision y latencia, lo que demuestra que una muestra clinica (especificamente psicosis) puede completar IRAP especificos de contenido. De hecho, se requerian algunas modificaciones de procedimiento y estas se han esbozado en el presente manuscrito. Los resultados preliminares tanto en el grupo como en los niveles individuales parecen estar en una direccion significativa para la muestra de psicosis, pero no para los controles, lo cual fue consistente con nuestras predicciones. Nuestros datos preliminares apoyan la opinion de que el IRAP puede utilizarse eficazmente con una poblacion residente de internados. ﻿Como citar este documento: McEnteggart C, Barnes-Holmes Y, Mellon M, van Dongen L, Hendriks A, Barnes-Holmes D, Egger J, y Harte C (2017) Recomendaciones para el uso del IRAP con un paciente internado Poblacion con un diagnostico de psicosis. Revista Internacional de Psicologia y Terapia Psicologica, 17, 317-325.
Supplemental Case Acquisition Using Mixed-Initiative Control

Learning by observation allows a software agent to learn by watching an expert perform a task. This transfers the burden of training from the expert, who would traditionally need to program the agent, to the agent itself. Most existing approaches to learning by observation perform their observation in a purely passive manner. We propose a case-based reasoning agent that is able to observe passively but can also use mixed-initiative control to request assistance from the expert for difficult input problems. Our agent uses mixed-initiative case acquisition in the game of Tetris. We show that the agent is able to obtain cases it would not have been able to with passive observation alone, is able to improve its performance and places less burden on the expert.
Architecture and Design Considerations in NESPOLE!: a Speech Translation System for E-commerce Applications

NESPOLE! is a speech-to-speech machine translation research project funded jointly by the European Commission and the US NSF. The main goal of the NESPOLE! project is to advance the state-of-the-art of speech-to-speech translation in a real-world setting of common users involved in e-commerce applications. The project is a collaboration between three European research labs (IRST in Trento Italy, ISL at University of Karlsruhe in Germany, CLIPS at UJF in Grenoble France), a US research group (ISL at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh) and two industrial partners (APT - the Trentino provincial tourism bureau, and Aethra - an Italian tele-communications commercial company). The speech-to-speech translation approach taken by the project builds upon previous work that the research partners conducted within the context of the C-STAR consortium (see http://www.c-star.org). The prototype system developed in NESPOLE! is intended to provide effective multi-lingual speech-to-speech communication between all pairs of four languages (Italian, German, French and English) within broad, but yet restricted domains. The first showcase currently under development is in the domain of tourism and travel information.
Communication Bandwidth Adaptable Network Design of Complex Application Specific SoC

The communication interconnects among the cores of the futuristic SoC is a vital challenge. NoC is being proposed as the appropriate solution for addressing these communication challenges of complex SoCs. To address design complexity and reuse, NoC systems are typically desired to be built from predesigned and pre-verified homogenous or heterogeneous building blocks such as programmable RISC cores, DSPs, memory blocks. However most application specific SoC are special-purpose and are tailored to the domain-specific requirements of the desired application, which communicate in a very specific, mostly irregular way. In this work, a methodology for the design of communication centric customized irregular network infrastructure of SoC is proposed. The proposed methodology exploits a priori knowledge of the application’s communication attributes to generate an optimized network and associated routing tables to enable sufficient number of deadlock free paths for enhanced communication traffic and energy distribution across the network infrastructure of the SoC. In the proposed methodology the network is generated according to the requisite deadlock free paths having appropriate distribution of communication traffic.
Temperature variation mapping of a microelectromechanical system by thermoreflectance imaging

We present in this letter a cost effective noncontact imaging technique well adapted to measure the temperature variations on microelectromechanical systems. The setup is tested on a microheater constituted of a polysilicon resistor deposited on a dielectric membrane. Results concerning the temperature variations of this device are compared on one hand with simulation predictions, and on the other hand with thermoreflectance point measurements. From thermoreflectance images, we also estimate the values of the thermoreflectance coefficients of the polysilicon and of the dielectric.
Automating microassembly with ortho-tweezers and force sensing

We describe a microassembly system based on two one degree of freedom probes ("ortho-tweezers") and a three degree of freedom translating stage, controlled by a Java application with Python scripting support. We describe how basic manipulation primitives can be combined in a Python script to perform automated, force-feedback controlled assembly operations. We demonstrate a fully automated pick and place task using 200/spl times/200/spl times/100 micron blocks. Using a temporary handling block, the system can manipulate long, thin, fragile parts, such as semiconductor strain gauges.
Management of alcohol withdrawal delirium. An evidence-based practice guideline.

BACKGROUND Alcohol withdrawal delirium is the most serious manifestation of alcohol withdrawal. Evidence suggests that appropriate care improves mortality, but systematic reviews are unavailable. METHODS Articles with original data on management of alcohol withdrawal delirium underwent structured review and meta-analysis. RESULTS Meta-analysis of 9 prospective controlled trials demonstrated that sedative-hypnotic agents are more effective than neuroleptic agents in reducing duration of delirium and mortality, with a relative risk of death when using neuroleptic agents of 6.6. Statistically significant differences among various benzodiazepines and barbiturates were not found. No deaths were reported in 217 patients from trials using benzodiazepines or barbiturates. CONCLUSIONS Control of agitation should be achieved using parenteral rapid-acting sedative-hypnotic agents that are cross-tolerant with alcohol. Adequate doses should be used to maintain light somnolence for the duration of delirium. Coupled with comprehensive supportive medical care, this approach is highly effective in preventing morbidity and mortality.
Compound Document Analysis by Fusing Evidence Across Media

In this paper a cross media analysis scheme for the semantic interpretation of compound documents is presented. It is essentially a late-fusion mechanism that operates on top of single-media extractors output and it’s main novelty relies on using the evidence extracted from heterogeneous media sources to perform probabilistic inference on a bayesian network that incorporates knowledge about the domain. Experiments performed on a set of 54 compound documents showed that the proposed scheme is able to exploit the existing cross media relations and achieve performance improvements.
Combining Query Terms Extension and Weight Correlative for Expert Finding

This paper proposes two methods for solving the expert finding problem. In order to enhance the correctness, a C-value method is applied to these methods for query expansion. After query expansion, proposed system calculates correlation between all query terms and experts, and finally outputs a list of experts. The experiment results show that the proposed methods can provide higher precision than the baseline method from 3% to 10%.
The Context of Discrimination: Workplace Conditions, Institutional Environments, and Sex and Race Discrimination Charges1

This article explores the organizational conditions under which discrimination charges occur. Drawing on structural and organizational theories of the workplace, the authors demonstrate how organizational conditions affect workers’ and regulatory agents’ understandings of unlawful discrimination. Using a national sample of work establishments, matched to discrimination‐charge data obtained from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the authors examine how characteristics of the workplace and institutional environment affect variation in the incidence of workers’ charges of sex and race discrimination and in the subset of discrimination claims that are verified by EEOC investigators. The findings indicate that workplace conditions, including size, composition, and minority management, affect workers’ charges as well as verified claims; the latter are also affected by institutional factors, such as affirmative action requirements, subsidiary status, and industrial sector. These results suggest that internal workplace conditions affect both workers’ and regulatory agents’ interpretations of potentially discriminatory experiences, while institutional conditions matter only for regulatory agents’ interpretations of those events.
Frequency of Isolation of Enterobacter Species from a Variety of Clinical Specimens in a Teaching Hospital in Nigeria

Purpose: To determine the frequency of occurrence of Enterobacter species and their antibiogram from clinical specimens of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and wound obtained from University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Methods: Specimens were obtained from patients who were seen at the various units of the hospital during the period January 2008 to June 2010. The total number of specimens was 6632, and were obtained from 1678 adult males, 2010 adult females and 2944 children. The specimens were collected prior to commencement of antibiotic therapy, and cultured immediately using standard bacteriological methods. Growths were identified by colonial morphology and characteristics, and biochemical reactions. Antimicrobial sensitivity test was performed according to Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recommendation. The control organism was a sensitive strain of Eschrichia coli (NCTC 10418). Results: Two species of Enterobacter, namely, E. aerogenes (104; 97.2 %) and E. sakazaki i (3; 2.8 %) were isolated from the four types of clinical specimens, accounting for 1.6 % of all the samples. Sensitivity to antibacterials was as follows: ceftazidime (55.0 %), ofloxacin (53.3 %) and amoxicillin clavulanate (48.3 %). They were strongly resistant to the other antibiotics used in the study, especially the cephalosporins. There was no significant difference in infection rate among the age groups (p > 0.05). However, there was significant difference (p < 0.05) between isolates from cerebrospinal fluid, on the one hand, and those from wound, urine and blood, on the other hand. Conclusion: The rate of isolation of Enterobacter species in the health facility was low. Remarkable drug resistance of the organisms make them clinically significant pathogens. Keywords: β-Lactam antibiotics, Opportunistic infections, Bacterial resistance, Enterobacter species.
during the Induction of Inhalation Tolerance T Cell Proliferation + Allergen-Specific CD4 Mucosal Dendritic Cells In Vivo Limits Restricted Aeroallergen Access to Airway

Chronic innocuous aeroallergen exposure attenuates CD4 + T cell-mediated airways hyperresponsiveness in mice; however, the mechanism(s) remain unclear. We examined the role of airway mucosal dendritic cell (AMDC) subsets in this process using a multi-OVA aerosol-induced tolerance model in sensitized BALB/c mice. Aeroallergen capture by both CD11b lo and CD11b hi AMDC and the delivery of OVA to airway draining lymph nodes by CD8 a 2 migratory dendritic cells (DC) were decreased in vivo (but not in vitro) when compared with sensitized but nontolerant mice. This was functionally signiﬁcant, because in vivo proliferation of OVA-speciﬁc CD4 + T cells was suppressed in airway draining lymph nodes of tolerized mice and could be restored by intranasal transfer of OVA-pulsed and activated exogenous DC, indicating a deﬁciency in Ag presentation by endogenous DC arriving from the airway mucosa. Bone marrow-derived DC Ag-presenting function was suppressed in multi-OVA tolerized mice, and allergen availability to airway APC populations was limited after multi-OVA exposure, as indicated by reduced OVA and dextran uptake by airway interstitial macrophages, with diffusion rather than localization of OVA across the airway mucosal surface. These data indicate that inhalation tolerance limits aeroallergen capture by AMDC subsets through a mechanism of bone marrow suppression of DC precursor function coupled with reduced Ag availability in vivo at the airway
[Three kinds of phakic intraocular lens for correction of high myopia].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy, safety and stability of three kinds of phakic intraocular lens implantation for the correction of high myopia. METHODS This study included 208 eyes of 110 patients with a mean age of 31 years (21 - 53) from December 2003 to December 2009. Angle-supported lens (Phakic 6H, OII) were inserted into 113 eyes, iris-fixated lens (Artisan, OPHTEC) were inserted into 53 eyes and implantable contact lens (ICL) (V4, STAAR) were inserted into 41eyes. The average follow-up time of the three groups were 54.0 months (3 - 72 months), 15.7 months (3 - 24 months) and 7.2 months (3 - 15 months) respectively. RESULTS At 3 months and 12 months, the efficacy indexes of the three groups were all above 1.00. Only the angle-supported group was followed up to 72 months postoperatively when the efficacy index dropped to 0.85, but still UCVA was 1.0 (20/20) or better in 16% eyes and 0.5 (20/40) or better in 85% eyes. The safety indexes of the three groups were always above 1.00 during the follow up. In the angle-supported group, 46% eyes were within ± 0.50 D of the desired refraction and 68% eyes were within ± 1.00 D at 5 years postoperatively. In the iris-fixated group, 78% eyes were within ± 0.50 D of the desired refraction and 100% eyes were within ± 1.00 D at 1 years postoperatively. In the ICL group, 95% eyes were within ± 0.50 D of the desired refraction and 100% eyes were within ± 1.00 D at 3 months postoperatively. No statistically significant differences were found between preoperative and 3-month postoperative endothelial cell density in the ICL group. Also, there was no statistically significant reduction in endothelial cell density at 1 years in the iris-fixated group. However, when preoperative and 5-year postoperative measurements were compared in the angle-supported group, the total decrease in cell density is statistically significant (t = 9.769, P = 0.000). 16 eyes developed high IOP within 1 month postoperatively which resolved after intervention. In the three groups (angle-supported, iris-fixated and ICL), the most common complications were pupil ovalization, iris atrophy plus pigment dispersion and lens opacification respectively. CONCLUSION Although phakic IOL implantation is predictable and safe for treatment of high myopia in short-term, the long-term complications should be concerned and treated well.
Analysis of volatile metabolites emitted by various species to reveal their roles in chemical ecology and healthcare

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or volatile metabolites are small molecules and comprise a chemically diverse group of organic compounds, with a low molecular weight in the range of approximately 500 Daltons. They have low boiling points and high vapor pressure under ambient conditions. VOCs contribute only a small proportion of the metabolites produced by living organisms, however because of their important roles in chemical ecology and human healthcare, determining and analyzing the roles of these compounds is crucial for understanding of living systems. In the present study, we have developed a database of VOCs emitted by various living organisms and analyzed their roles in the aspect of chemical ecology and healthcare. Hierarchical and graph-clustering methods were used to cluster 517 microorganism species based on their emitting VOCs. From the clustering results, we found consistency between VOC and pathogenicity-based classification of microorganisms. In addition, we also performed the heatmap clustering and Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) based on Tanimoto coefficient as the similarity index of the chemical structure to cluster all 236 VOCs emitted by various biological species. Clustering results show that similar chemical structure may exhibit similar biological activity.