Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mediation Analysis: Expanding From One Mediator to Multiple Mediators

Mediation analysis is the process of determining whether or not variables acting as an in-between step, called mediators, are present when looking at the relationship between an independent variable X and a dependent variable Y. An educational study was proposed to analyze the effect of different classroom environments on students performance. This study also measured if the student is on-task or off-task, and if off-task what type of distraction is the student distracted by. It is believed that the particular types of distractions are the mediators and act as an in-between step between the type of classroom environment and how well the students perform. This is what motivated the idea of multiple mediators and the question of how to deal with them. However, previous research that has been done has only looked at single mediators. My research is based on the Product of Coefficients approach (Sobel, 1982). Multiple mediators were analyzed separately or used principal component analysis. Simulated data was used to determine how well these tactics accurately detect mediation. It appears that detecting mediation when there are multiple mediators present is very feasible, and this paper will show the results of this analysis. Finally, this paper also compiled the functions into a statistical package in R, making it easier to analyze data with multiple mediators.
Parametric channel estimation by exploiting hopping pilots in uplink OFDMA

In this paper, a parametric channel estimation algorithm applicable to uplinks of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems whose subcarriers are pseudo-randomly allocated is proposed. By exploiting pilot hopping, estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance technique (ESPRIT) is employed to estimate the path delays of the sparse multipath fading channel. From the delay information, a channel interpolator utilizing global pilots, which can be irregular distributed, is derived to estimate the channel state information on the desired tones. Moreover, a simple method of estimating the time correlation of the channel taps is introduced and integrated in the proposed algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the local linear channel interpolator within a wide range of SNRpsilas and Dopplerpsilas.
Online Marker Labeling for Automatic Skeleton Tracking in Optical Motion Capture

Recently, methods to accurately capture the motion of people gained increasing interest for various applications like animation, orthopedics, and rehabilitation. In particular, passive marker based motion capture systems provide accurate 3D position information of retroreflective markers that are attached to people. Inferring the poses of the underlying skeleton structure requires labeling of the markers, i.e., unique identification of each observed marker. Using currently available tools for this task entails time-consuming manual labeling. We present a novel method for fully automated pose estimation of the skeleton configuration of a person equipped with markers. In particular, our algorithm assigns markers to limbs, determines the correct labeling of the passive markers in each frame, and estimates the skeleton pose using optimization methods. The experimental evaluation shows that our method outperforms existing methods for skeleton pose estimation and is able to run online.
Calibration of a 2D laser scanner system and rotating platform using a point-plane constraint

The purpose of this study was to produce a low cost 3D scanner system using a rotating 2D laser scanner. There are two key parameters of this system, the rotation axis and the rotation radius. These two parameters were extracted through a calibration procedure. The calibration requires a planar checkerboard calibration pattern. Several poses were scanned to obtain the observation data. The rotation axis and the rotation radius were extracted by solving a linear equation constructed from a point-plane constraint, where all points lie on a plane and have a zero dot product to the surface normal to the plane. This method was tested on a simulation environment by generating synthetic data of the scanned calibration pattern. A comprehensive analysis was carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. From the simulation results, it was demonstrated that this method achieved highly accurate results with an orientation error of 0.018 degree and a radius error of 0.2 cm.
Optimal Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation for Massive MIMO FDD Downlink System

This paper investigates the resource allocation issue between downlink training stage and data transmission stage for the frequency division duplexing (FDD) massive multiple-input multiple-output system from the viewpoint of energy efficiency (EE). For a given total energy budget during a coherence period, how to jointly select the training duration, training power and data power is of great significance for the system EE. Thus, an optimization problem of energy-efficient resource allocation is put forward. Since the analytical expression of the involved average spectral efficiency (SE) is intractable, a closed-form approximation of the SE is deduced using deterministic equivalent. Based on the simplified expression, the original non-convex fractional optimization problem is transformed into an equivalent problem in subtractive form by the means of fraction programming, which includes an achievable solution. Then, an iterative algorithm is proposed. Numerical results validates the benefits of the proposed resource allocation scheme.
A novel flux estimator based on SOGI with FLL for induction machine drives

It is very important to estimate flux accurately in implementing high-performance control of AC motors. Theoretical analysis has been made to illustrate the performance of the pure-integration-based and the Low-Pass Filter (LPF) based flux estimators. A novel flux estimator based on Second-Order General Integrator (SOGI) with Frequency Locked-Loop (FLL) is investigated in this paper for induction machine drives. A single SOGI instead of pure integrator or LPF is used to integrate the back electromotive force (EMF). It can solve the problems of the integration saturation and the dc drift caused by the initial conditions with no need for the magnitude and phase compensation. Because the dc and harmonic components are inversely proportional to the speed in the estimated flux, the performance of the single SOGI-based estimator become worse at low speed. A multiple SOGI-based flux estimator is the proposed to solve the problem. It can deeply attenuate the dc and harmonic components and then it has an excellent performance in a wide speed range. Theoretical study, simulation and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed estimator.
The Rab8 GTPase selectively regulates AP-1B–dependent basolateral transport in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells

The AP-1B clathrin adaptor complex plays a key role in the recognition and intracellular transport of many membrane proteins destined for the basolateral surface of epithelial cells. However, little is known about other components that act in conjunction with AP-1B. We found that the Rab8 GTPase is one such component. Expression of a constitutively activated GTP hydrolysis mutant selectively inhibited basolateral (but not apical) transport of newly synthesized membrane proteins. Moreover, the effects were limited to AP-1B–dependent basolateral cargo; basolateral transport of proteins containing dileucine targeting motifs that do not interact with AP-1B were targeted normally despite overexpression of mutant Rab8. Similar results were obtained for a dominant-negative allele of the Rho GTPase Cdc42, previously implicated in basolateral transport but now shown to be selective for the AP-1B pathway. Rab8-GFP was localized to membranes in the TGN-recycling endosome, together with AP-1B complexes and the closely related but ubiquitously expressed AP-1A complex. However, expression of active Rab8 caused a selective dissociation of AP-1B complexes, reflecting the specificity of Rab8 for AP-1B–dependent transport.
Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Anaplasma marginale Strains in Cattle in South Africa

Bovine anaplasmosis, caused by the tick‐borne rickettsia Anaplasma marginale, is endemic in South Africa and results in considerable economic loss to the cattle industry. This study was designed to characterize strains of A. marginale at the molecular level from cattle raised in communal and commercial farms in the north‐eastern and south‐western regions of the Free State Province, South Africa, that varied in rainfall and vegetation. Seroprevalence to A. marginale was determined in 755 cattle by an Anaplasma spp. competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and ranged from 44% to 98% and was similar in both regions. While Anaplasma centrale was not targeted in this study, A. marginale infections were identified by species‐specific msp1α polymerase chain reaction in 129 of 215 of the samples studied. Similar genetic diversity of A. marginale strains was found in both the north‐eastern and south‐western regions. The sequences of 29 A. marginalemsp1α amplicons from South African strains revealed considerable genetic diversity providing 14 new repeat sequences. However, 42% of MSP1a repeat sequences were not unique to this region. These results indicated the presence of common genotypes between South African, American and European strains of A. marginale. Cattle movement between different parts of South Africa was suggested by the presence of identical A. marginale MSP1a genotypes in north‐eastern and south‐western regions of the Free State Province. Control strategies for anaplasmosis in South Africa should therefore be designed to be protective against genetically heterogeneous strains of A. marginale.
The Function of Intelligence in Crisis Management

This study is an analysis of the relationship between intelligence and policy, focusing specifically on the role of intelligence in crisis management. The conventional wisdom on intelligence and crisis management tends to examine each subject in isolation of the other. This study therefore provides an integrated approach to the theory of the intelligence process and the principles of crisis management, identifying those factors that influence the producer - consumer relationship. Past analyses of the intelligence producer - consumer relationship have revolved around the normative theory of the traditionalist and activist disciplines, as set forth in the Kent-Kendall debate. This study transcends that boundary. Building on the traditional concept of the intelligence cycle by examining the application of intelligence in crisis management, the study demonstrates how in practice the cycle is disregarded and circumvented. It provides new insight into the complexities of the traditionalist and activist approaches to intelligence, while demonstrating how intelligence can be used in support of crisis management and decision making. Using terrorism as a crisis phenomenon, the study utilises as case studies the series of terrorist attacks against United States' interests and foreign policy objectives in Lebanon during the first Reagan Administration from 1983 to 1985. It analyses the reasons behind the intelligence failures in preventing the bombing of the two U.S. Embassies and the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut. It also reveals the consequences of the kidnapping of the CIA Chief of Station, William Buckley, and the implications of that event for American intelligence capabilities during the Lebanon crisis. The role of intelligence and the tension between the intelligence and the decision making communities, as well as the media, during the hijacking of TWA Flight 847, are also analysed. By examining each case study through a framework that combines the intelligence cycle and crisis management principles, the responses of the Reagan Administration to the above threats and incidents are analysed. The conflicts between key decision making individuals in the Reagan Administration and their influence on the intelligence analysis process is also examined. The study reveals the interactive role and influence of the National Security Council Staff as the producer - consumer interface and the influence of the media and public interest on crisis decision making. It concludes with a presentation of an intelligence and crisis management paradigm, with suggestions for further academic endeavour in this field.
Outside blockholders and corporate performance: Evidence from China IPO firms

Based on Chinese firms initially publicly offering (IPO) in 2000 and 2001, we investigate the relationship between outside blockholderspsila ownership and corporate performance. We find a significant cubic relationship between corporate performance and outside blockholderspsila ownership, that is, with the increase of outside blockholderspsila ownership, corporate performance slopes upward firstly, then downward, upward again. Our findings show that high ownership restriction degree is beneficial to corporate performance.
Improving Distributed Representation of Word Sense via WordNet Gloss Composition and Context Clustering

In recent years, there has been an increas-ing interest in learning a distributed rep-resentation of word sense. Traditional context clustering based models usually require careful tuning of model parame-ters, and typically perform worse on infre-quent word senses. This paper presents a novel approach which addresses these lim-itations by first initializing the word sense embeddings through learning sentence-level embeddings from WordNet glosses using a convolutional neural networks. The initialized word sense embeddings are used by a context clustering based model to generate the distributed representations of word senses. Our learned represen-tations outperform the publicly available embeddings on 2 out of 4 metrics in the word similarity task, and 6 out of 13 sub tasks in the analogical reasoning task.
Mortality reductions produced by sustained prostate cancer screening have been underestimated

Background The recently published European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) reported prostate specific antigen (PSA)-based screening to have reduced the prostate cancer death rate by only 20%. However, this is an underestimate caused by (i) including in the 20% the years before the impact of the first screen becomes manifest, and (ii) not having full information for the follow-up years where the effects of the screening are most apparent. This paper provides a re-analysis of the results using time-specific measures, which avoid the first of these sources of error. Methods Mortality rate ratios for follow-up years 1-12 were derived from the yearly numbers of prostate cancer deaths and numbers of men being followed in each arm of the ERSPC. To reduce statistical noise, they were based on moving three-year intervals, and a smooth rate ratio curve was fitted to the yearly data, in order to measure the steady state reduction in mortality and to identify the time at which it reached this level. Results The re-analysis suggests that the sustained reduction in prostate cancer mortality may be more than 50%. Conclusion Re-analysis of the ERSPC data suggests that if screening is carried out for several years, and if follow-up is pursued until the reduction becomes manifest, the reduction in mortality will be 50-60%. An analysis that includes the 2007-2008 follow-up data is required to quantify more precisely the impact of this intervention.
Orthogonal least squares methods and their application to non-linear system identification

Abstract Identification algorithms based on the well-known linear least squares methods of gaussian elimination, Cholesky decomposition, classical Gram-Schmidt, modified Gram-Schmidt, Householder transformation, Givens method, and singular value decomposition are reviewed. The classical Gram-Schmidt, modified Gram-Schmidt, and Householder transformation algorithms are then extended to combine structure determination, or which terms to include in the model, and parameter estimation in a very simple and efficient manner for a class of multivariate discrete-time non-linear stochastic systems which are linear in the parameters.
Structure from Motion on Textures: Theory and Application to Calibration

This dissertation introduces new mathematical constraints that enable us, for the first time, to investigate the correspondence problem using texture rather than point and lines. These three multilinear constraints are formulated on parallel equidistant lines embedded in a plane. We choose these sets of parallel lines as proxies for Fourier harmonics embedded on a plane as a sort of “texture atom”. From these texture atoms we can build up arbitrarily textured surfaces in the world. If we decompose these textures in a Fourier sense rather than as points and lines, we use these new constraints rather than the standard multifocal constraints such as the epipolar or trifocal. We propose some mechanisms for a possible feedback solution to the correspondence problem. As the major application of these constraints, we describe a multicamera calibration system written in C and MATLAB which will be made available to the public. We describe the operation of the program and give some preliminary results.
In vitro cultivation model for Heterosporis saurida (Microsporidia) isolated from lizardfish, Saurida undosquamis (Richardson).

Heterosporis saurida is a microsporidian that infects lizardfish, Saurida undosquamis (Richardson, 1848), in the Arabian Sea. Spores were isolated from infected lizardfish and used to infect derived fish cell lines: common carp brain (CCB), epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC), fathead minnow epithelial (FHM), rainbow trout gonad (RTG), bluegill fry (BF-2) and chinook salmon embryo (CHSE). Non-fish cell lines were also tested that include: insect (SF-9), rabbit (RK-13) and African green monkey (Vero E6). No growth of H. saurida was observed in any fish cell line, SF-9 or Vero E6 cell lines. H. saurida spores grew only in RK-13 cell line and were detected by immunofluorescence. Developmental stages of H. saurida were seen in RK-13 cells by light and transmission electron microscopy, and species identification was confirmed by sequencing. This study demonstrated that H. saurida was able to proliferate in the mammalian RK-13 cell line, which thus represents an in vitro model for conducting molecular genetics and cell-pathogen interaction studies of Heterosporis.
Effect of Polyscias filicifolia Bailey biomass on protein synthesis process in isolated pig heart.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate effect of Polyscias filicifolia Bailey biomass on protein synthesis process in normoxic and anoxic pig heart. MATERIAL AND METHODS Experiments were done on isolated pig hearts weighing 100-150 g. Effects of anoxia were evaluated after 20 and 90 min of anoxic perfusion. Control hearts were perfused under aerobic conditions. Investigating action of Polyscias filicifolia Bailey, pig heart was perfused under normoxic and anoxic condition with buffer, which contains tincture Polyscias filicifolia Bailey. For the determination of protein synthesis rate (time of incubation was 15 min) and level (time of incubation was 60 min), incorporation of [14C]-leucine into translational products in a cell-free system was measured. RESULTS Protein synthesis rate and level in cell-free system decreased by 30% and 20% respectively after 20 min anoxic perfusion and by 48% and 45% respectively after 90 min anoxic perfusion in comparison to the control. Polyscias filicifolia Bailey tincture did not affect the protein synthesis rate and level in cell-free translation system from control pig heart. Polyscias filicifolia Bailey tincture has protective effect on protein synthesis system from pig hearts after 20 min and 90 min anoxic perfusion. Protein synthesis rate and level after 20 min anoxic perfusion with Polyscias filicifolia Bailey tincture was the same as at a control level. However, after 90 min anoxic perfusion with Polyscias filicifolia Bailey tincture protein synthesis rate and level did not reach control level and represented 81% and 76% respectively of control values. Spectrum of newly synthesized polypeptides in cell-free protein synthesis system under anoxic conditions and after treatment with Polyscias filicifolia Bailey tincture did not differ. CONCLUSIONS Protein synthesis rate and level decreased under long and short-term anoxia. Polyscias filicifolia Bailey biomass restore protein synthesis system under anoxia. Neither anoxia, nor Polyscias filicifolia Bailey tincture did not influence spectrum of newly synthesized proteins.
Drug release properties of polyethylene-glycol-treated ciprofloxacin-Indion 234 complexes

The polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment of ciprofloxacin-Indion 234 complex was aimed to retard rapid ion exchange drug release at gastric pH. Ciprofloxacin loading on Indion 234 was performed in a batch process, and the amount of K+ in Indion 234 displaced by drug with time was studied as equilibrium constant KDM. Drug-resin complex (DRC) was treated with aqueous PEG solution (0.5%–2% wt/vol) of different molecular weights (MWs) for 2 to 30 minutes. The PEG-treated ciprofloxacin-Indion 234 complex was evaluated for particle size, water absorption time, and drug release at gastric pH. During drug loading on Indion 234, the equilibrium constant (KDM) increased rapidly up to 20 minutes with efficient drug loading. Increased time of immersion of the drug resinate in PEG solutions significantly retained higher size particles upon dehydration. The larger DRC particles showed longer water absorption times owing to compromised hydrating power. The untreated DRC showed insignificant drug release in deionized water; while at gastric pH, ciprofloxacin release was complete in 90 minutes. A trend of increased residual particle size, proportionate increase in water absorption time, and hence the retardation of release with time of immersion was evident in PEG-treated DRC. The time of immersion of DRC in PEG-treated DRC. The time of immersion of DRC in PEG solution had predominant release retardant effect, while the effect of molecular weight of PEG was insignificant. Thus, PEG treatment of DRC successfully retards ciprofloxacin ion exchange release in acidic pH.
Protein Backbone Dynamics and 15N Chemical Shift Anisotropy from Quantitative Measurement of Relaxation Interference Effects

Cross-correlation between 15N−1H dipolar interactions and 15N chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) gives rise to different relaxation rates of the doublet components of 15N−{1H} peptide backbone amides. A simple scheme for quantitative measurement of this effect is described which yields information on the magnitude of the CSA from the relative intensities of 1H−15N correlations obtained with two slightly different pulse schemes. The method is applied to a sample of uniformly 15N-enriched ubiquitin and measurements conducted at two field strengths (8.5 and 14 T) yield identical results. The degree of relaxation interference correlates with the isotropic 15N chemical shift and results indicate that the sum of the most shielded principal components of the CSA tensor is nearly invariant to structural differences in the polypeptide backbone. The relaxation interference is directly proportional to the generalized order parameter, S2, of the peptide backbone amides, and this relation can be utilized to obtain approx.