Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Clustering Based Bayesian Network Classifier

Building high-accuracy and efficient Bayesian network classifiers is a hot theme of Bayesian network classifier in recent years. It is often the case that building unrestricted Bayesian network classifier with large number of attributes is time-consuming and always gets poor result, since the searching space of network structure is huge. This paper proposes a clustering based Bayesian network structure learning algorithm(CBNA), which uses mutual information to measure the distances between attributes so as to divide them into groups by hierarchical clustering. Then the network searching is running under these low dimensional spaces while the relation of attributes of different group is ignored instead of finding the network from one high dimensional space. Experimental results suggested that this algorithm is more accurate and efficient when compared to other Bayesian network classifiers and enables to obtain the optimal structure by unrestricted searching.
GADGET/IV: a taxonomic approach to semi-automatic design of information visualization applications using modular visualization environment

Since novice users of visualization systems lack knowledge and expertise in data visualization, it is a tough task for them to generate efficient and effective visualizations that allow them to comprehend information that is embedded in the data. Therefore, systems supporting the users to design appropriate visualizations are of great importance. The GADGET (Goal-oriented Application Design Guidance for modular visualization EnvironmenTs) system, which has been developed by the authors (1997), interactively helps users to design scientific visualization applications by presenting appropriate MVE (Modular Visualization Environment) prototypes according to the specification of the visualization goals expressed mainly with the Wehrend matrix (S. Wehrend & C. Lewis, 1990). This paper extends this approach in order to develop a system named GADGET/IV, which is intended to provide the users with an environment for semi-automatic design of information visualization (IV) applications. To this end, a novel goal-oriented taxonomy of IV techniques is presented. Also, an initial design of the system architecture and user assistance flow is described. The usefulness of the GADGET/IV system is illustrated with example problems of Web site access frequency analysis.
Expression of a functional Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbrillin polypeptide in Escherichia coli: purification, physicochemical and immunochemical characterization, and binding characteristics

Fimbriae have been reported to play an important role in the adherence of Porphyromonas gingivalis to oral surfaces and possibly in triggering host responses. A structural subunit of the fimbriae, fimbrillin, has been shown to be important in binding of the bacterium to saliva-coated oral surfaces. In the present study, a coding region of the fimbrillin gene from P. gingivalis 2561 was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and cloned into the pET-11d vector. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21, and protein expression was induced with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside. The expressed protein was purified from insoluble inclusion bodies after solubilization with urea and gel filtration chromatography. The purified recombinant fimbrillin polypeptide, r-fim 10-337, corresponded to amino acid residues 10 to 337 of the deduced amino acid sequence of fimbrillin. In immunoblot analysis, r-fim 10-337 reacted with antibodies to fimbrillin purified from P. gingivalis, as well as with antibodies to synthetic peptides corresponding to the amino acid sequence of fimbrillin. The apparent molecular mass of r-fim 10-337 was estimated to be 41 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The r-fim 10-337 polypeptide was capable of inhibiting the binding of P. gingivalis 2561 to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite beads. These results suggest that the fimbrillin subunit polypeptide plays an important role in binding of P. gingivalis cells to saliva-coated surfaces. We describe here the successful expression and purification of a functionally and immunologically reactive recombinant P. gingivalis fimbrillin subunit from E. coli.
Inappropriate application of nodule management guidelines in radiologist reports before and after revision of exclusion criteria.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate appropriate and inappropriate application of nodule management guidelines in radiology reports of pulmonary nodules seen at CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS The CT reports of 181 patients examined in July and August 2007 (94 males, 87 females; age range, 2-88 years; mean, 60.3 ± 13.0 years) and 177 patients examined in March 2009 (106 men, 71 women; age range, 24-91 years; mean, 60.7 ± 14.0 years) were retrospectively reviewed to assess whether nodule management guidelines were inappropriately applied. The exclusion criteria for the 2007 cases included multiple nodules, stable nodules, potential metastatic disease, probable infectious or inflammatory cause, and age younger than 35 years. The exclusion criteria for the 2009 cases were all of the 2007 criteria except multiple nodules. RESULTS Guidelines were inappropriately applied 105 times in 2007 and 25 times in 2009. Reasons for inappropriate use in 2007 were multiple nodules in 70 of the 105 cases (67%), potential metastatic disease in 25 cases (24%), age younger than 35 years in four cases (4%), stable nodules in two cases (2%), probable infectious or inflammatory cause in two cases (2%), and protocol not included despite absence of exclusion criteria in two cases (2%). The reasons in 2009 were potential metastatic disease in 15 of the 25 cases (60%), age younger than 35 years in four cases (16%), stable nodules in three cases (12%), probable infectious or inflammatory cause in one case (4%), and protocol not included despite absence of exclusion criteria in two cases (8%). The percentage of cases with at least one error was 48.1% in 2007, significantly higher than the 13.6% in 2009 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Inappropriate application of guidelines for management of pulmonary nodules seen at CT was significantly reduced by removing multiple nodules from the exclusion criteria. Otherwise, causes for inappropriate application remained stable.
The relationship between HRM avenues of political influence and perceived organizational performance

This article explores the relationship between the human resource management function's access to avenues of political influence and perceived organizational performance. We examine responses from 441 Australian senior HRM managers who participated in an online survey of a national HRM professional association. Drawing from political influence theory, we develop a model and related hypotheses to investigate the impact of opportunities for the HRM function to manage and control the shared meaning of HRM on perceived organizational performance. Although there was no evidence of a moderating effect of avenues of HRM political influence, CEO support and organizational support for HRM predicted perceived organizational performance. HRM representation on the board of directors appears to serve a symbolic function only. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in response to the identified importance of CEO and organizational support. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Methylated α-tubulin antibodies recognize a new microtubule modification on mitotic microtubules

ABSTRACT Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) on microtubules differentiate these cytoskeletal elements for a variety of cellular functions. We recently identified SETD2 as a dual-function histone and microtubule methyltransferase, and methylation as a new microtubule PTM that occurs on lysine 40 of α-tubulin, which is trimethylated (α-TubK40me3) by SETD2. In the course of these studies, we generated polyclonal (α-TubK40me3 pAb) and monoclonal (α-TubK40me3 mAb) antibodies to a methylated α-tubulin peptide (GQMPSD-Kme3-TIGGGDC). Here, we characterize these antibodies, and the specific mono-, di- or tri-methylated lysine residues they recognize. While both the pAb and mAb antibodies recognized lysines methylated by SETD2 on microtubules and histones, the clone 18 mAb was more specific for methylated microtubules, with little cross-reactivity for methylated histones. The clone 18 mAb recognized specific subsets of microtubules during mitosis and cytokinesis, and lacked the chromatin staining seen by immunocytochemistry with the pAb. Western blot analysis using these antibodies revealed that methylated α-tubulin migrated faster than unmethylated α-tubulin, suggesting methylation may be a signal for additional processing of α-tubulin and/or microtubules. As the first reagents that specifically recognize methylated α-tubulin, these antibodies are a valuable tool for studying this new modification of the cytoskeleton, and the function of methylated microtubules.
Comment: Australia and the small to medium‐sized hotel sector

The preponderance of small hotels in peripheral tourist locations is a universal phenomenon. This comment paper sets the scene for this special issue of IJCHM by analysing the small hotel sector in Australia. This sector shows many similarities with that of other countries, but in a somewhat more exaggerated form, which makes it possible to highlight some of the issues addressed by other authors, later in the issue.
An equilibrium approach to pricing foreign currency options

The paper presents a modified version of the Garman-Kohlhagen formula for pricing European currency options. The equilibrium approach deviates from the no-arbitrage approach by allowing domestic and foreign interest rates and their dynamics to be determined endogenously in the model. By using the relations between exchange rate dynamics and the dynamics of interest rates, I provide a new characterization of the relevant volatilities for European currency option pricing, which only depends on parameters describing the variability of the log-exchange rate. The implications of the model for the valuation of American currency options and optimal exercise strategies are examined by applying numerical methods.
Optimising Microfoundations for Observed Inflation Persistence

Much recent monetary policy literature has searched for structural models suitable for policy analysis that are both based on optimising microfoundations and consistent with the data, especially the persistence that we observe in inflation, output and interest rates. Few models do well on both criteria. The standard (and well microfounded) New Keynesian Phillips curve based on Calvo pricing largely fails to match observed dynamics. Empirical performance is substantially improved by the addition of a lagged inflation term which may be interpreted as reflecting rule of thumb behaviour in price or wage setting but this remains controversial. This paper develops a fully microfounded model of price setting behaviour without rule of thumb effects which, when combined with standard discretionary policy, predicts inflation (and output/interest rate) persistence comparable to that observed. This enhanced data consistency is achieved simply by allowing the probability of a firm changing its price to rise with the time since last price change for 3-5 periods within an otherwise standard New Keynesian model. Stronger dynamics occur because an increasing probability, in contrast to the Calvo constant hazard assumption, implies that lagged as well as current expectations, prices and (crucially) shocks matter for current outcomes.
Segmentation or Competition in China's Urban Labour Market?

In China, urban residents have traditionally been protected against labour market competition from rural--urban migrants. Over the period of urban economic reform, rural--urban migration was allowed to increase in order to fill the employment gap as growth of labour demand outstripped that of the resident labour force in urban areas. However, as reforms gained pace and controls were lifted, it is plausible that competition for work between migrants and urban residents would have increased. The paper examines whether the relationship is one of segmentation or competition in the labour market. It uses attitudinal responses from two urban surveys. The urban workers who perceive competition from migrants are those who are most vulnerable. The findings are consistent with the presence of continued labour market segmentation, but suggest also that competition between the two groups is increasing. Copyright The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved. , Oxford University Press.
Estimation of Housing Price Jump Risks and Their Impact on the Valuation of Mortgage Insurance Contracts

Housing price jump risk and the subprime crisis have drawn more attention to the precise estimation of mortgage insurance premiums. This study derives the pricing formula for mortgage insurance premiums by assuming that the housing price process follows the jump diffusion process, capturing important characteristics of abnormal shock events. This assumption is consistent with the empirical observation of the U.S. monthly national average new home returns from 1986 to 2008. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of price jump risk on mortgage insurance premiums from shock frequency of the abnormal events, abnormal mean and volatility of jump size, and normal volatility. Empirical results indicate that the abnormal volatility of jump size has the most significant impact on mortgage insurance premiums.
Role of Vitamin D in the Outcome of Ischemic Stroke- A Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION Vitamin D deficiency has reached epidemic proportions in India with prevalence rates of 70-100% in the general population. Low vitamin D levels are associated with worse outcomes in ischemic strokes. The outcome of stroke after vitamin D replenishment has not been much studied. AIM To compare the stroke outcome between patients receiving vitamin D supplementation and patients without vitamin D supplementation by Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS) and thus, to assess the long term outcome of ischemic stroke patients with low vitamin D level by supplementation of vitamin D. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a non blinded randomized controlled trial conducted in ischemic stroke patients. The patients were divided into two groups (A and B) where Group A received a single dose of 6 lac IU of Cholecalciferol Intramascular (IM) injection and Group B were not given vitamin D. Finally 30 patients in each group were analyzed. SSS was applied to evaluate the stroke severity at the onset and at the follow up after three months in both groups. The difference in SSS was analyzed using SPSS software. Independent t-test was applied and p-value < 0.05 was taken as significant. RESULTS Mean±SD of vitamin D levels in Group A and Group B were 17.98±3.81ng/ml and 18.44±4.69 ng/ml respectively. Mean±SD of SSS at time of admission and after three months for Group A was 32.50±11.61 and 38.89±8.34; and for Group B 35.82±8.56 and 38.32±7.10. The difference in SSS from time of admission and after three months, in Group A (6.39±4.56) and Group B (2.50±2.20) were analyzed statistically and found to be highly significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION The results showed that there is a significant improvement in the stroke outcome after three months in those patients who were supplemented with vitamin D. Thus screening for vitamin D deficiency in stroke patients is essential and vitamin D replenishment will improve the stroke outcome.
Paule‐Mandel estimators for network meta‐analysis with random inconsistency effects

Network meta‐analysis is used to simultaneously compare multiple treatments in a single analysis. However, network meta‐analyses may exhibit inconsistency, where direct and different forms of indirect evidence are not in agreement with each other, even after allowing for between‐study heterogeneity. Models for network meta‐analysis with random inconsistency effects have the dual aim of allowing for inconsistencies and estimating average treatment effects across the whole network. To date, two classical estimation methods for fitting this type of model have been developed: a method of moments that extends DerSimonian and Laird's univariate method and maximum likelihood estimation. However, the Paule and Mandel estimator is another recommended classical estimation method for univariate meta‐analysis. In this paper, we extend the Paule and Mandel method so that it can be used to fit models for network meta‐analysis with random inconsistency effects. We apply all three estimation methods to a variety of examples that have been used previously and we also examine a challenging new dataset that is highly heterogenous. We perform a simulation study based on this new example. We find that the proposed Paule and Mandel method performs satisfactorily and generally better than the previously proposed method of moments because it provides more accurate inferences. Furthermore, the Paule and Mandel method possesses some advantages over likelihood‐based methods because it is both semiparametric and requires no convergence diagnostics. Although restricted maximum likelihood estimation remains the gold standard, the proposed methodology is a fully viable alternative to this and other estimation methods.
Exploiting Symmetry in Fan Beam CT: Overcoming Third Generation Undersampling

A new reconstruction algorithm is presented for tomographic reconstruction from fan beam data acquired with a quarter detector shift. This algorithm exploits the reflection property of the divergent beam transform by representing the sample and reflected points as a discrete, multichannel sample set. A doubling of the reconstruction resolution is achieved by increasing the number of source locations without changing the detector sample density. The algorithm can be used to reconstruct images from a third generation CT scanner at the maximum resolution consistent with the frequency characteristics of the detector.
Corporate governance, firm characteristics and risk management committee formation in Australian companies

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine how a risk management committee (RMC), as a newly evolving sub-committee of the board of directors, functions as a key governance support mechanism in the oversight an organisation's risk management strategies, policies and processes. However, empirical evidence on the factors associated with the existence and the type of RMCs remains scant. Design/methodology/approach - Using an agency theory perspective, this study investigates the association between board factors such as proportion of non-executive directors, Chief Executive Officer duality, and board size; as well as, other firm-related factors (e.g. auditor type, industry, leverage, and complexity), and the existence of a RMC, and the type of RMC (namely, a separate RMC versus one that is combined with the audit committee). Data was collected from the annual reports of the top 300 Australian Stock Exchange (ASX)-listed companies. Findings - The results, based on logistic regression analyses, indicate that RMCs tend to exist in companies with an independent board chairman and larger boards. Further, the results also indicate that in comparison to companies with a combined RMC and audit committee, those with a separate RMC are more likely to have larger boards, higher financial reporting risk and lower organisational complexity. Research limitations/implications - Data limited to top 200 top ASX-listed companies, thus restricting generalisability of the results. Originality/value - The findings of this study provide additional information on the use and design of RMCs in a voluntary setting.
R&D, Competition and Growth with Human Capital Accumulation : A Comment

This paper shows that the results of Bucci (2003) depend criti- cally on the assumption that there are no difference between the intermediate goods share in final output, the returns of specialization and the degree of market power of monopolistic competitors. In this paper, we disentangle the market power parameter from the intermediate goods share in final output and the returns to specialization. The main result of this paper is that the competition has no effect on growth contrary to Bucci (2003). This result is explained by the fact that economic growth rate depends on the parameters describing preference and the human capital accumulation technology but is completely independent of competition and R&D activity.
Virtual-Flux-Based Predictive Direct Power Control of AC/DC Converters With Online Inductance Estimation

This paper presents an improved predictive direct power control (P-DPC) algorithm for grid-connected three-phase voltage source converters without AC-side voltage sensors. The new algorithm is based on virtual-flux (VF) estimation and operates with constant switching frequency. Predictive controller selects in every sampling period appropriate voltage vector sequence and calculates duty cycles in order to minimize instantaneous active and reactive power errors. The theoretical principles of this algorithm are discussed, and selected experimental measurements and scope graphs that illustrate the operation and performance of the system are presented. It is shown that VF-P-DPC algorithm exhibits several advantages, particularly sinusoidal-grid-current low harmonic distortion even when grid voltage is distorted. In addition, the algorithm provides high dynamics at low switching frequency of 2 kHz.
The UK Market for Natural Gas, Oil and Electricity: Are the Prices Decoupled?

After opening up of the Interconnector, the liberalized UK natural gas market and the regulated Continental gas markets became physically integrated and the Continental gas price became dominant. However, in an interim period - after deregulation of the UK gas market (1995) and the opening up of the Interconnector (1998) - the UK gas market had neither government price regulation nor a physical Continental gas linkage. We use this period - which for natural gas markets displays an unusual combination of deregulation and autarky - as a natural experiment to explore if decoupling of natural gas prices from prices of other energy commodities, such as oil and electricity, took place. Monthly price data in the period 1995-1998 indicates a highly integrated market where wholesale demand seems to be for energy rather than a specific energy source.
Entrepreneurship and Participation in Public Management Reforms at the Local Level

Abstract This article seeks to discuss who the policy entrepreneurs are and who participates in the policy-making process of public management reforms at the local level. In order to answer the research questions, a multi-unit and multi-case research study was carried out in three municipal governments: Barcelona, Boston and Turin. The subjects of the study were 15 innovations in management implemented between 1992 and 2007. The first conclusion is that politicians predominantly take the entrepreneurial role in introducing innovations in public management, regardless of the technicality of the innovation. As far as political participation is concerned, public management reforms are still dealt with as in-house matters, even when public managers want to be recognised as promoting the positive values of political participation.