Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Prior Knowledge on Decisions Made Under Perceptual vs. Categorical Uncertainty

Humans use prior knowledge to bias decisions made under uncertainty. In this fMRI study we predicted that different brain dynamics play a role when prior knowledge is added to decisions made under perceptual vs. categorical uncertainty. Subjects decided whether shapes belonged to Category S – smoother – or Category B – bumpier – under both uncertainty conditions, with or without prior knowledge cues. When present, the prior knowledge cue, 80/20 or 50/50, indicated that 80 and 20% (or 50 and 50%) were the chances that responding “S” and “B” (or vice versa) would be correct. During perceptual uncertainty, shapes were degraded with noise. During categorical uncertainty, shapes were ambiguous. Adding the 80/20 cue increased activation during perceptual uncertainty in bilateral lateral occipital (LO) cortex and left middle frontal gyrus (MidFG), and decreased activity in bilateral LO cortex during categorical uncertainty. Right MidFG and other frontoparietal regions were active in all conditions. The results demonstrate that left MidFG shows activation changes, suggestive of an influence on visual cortex, that depend on the factor that makes the decisions difficult. When sensory evidence is difficult to perceive, prior knowledge increases visual cortical activity. When the sensory evidence is easy to perceive but difficult to interpret, prior knowledge decreases visual cortical activity.
Limiting the Influence of Low Quality Information in Community Sensing

We consider a community of private sensors that collect measurements of a physical phenomenon, such as air pollution, and report it to a center. The center should be able to prevent low quality reports from degrading the quality of the aggregated information, as there are numerous reasons for operators to inject false sensor data. Hence, it is necessary to track the quality of the sensors over time in order to filter out low quality and malicious reports. To achieve this, we construct a reputation system with a guaranteed bounds on negative impact that malicious sensors can cause, and we evaluate its performance on a realistic dataset.
The weight of institutions on women's capabilities

The objective of this paper is to assess the links between institutions and quality of life, within Nussbaum's capability framework approach, exploring a relevant empirical issue: microfinance. Microfinance appears more and more as a tool for women's empowerment. Available results of impact studies call for circumspection; microfinance can free women from certain links of dependence. But microfinance can also forge new kinds of dependence and subordination, thereby strengthening the disparities between men and women, but also among women themselves.
Bulk Electron Transport and Charge Injection in a High Mobility n‐Type Semiconducting Polymer

www.MaterialsViews. com C O M M U Bulk Electron Transport and Charge Injection in a High Mobility n-Type Semiconducting Polymer N IC A TI By Robert Steyrleuthner , Marcel Schubert , Frank Jaiser , James C. Blakesley , Zhihua Chen , Antonio Facchetti , and Dieter Neher * O N Understanding charge injection mechanisms and charge transport in organic semiconductors is of fundamental importance for the further advancement of electronic and optoelectronic devices. The charge-carrier mobility ( μ ) is one of the key performance parameters of organic-semiconductor-based functional devices such as light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), fi eld-effect transistors (OFETs) or solar cells (OSCs). Organic semiconductor charge-carrier mobility is often several orders of magnitude lower than in their inorganic counterparts and frequently is a limiting factor affecting the rate of charge injection from the device contacts, charge recombination, and photogeneration. [ 1–3 ] Several studies have addressed how the semiconductor molecule/polymer chemical structure infl uence charge transport properties. However, several questions remain addressing how charges fl ow from the electrical contact to the semiconducting material, particularly in electron-transporting polymers. It is well-known that the electronic structure of π-conjugated polymers can be tuned by the introduction of substituents with different electronegativity. [ 4 ] The majority of conjugated polymers are hole-transporting (p-type), meaning that they can accept and transport holes effi ciently, whereas the development of effi cient electron-transporting (n-type) polymers has been far more challenging. Holes are often the dominant charge carriers in several functional devices, [ 5–6 ] although no fundamental reason for the superiority of hole versus electron transport in the bulk of organic semiconductors is known. [ 7 ] Reduced electron currents in organic semiconductors are usually attributed to the presence of trap states distributed energetically below the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO). [ 6 , 8–9 ] De Leeuw et al. pointed out that conducting polymers with an electron affi nity lower than ∼3 eV have a strong tendency to be oxidized by oxygen and water. [ 10 ] Such oxidative processes are known to create electron-accepting units. [ 11–14 ] Additionally, the formation of electron-accepting defects during synthesis, device fabrication, and measurement, even in controlled atmosphere, might be one of the major reasons for the common observation of traplimited electron transport. Consequently, polymeric structures
Noise robust real world spoken dialogue system using GMM based rejection of unintended inputs

To realize a robust spoken dialogue system for use in a real environment, the robust rejection of unintended inputs such as laughter, coughing, background speech and other noise based on GMM is implemented and examined on the basis of actual utterances. All the triggered inputs to a speech-oriented guidance system from 125 days of ﬁeld tests in a public space are collected, and the occurrence of unintended inputs is investigated. GMM classiﬁers for voice categories (adult speech and child speech) and non-voice categories (laughter, coughing and other noises) are trained on the basis of the analysis result. The rejection performance of unintended speech was experimented on actual uncontrolled real inputs, and an EER of 3.32% was achieved by the 5-class GMM, which outperforms simple 2-class (voice / non-voice) GMM. The rejection of background speech using GMM is also investigated.
How healthy is our geriatric population? a community-based cross-sectional study

Introduction: With the rise in aged population there is a greater need to look into their nutritional and physical disability aspects which is otherwise neglected. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition, anemia and physical disability among the community-dwelling aged population. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a rural block of north Tamil Nadu. Seventeen villages were selected using cluster sampling based on probability proportional to size. A total of 340 participants of age 60 years and above were selected from these clusters using simple random sampling. Nutritional status and physical disability were assessed using mini nutritional assessment scale and Barthel index. Blood samples were collected for anemia. Appropriate data entry and statistical analysis were done in EPIDATA and SPSS 16. Statistical Analysis Used: Besides calculating prevalence chi square and logistic regression tests were done to identify associated risk factors. Results and Conclusions: The overall prevalence of “at risk of malnutrition,” anemia and physical disability were 10.9%, 38.2% and 20.6%, respectively. None of the community-dwelling aged population was found to be malnourished. Anemia and physical disability were significantly higher among the older age group [(OR 2.29 (1.17–4.89), (OR 2.81 (95% CI 1.31–6.04), respectively]. Similarly women were more affected with physical disability than men (OR 2.27 (1.28–4.02)). Further studies need to be done to explore the reasons for high prevalence of anemia.
Popular Matchings: Structure and Strategic Issues

We consider the strategic issues of the popular matchings problem. Let $G = (\mathcal{A} \cup \mathcal{P}, E)$ be a bipartite graph, where $\mathcal{A}$ denotes a set of agents, $\mathcal{P}$ denotes a set of posts, and the edges in $E$ are ranked. Each agent ranks a subset of posts in an order of preference, possibly involving ties. A matching $M$ is popular if there exists no matching $M'$ such that the number of agents that prefer $M'$ to $M$ exceeds the number of agents that prefer $M$ to $M'$. Consider a centralized market where agents submit their preferences and a central authority matches agents to posts according to the notion of popularity. Since a popular matching need not be unique, we assume that the central authority chooses an arbitrary popular matching. Let $a_1$ be the sole manipulative agent who is aware of the true preference lists of all other agents. The goal of $a_1$ is to falsify her preference list to get better always, that is, in the falsified instance (i) every popular matching .
Noninvasive Bilevel Positive Pressure Ventilation in Patients with Blunt Thoracic Trauma

Background: Noninvasive bilevel positive pressure ventilation (N-BiPAP) has an established role in providing respiratory support in patients with acute respiratory failure. The significant advantage of N-BiPAP is to avoid endotracheal intubation and its complications. Currently there are no data that support N-BiPAP as first-line treatment in patients with blunt thoracic trauma. Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of N-BiPAP in patients with acute respiratory failure due to blunt thoracic trauma. Methods: Prospective observational study. Twenty-two patients with blunt chest trauma (mean injury severity score 26 ± 9) were studied. N-BiPAP was applied via a tight-fitting full or total-face mask, combined with regional anesthesia in all patients. Results:N-BiPAP resulted in significant changes in blood gasses, heart rate and breathing frequency at 1 h. Eighteen out of 22 patients avoided intubation and were discharged from the ICU (success group). Four patients met predefined criteria and required intubation (failure group) within 24 h after N-BiPAP. Three of the patients in the failure group survived while 1 developed septic shock and died. The acute response of oxygenation to N-BiPAP differed significantly between groups, being higher in the success group. Complications related to N-BiPAP were minor, consisting of nose bridge injury (1 patient) and gastric distention (1 patient). Conclusions: N-BiPAP administration could be a safe and effective method to improve the gas exchange in patients with acute respiratory failure due to blunt thoracic trauma.
Is the brain drain a product of the Tall Poppy Syndrome, or are we anti-intellectual?

The aim of the present study is to extend research on the rejection-identification model, by testing whether the mechanisms of the model hold when membership in the devalued group is not highly visible. The ability of the model to predict behavioural outcomes is also examined. One hundred (39 male and 61 female), young people (M = 12.84 years), diagnosed with diabetes complete a survey assessing perceived discrimination, identification, psychological well-being (i.e., self-esteem and life satisfaction) and behaviour (i.e., compliance with treatment regime). Results show that discrimination has a direct, negative effect on well-being, but a direct, positive effect on identification, in line with the model. However, identification does not suppress the negative effects of discrimination on well-being, failing to support the full rejection-identification model within the present sample. In addition, the model is not able to predict behavioural outcomes. The current findings suggest that future research needs to investigate beyond traditionally devalued groups in order to understand further the relationships between perceived discrimination, group identification, and well-being.
il , , lsoperimetric Inequalities for Graphs , and Superconcentrators

A general method for obtaining asymptotic isoperimetric inequalities for families of graphs is developed. Some of these inequalities have been applied to functional analysis, This method uses the second smallest eigenvalue of a certain matrix associated with the graph and it is the discrete version of a method used before for Riemannian manifolds. Also some results are obtained on spectra of graphs that show how this eigenvalue is related to the structure of the graph. Combining these results with some known results on group representations many new examples are constructed explicitly of linear sized expanders and superconcentrators. ‘i:\ 1985 Academic Press. Inc.
WAT-SL: A Customizable Web Annotation Tool for Segment Labeling

A frequent type of annotations in text corpora are labeled text segments. General-purpose annotation tools tend to be overly comprehensive, often making the annotation process slower and more error-prone. We present WAT-SL, a new web-based tool that is dedicated to segment labeling and highly customizable to the labeling task at hand. We outline its main features and exemplify how we used it for a crowdsourced corpus with labeled argument units.
Blockade of the Renin-Angiotensin and Endothelin Systems on Progressive Renal Injury

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and endothelin system may both play a role in the pathogenesis of progressive renal injury. The aims of the present study were 3-fold: first, to explore the possible benefits of dual blockade of the RAS with an ACE inhibitor and an angiotensin type 1(AT1) receptor antagonist; second, to examine the relative efficacy of endothelin A receptor antagonism (ETA-RA) compared with combined endothelin A/B receptor antagonism (ETA/B-RA); and third, to assess whether interruption of both RAS and endothelin system had any advantages over single-system blockade. Subtotally nephrectomized rats were studied as a model of progressive renal injury and randomly assigned to one of the following treatments for 12 weeks: perindopril (ACE inhibitor), irbesartan (AT1 receptor antagonist), BMS193884 (ETA-RA), bosentan (ETA/B-RA), and a combination of irbesartan with either perindopril or BMS193884. Treatment with irbesartan or perindopril was associated with an improved glomerular filtration rate and reductions in blood pressure, urinary protein excretion, glomerulosclerosis, and tubular injury in association with reduced gene expression of transforming growth factor-&bgr;1 and matrix protein type IV collagen. The combination of irbesartan with perindopril was associated with further reductions in blood pressure and urinary protein excretion. No beneficial effects of either BMS193884 or bosentan were noted. Furthermore, the addition of BMS193884 to irbesartan did not confer any additional benefits. These findings suggest that the RAS but not the endothelin system is a major mediator of progressive renal injury after renal mass reduction and that the combination of an AT1 receptor antagonist with an ACE inhibitor may have advantages over the single agent of RAS blocker treatment.
Level of B Cell Antigen Receptor Surface Expression Influences Both Positive and Negative Selection of B Cells During Primary Development1

To examine the effect of B cell Ag receptor (BCR) surface density on B cell development, we studied multiple lines of mice containing various copy numbers of an IgHμδ transgene. The VH gene in this transgene encodes multireactive BCRs with low affinity for self Ags. These BCRs promote differentiation to a B cell subpopulation that shares some, but not all of the properties of marginal zone (MZ) B cells. Surface BCR level was found to be related to transgene gene copy number in these mice. In mice containing 1–15 copies of the transgene, elevated surface BCR levels were correlated with increased numbers of B cells in the MZ-like subset. However, in mice containing 20–30 copies of the transgene, massive clonal deletion of B cells was observed in the bone marrow, few B cells populated the spleen, and B cells were essentially absent from the lymph nodes. These data support the idea that autoantigens mediate not only negative, but positive selection of developing B cells as well. More importantly, they illustrate the profound influence of BCR surface density on the extent to which either of these selective processes take place.
High Prevalence of Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance and IncQ Plasmids Carrying qnrS2 Gene in Bacteria from Rivers near Hospitals and Aquaculture in China

Effluents from hospital and aquaculture are considered important sources of quinolone resistance. However, little information is available on the impact of this effluent on nearby rivers. In this study, 188 ciprofloxacin-resistant bacterial isolates obtained from rivers near hospitals and aquaculture were screened for plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes. Species identification, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and PMQR gene transferability assessment were conducted for PMQR-positive bacteria. Representative qnrS2-encoding plasmids were subsequently sequenced using a primer-walking approach. In total, 44 isolates (23.4%) were positive for qnr genes (16 qnrB2, 3 qnrS1, and 25 qnrS2) and 32 isolates (17.0%) were positive for aac(6′)-Ib-cr. Other PMQR genes were not detected. The qnrB2 and aac(6′)-Ib-cr genes had a higher prevalence in aquaculture samples than in hospital samples, and were significantly associated with Enterobacteriaceae (p < 0.05). In contrast, the prevalence of qnrS2 was not site-related, but was significantly associated with Aeromonas spp. (p < 0.05). All PMQR isolates were resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. Eleven qnrS2-harboring plasmids from Aeromonas spp. , including a novel conjugative plasmid pHP18, were selected for sequencing. These plasmids were small in size (6,388–16,197 bp) and belonged to the IncQ or IncU plasmid family, with qnrS2 being part of a mobile insertion cassette. Taken together, our findings suggest that aquaculture is a possible source for aac(6′)-Ib-cr and qnrB2 dissemination, and demonstrate the ubiquity of qnrS2 in aquatic environments. Finally, Aeromonas spp. served as vectors for qnrS2 with the help of IncQ-type plasmids.
Performance analysis of Distributed Speech Recognition over IP networks on the AURORA database

We present results on the performance of Distributed Speech Recognition operating over simulated IP networks. ETSI AURORA front-end running at client nodes extracts the speech parameters, packetizes and sends them as real-time IP traffic to a remote recognizer based on Continuous Density Hidden Markov Models. The experimental framework is the ETSI STQ-AURORA Project Database 2.0. The impact of transmission over IP networks is modeled by (1) random losses, (2) losses generated by a Gilbert model and (3) network simulations. Results show that random losses and moderately bursty losses do not significantly affect the recognition performance. Strongly bursty packet losses, as those generated by real-time and Web traffic competing over a network bottleneck, instead, can have a very negative impact on recognition performance, indicating that DSR over the Internet, to be successful, requires high levels of Quality of Service.
A Live Migration Approach for Multi-Tenant RDBMS in the Cloud

Cloud computing is a trend of technology aimed at providing on-demand services with payment based on usage. To improve the use of resources, providers adopt multi-tenant approaches, reducing the operation costs of services. Moreover, tenants have irregular workload patterns, impacting in the guarantees of quality of service, mainly due to interference between the tenants. This paper proposes an approach to improve quality of service for multi-tenant RDBMS. This approach uses migration techniques of tenants, system monitoring and bene(cid:28)ts of cloud infraestructure to improve performance and reduce costs of the provider. We carried out experiments on performance and resource usage in order to evaluate our approach.
Ambient noise Rayleigh wave tomography across Europe

SUMMARY We extend ambient noise surface wave tomography both in bandwidth (10‐50 s period) and in geographical extent (across much of Europe) compared with previous applications. 12 months of ambient noise data from 2004 are analysed. The data are recorded at about 125 broadband Seismic stations from the Global Seismic Network and the Orfeus Virtual European Broad-band seismic Network. Cross-correlations are computed in daily segments, stacked over 1 yr, and Rayleigh wave group dispersion curves from 8 to 50 s period are measured using a phase-matched filter, frequency time analysis technique. We estimate measurement uncertainties using the seasonal variation of the dispersion curves revealed in 3 month stacks. On average, uncertainties in group delays increase with period from ∼ 3t o∼7 s from periods of 10 to 50 s, respectively. Group speed maps at periods from 10 to 50 s are estimated. The resulting path coverage is denser and displays a more uniform azimuthal distribution than from earthquake-emitted surface waves. The fit of the group speed maps to the ambient noise data is significantly improved below 30 s compared to the fit achieved with earthquake data. Average resolution is estimated to be about 100 km at 10 s period, but degrades with increasing period and toward the periphery of the study region. The resulting ambient noise group speed maps demonstrate significant agreement with known geological and tectonic features. In particular, the signatures of sedimentary basins and crustal thickness are revealed clearly in the maps. These results are evidence that surface wave tomography based on crosscorrelations of long time-series of ambient noise data can be achieved over a broad period band on nearly a continental scale and yield higher resolution and more reliable group speed maps than based on traditional earthquake-based measurements.