Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual market sector analysis for financial time series data

The massive amount of financial time series data that originates from the stock market generates large amounts of complex data of high interest. However, adequate solutions that can effectively handle the information in order to gain insight and to understand the market mechanisms are rare. In this paper, we present two techniques and applications that enable the user to interactively analyze large amounts of time series data in real-time in order to get insight into the development of assets, market sectors, countries, and the financial market as a whole. The first technique allows users to quickly analyze combinations of single assets, market sectors as well as countries, compare them to each other, and to visually discover the periods of time where market sectors and countries get into turbulence. The second application clusters a selection of large amounts of financial time series data according to their similarity, and analyzes the distribution of the assets among market sectors. This allows users to identify the characteristic graphs which are representative for the development of a particular market sector, and also to identify the assets which behave considerably differently compared to other assets in the same sector. Both applications allow the user to perform investigative exploration techniques and interactive visual analysis in real-time.
PEAKS DB: De Novo Sequencing Assisted Database Search for Sensitive and Accurate Peptide Identification*

Many software tools have been developed for the automated identification of peptides from tandem mass spectra. The accuracy and sensitivity of the identification software via database search are critical for successful proteomics experiments. A new database search tool, PEAKS DB, has been developed by incorporating the de novo sequencing results into the database search. PEAKS DB achieves significantly improved accuracy and sensitivity over two other commonly used software packages. Additionally, a new result validation method, decoy fusion, has been introduced to solve the issue of overconfidence that exists in the conventional target decoy method for certain types of peptide identification software.
Efficient Gaussian mixture model evaluation in voice conversion

Voice conversion refers to the adaptation of the characteristics of a source speaker's voice to those of a target speaker. Gaussian mixture models (GMM) have been found to be efficient in the voice conversion task. The GMM parameters are estimated from a training set with the goal to minimize the mean squared error (MSE) between the transformed and target vectors. Obviously, the quality of the GMM model plays an important role in achieving better voice conversion quality. This paper presents a very efficient approach for the evaluation of GMM models directly from the model parameters without using any test data, facilitating the improvement of the transformation performance especially in the case of embedded implementations. Though the proposed approach can be used in any application that utilizes GMM based transformation, we take voice conversion as an example application throughout the paper. The proposed approach is experimented with in this context and evaluated against an MSE based evaluation method. The results show that the proposed method is in line with all subjective observations and MSE results.
Automatic image annotation refinement

Automatic image annotation methods automatically assign labels to images in order to facilitate tasks such as image retrieval, search, organizing and management. Incorrect labels may negatively influence the search results so image annotation should be as accurate as possible. Labels pertaining to objects or to whole scenes are commonly used for image annotation, and precision is especially important in case when scene labels are inferred from objects, as errors in the object labels may propagate to the scene level. One way to improve the annotation precision is by detecting and discarding the automatically assigned object labels that do not fit the context of other detected objects. This procedure is referred to as annotation refinement. Here, an approach to detection of likely incorrect labels based on the context of other labels and prior knowledge about mutual occurrence of various objects in images is tested.
Potassium channels in articular chondrocytes

Chondrocytes are the resident cells of cartilage, which synthesize and maintain the extracellular matrix. The range of known potassium channels expressed by these unique cells is continually increasing. Since chondrocytes are non-excitable, and do not need to be repolarized following action potentials, the function of potassium channels in these cells has, until recently, remained completely unknown. However, recent advances in both traditional physiology and “omic” technologies have enhanced our knowledge and understanding of the chondrocyte channelome. A large number of potassium channels have been identified and a number of putative, but credible, functions have been proposed. Members of each of the potassium channel sub-families (calcium activated, inward rectifier, voltage-gated and tandem pore) have all been identified. Mechanotransduction, cell volume regulation, apoptosis and chondrogenesis all appear to involve potassium channels. Since evidence suggests that potassium channel gene transcription is altered in osteoarthritis, future studies are needed that investigate potassium channels as potential cellular biomarkers and therapeutic targets for treatment of degenerative joint conditions.
Risk factors for sporadic Vibrio parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis in east China: a matched case-control study

SUMMARY To determine risk factors for sporadic Vibrio parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis, we conducted a population-based case-control study in sentinel hospital surveillance areas of Shanghai and Jiangsu province, China. Seventy-one patients with diarrhoea and confirmed V. parahaemolyticus infections were enrolled, and they were matched with 142 controls for gender, age and residential area. From the multivariable analysis, V. parahaemolyticus infections were associated with antibiotics taken during the 4 weeks prior to illness [odds ratio (OR) 8·1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·2–56·4)], frequent eating out (OR 3·3, 95% CI 1·1–10·1), and shellfish consumption (OR 3·2, 95% CI 1·0–9·9), with population-attributable fractions of 0·09, 0·25, and 0·14, respectively. Protective factors included keeping the aquatic products refrigerated (OR 0·4, 95% CI 0·1–0·9) and pork consumption (OR 0·2, 95% CI 0·1–0·8). Further study of the association of V. parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis with prior antibiotic use and shellfish consumption is needed.
Molecular Phylogeny of Hantaviruses Harbored by Insectivorous Bats in Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam

The recent discovery of genetically distinct hantaviruses in multiple species of shrews and moles prompted a further exploration of their host diversification by analyzing frozen, ethanol-fixed and RNAlater®-preserved archival tissues and fecal samples from 533 bats (representing seven families, 28 genera and 53 species in the order Chiroptera), captured in Asia, Africa and the Americas in 1981–2012, using RT-PCR. Hantavirus RNA was detected in Pomona roundleaf bats (Hipposideros pomona) (family Hipposideridae), captured in Vietnam in 1997 and 1999, and in banana pipistrelles (Neoromicia nanus) (family Vespertilionidae), captured in Côte d’Ivoire in 2011. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the full-length S- and partial M- and L-segment sequences using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, demonstrated that the newfound hantaviruses formed highly divergent lineages, comprising other recently recognized bat-borne hantaviruses in Sierra Leone and China. The detection of bat-associated hantaviruses opens a new era in hantavirology and provides insights into their evolutionary origins.
An investigation of the relationship between cultural competence and expatriate job performance

An Investigation of the Relationship between Cultural Competence and Expatriate Job Performance. (August 2008) Kwanghyun Kim, B.A., Sogang University; M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Bradley L. Kirkman This dissertation investigates whether cultural competence, defined as a person’s ability to interact effectively with others from a different cultural background or in a cross-cultural setting, predicts expatriate adjustment and job performance more effectively than other individual-level predictors such as personality and local language proficiency. Rather than simply focusing on the predictive validity of cultural competence, this study also explores a process model that could explain the link between cultural competence and expatriate job performance by proposing a mediating variable of cross-cultural adjustment. Lastly, in a more integrated way, this study examines how the relationship between expatriate adjustment and job performance may be better understood by two potential moderating variables: conscientiousness and expatriate assignment nature. For testing the proposed hypotheses, expatriates in a Fortune 500 company were invited to participate in a web-based survey. Responses about their international assignment experience were obtained from 338 expatriates located in 43 countries, and
Adaptive Face Recognition Based on Image Quality

Quality of facial images has a great impact on the accuracy of the automated face recognition system. The intraclass variations introduced by varied facial quality due to variation in illumination conditions may degrade the performance of a face recognition system significantly. In this paper, we proposed an adaptive discrete wavelet transform (DWT) based face recognition approach which will normalize the illumination distortion using regional contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) and discrete cosine transform (DCT) normalization based on the illumination quality. The DWT based approach is used to extract the low and high frequency facial features at different scales. In the proposed method, a weighted fusion of the low and high frequency subbands is computed to improve the identification accuracy under varying lighting conditions. The selection of fusion parameters is made using fuzzy membership functions. The performance of the proposed method was validated on the Extended Yale Database B. Experimental results depict that the proposed method outperforms some well known face recognition approaches.
Heat shock protein 60 antibody. A new marker for subsequent atrial fibrillation development.

OBJECTIVE To examined the pre- and post- operative anti-HSP60 antibodies of serum from patients in preoperative sinus rhythm. METHODS We prospectively studied 45 consecutive patients admitted for elective CABG from 2004 to 2005. We randomly selected 10 patients developing AF (study sample [Group A]) and 10 postoperative patients without AF (control [Group B]. The study took place at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. RESULTS Anti-HSP60 IgG value was 27.76 +/- 12.69 absorbance units (AU) in Group A preoperatively and decreased to 13.73 +/- 5.51 AU postoperatively. Controversially, preoperative value of anti-HSP60 IgG was 9.94 +/- 2.92 AU and decreased to 6.72 +/- 1.89 AU, postoperatively in Group B. Statistical analysis showed significant difference regarding preoperative anti-HSP60 IgG levels in Group A compared to Group B, which might be interpreted as an association between postoperative AF and preoperative levels of anti-HSP60 IgG. CONCLUSION We provide the first evidence demonstrating the association of pre- and post- operative circulating anti-HSP60 antibodies with postoperative AF. These results suggest that serum HSP60 antibody levels may be a marker for subsequent development of AF.
Development of on-line simulation system for multi camera based wide field of view display

IRS Soryu is rescue robot which used for victim search in disaster area. We aim at development of display method for wide view angle and high definition images for controlling the rescue robots and searching for victims. In our study, we developed small size multi camera system and displayed a wide view angle and high definition image. However, it is too hard for an operator to recognize the robot and environment intuitively. We need to develop a display method of these multi camera images for intuitive recognition. In this paper, we develop the on-line simulation system for the verification of multi camera based wide field of view display. This system has some requirements that; a. Simulation of IRS Soryu dynamics, b. Simulation of multi camera system, c. Flexibility of camera setting. We developed such simulator based on USARSim. Using the simulator, we examined some experiments for the verification of of the display methods.
Promoter Methylation Regulates Estrogen Receptor 2 in Human Endometrium and Endometriosis1

Abstract Steroid receptors in the stromal cells of endometrium and its disease counterpart tissue endometriosis play critical physiologic roles. We found that mRNA and protein levels of estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2) were strikingly higher, whereas levels of estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), total progesterone receptor (PGR), and progesterone receptor B (PGR B) were significantly lower in endometriotic versus endometrial stromal cells. Because ESR2 displayed the most striking levels of differential expression between endometriotic and endometrial cells, and the mechanisms for this difference are unknown, we tested the hypothesis that alteration in DNA methylation is a mechanism responsible for severely increased ESR2 mRNA levels in endometriotic cells. We identified a CpG island occupying the promoter region (−197/+359) of the ESR2 gene. Bisulfite sequencing of this region showed significantly higher methylation in primary endometrial cells (n = 8 subjects) versus endometriotic cells (n = 8 subjects). The demethylating agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine significantly increased ESR2 mRNA levels in endometrial cells. Mechanistically, we employed serial deletion mutants of the ESR2 promoter fused to the luciferase reporter gene and transiently transfected into both endometriotic and endometrial cells. We demonstrated that the critical region (−197/+372) that confers promoter activity also bears the CpG island, and the activity of the ESR2 promoter was strongly inactivated by in vitro methylation. Taken together, methylation of a CpG island at the ESR2 promoter region is a primary mechanism responsible for differential expression of ESR2 in endometriosis and endometrium. These findings may be applied to a number of areas ranging from diagnosis to the treatment of endometriosis.
An off-line signature verification method based on the questioned document expert's approach and a neural network classifier

In an off-line signature verification method based on personal models, an important issue is the number of genuine samples required to train the writer's model. In a real application, we are usually quite limited in the number of samples we can use for training [Cha, S. , 2001, Baltzakis, H. et al., 2001, Yingyong, Q. et al., 1994]. Classifiers like the neural network [Baltzakis, H. et al., 2001], the hidden Markov model [Justino, E.J.R. et al., 2001] and the support vector machine [Justino, E.J.R. et al., 2003] need a substantial number of samples to produce a robust model in the training phase. This paper reports on a global method based on only two classes of models, the genuine signature and the forgery. The main objective of this method is to reduce the number of signature samples required by each writer in the training phase. For this purpose, a set of graphometric features and a neural network (NN) classifier are used.
LP-WPAN based on a novel SC-FDE for wideband wireless sensor networks

An efficient LR-WPAN scheme is proposed for wideband wireless sensor networks. The LR-WPAN is based on a novel SC-FDE for efficient suppression of the channel effects in wideband environments. The presented SC-FDE exploits the estimation features of IEEE802.15. 4 LR-WPAN to reduce the complexity of the conventional SC-FDE and enhance the receiver performance of the conventional SCFDE. In addition, a multi-hop scheme based on the novel SC-FDE is suggested for reliable ad-hoc communications in wideband channels. The simulation results show that the performance of the proposed SC-FDE is better than that of the conventional SC-FDE in wideband channels.
Learning First Order Quantifier Denotations An Essay in Semantic Learnability

Learning First Order Quantier DenotationsAn Essay in Semantic LearnabilityRobin ClarkDepartment of LinguisticsUniversityof PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia PA rclarkbab ellingup enneduIntro ductionThis pap er is a rst attempt at a formal theory of the development of semantic b ehaviorWe will take as our starting p oint the acquisition of quantier denotations This might atrst blush seem a curious p oint of departure The past two decades have hoever seenas explosivegrowth in the study of quantiers and the theory of generalized quantiersis now suciently mature that its learnability prop erties can b e studied As we shall seean algorithm exists that will learn the rstorder quantiers higher order quantiers likemost will present a greater challenge howeverIt should come as no surprise that the learnability prop erties of quantied expressionshave not b een the sub ject of widespread inestigationWhat after all do quantiedexpressions refer to The question has b een a matter of debate since at least the scholasticphilosophers of the middle ages who to ok it as problem of the reference of general andparticular terms Loux Consider a recent example of the discussionIf a class were taken as consisting of its memb ers there could b e no place foranull class in logic when nothing or no man stands as a grammaticalsub ject it is ridiculous to ask what it refers toAlthough it might seemsensible to ask which p ortion of the class of men is constituted by the menreferred to as all men or some men wemay b e led to doubt the legitimacyof this question if we once think of comparing the adjectival uses of allsome no and aloneall men laugh some men laugh no men laughmen alone laughwe see that none of these has the role of marking out partof a class
Genomic testing of landlocked Kildin cod (Gadus morhua kildinensis) for its ancestral state: stationary or migratory ecotype?

14 Kildin cod is a small landlocked population of Atlantic cod reproductively isolated from 15 marine counterparts for around 1500-2000 years. The Kildin cod lives in a shallow 16 meromictic lake in the five-meter intermediate layer of water with sharp gradients of oxygen 17 and salinity. The cod had an effective population size of around one hundred individuals and 18 evolved unique physiological, morphological and behavioral features. The marine Atlantic 19 cod has two ecologically distinct forms: the stationary (coastal) and migratory (deep-water) 20 ecotypes that differ in migratory behavior and habitat preferences (the depth, oxygen content, 21 salinity and temperature). To understand the origin and genetic properties of Kildin cod, we 22 scrutinized genomic regions associated with the cod ecotypes differentiation (LG1, LG2, and 23 LG7) and found out that Kildin cod’s regions LG2 and LG7 were fixed with the migratory 24 variants, whereas polymorphic LG1 had a higher frequency of the stationary variant, that 25 could be explained by the possible strong genetic drift. The lake cod investigated had four 26 times lesser genome diversity than marine population. Our finding suggests that Kildin cod 27 originated from the migratory ecotype of the marine cod. 28 PeerJ Preprints | https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints. 2497v1 | CC BY 4.0 Open Access | rec: 3 Oct 2016, publ: 3 Oct 2016
Some solutions for peer-to-peer global computing

The emergence of Internet and new kind of architecture, like peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, provides great hope for distributed computation. However, the combination of the world of systems and the world of networking cannot be done as a simple melting of the existing solutions of each side. For example, it is quite obvious that one cannot use synchronized algorithms for global computing over large area network. We propose a nonexhaustive view of problems one could meet when he aims at building P2P architecture for global computing systems, which use asynchronous iterative algorithms. We also propose generic solutions for particular problems linked to both computing and networking sides. These problems involve the initialization of the computation (and its dual the conclusion), the task transparency over P2P network, and the routing in such networks. Finally a first computational experiment is presented for an asynchronous auction algorithm applied to the solution of the shortest path problem.
An innovative direct measurement of the GRAIL absolute timing of Science Data

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), a NASA Discovery mission, twin spacecraft were launched on 10 September 2012 and were inserted into lunar orbit on 31 December 2011 and 01 January 2012. The objective of the mission was to measure a high-resolution lunar gravity field using inter-spacecraft range measurements in order to investigate the interior structure of the Moon from crust to core. The first step in the lunar gravity field determination process involved correcting for general relativity, measurement noise, biases and relative & absolute timing. Three independent clocks participated in the process and needed to be correlated after the fact. Measuring the absolute time tags for the GRAIL mission data turned out to be a challenging task primarily because of limited periods when such measurements could be conducted. Unlike the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), where absolute timing measurements are available using the GPS system, no absolute timing measurements were available on the far side of the Moon or when there were no DSN coverage periods. During the early cruise phase, it was determined that a direct absolute timing measurement of each spacecraft Lunar Gravity Ranging System (LGRS) clock could be directly observed by using a DSN station to eavesdrop on the Time Transfer System (TTS) S-band inter-satellite ranging signal. By detecting the TTS system directly on earth, the LGRS clock can be correlated directly to Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) because the TTS and LGRS use the same clock to time-tag their measurements. This paper describes the end-to-end preparation process by building and installing a dedicated hardware at Goldstone station DSS-24, selecting favorable lunar orbit geometries, real time signal detection and post processing, and finally how the absolute timing is used in the overall construction of lunar gravity fields.