Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clustering of high resolution automotive radar detections and subsequent feature extraction for classification of road users

After successful entry into the automotive market some years ago radar sensor technology conquers more and more complex fields of automotive applications like Lane Change Assist or Automatic Emergency Braking systems. Future sensor generations will be challenged by constantly demanding resolution requirements not only requested by consumer rating organizations, but also by very demanding needs to realize automated driving tasks. Facing these novel challenges results in perpetual increasing of resolution requirements to guarantee highly detailed and accurate information of the surrounding area of the vehicle. Due to the high resolution operation mode a plenitude of scattering points reflected by each physical object will flood the detection list. This paper copes with the clustering of all these reflections into appropriate groups in order to exploit the advantages of multidimensional object size estimation and object classification.
VAUD: A Visual Analysis Approach for Exploring Spatio-Temporal Urban Data

Urban data is massive, heterogeneous, and spatio-temporal, posing a substantial challenge for visualization and analysis. In this paper, we design and implement a novel visual analytics approach, Visual Analyzer for Urban Data (VAUD), that supports the visualization, querying, and exploration of urban data. Our approach allows for cross-domain correlation from multiple data sources by leveraging spatial-temporal and social inter-connectedness features. Through our approach, the analyst is able to select, filter, aggregate across multiple data sources and extract information that would be hidden to a single data subset. To illustrate the effectiveness of our approach, we provide case studies on a real urban dataset that contains the cyber-, physical-, and social- information of 14 million citizens over 22 days.
Sovereign debt defaults: insights from history

History provides many insights to address the issue of sovereign debt defaults. This article first presents a detailed account of defaults in historical perspective. It then discusses the solutions devised in the past to address sovereign debt crises and puts these into perspective with today’s answers when crises occur. Finally, the paper stresses the role of history when the events studied do not occur frequently and when archival data may shed new light on the process of the resolution of crises. The impact of odious debts declarations, of state succession, and of international relations on sovereign defaults and on their settlement is thus also addressed. Copyright 2013, Oxford University Press.
Understanding Knowledge Sharing in Online Travel Communities

This study explores the nature of knowledge sharing in online travel communities by proposing three types of antecedents: individual, community, and affiliation. These antecedents generate the formation of community identification and its influence on ongoing knowledge contribution. In addition, this study examines the moderating role of a traveler’s interaction mode on the proposed sharing paradigm. The findings reveal the following: (a) community identification is positively influenced by a member’s travel involvement and community benefits, (b) strong identification strengthens a member’s sharing intentions, and (c) the postulated relationships differ based on a member’s interaction mode. In short, community identification for travelers’ intent on seeking information is almost solely influenced by community benefits, whereas travelers inclined to relationship building are primarily influenced by travel involvement. In terms of knowledge sharing, relationship builders shared more frequently and to a greater extent than information seekers.
The Diagnostic Value of Cerebrospinal Fluid Tau Protein in Dementing and Nondementing Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total tau protein (τT) is increased in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may be of some help in the diagnostic work-up of demented patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic aid and the additional help (over that of clinical criteria) of τT in different clinical situations. Double-sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify τT in 61 healthy controls and 241 patients with various neuropsychiatric diseases. Our results suggest that CSF τT offers significant additional information over that of clinical criteria of AD, for the discrimination of AD from normal aging, depression, synucleinopathy, and possibly vascular dementia. However, for the differential diagnosis from frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal ganglionic degeneration, and secondary dementia, the diagnostic value is inadequate.
A swept frequency multiplication technique for air-coupled ultrasonic NDE

A new technique has been investigated for improving the signals that can be obtained in air-coupled nondestruction evaluation (NDE). This relies on the wide bandwidth available from polymer-filmed capacitive transducers. The technique relies on a swept-frequency "chirp" signal, which is transmitted from a transducer in air. The new technique differs from existing time-domain correlation techniques, such as pulse compression, in that a single multiplication process is performed in the time domain to give a difference frequency signal. This then can be isolated easily in the frequency domain. It will be demonstrated that this new swept frequency multiplication (SFM) approach gives the potential for rapid air-coupled imaging.
Neurolinguistics

This paper examines the speech act of apologizing in Lombok, Indonesia, based on discourse completion task (DCT) data. In particular, it looks at the type of apology term used, and at the types of upgrading used, in different situations. Comparisons are made with published results of choice of apology term and use of upgrading in other cultures. Some ﬁndings include: Lombok Indonesians are shown to prefer requests for forgiveness, and not to use other apology terms. Use of upgrading varies both with nature of offense and with nature of relationship, but little difference is seen between genders. Where difference does occur, males proved more likely than females to use solidarity oriented upgrading. Patterns in the use of upgrading sometimes paralleled those found in other studies: deference strategies were used with higher status addressees, while solidarity strategies were used with social intimates. However, often usage reﬂected particular conventions of Lombok Indonesian society, and could not be explained in terms of the same factors as had proved relevant in other studies.
Comparison of Transtibial and Tibial Inlay Techniques for Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with an Average of 10 Year- Follow-up

Objectives: We performd this study to determine the long-term results based on clinical and radiographic outcome comparison following either transtibial or tibial inlay technique, and to find out factors related to osteoarthritis after PCL reconstruction. Methods: Seventy-seven patients (77 knees) treated with the PCL reconstruction for chronic injuries constituted the study cohort. The 77 patients were divided into 2 groups, namely, transtibial (44 patients) and tibial inlay (33 patients). The mean time from injury to reconstruction was 12.2 months (range, 2 to 60 months), and their average follow-up was 142 months (range, 97 to 192 months). Outcomes were measured using Lysholm knee scores, Tegner activity scores, laxity test using Telos device, and development of osteoarthritis. Results: There was significant improvement of Lysholm knee scores, Tegner activity scores, and laxity test using Telos device between the preoperative values and final follow-up values (P < .05). However, there was no significant difference in the final follow-up outcomes (P > .05). The final follow-up radiographs according to International Knee Documentation Committee guidelines showed that 7 patients (22.7%) in transtibial group and 4 patients (18.2%) in tibial inlay group were rated as Grade C. We found correlation between meniscectomy and osteoarthritis, but other factors including reconstruction technique, sex, age, and posterior instability did not influence the arthritic changes in both groups (Fig 1). Conclusion: The clinical and radiographic outcomes between the two surgical techniques of PCL reconstruction were comparable. Osteoarthritis was observed in some patients with a significant proportion showing some loss of joint space, and factors except meniscectomy did not show correlation with development of osteoarthritis.
Decentralizing Dollars Under School-Based Management: Have Policies Changed?

Many school districts are moving rapidly toward a decentralized management style. However, little has been written on the financial dimensions of school-based management. This article reports on budgeting policies in five large urban school districts that have adopted school-based management to characterize the extent to which dollars have been decentralized, along with decision-making responsibility and authority. Contrary to previous research on school-based management, which found that traditional patterns of decision making were difficult to alter and that school site councils rarely made "real " or substantive decisions, this study suggests that new patterns of decision making exist that effectively empower building-level educators and community members with substantial discretion over many resources.
Down‐regulation of gephyrin and GABAA receptor subunits during epileptogenesis in the CA1 region of hippocampus

Epileptogenesis is the process by which a brain becomes hyperexcitable and capable of generating recurrent spontaneous seizures. In humans, it has been hypothesized that following a brain insult there are a number of molecular and cellular changes that underlie the development of spontaneous seizures. Studies in animal models have shown that an injured brain may develop epileptiform activity before appearance of epileptic seizures and that the pathophysiology accompanying spontaneous seizures is associated with a dysfunction of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurotransmission. Here, we analyzed the effects of status epilepticus on the expression of GABAA receptors (GABAARs) and scaffolding proteins involved in the regulation of GABAAR trafficking and anchoring.
ICCAD-2017 CAD contest in net open location finder with obstacles: Invited paper

In physical implementation, the quality of net open location finder would directly impact the quality of final routing result. It is important to consider both of the length of indicated paths and the turnaround time. To address this problem, the ICCAD-2017 contest encourages the research in obstacle-aware multi-layer shortest paths finding and the corresponding speedup techniques. We provided (i) a set of benchmarks and (ii) an evaluation metric that facilitate contestants to develop and test their new algorithms.
Anonymity, Social Image, and the Competition for Volunteers: A Case Study of the Online Market for Reviews

This paper takes a first step toward understanding the working of the online market for reviews. Most online review firms rely on unpaid volunteers to write reviews. Can a for-profit online review firm attract productive volunteer reviewers, limit the number of ranting or raving reviewers, and marginalize fake reviewers? This paper sheds light on this issue by studying reviewer productivity and restaurant ratings at Yelp, where reviewers are encouraged to establish a social image, and two competing websites, where reviewers are completely anonymous. Using a dataset of nearly half a million reviewer accounts, we find that the number (proportion) of prolific reviewers on Yelp is an order of magnitude larger than that on either competing site, more productive reviewers on all three websites are less likely to give an extreme rating, and restaurant ratings on Yelp tend to be much less extreme than those on either competing site.
A microstrip antenna with circular polarization switching capability for X-band applications

This paper describes a novel microstrip patch antenna with switchable circular polarization. A square patch whose two top corners are truncated by a square portion is used to realize the proposed antenna. Two Schottky diodes connected in the opposite direction are used to correlate the separated corner segments with the patch by their switching operation. As a result, RHCP and LHCP can be alternated by controlling the state of the two diodes. High impedance networks grounded through a via-hole are employed to isolate the DC bias networks from the RF signal. The measured 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth for both RHCP and LHCP is around 1%.
A strategic market game with a finite horizon, incomplete markets and the possibility of default using collaterals ∗

Here we extend the model of a strategic market game with a finite horizon and incomplete markets of Giraud and Weyers (2004) by introducing the possibility of default. In order to avoid bankruptcy we introduce a collateral requirement for financial assets. We start by analyzing the properties of the two-period strategic market game before considering its finite repetition. We show that we can induce a given allocation that clears the markets and satisfies the budget constraints by defining appropriate, almost full strategies. Furthermore we look at the set of sequentially strictly individual rational allocations and study the existence of approximately subgame perfect generalized Nash equilibria.
INCIDENCE, DETERMINANTS, AND CONSEQUENCES OF SUBCLINICAL NONCOMPLIANCE WITH IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPY IN RENAL TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we investigated the incidence, determinants, and consequences of subclinical noncompliance with immunosuppressive therapy in 150 adult renal transplant recipients with more than one year posttransplant status. Symptom frequency and symptom distress, and self-care agency were measured by the Transplant Symptom Frequency and Symptom Distress Scale, and the Appraisal for Self-Care Agency Scale, respectively. The Long-Term Medication Behavior Self-Efficacy Scale and a renal transplant knowledge questionnaire were developed as part of this study to measure perceived self-efficacy and knowledge of the therapeutic regimen. Demographic variables were also measured. The incidence of subclinical noncompliance with immunosuppressive therapy as assessed by interview was 22.3%. Compliers and noncompliers differed significantly on the variables of marital status (P = 0.03), situational-operational knowledge (P = 0.02), self-care agency (P = 0.03), and perceived self-efficacy related to long-term medication intake (P = 0.048). A logistic regression model using gender, marital status, perceived self-efficacy, self-care agency, knowledge about medication administration and signs of infection, and situational operational knowledge as predictor variables, revealed a 78.6% correct classification of compliers versus noncompliers and a sensitivity ratio of 95.9%. There were significantly more acute late rejection episodes (P = 0.003) in the noncompliant group. Graft survival at 5 years in this group was also significantly lower (P = 0.03) than the compliant patients. No significant difference was found in terms of the occurrence of chronic rejection episodes or in terms of patient survival at 5 years. Because noncompliance is a risk factor for negative clinical outcome in renal transplant recipients, it is of utmost importance to develop intervention strategies to enhance compliance in this population by using determinants identified in exploratory studies.
Fusing domain-specific data with general data for in-domain applications

This paper analyzes the lexical semantics of domain-specific terms based on various pre-trained specific domain and general domain word vectors, and addresses the semantic drift between domains. To capture lexical semantics in the specific domain, we propose a bridge mechanism to introduce domain-specific data into general data, and re-train word vectors. We find that even a small-scale fusion can result in the similar lexical semantics learned by using the large-scale domain-specific dataset. Experiments on sentiment analysis and outlier detection show that application of word embedding by the fusion dataset has the better performance than applications of word embeddings by pure large domain-specific and pure large general datasets. The simple, but effective methodology facilitates the domain adaptation of distributed word representations.
Biofilm Formation by the Fungal PathogenCandida albicans: Development, Architecture, and Drug Resistance

ABSTRACT Biofilms are a protected niche for microorganisms, where they are safe from antibiotic treatment and can create a source of persistent infection. Using two clinically relevant Candida albicans biofilm models formed on bioprosthetic materials, we demonstrated that biofilm formation proceeds through three distinct developmental phases. These growth phases transform adherent blastospores to well-defined cellular communities encased in a polysaccharide matrix. Fluorescence and confocal scanning laser microscopy revealed that C. albicans biofilms have a highly heterogeneous architecture composed of cellular and noncellular elements. In both models, antifungal resistance of biofilm-grown cells increased in conjunction with biofilm formation. The expression of agglutinin-like (ALS) genes, which encode a family of proteins implicated in adhesion to host surfaces, was differentially regulated between planktonic and biofilm-grown cells. The ability ofC. albicans to form biofilms contrasts sharply with that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which adhered to bioprosthetic surfaces but failed to form a mature biofilm. The studies described here form the basis for investigations into the molecular mechanisms of Candida biofilm biology and antifungal resistance and provide the means to design novel therapies for biofilm-based infections.
Proteins from the 18 glycosyl hydrolase family are associated with kidney dysfunction in patients with diabetes type 2

Abstract Objectives: To investigate chitotriosidase (CHIT1) activity and chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) concentration in plasma of type 2 diabetic patients and evaluate their relationship with kidney dysfunction. Materials and methods: 94 diabetic subjects and 33 controls were enrolled in the study. Plasma CHIT1 activity and YKL-40 concentration were measured along with routine laboratory parameters. Results: Levels of CHIT1 and YKL-40 in plasma of type 2 diabetic patients increased progressively with the degree of albuminuria. CHIT1 discriminated normoalbuminuric subjects from those with abnormal albuminuria better than YKL-40. Conclusions: CHIT1represent a supportive biomarker connected with development of diabetic vascular complications, especially kidney dysfunction.
Clusterin is not essential for androgen‐regulated involution and regeneration of the normal mouse prostate

Inhibition of clusterin expression has been shown to enhance the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to chemo and hormone therapy. Clusterin antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are currently in phase II human clinical trials for treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer. However, the role of clusterin in androgen‐regulated involution and regeneration of the normal prostate gland has not been established.
Understanding Opportunity Discovery and Sustainable Advantage: The Role of Transaction Costs and Property Rights

To add insight in new value creation, opportunity discovery should be integrated with strategic management theory. Based on the resource-based view and the economics of property rights, we build a framework that accomplishes this. Our key argument is that property rights and transaction costs are important antecedents of opportunity discovery. We identify two mechanisms that establish this influence and examine alternative ways in which knowledge, transaction costs, and property rights influence opportunity discovery and sustainable advantage. Copyright © 2008 Strategic Management Society.
The Theoretical Relationship Between Systematic Risk and Financial (Accounting) Variables

CONSIDERABLE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH HAS been directed to the relationship between financial and accounting variables and market based measures of risk.1 The results of this research indicate that some financial (accounting) variables are highly correlated with a market based measure of risk (beta) and are useful in the prediction of future risk. However, there has been relatively little research into the theoretical relationship between financial variables and market determined risk. Hamada [13, 14] has researched the relationship between portfolio analysis and corporate finance. More specifically, he has shown that the systematic risk of a firm's common stock should be positively correlated with the firm's leverage. The analytical approach used by Hamada will be discussed more thoroughly below. The approach used in this paper to develop a relationship between systematic risk and leverage draws on the earlier work of Hamada. In the later paper, he adopted a different approach to arrive at a similar conclusion. Lev [19] has shown, using the approach adopted by Hamada [14], that a firm's operating leverage (the ratio of fixed to variable operating costs) is a variable affecting systematic risk. Pettit and Westerfield [30] assumed a discounted cash flow valuation model and separated the individual security return into cash flow and capitalization rate components. They proceeded to analytically develop a two factor model of beta.2 Although the approach which they used is promising, the model which they developed was not readily testable. The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical basis for empirical research into the relationship between systematic risk and financial (accounting) variables. Section II develops the assumptions and relationships of the capital asset pricing model. Systematic risk is defined as the /B parameter from this model. In the following sections we will show that, given the assumptions, there is a theoretical relationship between a firm's systematic risk and the firm's leverage and accounting beta. Also, we show that systematic risk is not theoretically related (directly) to the earnings variability, dividends, size or growth of a firm.
Effects of Sodium Concentration and Dialysate Temperature Changes on Blood Pressure in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized, Triple‐Blind Crossover Clinical Trial

The present study investigated the effects of different temperatures and sodium dialysate concentration on blood pressure in hemodialysis patients. Following Williams’ design, hemodialysis patients were randomly assigned into four dialysis modes. Dialysate temperature was set at 37°C for modes A and C and, 35°C for modes B and D. Sodium concentration was set at 138 mmol/L in modes A and B, while it changed from 150 mmol/L to 138 mmol/L in modes C and D. Using analysis of variance for repeated measures, the mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were investigated. The mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in modes C and D had a significant difference with the values in mode A. The mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients dialyzed with mode B had a significant difference with the values in those dialyzed with mode D. Moreover, there were significant differences in the incidence of hypotension between A and other modes and between B and modes C and D, but this difference was not significant between modes C and D. In order to reduce intradialytic blood pressure fluctuations and hypotension, the nursing staff are recommended to gradually reduce dialysate sodium concentration.