Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linear Stochastic Approximation: Constant Step-Size and Iterate Averaging

We consider $d$-dimensional linear stochastic approximation algorithms (LSAs) with a constant step-size and the so called Polyak-Ruppert (PR) averaging of iterates. LSAs are widely applied in machine learning and reinforcement learning (RL), where the aim is to compute an appropriate $\theta_{*} \in \mathbb{R}^d$ (that is an optimum or a fixed point) using noisy data and $O(d)$ updates per iteration. In this paper, we are motivated by the problem (in RL) of policy evaluation from experience replay using the \emph{temporal difference} (TD) class of learning algorithms that are also LSAs. For LSAs with a constant step-size, and PR averaging, we provide bounds for the mean squared error (MSE) after $t$ iterations. We assume that data is \iid with finite variance (underlying distribution being $P$) and that the expected dynamics is Hurwitz. For a given LSA with PR averaging, and data distribution $P$ satisfying the said assumptions, we show that there exists a range of constant step-sizes such that its MSE decays as $O(\frac{1}{t})$. We examine the conditions under which a constant step-size can be chosen uniformly for a class of data distributions $\mathcal{P}$, and show that not all data distributions `admit' such a uniform constant step-size. We also suggest a heuristic step-size tuning algorithm to choose a constant step-size of a given LSA for a given data distribution $P$. We compare our results with related work and also discuss the implication of our results in the context of TD algorithms that are LSAs.
Visual Target Tracking Algorithm via Multi-scale Block and Sparse Representation

In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to deal with the problem of visual tracking in some challenging situations, which is based on sparse representation and multi-scale block. To build target templates, we select distinguishable features between the target and background in each frame of video sequences, dictionary is built by the multi-scale block of target templates. Then, particle filter generates filter distribution in the next frame, the moving target is framed by affine transformation. To describe the current state of the target, we calculate posterior probability for each particle. Finally, the templates are updated online. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is superior in accuracy than the classical tracking algorithm, and it has better robustness against to the target posture changes, partial occlusion and illumination variations.
A conditional self-inactivating retrovirus vector that uses a tetracycline-responsive expression system

We developed a novel conditional self-inactivating (C-SIN) vector, TL-SN, by replacement of the enhancer-promoter of the 3' long terminal repeat of Moloney murine leukemia virus with a synthetic tetracycline operator-cytomegalovirus promoter (tetP) from the tetracycline-responsive expression system (TRES). The other component of the TRES, a chimeric transactivator (tTA), was stably incorporated into PA317 amphotropic packaging cells, thus generating the packaging cell line PA317-tTA. C-SIN amphotropic G418-resistant virus particles were generated with a titer of 2 x 10(5) CFU/ml within 2 days of transinfection of PA317-tTA cells with TL-SN ecotropic virus particles. This titer was approximately 2 log units higher than that obtained by transinfection of parental PA317 cells and was due to the high level of viral transcripts originating from the tetP promoter at the 5' end of the transduced vector in the presence of tTA. Our C-SIN vector has the potential for use in human gene therapy since it incorporates the advantages of previous SIN vectors in having weak tetP promoter activity (in the absence of tTA in target cells) while at the same time achieving high viral titers with PA317-tTA packaging cells.
A novel EWS–ERG rearrangement generating two hybrid mRNAs in a peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour (pPNET) with a t(15;22) translocation

The occurrence of a t(15;22) translocation in a peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour (pPNET) has been previously reported. Molecular examination revealed the presence in tumour mRNA of two hybrid transcripts containing the 5′ portion of the EWS gene fused to the 3′ portion of the ERG gene. Sequence analyses indicated that both aberrant mRNAs most likely originated from the same rearrangement, which produced different hybrid isoforms due to the presence of an alternatively spliced exon in the ERG gene. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the detection of two hybrid EWS–ERG mRNAs within the same tumour. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Understanding Learning Preferences in the Business School Curriculum

The authors aimed to understand the learning preferences of business school students and generally understand the teaching strategies and course contents that would be conducive to these preferences. They began by making some observations on the nature of the ideal business school curriculum, and they present the results of a student survey on learning preferences that served to test some of these observations. They conclude by proposing a general unified approach to learning and teaching.
Title Gp Reimbursement and Visiting Behaviour in Ireland Gp Reimbursement and Visiting Behaviour in Ireland Department of Economics University College Dublin Belfield Dublin 4

The UCD community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters! (@ucd_oa) Some rights reserved. For more information, please see the item record link above. SUMMARY In Ireland, approximately 30 per cent of the population (" medical cardholders ") receive free GP services while the remainder (" non-medical cardholders ") must pay for each visit. In 1989, the manner in which GPs were reimbursed by the State for their medical cardholder patients was changed from fee-for-service to capitation while other patients continued to pay on a fee-for-service basis. Concerns about supplier-induced demand were in part responsible for this policy change. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the utilisation of GP services is influenced by the reimbursement system facing GPs, by comparing visiting rates for the two groups before and after this change. Using a difference-indifferences approach on pooled micro-data from 1987, 1995 and 2000, we find that medical card eligibility exerts a consistently positive and significant effect on the utilisation of GP services. However, the differential in visiting rates between medical cardholders and others did not narrow between 1987 and 1995 or 2000, as might have been anticipated if supplier-induced demand played a major role prior to the change in reimbursement system.
Contrast Tuning in Auditory Cortex

The acoustic features useful for converting auditory information into perceived objects are poorly understood. Although auditory cortex neurons have been described as being narrowly tuned and preferentially responsive to narrowband signals, naturally occurring sounds are generally wideband with unique spectral energy profiles. Through the use of parametric wideband acoustic stimuli, we found that such neurons in awake marmoset monkeys respond vigorously to wideband sounds having complex spectral shapes, preferring stimuli of either high or low spectral contrast. Low contrast–preferring neurons cannot be studied thoroughly with narrowband stimuli and have not been previously described. These findings indicate that spectral contrast reflects an important stimulus decomposition in auditory cortex and may contribute to the recognition of acoustic objects.
Constructions of binary constant-weight cyclic codes and cyclically permutable codes

A general theorem is proved showing how to obtain a constant-weight binary cyclic code from a p-ary linear cyclic code, where p is a prime, by using a representation of GF(p) as cyclic shifts of a binary p-tuple. Based on this theorem, constructions are given for four classes of binary constant-weight codes. The first two classes are shown to achieve the Johnson upper bound on minimum distance asymptotically for long block lengths. The other two classes are shown similarly to meet asymptotically the low-rate Plotkin upper bound on minimum distance. A simple method is given for selecting virtually the maximum number of cyclically distinct codewords with full cyclic order from Reed-Solomon codes and from Berlekamp-Justesen maximum-distance-separable codes. Two correspondingly optimum classes of constant-weight cyclically permutable codes are constructed. It is shown that cyclically permutable codes provide a natural solution to the problem of constructing protocol-sequence sets for the M-active-out-of-T-users collision channel without feedback. >
Learning a multiscale patch-based representation for image denoising in X-RAY fluoroscopy

Denoising is an indispensable step in processing low-dose X-ray fluoroscopic images that requires development of specialized high-quality algorithms able to operate in near real-time. We address this problem with an efficient deep learning approach based on the process-centric view of traditional iterative thresholding methods. We develop a novel trainable patch-based multiscale framework for sparse image representation. In a computationally efficient way, it allows us to accurately reconstruct important image features on multiple levels of decomposition with patch dictionaries of reduced size and complexity. The flexibility of the chosen machine learning approach allows us to tailor the learned basis for preserving important structural information in the image and noticeably minimize the amount of artifacts. Our denoising results obtained with real clinical data demonstrate significant quality improvement and are computed much faster in comparison with the BM3D algorithm.
The evolution of key skills: towards a tawney paradigm

Abstract This article charts the evolution of key skills from ‘A Basis for Choice’ to the present day. It is an annotated history of key skills and seeks to present a coherent view of how the current list emerged, and why issues such as formal assessment, integration and a two-tier skills structure have become part of post-16 reform. The article examines the social, economic, political and philosophical influences on the evolution of key skills and, in particular, how the Dearing Report and current government thinking has been influenced by the thinking of R. H. Tawney. The article identifies the emergence of a new compromise paradigm based on Tawney and concludes with a brief discussion on the likely future development of key skills within the context of a new flexible qualifications structure.
Modeling and Visualizing Bacterial Colony Purification Without the Use of Bacteria or Laboratory Equipment †

Microorganisms typically exist in diverse and heterogeneous communities within their various environmental niches. The isolation of an individual species from these communities is an essential laboratory skill to study of the properties and behaviors of that organism. To achieve this separation, the “quadrant streak” for single colony purification is often included in undergraduate microbiology laboratory curricula. To aid student mastery of this technique, I have developed a simulated culture purification activity that allows students to immediately visualize the dilution and separation of an artificial microbial community with the goal of isolating purified colonies. This tool uses readily available, inexpensive, art supplies to simulate a mixed bacterial culture. The “mixed culture” consists of craft glitter of at least two distinct colors, held together with water-soluble, highly pigmented watercolor or gouache paint. Students practice aseptic technique by using a paintbrush to mimic an inoculating loop to streak and dilute the culture on a piece of cardstock. Sterilization of the “loop” is simulated by rinsing the brush. Students will immediately self-assess whether they are correctly performing the quadrant streak, rather than having to wait until the next laboratory session for bacteria to grow, which may allow them to master the technique sooner.
Does the Introduction of Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy Jeopardize Patient Safety and Well-Being?

Background/Purpose: Despite retrospective data indicating short-term superiority for laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy compared to open distal pancreatectomy, the implementation of the procedure has been slow. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients operated with laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy during the early phase of introduction are at higher risk for complications than patients operated with open distal pancreatectomy. Methods: A retrospective single-center analysis of patients operated with laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (n = 37) from the introduction of the procedure and comparison regarding demographic data, preoperative data, operative factors, and postoperative outcomes to patients operated with open distal pancreatectomy was done. Results: Operation duration shortened (195 vs 143 min, p = 0.04) and severe complications reduced (37% vs 6%, p = 0.02) significantly in the laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy group between the first half of the study and the second half. Blood loss was significantly (p < 0.001) lower in the laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy group (75 mL) than in the open distal pancreatectomy group (550 mL), while complication rate and hospital stay as well as the percentage of radical resections were the same. Conclusion: Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy can be introduced without jeopardizing patient safety and well-being during the early learning curve. The procedures should be compared in a prospective randomized manner.
Association between serum selenium level and conversion of bacteriological tests during antituberculosis treatment* **

Objective: To determine whether serum selenium levels are associated with the conversion of bacteriological tests in patients diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis after eight weeks of standard treatment. Methods: We evaluated 35 healthy male controls and 35 male patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, the latter being evaluated at baseline, as well as at 30 and 60 days of antituberculosis treatment. For all participants, we measured anthropometric indices, as well as determining serum levels of albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and selenium. Because there are no reference values for the Brazilian population, we used the median of the serum selenium level of the controls as the cut-off point. At 30 and 60 days of antituberculosis treatment, we repeated the biochemical tests, as well as collecting sputum for smear microscopy and culture from the patients. Results: The mean age of the patients was 38.4 ± 11.4 years. Of the 35 patients, 25 (71%) described themselves as alcoholic; 20 (57.0%) were smokers; and 21 (60.0%) and 32 (91.4%) presented with muscle mass depletion as determined by measuring the triceps skinfold thickness and arm muscle area, respectively. Of 24 patients, 12 (39.2%) were classified as moderately or severely emaciated, and 15 (62.5%) had lost > 10% of their body weight by six months before diagnosis. At baseline, the tuberculosis group had lower serum selenium levels than did the control group. The conversion of bacteriological tests was associated with the CRP/albumin ratio and serum selenium levels 60 days after treatment initiation. Conclusions: Higher serum selenium levels after 60 days of treatment were associated with the conversion of bacteriological tests in pulmonary tuberculosis patients.
Multiresolution rendering by sewing trimmed NURBS surfaces

Most of the industrial parts are designed as trimmed NURBS. For their efficient rendering multiresolution models are needed. To create such models without artifacts at the trimming curves, one needs to sew parts together along the common boundaries. Due to the problem of determining the geometric places in 3D space along the trimming curves where sewing should be done, current approaches need to have a priori neighbourhood information of the patches and this way they do not provide an automatic solution to create large connected models just from a set of surfaces. In this paper we describe a method, which automatically determines common boundaries of trimmed NURBS surfaces and sews along them. Such a method provides us a non-manifold or manifold structure, which can be handled using standard multi-resolution techniques. Several examples of industrial data demonstrate the efficiency and applicability of our new method. The introduced techniques will also be included into the OpenSG scenegraph API [8] as the basic tool for NURBS rendering.
Learning in higher education – how cognitive and learning styles matter

The cognitive and learning styles research domain is a highly complex one which has recently been the focus of rigour–relevance debates (Coffield et al. 2004; Evans and Sadler-Smith 2006; Rayner 2006). There is considerable support for the existence and value of style as a construct (Sternberg 1996) even though further work is needed to evidence greater impact on practice. This paper shares the work and experiences of one international research community – the European Learning Styles Information Network (ELSIN) and its attempts to advance understanding of the theory and application of cognitive and learning styles in higher education and other contexts. In so doing it highlights the principles around the development, collation and integration of research as exemplified by the ELSIN experience and considered by other research domains in higher education. Future directions for cognitive and learning styles research within the context of higher education are outlined along with the role of ELSIN in highlighting and leading on these.
A novel robust and high reliability spatial correlation optical flow algorithm based on median motion estimation and bidirectional symmetry flow technique

Changing in light condition and representative of noise in sequences cause ineffectively in most of motion estimation techniques. This paper proposes a novel robust spatial correlation optical flow algorithm based on the robust motion estimation and effective confidence technique using bidirectional symmetry of forward and backward flow. Experiment results are comprehensively tested on several standard sequences such as AKIYO, COASTGUARD, CONTAINER, and FOREMAN that have different foreground and background movement characteristic. The experiment is tested under the Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) at several noise power levels (such as AWGN at 25 dB (low noise), AWGN at 20 dB, and AWGN at 15 dB (high noise) respectively) in order to demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) is used as the performance indicator in our experiment.
The Toast++ software suite for forward and inverse modeling in optical tomography

Abstract. We present the Toast++ open-source software environment for solving the forward and inverse problems in diffuse optical tomography (DOT). The software suite consists of a set of libraries to simulate near-infrared light propagation in highly scattering media with complex boundaries and heterogeneous internal parameter distribution, based on a finite-element solver. Steady-state, time- and frequency-domain data acquisition systems can be modeled. The forward solver is implemented in C++ and supports performance acceleration with parallelization for shared and distributed memory architectures, as well as graphics processing computation. Building on the numerical forward solver, Toast++ contains model-based iterative inverse solvers for reconstructing the volume distribution of absorption and scattering parameters from boundary measurements of light transmission. A range of regularization methods are provided, including the possibility of incorporating prior knowledge of internal structure. The user can link to the Toast++ libraries either directly to compile application programs for DOT, or make use of the included MATLAB and PYTHON bindings to generate script-based solutions. This approach allows rapid prototyping and provides a rich toolset in both environments for debugging, testing, and visualization.
Crafting a Global Teaming Model for Architectural Knowledge

In this paper, we present the Global Teaming Model (GTM), which is empirically grounded, and outlines practices that managers need to consider when managing virtual teams. We explain how the model can be adapted to specific areas of software development, and use architectural knowledge management (AKM) as our exemplar. We focus on specific practices relating to how teams collaborate and share essential architectural knowledge across multiple sites. Through a review of the literature, we develop an in-depth view of recommended practices associated with AKM in a global environment. We then consider how we can incorporate these AKM practices into our Global Teaming model to ensure managers are given the necessary support. Our contribution to research therefore is to present AKM practices within the context of all other Global Software Development processes.
In Quest of Productive Modeling-Based Learning Discourse in Elementary School Science

The purpose of this study was to investigate whole classroom discourse during modeling- based learning in science, seeking to describe the discourse's characteristics, its relation to the micro- context in which it took place and to the student-constructed models, and to ascertain when it becomes productive. Additionally, we aimed to describe how whole classroom modeling discourse in science may be better supported by the teacher as well as the role of the modeling tool. In doing so, we analyzed student conversations and student-constructed models from two groups of 11- to 12-year-old students. All students used a computer programming environment, namely Stagecast Creator, as a modeling tool. Findings revealed three distinct discourse types (modeling frames): (a) (initial) phenomenological description, (b) operationalization of the physical system's story, and (c) construction of algorithms. Finally, we discuss what we consider productive modeling discourse, as well as the contributions of the software and the teacher in this respect. 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 919-951, 2011
Notice of RetractionPerformance of La-CuO/TiO2 nanoparticles prepared for photoconversion of CO2

Various loading amount of La-CuO/TiO<sub>2</sub> were synthesized via a one step sol-gel process. The crystal structure and chemical properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD analysis revealed that two characteristic peaks at 35.54° and 38.76° according to cubic CuO were observed in the X-ray diffraction patterns of La-CuO/TiO<sub>2</sub>. Ti<sup>4+</sup>, O<sub>lat</sub> into TiO<sub>2</sub> crystal lattice and Cu<sup>2+</sup> were determined using XPS. The synthesized La-CuO/TiO<sub>2</sub> was applied to the CO<sub>2</sub> photoconversion and the yield of the major product, formaldehyde, was used to evaluate the photocatalytic performance. The 0.1wt. %La-CuO/TiO<sub>2</sub> had the highest photocatalytic activity, and the yield of formaldehyde achieved 953.53 μmol/g·cat. after 6 h of UV illumination. Both the loading of lanthanum and composition of CuO were beneficial to improve the photoefficiency of the catalysts.