Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis in the General Population: Identification of High-Risk Groups

Background and Purpose— Because of a low prevalence of severe carotid stenosis in the general population, screening for presence of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (ACAS) is not warranted. Possibly, for certain subgroups, screening is worthwhile. The present study aims to develop prediction rules for the presence of ACAS (>50% and >70%). Methods— Individual participant data from 4 population-based cohort studies (Malmö Diet and Cancer Study, Tromsø Study, Carotid Atherosclerosis Progression Study, and Cardiovascular Health Study; totaling 23 706 participants) were pooled. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine which variables predict presence of ACAS (>50% and >70%). Calibration and discrimination of the models were assessed, and bootstrapping was used to correct for overfitting. Results— Age, sex, history of vascular disease, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein ratio, diabetes mellitus, and current smoking were predictors of stenosis (>50% and >70%). The calibration of the model was good confirmed by a nonsignificant Hosmer and Lemeshow test for moderate (P=0.59) and severe stenosis (P=0.07). The models discriminated well between participants with and without stenosis, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve corrected for over optimism of 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.80–0.84) for moderate stenosis and of 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.85–0.90) for severe stenosis. The regression coefficients of the predictors were converted into a score chart to facilitate practical application. Conclusions— A clinical prediction rule was developed that allows identification of subgroups with high prevalence of moderate (>50%) and severe (>70%) ACAS. When confirmed in comparable cohorts, application of the prediction rule may lead to a reduction in the number needed to screen for ACAS.
Lexicon-based sentiment analysis of Arabic tweets

Sentiment analysis (SA) and opinions mining (OM) are used to evaluate users' feedbacks and comments on issues related to news, products, services, etc. This topic has received increasing interests over the last decade due to the spread and expansion of social networks. SA for online reviews poses challenges to researchers and decision makers because such comments are written in unstructured formats with usually informal languages, expressions and possibly mixed languages. For Arabic, further challenges exist due to the language complexity and the limited number of research publications and datasets collected and analysed for such purpose. In SA, two approaches are generally used to determine the polarity of reviews: supervised (corpus-based) and unsupervised (lexicon-based). In this work, we follow the second approach and build a very large sentiment lexicon and a lexicon-based SA tool. The results show that the proposed tool performs very well.
Accurate reconstructions of functions of finite regularity from truncated Fourier series expansions

Kowledge of a truncated Fourier series expansion for a 2π-periodic function of finite regularity, which is assumed to be piecewise smooth in each period, is used to accurately reconstruct the corresponding function. An algebraic equation of degree M is constructed for the M singularity locations in each period for the function in question. The M coefficients in this algebraic equation are obtained by solving an algebraic system of M equations determined by the coefficients in the known truncated expansion. If discontinuities in the derivatives of the function are considered, in addition to discontinuities in the function itself, that algebraic system will be nonlinear with respect to the M unknown coefficients. The degree of the algebraic system will depend on the desired order of accuracy for the reconstruction, i.e., a higher degree will normally lead to a more accurate determination of the singularity locations. By solving an additional linear algebraic system for the jumps of the function and its derivatives up to the arbitrarily specified order at the calculated singularity locations, we are able to reconstruct the 2π-periodic function of finite regularity as the sum of a piecewise polynomial function and a function which is continuously differentiab1e up to the specified order
The Neurotrophins BDNF, NT‐3 and NT‐4/5, But Not NGF, Up‐regulate the Cholinergic Phenotype of Developing Motor Neurons

Although developing motor neurons express low‐affinity nerve growth factor (NGF) receptors, there is no known biological effect of NGF on developing or adult motor neurons. In this study, we found that, unlike NGF, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin‐3 (NT‐3) and neurotrophin‐4/5 (NT‐4/5) stimulated cholinergic phenotype by increasing choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in cultures enriched with embryonic rat motor neurons. Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) also stimulated CAT activity. The effects of BDNF and NT‐4/5 on CAT activity appeared to be synergistic with that of CNTF. Cotreatment with BDNF and NT‐3 resulted in an additive effect, suggesting that signal transduction was mediated through different high‐affinity receptors tyrosine kinases B and C (Trk B and Trk C). However, cotreatment with BDNF and NT‐4/5 did not result in an increase in CAT activity greater than that of either BDNF or NT‐4/5 alone, suggesting that their effects were mediated via the same receptor Trk B. Supporting our findings that spinal cholinergic neurons are responsive to trophic actions of members of the neurotrophin family, motor neuron‐enriched cultures were found to express mRNA for Trk B and Trk C, which have been identified as high‐affinity receptors for BDNF and NT‐4/5, and NT‐3, respectively.
On the stability of visual servoing using a 3D-camera

Besides conventional 2D image information, a special laser-based camera delivers depth information related to each image dot, i.e. a full 3D image. Such camera systems suggest themselves for increasing autonomy of robots and vehicles. If instead of distances/angles between camera and objects some image coordinates of features are used as control output variables the resulting control scheme is referred to as Image-Based Visual Servoing (IBVS). After a short introduction into the principles of IBVS, a general parametric control scheme (based on the image-jacobian-matrix) is given and its stability properties are discussed, both, for a general camera configuration and for the particular case of the 3D-camera. It turns out that in this particular case stability can be proved by investigating the semi-definiteness of the derivative V of some Lyapunov function V which is the main result of this paper.
Surface Envelope Glycoprotein Is B-Lymphocyte Immunodominant in Sheep Naturally Infected with Ovine Progressive Pneumonia Virus

ABSTRACT The B-lymphocyte-immunodominant antigen involved in naturally ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV)-infected mature sheep remains unknown. Therefore, the amount of antibody in sera from 10 naturally OPPV-infected sheep was evaluated by immunoprecipitation (IP) of the major viral proteins in [35S]methionine/cysteine-labeled OPPV (whole virus) lysate. Using an excess of OPPV proteins in whole-virus lysate, 8 out of 10 sheep had the highest serum antibody IP endpoint titers to the gp135 surface envelope glycoprotein (SU). Also, 2 out of 10 sheep had equivalent serum antibody IP endpoint titers to the transmembrane glycoprotein oligomer (TM90) and SU. Since these data indicate that SU is the immunodominant protein in most mature sheep persistently infected with OPPV, SU-specific diagnostic serological assays can be utilized for OPPV diagnosis.
Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Prevention Mechanisms in Cloud Computing Environment : A Review

Cloud computing is eye-catching of the next IT Industries discussion word. Though, as cloud computing is still in its infant stages, current acceptance is connected with various challenges like security, performance, availability etc. In cloud computing where communications are shared by potentially millions of users, (DDoS) attacks have the prospect to much greater collision than against single tenanted architectures. Last few years, it is revealed that DDoS attacks method and tools are becoming stronger, effective and difficult to trace to the actual attackers. The main objective of this review paper is to focus on some of the mitigation techniques and defensive parameters that can be minimized during the event of attack; thus, to safeguard the countermeasures of DDoS attacks in the Cloud computing environment.
White LED Based on YAG : Ce,Gd Phosphor and CdSe–ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots

Core/shell CdSe-ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with a peak emission wavelength of 618 nm and size of ~ 5.5 nm were synthesized by thermal deposition approach. High photoluminescence efficiency with a quantum yield of more than 48% has been achieved. Red-shift of a peak emission wavelength from 532 to 568 nm was realized by doping Gd3+ ions into the YAG : Ce3+ to substitute some Y3+ ions. To compensate the poor color rendering index (CRI) of the YAG : Ce-based white light-emitting diode (LED) due to the lack of red spectral component, CdSe-ZnS QDs were blended into YAG : Ce3+ , Gd3+ phosphors. Prominent spectral evolution has been achieved by increasing the content of QDs. White LED combining a blue LED with the blends of phosphor and QDs with a weight ratio of 1:1, has been demonstrated with an improved CRI value of 90.
Defining Patient-Perceived Quality of Nursing Care

Many patient satisfaction instruments are not based on patient perceptions, theoretically limiting their validity. This qualitative study identified good nursing care from the patient's perspective, using a convenience sample of 199 hospitalized adult patients in a public hospital in South Central United States. Content analysis yielded five themes: providing for my needs, treating me pleasantly, caring about me, being competent, and providing prompt care. Similarities and differences were found between these themes and themes identified in other qualitative studies, as well as instruments, for which item generation was based upon qualitative patient data. Implications for providers, administrators, and researchers are discussed.
Accurate interferometric retardance measurements.

A two-polarization Michelson interferometer with a low-retardance beam splitter and digital signal processing is used to measure the retardance of optical devices. Error analysis of the improved optical system and data processing shows that the measurement has an uncertainty of 0.039 degrees for measurements of nominally 90 degrees retarders. Retardance variations arising from coherent reflections in the retarder used for intercomparison add an uncertainty of from 0.005 degrees to 0.03 degrees , increasing the combined measurement uncertainty to as much as 0.049 degrees .
Electron and hole mobilities in silicon as a function of concentration and temperature

An analytical expression has been derived for the electron and hole mobility in silicon based on both experimental data and modified Brooks-Herring theory of mobility. The resulting expression allows one to obtain electron and hole mobility as a function of concentration up to\sim 10^{20}cm-3in an extended and continuous temperature range (250-500 K) within ± 13 percent of the reported experimental values.
A Low-Power Electromechanical Digital Readout

The construction of two types of seven-segment electromechanical digital readouts is described and analyzed. One type makes use of seven revolving cylinders; the other type is based on seven translating bars. The cylinders and bars contain permanent magnets which are activated by small electromagnets. The lowest power design requires only 0.9 mJ per segment, which can easily be supplied by present-day integrated circuits.
Proxies for Success: How the Application Process Correlates to PhD Pursuit for a Small Diversity Research Program

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) diversity research programs seek to make progress in increasing the number of underrepresented students that pursue STEM at the highest degree levels. Yet few programs have outlined their path to help students achieve the STEM PhD. Our program, Opportunities in Genomics Research (OGR), showed significant increases in PhD matriculation over 8 years of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. We explored typical measures, which include grade point average (GPA), institution classification, and graduate school ranking, and found that these measures alone do not explain the improved outcomes. We examined changes in the application materials as proxies for commitment to a PhD degree. These data show a significant correlation of desired degree pursuit to increased proxies and proxy type (open- or close-ended questions answered by applicant or referee). We demonstrate that changes in application procedures for diversity research programs correlate to improved program outcomes with statistical significance.
LVRT and power smoothening of DFIG-based wind turbine systems using energy storage devices

This paper proposes a ride-through technique of doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbine systems. The control technique uses energy storage devices (ESD) which are controlled with current and power control loops. During grid faults, the generator output power can be reduced by increasing the generator speed, resulting in increased inertial energy of the rotational body. Also, the output power fluctuation of the generator due to wind speed variation is smoothened by controlling the ESD appropriately. The PSCAD/EMTDC simulation results have proved the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
The Efficacy of Structural Priming on the Acquisition of Double Object Construction by Chinese EFL Learners

Structural priming refers to the tendency of speakers to reuse the same structural pattern as one that was previously encountered (Bock, 1986). The effectiveness of structural priming has been an issue of much discussion in the field of second language acquisition over decades. This study aims at investigating the role of structural priming in Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners’ acquisition of double object (DO) construction. Specifically, it addresses two questions: (i) whether structural priming can facilitate second language acquisition of English DO construction in the short-term and long-term; (ii) whether different priming conditions by manipulating the intervening lags between prime and target have different learning effect. With a pretest-treatment–posttest–delayed posttest research design, 60 intermediate level Chinese EFL learners from three intact English classrooms in a junior college were assigned to three groups: control group, no-lag priming group and long-lag priming group. Results showed that the two treatment groups showed an overall increase in DO production in picture description tasks after the structural priming treatment, whereas the control group remained almost the same in target structure production over the three testing sessions. In addition, the no-lag priming group outperformed the long-lag priming group in the immediate posttest. These findings suggested that structural priming facilitated Chinese EFL learners’ acquisition of DO construction both in the short-term and long-term. Moreover, manipulating the lags between prime and target can only mediate the short-term learning effect. These results are analyzed in light of frequency effect and contextual effect in the frame of usage-based theory of language acquisition.
Parent–Adolescent Discrepancies in Perceived Parental Sacrifice and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes in Poor Chinese Families

Parents and adolescents perceive family processes differently. This study examined how convergence and divergence of parent-perceived and adolescent-perceived parental sacrifice influenced adolescent developmental outcomes in a sample of 275 poor intact Chinese families in Hong Kong. The results of polynomial regression analyses indicated that the interaction of fathers' and adolescents' perceptions of paternal sacrifice negatively predicted adolescent resilience and cognitive competence. Similar findings were identified in maternal sacrifice. Cluster analysis further showed that adolescents exhibited greater resilience and cognitive competence in families with parent-adolescent convergent perceptions of high levels of parental sacrifice than did those in families with parent-adolescent divergent views. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the results are discussed.
Power losses analysis in interleaved flyback based PV grid connected micro-inverters

This paper analyzes the power losses of photovoltaic micro-inverters based on flyback topology. A double secondary winding flyback converter topology was considered to inject alternating current into the grid. The purpose of this work is the identification and quantification of the different power losses present in a simple flyback topology and in the interleaved version with two different control strategies. The power losses comparison was carried out after designing a 250 W power converter using commercial, low cost components. Simulations in Matlab/Simulink environment highlighted the effectiveness of the interleaved architecture.
Modeling language family expansions

This paper presents properties of a computer simulation of language migration. It takes as input a simulated phylogeny and a database of today’s populated places. At each time step, a language moves within a geographical quadrilateral defined by the minimal number, ch, of choices of populated places within the quadrilateral. The result is a constrained random walk defined by a combination of the ch parameter and the landscape, which comes into play via the restriction of the walk to populated places. The distribution of move distances is qualitatively similar across values of ch and resembles a Gamma distribution. Through comparisons with densities of real-world language families, the values of ch which yield the closest fits between real and simulated data are found.
Instrumental Variables with Unrestricted Heterogeneity and Continuous Treatment

This article discusses identification in continuous triangular systems without restrictions on heterogeneity or functional form. We do not assume separability of structural functions, restrictions on the dimensionality of unobservables, or monotonicity in unobservables. We do maintain monotonicity of the first stage relationship in the instrument and consider the case of real-valued treatment. Under these conditions alone, and given rich enough support of the data, potential outcome distributions, the average structural function, and quantile structural functions are point identified. If the support of the continuous instrument is not large enough, potential outcome distributions are partially identified. If the instrument is discrete, identification fails completely. If treatment is multi-dimensional, additional exclusion restrictions yield identification. The set-up discussed in this article covers important cases not covered by existing approaches such as conditional moment restrictions (cf. Newey and Powell, 2003) and control variables (cf. Imbens and Newey, 2009). It covers, in particular, random coefficient models, as well as systems of structural equations.
A Graphical Interface to a Parallel Solver: PSGE Description Through an Application

The paper describes a graphical interface to a parallel solver of systems of linear algebraic equations. The interface is used to simplify the process of preparing an environment for the parallel computations on Windows operating systems. The application has been run on a Windows 2000 based cluster of PCs. The solver part has been written in C, so that it was possible to implement and run it on two other Linux clusters for the results comparison.
Literature review of electric vehicle technology and its applications

This paper reviews the technical background of electric vehicle technology and its applications. A number of important concepts frequently used in this field are explained, and the technical details, including the theoretical principles, are given alongside practical systems pertaining to several kinds of electric charging piles. It critically appraises a number of state-of-the-art research progresses in this field developed within the last ten years. Finally, it points out the future potential research directions regarding electric vehicle technology and its applications, especially of charging techniques. By reading this review paper, readers will not only grasp a technical background of electric vehicle technology, but also gain a full picture of the research field.
HR Roles Effectiveness and HR Contributions Effectiveness: Comparing Evidence from HR and Line Managers

As the importance of human resource increases to the business, so does also the need to ensure its effective management. This study compared HR and line managers’ evaluation of the effectiveness of the HR department in terms of its roles and contributions to the firm using a multi-perspective view of effectiveness. Survey responses from 108 HR and 140 line managers from 108 large manufacturing and service firms in Malaysia showed significant differences in the ratings by HR and line managers. HR managers, quite unsurprisingly, rated higher both dimensions of the HR effectiveness as compared to line managers. For a comprehensive evaluation of HRM, the study reaffirms the need for a client-centered evaluation of effectiveness given that self-assessment is always exaggerated.
Low Complexity Interference Alignment for mmWave MIMO Channels in Three-Cell Mobile Network

Millimeter wave (mmWave) communications are an important candidate technique in 5G networks for features, supporting ultra-dense small cells and mobile data offloading. However, ultra-dense nodes and increasing data traffic bring in vast interference. This paper investigates low complexity non-iterative interference alignment (IA) schemes for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) interference broadcast channels in mmWave communications. The authors focus on the three-cell mobile network model in which each base station supports no more than two users within its cell. There is already a closed-form IA solution for the case that one cell has two users, while the other two have one user in each, which can be denoted as {2,1,1}. This paper considers different settings and proposes corresponding IA schemes. First, two IA schemes based on multi-step for the asymmetric setting {2,2,1} are presented, five degree of freedom (DoF) could be achieved. Then, for the symmetric setting {2,2,2}, a novel IA solution with lower complexity and a joint method combining IA with non-iterative multi-user MIMO technique are proposed, and they can achieve six DoF. The simulation results indicate that our non-iterative schemes have similar sum-rate capacity performances with the iterative ones in existing work, and the complexity is effectively reduced.