Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and ischemic stroke

Background: Some studies in recent years showed that carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), indicator of the presence of atherosclerosis, was higher in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in comparison with normal subjects. They concluded that NAFLD patients may be resulted in more cardiovascular events. Hence, we aimed to study the association of NAFLD and ischemic stroke. Methods: For this reason, 110 brain magnetic resonance imaging confirmed ischemic stroke patients and 110 patients age and sex matched controls went through liver ultrasound to detect NAFLD and common carotid ultrasound to measure IMT. Demographic and vascular risk factors were detailed for all subjects. Results: NAFLD was found in 47 (42.7%) of ischemic stroke patients and 25 (22.7%) of controls. By adjusting sex and age in table 2, odds ratio (OR) for NAFLD was 2.15 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25-3.71) that was statistically significant (P = 0.006). However, after adjusting for other confounding risk factors (waist circumference, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, low-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine, body mass index, cigarette smoking, and ischemic heart disease), the OR decrease to 1.68 (95% CI: 0.42-6.76) that was not statistically significant (P = 0.460). The OR for IMT of right and left common carotid was 1.23 (95% CI: 0.48-3.15) and 1.24 (95% CI: 0.57-2.69), respectively that none of them were statistically significant. Conclusion: Although the risk of occurrence of ischemic stroke is higher in NAFLD patients, but NAFLD is not associated independently with ischemic stroke.
Sparse sampling: Spatial design for monitoring stream networks

Spatial designs for monitoring stream networks, especially ephemeral systems, are typically non-standard, `sparse' and can be very complex, reflecting the complexity of the ecosystem being monitored, the scale of the population, and the competing multiple monitoring objectives. The main purpose of this paper is to present a review of approaches to spatial design to enable informed decisions to be made about developing practical and optimal spatial designs for future monitoring of streams.
SIGNAL SUBSPACE ESTIMATION IN HYPERSPECTRAL DATA FOR TARGET DETECTION APPLICATIONS

Dimensionality Reduction (DR) is a crucial first st ep in many hyperspectral processing algorithms. In some applications, such as target detection, change dete ction and classification, it is important to preserve the inf ormation associated to rare pixels, i.e. pixels scarcely represented in the data and containing spectral components that ar e linearly independent of the background. This paper presents a new method, unsupervised and fully automatic (i.e., it does not depend on tuning param eters), to estimate the signal subspace addressing both the abundant and the rare vectors subspaces. Experimental result s demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms other state of the art algorithms and hence provides effe ctive new options for dimensionality reduction of hyperspectr al remote sensing imagery.
Effective Performance Comparative Analysis of Pro-AODV Routing Protocol in MANET using NS-2

Mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) is a wireless communication between mobile nodes, self-configured and multi hop network. This communication takes place by routing protocols in effective and efficient manner, when mobile nodes moving in dynamic topology. Ad-hoc OnDemand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol is one among the best reactive routing protocol. The efficient Protocol (AODV) is to explore the characteristics; it is used to forward data packets without much packet loss. In this paper to overcome the problem frequent link failure due to mobility of the nodes in the network. The main causes for link break due to mobility between nodes such as node failure and node power off. The effective performance comparison on AODV routing protocol of sensitive problem on link break route in MANET. The Existing AODV (EX-AODV), Proposed AODV (PRO-AODV) routing protocol to examine and results the mobility of intermediate node under link break due to mobility. The Pro-AODV routing protocol results is better than the existing AODV protocol. The test simulation and results are carried out to quality network using NS-2, based on the performance metrics packet loss, average end-to-end delay and throughput. The outstanding NS-2 simulating tool is better result gives among all other simulators in wireless adhoc network. Keywords—MANET, AODV, Link break, Pro-AODV, Performance matrices, NS-2.35 Simulator.
What Do Your Look-alikes Say about You? Exploiting Strong and Weak Similarities for Author Profiling

We describe a two-step procedure for author profiling, which first exploits language similarities between users and then aims at discovering more complex dependencies for dissimilar users. The method is motivated by the fact that authors using very similar vocabulary are likely to have similar traits. We use both word-based and text-based features, as well as relying on previous research. The proposed approach gives successful results, especially for gender and age prediction. Moreover, we show the most useful features using relevance measures based on random forests.
Computing Exact p-values for a Cross-correlation Shotgun Proteomics Score Function

The core of every protein mass spectrometry analysis pipeline is a function that assesses the quality of a match between an observed spectrum and a candidate peptide. We describe a procedure for computing exact p-values for the oldest and still widely used score function, SEQUEST XCorr. The procedure uses dynamic programming to enumerate efficiently the full distribution of scores for all possible peptides whose masses are close to that of the spectrum precursor mass. Ranking identified spectra by p-value rather than XCorr significantly reduces variance because of spectrum-specific effects on the score. In combination with the Percolator postprocessor, the XCorr p-value yields more spectrum and peptide identifications at a fixed false discovery rate than Mascot, X! Tandem, Comet, and MS-GF+ across a variety of data sets.
Illusory Bands in Orientation and Spatial Frequency: A Cortical Analog to Mach Bands

Illusory bands at a luminance transition in space (ie an edge) are well known. Here we demonstrate illusory bands of enhanced orientations or spatial frequencies at transitions between higher-contrast and lower-contrast image content along the orientation and spatial-frequency dimensions—the dimensions of cortical spatial coding. We conclude that this illusion is a consequence of cortical-level suppression of units of similar orientations and spatial frequencies and serves to aid texture segmentation while providing efficient neural coding.
Calibrating Volatility Smile Dynamics Using an Ensemble Weighting Method

We present a novel method for calibrating pricing models to incorporate the effects of the volatility Smile and its dynamics. This is made possible by simultaneously calibrating to the Smile surface of European options as well as to prices of Barrier options which encapsulate information on the Smile dynamics. An arbitrary combination of European and simple exotics may be calibrated to without over-fitting or resorting to non-stationary model parameters. This technique has a natural analogy with classical statistical mechanics, and also allows analytic derivation of hedge ratios. Numerical implementation of the calibration method utilises Monte Carlo and PDE approaches and we present results to illustrate its practical use and effectiveness.
Reinforcement Learning with LSTM in Non-Markovian Tasks with Long-Term Dependencies

This paper presents reinforcement learning with a Long Short-Term Memory recurrent neural network: RL-LSTM. Model-free RL-LSTM using Advantage( ) learning and directed exploration can solve non-Markovian tasks with long-term dependencies between relevant events. This is demonstrated in a T-maze task, as well as in a di cult variation of the pole balancing task.
Genetic analysis of the circadian system in Drosophila melanogaster and mammals.

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been a grateful object for circadian rhythm researchers over several decades. Behavioral, genetic, and molecular studies helped to reveal the genetic bases of circadian time keeping and rhythmic behaviors. Contrary, mammalian rhythm research until recently was mainly restricted to descriptive and physiologic approaches. As in many other areas of research, the surprising similarity of basic biologic principles between the little fly and our own species, boosted the progress of unraveling the genetic foundation of mammalian clock mechanisms. Once more, not only the basic mechanisms, but also the molecules involved in establishing our circadian system are taken or adapted from the fly. This review will try to give a comparative overview about the two systems, highlighting similarities as well as specifics of both insect and murine clocks.
Intrusion detection using neural network committee machine

Intrusion detection plays an important role in todays computer and communication technology. As such it is very important to design time efficient Intrusion Detection System (IDS) low in both, False Positive Rate (FPR) and False Negative Rate (FNR), but high in attack detection precision. To achieve that, this paper proposes Neural Network Committee Machine (NNCM) IDS. NNCM IDS consists of Input Reduction System based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Intrusion Detection System, which is represented by three levels committee machine, each based on Back-Propagation Neural Network. To reduce the FNR, the system uses offline System Update, which retrains the networks when new attacks are introduced. The system shows the overall attack detection success of 99.8%.
Adaptive Power Allocation in Wireless Sensor Networks with Spatially Correlated Data and Analog Modulation: Perfect and Imperfect CSI

We address the problem of power allocation in a wireless sensor network where distributed sensors amplify and forward their partial and noisy observations of a Gaussian random source to a remote fusion center (FC). The FC reconstructs the source based on linear minimum mean-squared error (LMMSE) estimation rule. Motivated by the availability of limited energy in the sensor networks, we undertake the design of power allocation based on minimization of the reconstruction distortion subject to a constraint on the network transmit power. The design is based on the following two cases: (i) exact knowledge of the channel gains and (ii) the estimates of the channel gains. We show that the distortion can be represented as a convex function of the transmit powers of the sensors. Moreover, we show that the power allocation based on this distortion function does not bear any closed form solution. To this end, we propose a novel design based on the successive approximation of the LMMSE distortion, which turns out to be simple, computationally efficient, and exhibits excellent convergence properties. The simulation examples illustrate that the proposed design holds considerable performance gain compared to a uniform power allocation scheme.
A variable structure neural network model for mid-term load forecasting of Iran national power system

Mid-term load forecasting is taken into account as one of the most important policies in the electricity market and brings about many financial, commercial and, even, political benefits. In this paper, artificial neural networks are represented for mid-term load forecasting of Iran national power system. To do so, the multi layer perceptron (MLP) neural network as well as radial basis function (RBF) networks are considered as parametric structures. Moreover, because of some problems such as a limitation on the number of data for training networks, the number of neurons and basis functions is also adjusted during the training process. The obtained optimal networks are used to forecast the electricity pick load of the next 52 weeks. Simulation results show the superiority of both proposed structures in the mid-term load forecasting of Iran national power system.
An Antidiiusive Entropy Scheme for Monotone Scalar Conservation Laws

In a recent work J. Sci. Comput. 16 (2001), 479-524, B. Despr es and F. Lagouti ere introduced a new approach to derive numerical schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws. Its most important feature is the ability to perform an exact resolution for a single traveling discontinuity. However their scheme is not entropy satisfying and can keep nonentropic discontinuities. The purpose of our work is, starting from the previous one, to introduce a new class of schemes for monotone scalar conservation laws, that satisfy an entropy inequality, while still resolving exactly the single traveling shocks or contact discontinuities. We show that it is then possible to have an excellent resolution of rarefaction waves, and also to avoid the undesirable staircase eeect. In practice, our numerical experiments show second-order accuracy.
Alignment of Remote Cultures: In Contrast to the Relevance Theory of Communication

As the role of ontology in a multilingual setting becomes important to Semantic Web development, it becomes necessary to understand and model how an original conceptual meaning of a Source Language word is conveyed into a Target Language translation. Terminological ontology [1] is a tool used for knowledge sharing and domain-specific translation, and could potentially be suitable for simulating the cognitive models explaining real-world inter-cultural communication scenarios. In this paper, a framework referred to as the Relevance Theory of Communication [2] is contrasted to an empirical study applying Tversky´s contrast model [3] to data-sets obtained from the terminological ontology. The results indicate that the alignment of two language-dependent terminological ontologies is a potential method for optimizing the relevance required in inter-cultural communication, in other words, for identifying corresponding concepts existing in two remote cultures.
A Nitsche-Based Method for Unilateral Contact Problems: Numerical Analysis

We introduce a Nitsche-based formulation for the finite element discretization of the unilateral contact problem in linear elasticity. It features a weak treatment of the non-linear contact conditions through a consistent penalty term. Without any additional assumption on the contact set, we can prove theoretically its fully optimal convergence rate in the H1(Ω)-norm for linear finite elements in two dimensions, which is O(h^(1/2+ν)) when the solution lies in H^(3/2+ν)(Ω), 0 < ν ≤ 1/2. An interest of the formulation is that, conversely to Lagrange multiplier-based methods, no other unknown is introduced and no discrete inf-sup condition needs to be satisfied.
3D Reconstruction for Telerobotic Welding

We present a technique to reconstruct the environment for telerobotic welding. The welding environment consists of typical textureless object, which causes problem in stereo matching of traditional spacial stereo. Under the novel framework of spacetime stereo, we add artificial texture onto the surface of objects by projecting a multi-level dual monotonously changing "saw-tooth" stripe gray light patterns. The SSD of different image pairs are normalized before added together to find the best matched pixels of the two image sequence. Subpixel disparity is obtained by interpolation and the unreliable regions are removed by intensity tracking and left-right consistent check. The experimental results show the validity of the presented technique.
TerC – an essential protein for the integration of CP 43 into the thylakoid membrane and its assembly into photosystem II

I Summary During evolution, most genes of the cyanobacterial ancestor of plastids were transferred to the nuclear genome of the host cell (endosymbiosis). Consequently, to maintain the physiological properties of plastids, new regulatory elements and protein import machineries have evolved. For proper assembly of the photosystem II complex, whose core proteins are still plastid encoded, several nuclear encoded assembly factors like LPA1, LPA2, LPA3, PAM68 and ALB3 are required. In Arabidopsis thaliana an albinotic and hence seedling lethal mutant was described in previous publications. Thylakoids of terc-1 were devoid of subunits of photosystem II and therefore a crucial role for TerC in the biogenesis of thylakoids was suggested. During this thesis, the function of TerC during the assembly of photosystem II was characterised in-depth. Downregulation of AtTerC transcripts induced by artificial micro RNA (amiR-TerC plants) leads predominantly to a reduction of the photosynthetic performance of photosystem II and to a decreased accumulation of respective proteins. Protein-protein interaction and co-localisation experiments reveal that TerC specifically interacts with subunits of photosystem II, as well as with photosystem II assembly factors. During the stepwise assembly of photosystem II, the insertion of CP43 (Chlorophyll binding protein of 43 kDa) into the CP43 free complex controls the PSII core monomerisation. The function of TerC is attributed to this step based on two dimensional gel analysis and in vivo labelling experiments of plastidic proteins. In both experiments a reduced amount of unassembled CP43 protein and a block before photosystem II core monomerisation is observed. Taken together, a function of TerC in both, the integration of CP43 into the thylakoid membrane and the assembly of CP43 into the photosystem II, is proposed in a two step model: During the first step, TerC, LPA2 and LPA3 together with ALB3 integrate the unfolded form of the CP43 protein into the thylakoid membrane. In a second step, this complex consisting of TerC, LPA2, LPA3 and CP43 joins the CP43-free photosystem II complex and, mediated by interaction of TerC with photosystem II subunits, LPA1 and PAM68 the assembly of monomeric photosystem II is completed.Komplexes ist abgeschlossen.
Equivalence of VSSO and VSVO Kalman Channel Estimators in Doubly-Selective OFDM Systems—A Theoretical Perspective

Vector state-vector observation (VSVO) , and vector state-scalar observation (VSSO) are two types of Kalman estimators that can be used for channel estimation in doubly-selective OFDM systems over wide-sense stationary uncorrelated-scattering (WSSUS) channels. It was shown in that the VSSO Kalman channel estimator resulted in over 90% complexity savings compared to the VSVO Kalman channel estimator and this was achieved without any loss of performance. This inevitably raises the question whether the VSSO and VSVO Kalman channel estimators are computationally equivalent? We attempt to answer this question in this letter and theoretically show the equivalence of the VSSO and VSVO Kalman channel estimator for WSSUS channels.
Design of Cosine Modulated Filter Banks exploiting spline function for spectrum sensing in Cognitive Radio applications

In this paper, Cosine Modulated Filter Bank (CMFB) is designed using Kaiser Window exploiting spline function in transition bandwidth of prototype filter with defined stopband attenuation and channel overlap for spectrum sensing application in Cognitive Radio (CR) systems. A closed form method is used for the designing of CMFB in which passband edge frequency is optimized. Received signal is sensed by the subbands of cosine modulated filter bank and then energy detection is applied on each sub bands which helps in detecting the free holes based on threshold. Energy detection technique is used in spectrum sensing which is used to find out the unused spectrum in Cognitive Radio.
Youth political disaffection and Chile's post-authoritarian political system

This research aims to explain current high levels of political disaffection among Chilean youth, to understand why youths in Chile are particularly more disaffected than other groups, and to comprehend the apparent new way of doing politics that would be emerging among this group. Since the return to democracy in 1990 Chile has experienced good levels of economic development and political stability. However, with the pass of years, Chilean citizens, and particularly young people, have increased their levels of political disaffection. Moreover, lately these feelings have begun to be expressed through strong social movements. This thesis argues that this phenomenon can be principally explained by a large disconnection between the political class and common citizens in Chile, which would be founded on both several institutional and socio-economic legacies of the dictatorship and the way the political transition was made. The relationship between youths and the political system in Chile is analyzed through both quantitative and qualitative analyses. This is done first through the direct analysis of the association between indicators of political disaffection and perceptions about the way of functioning of the Chilean Political system. Moreover, several case studies that express these feelings of disaffection are also analyzed in order to deepen the argument. First, an analysis of the lack of a youth public policy is done in order to describe a specific case that shows that the political system is particularly more disconnected regarding young people. Additionally, the success among youths of the independent presidential candidature of Marco Enriquez-Ominami in 2009 and the educational movements of 2006 and 2011-2012 are also analyzed. This is done also to more deeply comprehend the engenderment of feelings of disaffection but also in order to examine an apparent new way of doing politics that may be emerging among young people.
Automatic pronunciation modelling for multiple non-native accents

This paper describes an automatic method for generating non-native pronunciations and its combination with speaker adaptation to solve the problem of a performance decrease if state-of-the-art speech recognisers are faced with non-native speech. Although being a data-driven approach it overcomes the problem of gathering accented speech data for deriving the non-native variants. It rather uses solely native speech of both languages $the language the speaker is speaking as well as his/her mother tongue. Our experiments showed that using the generated accented variants to enhance the standard pronunciation dictionary in combination with weighted MLLR speaker adaptation outperforms the baseline system by up to 20% and speaker adaptation alone by up to 3%. The approach was tested on English-accented German and on German-accented French and results were consistent throughout both languages. Since our approach relies on native speech data only, it can easily be extended to various accents for different languages.