Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variable Sparsity Kernel Learning

This paper presents novel algorithms and applications for a particular class of mixed-norm regularization based Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) formulations. The formulations assume that the given kernels are grouped and employ l1 norm regularization for promoting sparsity within RKHS norms of each group and ls, s≥2 norm regularization for promoting non-sparse combinations across groups. Various sparsity levels in combining the kernels can be achieved by varying the grouping of kernels---hence we name the formulations as Variable Sparsity Kernel Learning (VSKL) formulations. While previous attempts have a non-convex formulation, here we present a convex formulation which admits efficient Mirror-Descent (MD) based solving techniques. The proposed MD based algorithm optimizes over product of simplices and has a computational complexity of O(m2ntot log nmax/e2) where m is no. training data points, nmax,ntot are the maximum no. kernels in any group, total no. kernels respectively and e is the error in approximating the objective. A detailed proof of convergence of the algorithm is also presented. Experimental results show that the VSKL formulations are well-suited for multi-modal learning tasks like object categorization. Results also show that the MD based algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art MKL solvers in terms of computational efficiency.
Public health significance of four cardiovascular risk factors assessed 25 years ago in a low prevalence country

Background: The individual and combined effect of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (RFs) on CVD mortality varies between populations. Our aim was to examine this association and its public health impact in Switzerland, a country with comparably low CVD mortality. Methods: We included 9853 men and women aged 25⊟74 years who participated in the Swiss MONICA (MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovscular disease) study (1983⊟1992) and were followed up for survival until 2008. Adjusted Cox regression was used to calculate CVD mortality hazard ratios (HR). CVD-RFs were obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2), smoking (≥1 cig/d), high blood pressure (≥140 or ≥90 mmHg), and total: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (≥5.0). Besides age and sex, models were adjusted for diet, physical activity, educational class, marital status, and the respective other CVD-RFs. Results: After adjustment for age and sex, the HR of CVD death was for obesity 1.86 (95% CI 1.50–2.31), for smoking 1.63 (95% CI 1.32–2.01), for high blood pressure 1.42 (95% CI 1.16–1.73), and for high cholesterol ratio 1.30 (95% CI 1.06–1.60). Adjustment for other covariates moderately attenuated estimates. CVD-RFs had an independent and synergistic effect and accounted for 43.0% of population attributable risk. The presence of all four compared to zero CVD-RFs was associated with a 9.6 years shorter expected survival for a man aged 50. Conclusions: Most CVD deaths could be avoided by prevention of four traditional CVD-RFs. Reduction of smoking prevalence and avoidance of weight gain in the population are the most effective measures. Particular attention should be dedicated to persons with multiple CVD-RFs.
Sample sizes for trials involving multiple correlated must‐win comparisons

In Clinical trials involving multiple comparisons of interest, the importance of controlling the trial Type I error is well‐understood and well‐documented. Moreover, when these comparisons are themselves correlated, methodologies exist for accounting for the correlation in the trial design, when calculating the trial significance levels. However, less well‐documented is the fact that there are some circumstances where multiple comparisons affect the Type II error rather than the Type I error, and failure to account for this, can result in a reduction in the overall trial power. In this paper, we describe sample size calculations for clinical trials involving multiple correlated comparisons, where all the comparisons must be statistically significant for the trial to provide evidence of effect, and show how such calculations have to account for multiplicity in the Type II error. For the situation of two comparisons, we provide a result which assumes a bivariate Normal distribution. For the general case of two or more comparisons we provide a solution using inflation factors to increase the sample size relative to the case of a single outcome. We begin with a simple case of two comparisons assuming a bivariate Normal distribution, show how to factor in correlation between comparisons and then generalise our findings to situations with two or more comparisons. These methods are easy to apply, and we demonstrate how accounting for the multiplicity in the Type II error leads, at most, to modest increases in the sample size. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Population of data in web-tables schema

Tabular data is an existing source of information available on the web. We have started working on collection of HTML tables taken from the web. Firstly good quality tables will be identified then schema matching is done. Schema Matching identifies the number of correspondences which determines the similar elements from two different schemas. Columns and data values are compared one after the other to match schema. While searching for tabular data on the web search engine may return URL instead of returning tabular data which is main issue. So we are working on this issue we extracted data of tabular web-pages and extracted their schema and then done matching of schema by identifying the correspondence of similar elements through corpus-based technique. After schema matching, we populated data of HTML pages through joining related tables in one HTML table, which is more appropriate and helpful for users.
PM2.5 components mixture and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease mortality: a national analysis of Medicare enrollees.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is adversely linked to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, most studies focused on PM2.5 mass rather than its chemical composition. PM2.5's individual chemical components can have distinct, cumulative, and potentially synergistic health impacts. We investigated the associations of PM2.5's composition and sources with ASCVD mortality, considering the combined associations and regional variations in the US. We used data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, (65,838,403 person-years) from 2000 to 2016. We estimated PM2.5 exposure using machine-learning models and attributed components to five source categories. We used Poisson survival models to assess the associations with the source categories. Higher ASCVD mortality risk (RR [95% CI] per interquartile range increase) was associated with oil combustion (1.050[1.049;1.051]), industrial (1.054[1.052;1.056]), coal/biomass burning (1.064[1.062;1.067]), and traffic sources (1.044[1.042;1.046]). Comparing source-specific effects within each region, oil combustion effects were more pronounced in the East and Midwest, and coal/biomass burning effects were more pronounced in the West and Southwest. In conclusion, we found higher ASCVD mortality risk associated with PM2.5, with differential effects across sources and US regions. These associations persisted even after limiting our sample to ZIP code-years with PM2.5 <9 g/m3 - the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This highlights the importance of consideration of local population characteristics and exposure patterns when assessing health risks associated with PM2.5.
Decentralized control of mobile robotic sensors: Vicsek's model with cosine similarity measure

We investigate the control of a team of randomly heading mobile robots to reach asymptotic consensus for almost sure. Vicsek's model is based on the state of an agent and its neighbours. The inspiration from Vicsek's model leads to a locally computed nearest neighbour rule. In the nearest neighbour rule, a mobile robotic sensor always assigns an equal weighting factor to itself and every nearest neighbour coming under its communication range. We consider Salton's cosine similarity measure among the nearest neighbours of a mobile robotic sensor and the nearest neighbours are not always equally weighted. Consequently, some of the nearest neighbour mobile robots become influential and play an effective role in reaching a consensus value. After introducing the similarity measure among the nearest neighbours, we have compared the obtained simulation results with that of simple nearest neighbour rule. We conclude that the algorithm becomes fast after including the similarity measure among the nearest neighbours of a mobile robot.
Psychological distress after COVID-19 recovery and subsequent prolonged post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: A longitudinal study with 1-year follow-up in Japan.

Background: This study investigated the longitudinal association between psychological distress in the post-acute phase and the subsequent prolonged post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) among individuals with PASC. Methods: An online longitudinal survey with 1-year interval was conducted from July to September 2021 (T1) and July to September 2022 (T2). Individuals who were 20-years-old or older, had a positive Polymerase Chain Reaction test, were one month post-infection, and did not select 'Nothing' to a question regarding PASC presence were included. The primary outcome was the presence of PASC at T2. The presence of general, respiratory, muscular, neurological, gastrointestinal, dermatological, and cardiac symptoms at T2 was also used as an outcome among patients with relevant symptoms at time 1 (T1). Exposure was measured using the Kessler distress scale (K6) at T1, and those whose K6 was 13 or higher were identified as having psychological distress. Marginal structure models with robust standard errors were used to examine the association between psychological distress at T1 and any PASC symptoms at T2, and the associations between psychological distress and each symptom at T2 among participants with relevant symptoms at T1. Results: A total of 1674 patients were analyzed; 17% had psychological distress. ; In total, 818 (48.9%), 523 (31.2%), and 672 (40.1%) patients reported general, respiratory, and neurological symptoms at T1, respectively. Individuals with psychological distress had higher odds of any symptoms at T2 (Odds Ratio [OR] =1.81, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]= 1.08 - 3.03) and general and respiratory symptoms at T2 among participants with relevant symptoms at T1 (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.02 - 3.76; OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.03 - 5.80). Conclusion: Psychological distress in the post-acute phase may lead to prolonged PASC symptoms, mainly general and respiratory symptoms, at the 1-year follow-up in individuals with PASC.
Multiresolution Surface Reconstruction for Hierarchical B-splines

This paper presents a method for automatically generating a hierarchical B-spline surface from an initial set of control points. Given an existing mesh of control points , a mesh with half the resolution , is constructed by simultaneously approximating the finer mesh while minimizing a smoothness constraint using weighted least squares. Curvature measures of are used to identify features that need only be represented in the finer mesh. The resulting hierarchical surface accurately and economically reproduces the original mesh, is free from excessive undulations in the intermediate levels and produces a multiresolution representation suitable for animation and interactive modelling.
Mechanism of extramedullary haematopoiesis in rabbits with saponin‐induced myelofibrosis and myeloid metaplasia

Summary. The saponin‐induced myelofibrosis and myeloid metaplasia model in the rabbit was used to study mechanisms of extramedullary haematopoiesis. Haematopoietic progenitor cells, erythroid colony forming units (CFU‐E) and burst forming units (BFU‐E) were assayed serially in the peripheral blood, spleen and bone marrow after saponin administration, employing the in vitro, methylcellulose culture technique. Animals that had undergone splenectomy prior to saponin administration were also studied. The results demonstrated increases of progenitor cells in the blood and spleen and a simultaneous depletion of such cells in marrow after saponin treatment. The results in splenectomized animals were similar to those observed in non‐splenectomized animals after saponin administration. The findings indicate that following saponin administration there is a release of CFU‐E and BFU‐E from bone marrow into periphery and probably deposition in the spleen, and suggest that myeloid metaplasia in myelofibrosis may result from colonization of extramedullary sites originating from the bone marrow.
Learning Word Representations from Relational Graphs

Attributes of words and relations between two words are central to numerous tasks in Artificial Intelligence such as knowledge representation, similarity measurement, and analogy detection. Often when two words share one or more attributes in common, they are con- nected by some semantic relations. On the other hand, if there are numerous semantic relations between two words, we can expect some of the attributes of one of the words to be inherited by the other. Motivated by this close connection between attributes and relations, given a relational graph in which words are inter-connected via numerous semantic relations, we propose a method to learn a latent representation for the individual words. The proposed method considers not only the co-occurrences of words as done by existing approaches for word representation learning, but also the semantic relations in which two words co-occur. To evaluate the accuracy of the word representations learnt using the proposed method, we use the learnt word representa- tions to solve semantic word analogy problems. Our experimental results show that it is possible to learn better word representations by using semantic semantics between words.
The comparison of the effectiveness of a modified conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis with denaturing high performance liquid chromatography.

BACKGROUND Several methods have been developed for detection of sequence variation in genes and each has its advantages and disadvantages. A disadvantage of them is that the simpler, cost-effective methods are commonly perceived as being less sensitive in their detection of sequence variation, whereas those with proven sensitivity have a requirement for complex or expensive laboratory equipment. In this context, we undertook improvements to the conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis (CSGE) method which provides a cost-effective approach to mutation detection and compared the results with scanning carried out using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) which utilises a dedicated analyser. METHODS We designed PCR primers to amplify the seven protein-coding exons of the human SPP2 gene which encodes secreted phosphoprotein 24 (spp24) such that the amplified products included the immediately-adjacent intronic regions. Five improvements were made to the CSGE method that was used to the scan the PCR-amplified DNA. The scanning was then repeated using DHPLC and the results were compared. RESULTS Using CSGE, a single nucleotide polymorphism was discovered in exon 2 and another in intron 2 of the gene. Re-scanning of the same regions by DHPLC detected no additional sequence polymorphisms. CONCLUSION With modification of the original protocol, CSGE is capable of providing a simple and cost-effective approach to the detection of DNA sequence polymorphisms that appears to be comparable in sensitivity to DHPLC.
Autophagy inhibition enhances anthocyanin-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Anthocyanins extracted from the berries of Phillyrea latifolia L. , Pistacia lentiscus L. , and Rubia peregrina L. , three evergreen shrubs widely distributed in the Mediterranean area, were examined for their antioxidant and anticancer activity. The P. lentiscus anthocyanins showed the highest H2O2 and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil radical scavenging effects, indicating that these compounds can be considered as an alternative source of natural antioxidants for food and pharmaceutical products. Here, we also report a novel function of anthocyanins: the induction of autophagy, a process of subcellular turnover involved in carcinogenesis. Autophagy was characterized by the up-regulation of eIF2α, an autophagy inducer, and down-regulation of mTOR and Bcl-2, two autophagy inhibitors. This led to the enhanced expression of LC3-II, an autophagosome marker in mammals, and monodansylcadaverine incorporation into autolysosomes. Anthocyanin-induced autophagy switched to apoptosis, as shown by the activation of Bax, cytochrome c and caspase 3, terminal deoxynucleotide transferase–mediated dUTP nick-end labeling–positive fragmented nuclei, and cells with sub-G1 DNA content, which were prevented by z-VAD. Inhibition of autophagy by either 3-methyladenine or Atg5 small interfering RNA enhanced anthocyanin-triggered apoptosis. This provided evidence that autophagy functions as a survival mechanism in liver cancer cells against anthocyanin-induced apoptosis and a rationale for the use of autophagy inhibitors in combination with dietary chemopreventive agents. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(8):2476–85]
Qualitative analysis of coping strategies among mexican disaster survivors

This study describes the various coping strategies reportedly used by survivors after a disaster. Using unstructured interviews, 27 Mexicans (16 women, 11 men) were asked to recount how they coped with a specific disaster and its aftermath. Interviews were carried out in three cities: Guadalajara, Jalisco (n=10), Homestead, Florida (n=6) and Puerto Angel, Oaxaca (n=11). Guadalajara experienced a neighbourhood sewer explosion, whereas Homestead and Puerto Angel experienced Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Paulina, respectively. Analysis of common themes revealed seeking support, seeking meaning, problem solving, and avoidance as primary coping strategies in all three cities. Seeking support was the most commonly cited coping strategy. Seeking support may be a universal coping strategy for disaster survivors, whereas other coping strategies varied by context-specific factors such as type of disaster, resource availability, and stage of disaster recovery. Implications for future coping research and interventions are discussed.
Development, Theoretical Framework, and Evaluation of a Parent and Teacher–Delivered Intervention on Adolescent Vaccination

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended immunization schedule for adolescents includes three vaccines (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis [Tdap]; human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccine; and meningococcal conjugate vaccine [MCV4]) and an annual influenza vaccination. Given the increasing number of recommended vaccines for adolescents and health and economic costs associated with nonvaccination, it is imperative that effective strategies for increasing vaccination rates among adolescents are developed. This article describes the development, theoretical framework, and initial first-year evaluation of an intervention designed to promote vaccine acceptance among a middle and high school–based sample of adolescents and their parents in eastern Georgia. Adolescents, parents, and teachers were active participants in the development of the intervention. The intervention, which consisted of a brochure for parents and a teacher-delivered curriculum for adolescents, was guided by constructs from the health belief model and theory of reasoned action. Evaluation results indicated that our intervention development methods were successful in creating a brochure that met cultural relevance and the literacy needs of parents. We also demonstrated an increase in student knowledge of and positive attitudes toward vaccines. To our knowledge, this study is the first to extensively engage middle and high school students, parents, and teachers in the design and implementation of key theory-based educational components of a school-based, teacher-delivered adolescent vaccination intervention.
Reducing morpho-phonetic confusion in sub-word based Uyghur ASR

Sub-word units like morphemes are selected as the lexicon for highly inflectional languages, as they can provide better coverage and a smaller vocabulary size. However, short units shrink the context of statistical models, prone to morpho-phonetic changes, and not always outperform the word based model. When sequence of units are merged or split, unit boundaries are phonetically harmonized in the speech which reflects as the morpho-phonetic changes in the text. This paper investigates morpho-phonetic confusions in the sub-word segmentation of Uyghur text, and phonetic reasons which affect automatic speech recognition (ASR) accuracy. An optimal lexicon set is obtained by comparing ASR results of different layers of lexica, which avoids phonetic confusions in the frequently misrecognized morpheme sequences. This optimal lexicon, which is obtained totally from a HMM based acoustic model, outperformed all the baseline linguistic units. And when all these units are directly incorporated a deep neural network (DNN) based acoustic model, without changing the training corpora and language models, the optimal lexicon not only drastically improved the ASR accuracy but also outperformed other units as a proof of the generality of our approach. Experimental results demonstrate that the optimal lexicon obtained by reducing morpho-phonetic confusions exhibits better ASR accuracy and robustness.
An Evidence-Based Perspective on HRD

The problem and the solution. Historically, human resource development (HRD) has been a “fourth-order” consideration in strategic discussion within most organizations and is likely to continue to be so unless HRD professionals adopt new approaches to practice that have first-or second-order impact in helping to create high-performance organizations and sustainable success.The purpose of this article is to provoke thought and reflection on the recent emergence of “evidencebased” approaches to HRD practice by discussing their relevance to organizational leaders, managers, HRD practitioners, and other HR professionals concerned with bringing about effective and beneficial organizational change and development. How such approaches might become commonplace throughout the HRD business is also discussed and illustrated.
Self-Esteem and Physical Development in Early Adolescence:

Relations between self-esteem, pubertal timing, and body image were investigated with a representative sample of Scottish schoolgirls 11 (n = 1,012, X = 11.53 years, SD = 0.32) and 13 (n = 799, X = 13.53, SD = 0.32) years of age. Data were derived from the Health Behaviour in School Children: WHO Cross-National Survey, specifically the Scottish survey. Among 11-year-olds, early maturation and lower ratings of body image (body size and perceived appearance) were associated with lower reported levels of selfesteem. There also was evidence that body image mediated the relation of pubertal timing on self-esteem for this age group. Among 13-year-olds, reports of body size concerns and poorer perceived appearance were predictive of lower ratings of self-esteem, as was late maturation. In this case, there was no evidence of mediation. Results lend support to the contention that pubertal timing influences body image and self-esteem.