Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Policy Search: Any Local Optimum Enjoys a Global Performance Guarantee

Local Policy Search is a popular reinforcement learning approach for handling large state spaces. Formally, it searches locally in a parameterized policy space in order to maximize the associated value function averaged over some predefined distribution. It is probably commonly believed that the best one can hope in general from such an approach is to get a local optimum of this criterion. In this article, we show the following surprising result: any (approximate) local optimum enjoys a global performance guarantee. We compare this guarantee with the one that is satisfied by Direct Policy Iteration, an approximate dynamic programming algorithm that does some form of Policy Search: if the approximation error of Local Policy Search may generally be bigger (because local search requires to consider a space of stochastic policies), we argue that the concentrability coefficient that appears in the performance bound is much nicer. Finally, we discuss several practical and theoretical consequences of our analysis.
Revising Rules to Capture Requirements Traceability Relations: A Machine Learning Approach

In this paper we present a machine learning approach for generating requirements traceability relations. This approach is based on a new learning algorithm that produces traceability rules which are able to capture traceability relations between requirement statements specified in natural language and object models. The creation of these traceability rules is informed by examples of traceability relations which are provided by the user and is based on a generalisation of other existing traceability rules.
Anti-Vilification Programs in Adolescent Sport

Four post-graduate sport psychology students created and conducted an anti-vilification program for adolescents in sport. The program specifically addressed homophobic bullying in a volleyball organization. In the current article we review homophobic bullying in sport and make recommendations for addressing bullying in sport. We provide an in-depth description of the anti-vilification in sport workshops that were developed for state-level volleyball players. A summary of the participant evaluations of the program is provided and modifications to the workshops are suggested. The context and compliance/recruitment of the participants and the reinforcing role of family and school are discussed.
Mixers and Pumps for Microfluidic Systems , based on Conducting Polymer Oxidation Wave

Electrochemically-active conducting polymers (ECP) swell or shrink in response to ion and solvent incorporation or ejection as a result of electrochemical reaction of the polymer. As a consequence, they are, in principle, attractive materials to consider for inducing fluid motion of electrolytes in microfluidic systems. When anodic potential is applied to an electrode attached to one end of ECP strip, the oxidation process starts from the electrode and proceeds along the polymer, propagating as a wave. This wave is driven as a consequence of the electrochemical reactions and would be coupled to a propagating front of compositional change. This property of the ECP can be used to design pumps and mixers for microfluidic systems. We in this paper have modeled the oxidation wave propagation and its influence in pumping and mixing of electrolytes in a micro-channel using Comsol 3.5a. The swelling and wave propagation of the conducting polymer was modeled using the moving mesh method (ALE) and we here have solved the coupled convectiondiffusion equation and Navier-Stokes equation for finding the velocity and concentration changes in the electrolyte.
Evidence for a TonB‐dependent energy transduction complex in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli TonB protein is required for the active transport of vitamin B12 and Fe(III)‐siderophore complexes across the outer membrane, infection by bacteriophages T1 and φ80, and sensitivity to B‐group colicins. TonB appears to function as an energy transducer in these processes, coupling cytoplasmic membrane electrochemical potential to receptors in the outer membrane. Previous reports have demonstrated that chromosomally encoded TonB is functionally unstable in the absence of protein synthesis (half‐life ∼15–30 minutes) and have shown that plasmid‐encoded, overexpressed TonB is chemically unstable (half‐life ∼5 minutes). In contrast, this study has shown that chromosomally encoded TonB was chemically stable for greater than 90 minutes while maintaining its functional instability. These data suggest that proteolytic degradation of TonB protein is not the basis of its functional instability. Auxiliary proteins such as ExbB also play a role in TonB‐dependent energy transduction. In this study, we have shown that the chemical half‐life of chromosomally encoded TonB in an exbB::Tn10 mutant was reduced at least 18‐fold, suggesting that TonB is a part of a cytoplasmic membrane complex that includes, at the minimum, ExbB. These results also suggest that the chemical instability of plasmid‐encoded TonB resulted when the TonB ExbB ratio was too high and are consistent with previous observations that plasmid‐encoded ExbB can stabilize plasmid‐encoded TonB. The exbB mutation also resulted in a significant decrease in TonB function as measured by the ability of cells to adsorb bacterio‐phage Φ80. In a previous study, strains carrying a tolQ nonsense mutation in combination with an exbB mutation were observed to mimic a tonB phenotype, suggesting that either ExbB or TolQ can alternatively activate TonB. In contrast, we have shown that neither the chemical half‐life nor the function of TonB are affected by the tolQ mutation, and thus, unlike ExbB, TolQ plays a minimal role in TonB‐dependent processes.
Organisational Culture and Workplace Corruption in Government Hospitals

This study examines corruption attitudes and norms in government hospitals in the Philippines. It tests a culture-building model that advocates communication of desired values, leadership role modelling, employee role modelling, alignment of systems and structures, training and evaluation, and reinforcement. Results reveal components that influence corruption attitudes and norms. Communication predicted individual attitudes or acceptability of corrupt acts. Leadership, systems, and controls predicted the prevalence of corrupt acts. Employee role modelling predicted both acceptability of and the prevalence of corrupt acts. In addition, there is a positive relationship between individual attitudes and organisation norms reinforcing the dyadic relationship between the two.
Preparing teachers for sexuality education

It was a pleasant fall day and my trip to Wheatfield, New York, was a short and enjoyable one, though I was unaware of all of that as I rehearsed in my mind the workshop I was traveling to Wheatfield to conduct. I had been asked to provide an experience on the topic, "Being More Comfortable Discussing Sexuality," for a few hundred "senior citizens. " That the organizers specifically wanted me to conduct this workshop I interpreted as flattering, and I anticipated a rousing reception. Little did I know what was really in store for me! When I arrived at the high school in which the workshop was to be held, I was escorted to the large multipurpose room to survey the environs and to assure myself the necessary instructional aids were provided. I was relieved to notice the slide projector and screen I had requested because I planned on opening my presentation with slides I had prepared specifically for this workshop. Before too much longer, the workshop participants began arriving. They entered the multipurpose room in groups that made it obvious they were preorganized in some way, which I was later to realize was a significant clue I should not have overlooked. There were about 250 participants ranging in age from 70 to 85, with approximately half as many males as females. After a brief introduction, I began by instructing the audience to look at the words I projected on the screen and, in unison, to shout those words out loudly. "Any questions? " I asked. There being
Far-field energy harvesting rectifier analysis

An accurate equivalent circuit model to predict the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD) is presented in this paper. By making use of good insight into the used SBD models and careful analysis of circuit behavior, more efficient rectifier circuits have been identified. An increase in circuit efficiency of 18-25% is shown compared to state of the art, resulting in 20-180% more available energy from the rectifying circuit. Also the accuracy of the simulation results has increased significantly. All the simulations in this paper are performed in a conjugately matched environment, which allows for an objective comparison of different Schottky diodes.
Optimization aided loop shaping for motion systems

An approach is proposed which improves the quality and speed of manual loop shaping. Loop shaping is an iterative and creative controller design procedure where the control engineer uses frequency response function (FRF) data of the plant to shape the open loop response such that it satisfies stability, performance and robustness specifications. The advantage compared to automated controller design methods is that the control engineer can exploit all available a priori knowledge and expertise about the plant during the design process. As an assisting tool in manual loop shaping, we add a global optimization method, i.e. a genetic algorithm, where the objective function resembles as good as possible what the control engineer wants. As a result, the tuning process is substantially accelerated. The approach has been implemented in a Matlab-based control tuning tool showing good results
Instructional Environments in Secondary Vocational Education Programs: Implications for LD Adolescents

As increasing numbers of students with learning disabilities and other mild handicaps enroll in secondary vocational education, it becomes imperative for LD teachers to be knowledgeable about the characteristics of these programs and the instructional and behavioral demands students will be expected to meet. In this study, 30 secondary vocational educators were observed for a total of 116 observational sessions to gather data on the instructional environment of vocational education programs. Observational data were collected on curricular content, curricular format, student behavior, teacher behavior, and teacher focus. Differences between the data obtained on exploratory and preparatory programs were analyzed. Results indicate that the two types of programs pose somewhat different sets of demands, and that LD adolescents may require continuing support from the secondary special educator if they are to experience success in these programs.
INSTTUTE FOR RESEARCH ON POVERTYD , scWl ~ ~ ~ LABOR ALLOCATION AND WAGE STRUCTURE : TOWARD TESTING THE ALTERNATIVES

*Erasmus University Rotterdam; presently Visiting Project Associate. I have greatly benefited from the very stimulating research environment and m9-ny helpful discussions at the Institute. b ABSTRACT This paper outlines four existing theories dealing with income distribution and labor market allocation. Predictions on the proper specification of wage equations are derived and testing procedures are prop0sed. Since theories dealing with allocation under imperfect information are found unsatisfactory, a new model is proposed, incorporating the assumption that improved information comes along with experience, and testable predictions are also made in this situation. Some hints at the relevant empirical literature are given.
The LDL to HDL Cholesterol Ratio as a Valuable Tool to Evaluate Coronary Heart Disease Risk

The current National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines recommend specific target levels of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) for determining cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and evaluating the effectiveness of lipid-lowering therapies. While there is a growing consensus that levels of apolipoprotein (apo) B and the ratio of apo B/apo A-I are more accurate predictors of CVD risk, the question has been raised as to whether it is realistic to expect patients and health professionals to switch from cholesterol-based guidelines to apolipoprotein-based guidelines. Because it will take time before apolipoprotein terminology is recognized by the general public and recommended by the NCEP Adult Treatment panel to evaluate risk, it may be more efficacious to continue adhering to the already familiar and proven measurements of the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. The following review provides evidence that the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio continues to be a valuable and standard tool to evaluate CVD risk in all populations.
The prevalence and phenomenology of psychotic symptoms in dementia sufferers

One hundred patients referred to old age psychiatry services in the West Midlands and 25 patients referred to a memory clinic in Bristol with mild to moderate dementia were assessed using the GMS/HAS schedule together with a detailed inventory to assess their psychotic symptoms. On careful evaluation one patient did not have dementia. Eighty‐three of the other 124 patients (66.9%) had at least one psychotic symptom. The prevalence of psychotic symptoms in the patients from the West Midlands and from the memory clinic in Bristol were extremely similar. Thirty‐five per cent had at least one visual hallucination, 12.9% had at least one auditory hallucination, 48.4% had at least one delusional belief and 29.0% had at least one delusional misperception. Most individuals experienced their psychotic symptoms at a frequency between weekly and daily. Twenty‐four had no insight into their psychotic symptoms and acted upon them, while only one patient had full insight into their symptoms. Thirty‐seven subjects were mildly distressed and 14 were severely distressed by the psychotic symptoms they experienced. There was a trend for patients with cortical Lewy body dementia to be more likely to have psychotic symptoms than patients with Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia. The symptom profile of psychotic symptoms in the different dementias was, however, very similar. The frequencies of individual psychotic symptoms are described in the text.
Model and Performance Evaluation of Field-Effect Transistors Based on Epitaxial Graphene on SiC

In view of the appreciable semiconducting gap of 0.26 eV observed in recent experiments, epitaxial graphene on a SiC substrate seems a promising channel material for FETs. Indeed, it is 2-D-and therefore does not require prohibitive lithography-and exhibits a wider gap than other alternative options, such as bilayer graphene. Here, we propose a model and assess the achievable performance of a nanoscale FET based on epitaxial graphene on SiC, conducting an exploration of the design parameter space. We show that the current can be modulated by four orders of magnitude; for digital applications, an Ion/Ioff ratio of 50 and a subthreshold slope of 145 mV/dec can be obtained with a supply voltage of 0.25 V. This represents a significant progress toward solid-state integration of graphene electronics, but not yet sufficient for digital applications.
Julgamento perceptivo da gravidade do desvio fonológico por três grupos distintos

PURPOSE: to compare the severity of phonological disorder from the perceptual analysis of three distinct groups of judges. METHODS: the research consisted of two samples, one to be assessed with 30 individuals with phonological disorder with ages between 4:1 to 7:11, and another sample that comprises the judges (five speech therapists, five laypeople and five mothers). We evaluated the spontaneous speech of the children through a three logical sequence narrative to be assessed by the judges, accompanied by a grid where to register the severity level. For data analysis, the mode of 90 pieces of narratives was carried through, making possible the statistical analysis of the data based on Kappa Concordance Analysis. RESULTS: the analysis showed higher concordance level among the groups of judges in the extremes of the possibilities of assessment (mild and severe), being more difficult the judgment of mild-moderate and moderate-severe. CONCLUSION: we observed that it was easier for judges to act in the identification and judgment of those subjects with severe (higher) and mild (lower) speech severities. The laypeople have more difficulty to judge accurately the severity of phonological disorder than mothers and speech therapists.
A comparative review of statistical methods for discovering differentially expressed genes in replicated microarray experiments

MOTIVATION A common task in analyzing microarray data is to determine which genes are differentially expressed across two kinds of tissue samples or samples obtained under two experimental conditions. Recently several statistical methods have been proposed to accomplish this goal when there are replicated samples under each condition. However, it may not be clear how these methods compare with each other. Our main goal here is to compare three methods, the t-test, a regression modeling approach (Thomas et al., Genome Res., 11, 1227-1236, 2001) and a mixture model approach (Pan et al., http://www.biostat.umn.edu/cgi-bin/rrs? print+2001,2001a,b) with particular attention to their different modeling assumptions. RESULTS It is pointed out that all the three methods are based on using the two-sample t-statistic or its minor variation, but they differ in how to associate a statistical significance level to the corresponding statistic, leading to possibly large difference in the resulting significance levels and the numbers of genes detected. In particular, we give an explicit formula for the test statistic used in the regression approach. Using the leukemia data of Golub et al. (Science, 285, 531-537, 1999), we illustrate these points. We also briefly compare the results with those of several other methods, including the empirical Bayesian method of Efron et al. (J. Am. Stat. Assoc., to appear, 2001) and the Significance Analysis of Microarray (SAM) method of Tusher et al. (PROC: Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 98, 5116-5121, 2001).
Stress‐dependent and ‐independent expression of the myogenic regulatory factors and the MARP genes after eccentric contractions in rats

The relationship between muscle mechanical conditions and gene expression was investigated by varying both stress and contraction mode imposed upon rat dorsiflexors (n= 25), activating them at high or low frequencies (150 Hz or 40 Hz) either eccentrically or isometrically. Muscle physiological, immunohistochemical and gene expression changes were then measured 24 h after the exercise bout. Peak stress was the best predictor of muscle injury, independent of contraction mode (i.e. eccentric or isometric). When peak stresses were matched, no physiological or immunohistochemical differences were detected between isometric and eccentric contractions. The expression of certain myogenic regulatory and muscle ankyrin repeat protein (MARP) genes (myoD, myogenin, MLP and CARP) depended both on peak muscle stress achieved during contraction and contraction mode. In contrast, Arpp/Ankrd2 was dramatically upregulated only by eccentric contractions, but not by isometric contractions, even though the stress level of the eccentric contractions varied over a three‐fold range and overlapped with that of the isometric group. The role that Arpp/Ankrd2 upregulation plays in the biological response to eccentric contraction remains to be determined, as does the control mechanism whereby the expression of certain genes (such as myoD, myogenin, MLP and CARP) is sensitive to muscle stress while another (Arpp/Ankrd2) is sensitive only to contraction mode.
An optimal algorithm for the distinct elements problem

We give the first optimal algorithm for estimating the number of distinct elements in a data stream, closing a long line of theoretical research on this problem begun by Flajolet and Martin in their seminal paper in FOCS 1983. This problem has applications to query optimization, Internet routing, network topology, and data mining. For a stream of indices in {1,. ,n}, our algorithm computes a (1 ± ε)-approximation using an optimal O(1/ε-2 + log(n)) bits of space with 2/3 success probability, where 0<ε<1 is given. This probability can be amplified by independent repetition. Furthermore, our algorithm processes each stream update in O(1) worst-case time, and can report an estimate at any point midstream in O(1) worst-case time, thus settling both the space and time complexities simultaneously. We also give an algorithm to estimate the Hamming norm of a stream, a generalization of the number of distinct elements, which is useful in data cleaning, packet tracing, and database auditing. Our algorithm uses nearly optimal space, and has optimal O(1) update and reporting times.
Oxygen uptake kinetics as a determinant of sports performance

Abstract It is well known that physiological variables such as maximal oxygen uptake ( ), exercise economy, the lactate threshold, and critical power are highly correlated with endurance exercise performance. In this review, we explore the basis for these relationships by explaining the influence of these “traditional” variables on the dynamic profiles of the response to exercise of different intensities, and how these differences in dynamics are related to exercise tolerance and fatigue. The existence of a “slow component” of during exercise above the lactate threshold reduces exercise efficiency and mandates a greater consumption of endogenous fuel stores (chiefly muscle glycogen) for muscle respiration. For higher exercise intensities (above critical power), steady states in blood acid–base status and pulmonary gas exchange are not attainable and will increase with time until is reached. Here, we show that it is the interaction of the slow component, , and the “anaerobic capacity” that determines the exercise tolerance. Essentially, we take the view that an appreciation of the various exercise intensity “domains” and their characteristic effects on dynamics can be helpful in improving our understanding of the determinants of exercise tolerance and the limitations to endurance sports performance. The reciprocal effects of interventions such as training, prior exercise, and manipulations of muscle oxygen availability on aspects of kinetics and exercise tolerance are consistent with this view.