Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust Quantization for General Similarity Search

The recent years have witnessed the emerging of vector quantization (VQ) techniques for efficient similarity search. VQ partitions the feature space into a set of codewords and encodes data points as integer indices using the codewords. Then the distance between data points can be efficiently approximated by simple memory lookup operations. By the compact quantization, the storage cost, and searching complexity are significantly reduced, thereby facilitating efficient large-scale similarity search. However, the performance of several celebrated VQ approaches degrades significantly when dealing with noisy data. In addition, it can barely facilitate a wide range of applications as the distortion measurement only limits to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> <italic>norm</italic>. To address the shortcomings of the squared Euclidean (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{2,2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> norm) loss function employed by the VQ approaches, in this paper, we propose a novel robust and general VQ framework, named RGVQ, to enhance both robustness and generalization of VQ approaches. Specifically, a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{p,q}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm loss function is proposed to conduct the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{p}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm similarity search, rather than the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> norm search, and the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-th order loss is used to enhance the robustness. Despite the fact that changing the loss function to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{p,q}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> norm makes VQ approaches more robust and generic, it brings us a challenge that a non-smooth and non-convex <italic>orthogonality constrained</italic> <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{p,q}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-<italic>norm function</italic> has to be minimized. To solve this problem, we propose a novel and efficient optimization scheme and specify it to VQ approaches and theoretically prove its convergence. Extensive experiments on benchmark data sets demonstrate that the proposed RGVQ is better than the original VQ for several approaches, especially when searching similarity in noisy data.
The myth of a naturalised male circumcision: Heuristic context and the production of scientific objects

ABSTRACT In March, 2007, the WHO and UNAIDS established a joint recommendation at the Montreux technical consultation, making male circumcision the first surgery to be used as a preventative tool against an infectious disease. This recommendation was immediately followed by the publication of numerous articles denouncing its content, leading to two distinct controversies, one between epidemiologists, and a second between epidemiologists and social scientists. Interestingly, however, none of these works took male circumcision as an issue in itself, exploring neither that both epidemiologists and social scientists had taken the object ‘circumcision’ as a given, nor what each party was referring to when talking about circumcision. In this paper, taking a step back, and building on the notion of heuristic context, I show how the RCTs constructed this object in a very specific way, and how this construction was often lost in translation, leading not only to an illusion of universality, but also to misunderstandings between disciplines regarding what is at stake in global health issues.
Laboratory medicine best practices: systematic evidence review and evaluation methods for quality improvement.

OBJECTIVE To develop methods for systematically reviewing evidence for identifying effective laboratory medicine (LM) practices associated with improved healthcare quality outcomes. RELEVANCE Although many evidence-evaluation systems have been developed, none are designed to include and rate healthcare quality improvement studies to identify evidence-based practices that improve patient safety and LM quality. METHODS Validated evidence-based medicine methods established by governmental agencies, the Guide to Community Preventive Services, and others were adapted for the LM field. Key methods modifications included (a) inclusion of quality improvement study designs; (b) mechanisms for inclusion of unpublished evidence, (c) combining of individual ratings of study quality, effect size, and relevance of outcome measures to evaluate consistency of practice evidence; and (d) deriving an overall strength rating to support evidence-based best practice recommendations. The methods follow the process steps of: ask; acquire; appraise; analyze; apply; and assess. Expert panels used the systematic evidence review results on practice effectiveness for improving healthcare quality outcomes consistent with the Institute of Medicine's healthcare quality aims (safe, timely, effective, equitable, efficient, and patient-centered). CONCLUSIONS Adapting and developing methods from validated systems and applying them to systematically review and evaluate practices in LM by using published and unpublished studies is feasible. With these methods, evidence from quality improvement studies can be systematically synthesized and summarized to identify effective LM practices. Practical and scientifically validated demonstration of a positive impact on outcomes ensures that practitioners, policy makers, and decision makers at all levels have the evidence needed for improving healthcare quality and public health.
Kinodynamic Motion Planning on Vector Fields using RRT *

This report presents a methodology to integrate vector field based motion planning techniques with optimal, differential constrained trajectory planners. The main motivation for this integration is the solution of robot motion planning problems that are easily and intuitively solved using vector fields, but are very difficult to be even posed as an optimal motion planning problem, mainly due to the lack of a clear cost function. Examples of such problems include the ones where a goal configuration is not defined, such as circulation of curves, loitering, road following, etc. While several vector field methodologies were proposed to solve these tasks, they do not explicitly consider the robot’s differential constraints and are susceptible to failures in the presence of previously unmodeled obstacles. To add together the good characteristics of each approach, our methodology uses a vector field as a high level specification of a task and an optimal motion planner (in our case RRT*) as a local planner that generates trajectories that follow the vector field, but also consider the kinematics and the dynamics of the robot, as well as the new obstacles encountered by the robot in its workspace.
Human body model based inertial measurement of sit-to-stand motion kinematics

In the paper a method for measuring kinematics of sit-to-stand motion using inertial sensors and human body model is presented. The proposed method fuses data from inertial sensors and data from three-segment human body model using Extended Kalman filtering technique and in this way alleviates some of the drawbacks associated with inertial sensors. Dynamic human body model is constructed based on principles of Lagrangian dynamics and incorporates shank, thigh and HAT (Head-Arms-Trunk) segments. The moments required in obtained model equations (ankle, knee and hip moments) are calculated based on the EKF last best estimate and Newton-Euler inverse dynamic approach. Outputs from the EKF are segment angles (orientations), angular rates of change (angular velocities) and angular accelerations. The performance of the method is verified by the measurements acquired with Optotrak optical motion analysis system. Obtained results are presented and discussed.
Dynamical networks with on-off stochastic connections: Beyond fast switching

We consider networks whose topology changes in time according to a stochastic rule. While the literature gives insight into the effects of fast stochastic connections, little is known about the effects of slower switching on the evolution of a network.We review recent analytical results on convergence properties of fast switching dynamical networks, including bounds on the probability of converging towards an attractor of a multistable network. We also discuss the advantages of slower switching over fast switching, and consider an example in which slow switching provides opportunities for network synchronization while fast switching does not. It is shown that there is an optimal window in which the switching frequency causes an unstable system to stabilize.
Empirical Analysis Of Factors Influencing The Level Of Job Satisfaction Of Caucasian And Hispanic Accounting Professionals

This study examines the effect of 78 work-related variables on the level of job satisfaction of Caucasian and Hispanic accounting professionals. Factor analysis with Varimax Rotation reduced the number of variables to 12 factor groups for the Caucasian accountants and 11 factor groups for the Hispanic accountants. Data were analyzed using multiple regression models using the level of job satisfaction perceived by the Caucasian or Hispanic accountants as the dependent variable. From the Caucasian regression model, it was found that factors such as supervision, compensation, reporting discrimination, promotion opportunities and organizational culture tend to increase the level of job satisfaction for Caucasian accountants. Discriminatory treatment seems to decrease the job satisfaction for Caucasian accountants. From the Hispanic regression model factors such as compensation, benefits, promotion opportunities, professional development and organizational culture tend to increase the level of job satisfaction for Hispanic accountants.
Regulation of β2-Adrenergic Receptor Function by Conformationally Selective Single-Domain Intrabodies

The biologic activity induced by ligand binding to orthosteric or allosteric sites on a G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) is mediated by stabilization of specific receptor conformations. In the case of the β2 adrenergic receptor, these ligands are generally small-molecule agonists or antagonists. However, a monomeric single-domain antibody (nanobody) from the Camelid family was recently found to allosterically bind and stabilize an active conformation of the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR). Here, we set out to study the functional interaction of 18 related nanobodies with the β2AR to investigate their roles as novel tools for studying GPCR biology. Our studies revealed several sequence-related nanobody families with preferences for active (agonist-occupied) or inactive (antagonist-occupied) receptors. Flow cytometry analysis indicates that all nanobodies bind to epitopes displayed on the intracellular receptor surface; therefore, we transiently expressed them intracellularly as “intrabodies” to test their effects on β2AR-dependent signaling. Conformational specificity was preserved after intrabody conversion as demonstrated by the ability for the intracellularly expressed nanobodies to selectively bind agonist- or antagonist-occupied receptors. When expressed as intrabodies, they inhibited G protein activation (cyclic AMP accumulation), G protein–coupled receptor kinase (GRK)–mediated receptor phosphorylation, β-arrestin recruitment, and receptor internalization to varying extents. These functional effects were likely due to either steric blockade of downstream effector (Gs, β-arrestin, GRK) interactions or stabilization of specific receptor conformations which do not support effector coupling. Together, these findings strongly implicate nanobody-derived intrabodies as novel tools to study GPCR biology.
Interactions Between Oil Droplets Probed by Force Spectroscopy with the MFP-3 D TM AFM

colloidal particles found in emulsions is important to a range of applications from the food and pharmaceutical industries through to oil recovery and mineral flotation. The interactions which occur between emulsion droplets are of huge importance in determining the functional properties of such systems. These interactions can be modified by the adsorption at the oil-water interface of surface-active species such as small molecule surfactants, proteins or polymers. However, the physical interactions which occur between emulsified oil droplets have traditionally been a difficult area to study, with work historically being carried out on model rigid colloidal particles1. This has changed recently following the development of methods to attach oil droplets to atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers. These methods have demonstrated that the measurements are sensitive to the nature of the interfacial film2 and have allowed detailed study of the force interactions between single pairs of droplets3, including recent mathematical modeling4. In this application note we will illustrate the advantages of studying a real fluid droplet system, capturing effects in the AFM data which are unique to deformable particles with a mobile interfacial layer. All work for this note was performed with an MFP-3D-BIOTM AFM from Asylum Research. Interactions Between Oil Droplets Probed by Force Spectroscopy with the MFP-3D AFM
Basis Construction for Range Estimation by Phase Unwrapping

We consider the problem of estimating the distance, or range, between two locations by measuring the phase of a sinusoidal signal transmitted between the locations. This method is only capable of unambiguously measuring range within an interval of length equal to the wavelength of the signal. To address this problem signals of multiple different wavelengths can be transmitted. The range can then be measured within an interval of length equal to the least common multiple of these wavelengths. Estimation of the range requires solution of a problem from computational number theory called the closest lattice point problem. Algorithms to solve this problem require a basis for this lattice. Constructing a basis is non-trivial and an explicit construction has only been given in the case that the wavelengths can be scaled to pairwise relatively prime integers. In this paper we present an explicit construction of a basis without this assumption on the wavelengths. This is important because the accuracy of the range estimator depends upon the wavelengths. Simulations indicate that significant improvement in accuracy can be achieved by using wavelengths that cannot be scaled to pairwise relatively prime integers.
Secretogranin-II plays a critical role in zebrafish neurovascular modeling

Neurons expressing sgIIb align with central arteries in hindbrain. We show that sgIIb is critical for neurovascular modeling the larval zebrafish mediated by MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling in vivo. Abstract Secretoneurin (SN) is a neuropeptide derived from specific proteolytic processing of the precursor secretogranin II (SgII). In zebrafish and other teleosts there are 2 paralogs we previously named sgIIa and sgIIb. Our results showed that neurons expressing sgIIb were aligned with central arteries in hindbrain, demonstrating a close neurovascular association. Both sgIIb-/- and sgIIa-/- /sgIIb-/- mutant embryos were defective in hindbrain central artery development, while artery development in sgIIa-/- mutant embryos was not affected. Hindbrain arterial and venous network identities were not affected in sgIIb-/- mutant embryos, and the mRNA levels of Notch and VEGF pathway-related genes were not altered. However, the activation of MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways were inhibited in sgIIb-/- mutant embryos. Injection of a synthetic SNb mRNA or delivery of the protein kinase activator N-arachidonoyl-L-serine could partially rescue the central artery developmental defects in the sgIIb mutants. This study provides the first in vivo evidence that sgIIb plays a critical role in neurovascular modeling the hindbrain.
Feedback control of electrically stimulated muscle using simultaneous pulse width and stimulus period modulation

The closed-loop control of electrically stimulated muscle using simultaneous pulse width and frequency modulation is considered. It is shown how the addition of pulse frequency modulation to pulse width modulation can improve controller performance. In single muscle operation, the combination of pulse width and stimulus pulse frequency modulation results in better control of transient responses than with pulse width modulation alone. In the case of costimulation, the controller modulates the pulse stimulus periods of the antagonists in a reciprocal manner, to ensure stable and fast responses. This feedback controller was evaluated in animal experiments. Step responses with rapid rise times but without overshoot were obtained by the combined modulation. Good steady-state and transient performance were obtained over a wide range of static lengths and commands, under different loading conditions and in different animals. <<ETX>>
Engineering a Conformant Probabilistic Planner

We present a partial-order, conformant, probabilistic planner, Probapop which competed in the blind track of the Probabilistic Planning Competition in IPC-4. We explain how we adapt distance based heuristics for use with probabilistic domains. Probapop also incorporates heuristics based on probability of success. We explain the successes and diefficulties encountered during the design and implementation of Probapop.
Antigay Behaviors Among Young Adults

This is the first empirical research into prevalence rates of and motivations for antigay harassment and violence by noncriminal young adults. In an anonymous survey of 484 young adults, 1 in 10 admitted physical violence or threats against presumed homosexuals, and another 24% acknowledged name-calling. Factor analyses revealed four motivational themes: peer dynamics, antigay ideology, thrill-seeking, and perceived self-defense. Compared with nonassailants, assailants held more negative attitudes toward homosexuals and reported more negative social norms among their friends. Assailants also had higher levels of masculinity ideology and social drinking. The findings suggest that many young adults believe antigay harassment and violence is socially acceptable, particularly in response to inferred sexual innuendos or gender norms violations. Because antigay behaviors are culturally normative and usually go unreported, educational outreach to adolescents and preadolescents is likely to be a more effective prevention strategy than criminal prosecutions under special hate crimes laws.
Use of geocoding and surname analysis to estimate race and ethnicity.

OBJECTIVE To review two indirect methods, geocoding and surname analysis, for estimating race/ethnicity as a means for health plans to assess disparities in care. STUDY DESIGN Review of published articles and unpublished data on the use of geocoding and surname analyses. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Few published studies have evaluated use of geocoding to estimate racial and ethnic characteristics of a patient population or to assess disparities in health care. Three of four studies showed similar estimates of the proportion of blacks and one showed nearly identical estimates of racial disparities, regardless of whether indirect or more direct measures (e.g., death certificate or CMS data) were used. However, accuracy depended on racial segregation levels in the population and region assessed and geocoding was unreliable for identifying Hispanics and Asians/Pacific Islanders. Similarly, several studies suggest surname analyses produces reasonable estimates of whether an enrollee is Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander and can identify disparities in care. However, accuracy depends on the concentrations of Asians or Hispanics in areas assessed. It is less accurate for women and more acculturated and higher SES persons due intermarriage, name changes, and adoption. Surname analysis is not accurate for identifying African Americans. Recent unpublished analyses suggest plans can successfully use a combined geocoding/surname analyses approach to identify disparities in care in most regions. Refinements based on Bayesian methods may make geocoding/surname analyses appropriate for use in areas where the accuracy is currently poor, but validation of these preliminary results is needed. CONCLUSIONS Geocoding and surname analysis show promise for estimating racial/ethnic health plan composition of enrollees when direct data on major racial and ethnic groups are lacking. These data can be used to assess disparities in care, pending availability of self-reported race/ethnicity data.
Discrete nonparametric algorithms for outlier detection with genomic data

In high-throughput studies involving genetic data such as from gene expression microarrays, differential expression analysis between two or more experimental conditions has been a very common analytical task. Much of the resulting literature on multiple comparisons has paid relatively little attention to the choice of test statistic. In this article, we focus on the issue of choice of test statistic based on a special pattern of differential expression. The approach here is based on recasting multiple comparisons procedures for assessing outlying expression values. A major complication is that the resulting p-values are discrete; some theoretical properties of sequential testing procedures in this context are explored. We propose the use of q-value estimation procedures in this setting. Data from a gene expression profiling experiment in prostate cancer are used to illustrate the methodology.
A New Perspective on Recommender Systems A Random Graph Theory Approach

Random graph theory has become a major modeling tool to study complex systems. We apply random graph theory to analyze bipartite consumer-product graphs that represent sales transaction data to understand purchase behavior in e-commerce settings. Using two real-world e-commerce datasets we found that such graphs demonstrate topological features that deviate from theoretical predictions based on standard random graph models. In particular we observed consistently larger-than-expected average path lengths and clustering coefficients. Such deviations suggest that the consumer choices of products are not random and provide justification for a large family of collaborative filtering-based recommendation algorithms.
Probing the Cosmic Star Formation History by the Brightness Distribution of Gamma-Ray Bursts

The brightness distribution of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is studied in detail under the assumption that the GRB rate is related to the cosmic star formation rate (SFR). The two populations of the long- and short-duration bursts in the 4B BATSE catalog are analyzed separately. Taking account of current uncertainties in the observational estimate of the SFR, we have tried various models of cosmic star formation history and find that the SFR evolution in z=0-1 is strongly constrained by the GRB distribution if the standard candle approximation is valid. Strong SFR evolution by a factor of ~15 from z=0 to 1, inferred from UV observations, is too steep to be consistent with the GRB distribution for any distance scale of GRBs. Some possibilities that reconcile this discrepancy are discussed, including the intrinsic luminosity dispersion of GRBs and/or the modification of star formation history estimated by UV observations. We argue that the SFR increase factor from z=0 to 1 may be as low as about 4 if we choose different sets of cosmological parameters and/or take account of the evolution of metallicity and dust extinction in the UV data, and this would significantly remedy the discrepancy.