Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sparse multiresolution modal estimation

Methods for subset selection can be used to address the modal retrieval problem using an overcomplete dictionary composed of elementary damped sinusoids. Apart from the related optimization problems, the major difficulty with such techniques is the size of dictionary allowing one to get a sufficient reconstruction error. In this paper, we propose an efficient computational approach combining sparse approximation and mul-tiresolution. The idea behind multiresolution amounts to refine the dictionary of damped exponentials over several levels of resolution. The algorithm starts from a coarse grid and adaptively improves the resolution as a function of the active set obtained using sparse approximation methods. We show through simulation results that sparse methods coupled to the multiresolution approach can greatly enhance the estimation accuracy for noisy signals.
A Bio-Impedance Approach

Diabetes is already the world's most costly epidemic. Current glucose monitoring are invasive, which requires painful procedures and not reliable for long term usage. Impedance of human skin provides details about physiological structure and chemical composition of the skin and underneath tissues. Glucose concentration will affect the dielectric properties of cellular membranes, and therefore, changing the impedance of the blood. This paper describes a non-invasive measurement continuous glucose monitoring system based on bioelectrical impedance. In this project, an alternative current constant current source with a frequency of 50kHz and peak-to-peak of 1mA is developed and injected to the finger tip through the developed tetra-polar electrode. The voltage drop across the finger will be measured and also used to determine the variation on glucose concentration. The developed prototype device will help to manage the painful procedures, cost-effective and reduce the infection rate as compared to the conventional invasive technique. Preliminary results show that 80% of measurement accuracy of the developed system measured non-invasively blood-glucose by means of bioelectrical impedance.
Determinants on surface proteins of Plasmodium knowlesi merozoites common to Plasmodium falciparum schizonts

In this report and (R. Schmidt-Ullrich, L. H. Miller, and D. F. H. Wallach. Manuscript in preparation.), we have demonstrated that malaria proteins on the surface of merozoites and infected erythrocytes cross- react between at least two primate malarias, Plasmodium knowlesi and P. falciparum. Sera from five Gambian adults who were highly immune to P. falciparum were used as a reagent to study the cross-reactivity between P. falciparum schizonts and surface proteins on P. knowlesi merozoites. Although the sera bound to the surface of viable, intact P. knowlesi merozoites, the sera did not block invasion of rhesus erythrocytes. 125I-lactoperoxidase-labeled surface proteins on merozoites formed complexes with the antibody. All major protein bands seen in the electrophoresis of the original Triton extract were bound by the immune sera. Because Gambians have never been exposed to P. knowlesi malaria, the antibodies that reacted with P. knowlesi merozoites must be directed against antigens of another parasite such as P. falciparum. We tested this hypothesis by competition for antibody in a Gambian serum between Triton-extracted antigens from P. falciparum schizont-infected erythrocytes and from surface-labeled P. knowlesi merozoites. P. falciparum inhibited the reaction, thus indicating cross-reaction between antigens in P. falciparum schizonts and P. knowlesi merozoites.
Neovascularization in benign and malignant urinary bladder epithelial proliferative lesions of the rat observed in situ by scanning electron microscopy and autoradiography.

Vascular changes during carcinogenesis and during reversible regenerative hyperplasia of the rat urinary bladder were studied in situ by scanning electron microscopy of vascular casts and by autoradiography of the bladder. Carcinomas were induced in male Wistar rats by administration of 0.05% N -butyl- N -(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine in the drinking water for 8 weeks; rats were observed for a total of 40 weeks. Regenerative hyperplasia was produced in male Wistar rats by ulceration with a frozen steel rod; rats were observed for 15 days. It was produced in male Fischer rats by a single injection of cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg body weight); rats were observed for 21 days. The subepithelial capillaries of the bladder were arranged as a loose plexus of vessels of relatively uniform diameter, of low density, and connected to larger vessels in the deeper layers. Type 1 vascular proliferations, consisting of a high-density plexus of narrow capillaries with short terminal branches, were first observed at 2 weeks during N -butyl- N -(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine carcinogenesis, increased in number through Week 8, and then decreased. Histologically, hyperplasia was present after 2 weeks, but there was no correlation between epithelial hyperplasia and vascular proliferation. Type 2 foci, larger-diameter vessels with long terminal branches, were observed only during Weeks 7 and 8. Type 3 foci, highly tortuous capillary loops, appeared after 6 weeks and were present with foci of papillary and nodular hyperplasia, papilloma, and cancer. After ulceration or cyclophosphamide treatment, type 1 foci were observed in areas of granulation tissue and repair in the bladders, and type 3 foci were observed with lesions of papillary and nodular hyperplasia of the epithelium. The epithelial hyperplasia and foci of vascular proliferation were reversible so that the bladders appeared normal by 2 to 3 weeks. Thus, the formation and the reversibility or irreversibility of the type 3 vascular proliferations depend on the extent and reversibility or irreversibility of the epithelial proliferations.
Hydrogen Column Density Evaluations toward Capella: Consequences on the Interstellar Deuterium Abundance

The deuterium abundance evaluation in the direction of Capella has for a long time been used as a reference for the local interstellar medium (ISM) within our Galaxy. We show here that broad and weak H I components could be present on the Capella line of sight, leading to a large new additional systematic uncertainty on the N(H I) evaluation. We find the D/H ratio toward Capella to be equal to 1.67(±0.3) × 10-5 with almost identical χ2 for all the fits (this range includes only the systematic error; the 2 σ statistical one is almost negligible in comparison). We conclude that D/H evaluations over H I column densities below 1019 cm-2 (even perhaps below 1020 cm-2 if demonstrated by additional observations) may present larger uncertainties than previously anticipated. We mention that the D/O ratio might be a better tracer for D I variations in the ISM as recently measured by the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer.
The Value-Added Achievement Gains of NBPTS-Certified Teachers in Tennessee: A Brief Report.

This study investigated whether National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)-certified teachers in Tennessee were exceptionally effective in bringing about objectively measured student achievement gains. Tennessee has over 40 NBPTS-certified teachers, 16 of whom teach in grades 3-8 and have value-added teacher reports in the state database. Tennessee's teacher reports summarize the annual achievement gains exhibited by each teachers' students. This study used teacher-effect scores from year 2000 teacher reports of the NBPTS-certified teachers included in the database. Data analysis indicated that the 16 teachers could not be considered exceptionally effective in terms of their ability to bring about student achievement. All of the teachers fell short of the standard either in one of the required subjects (mathematics, reading, and language) or failed to meet it for three consecutive years (where three years of data were available). One teacher came close to qualifying, with exceptional teaching in two out of three subjects for two out of three years. An appendix presents teacher-effect scores for Tennessee NBPTS-certified teachers. (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. The Value-Added Achievement Gains of NBPTS-Certified Teachers in Tennessee: A Brief Report
Automated Dysarthria Severity Classification for Improved Objective Intelligibility Assessment of Spastic Dysarthric Speech

In this paper, automatic dysarthria severity classiﬁcation is explored as a tool to advance objective intelligibility prediction of spastic dysarthric speech. A Mahalanobis distance-based discriminant analysis classiﬁer is developed based on a set of acoustic features for-merly proposed for intelligibility prediction and voice pathology assessment. Feature selection is used to sift salient features for both the disorder severity classiﬁcation and intelligibility prediction tasks. Experimental results show that a two-level severity classiﬁer combined with a 9-dimensional intelligibility prediction mapping can achieve 0.92 correlation and 12.52 root-mean-square error with subjective intelligibility ratings. The effects of classiﬁcation errors on intelligibility accuracy are also explored and shown to be insigniﬁcant.
Towards a Light-Weight Semantic Desktop

This paper shows that it is possible to build a system with Semantic Desktop functionality — the annotation and linking of desktop data across application boundaries, and the usage of such links to achieve new ways of organizing and finding data in a meaningful way — in a very simple and light-weight fashion. Instead of building an extensive and feature-rich system from scratch, we harness the power of modern, metadata-enabled file systems and search indices to create a prototypical system with minimal effort.
Instrumentation and Automated Photometric Titration Procedure for Total Acidity Determination in Red Wine Employing a Multicommuted Flow System

An automated procedure for photometric titration of red wine and associated instrumentation is described. The procedure was based on the flow-batch approach implemented employing multicommutation. The photometric detection was carried out using a homemade LED-based photometer. The mixing device, LED, and photodetector were attached to the titration chamber in order to form a compact and small-sized unit. The flow system comprised an automatic injector and three-way solenoid valves, which were controlled by a microcomputer through an electronic interface card. The software, written in Quick BASIC 4.5, was designed with abilities to accomplish all steps of the titration procedure including data acquisition and real-time processing to decide about the course of titration in the following step and so forth, until the titration endpoint was reached. The usefulness of the proposed titration system was demonstrated by analyzing red wine samples. When results were compared with those obtained using the AOAC reference method, no significant difference was observed at the 95% confidence level. A relative standard deviation of ca 2% (n=9 ) was obtained when processing a typical red wine sample containing 7.3 gl -1 total acidity expressed as tartaric acid.
Automated prediction of defect severity based on codifying design knowledge using ontologies

Assessing severity of software defects is essential for prioritizing fixing activities as well as for assessing whether the quality level of a software system is good enough for release. In filling out defect reports, developers routinely fill out default values for the severity levels. The purpose of this research is to automate the prediction of defect severity. Our aim is to research how this severity prediction can be achieved through reasoning about the requirements and the design of a system using ontologies. In this paper we outline our approach based on an industrial case study.
Evolution of clouds in radio galaxy cocoons

This letter presents a numerical study of the evolution of an emission line cloud of initial density 10 cm 3 , temper- ature 10 4 K, and size 200 pc, being overtaken by a strong shock wave. Whereas previous simple models proposed that such a cloud would either be completely destroyed, or simply shrink in size, our results show a dierent and more complex behaviour: due to rapid cooling, the cloud breaks up into many small and dense fragments, which can survive for a long time. We show that such rapid cooling behaviour is expected for a wide range of cloud and shock properties. This process applies to the evolution of emission line clouds being overtaken by the cocoon of a radio jet. The resulting small clouds would be Jeans unstable, and form stars. Our results thus give theoretical credibility to the process of jet induced star formation, one of the explanations for the alignment of the optical/UV and radio axis observed in high redshift radio galaxies.
Integrating a Variable Ordering Heuristic with BDDs and CSP Decomposition Techniques for Interactive Configurators Sathiamoorthy Subbarayan

The Binary Decision Diagram (BDD) based compilation schemes are quite suitable for representing configuration knowledge bases. It is well-known that the size of BDDs are very sensitive to the variable order. In this paper, we study the variable ordering problem of BDDs when they represent a configuration knowledge. Such a study is crucial to better understand the BDD-based compilation schemes. We introduce a small variant of a classical variable ordering heuristic, that proves empirically useful. It is surprising since such a heuristic is known to fail when BDDs are used in formalverification. We show that a compilation scheme using CSP tree-decomposition is less dependent on the variable order. We also show that, for a good variable order the benefit of tree-decomposition, which reduces space, can drastically diminish.
Political Parties and Power:A Multi-dimensional Analysis

Political parties are ideal subjects for the study of power because they are specific sites in which it is produced and organised, fought over, captured and lost. However, the literature on political parties largely lacks an explicit and systematic theorisation of power as it is exercised and operates in them. As a result, the study of parties has not kept up with developments in theoretical approaches to power and power relations. For example, the failure to recognise how power works through constituting subjects who are empowered as effective agents with appropriate skills and capacities is a major lacuna in the literature. Parties are not only electoral machines or vehicles for personal ambition: they are organisations, complex relations of individuals, rules and rituals. An approach to power in parties should reflect this. To this end, I develop a five-dimensional framework of power which I use to account for political parties in all their complexity. My aim is to introduce some of the more nuanced and sophisticated insights of political theory to the analysis of political parties without dismissing the benefits of some of the more established ways of looking at power. Power is therefore approached as a rich, multi-dimensional concept, derived from diverse intellectual traditions, including behaviouralist, structuralist and Foucauldian accounts. My framework encapsulates individual agency, the strategic mobilisation of rules and norms, rationalisation and bureaucracy, the constitution of subjectivities and the micro-level discipline of bodies. Theory is employed in conjunction with original interview and archive research on the British Labour Party to construct an account of how power operates in party settings. This provides a unique and, I argue, much richer perspective on the exercise and operation of power in political parties than has been offered before.
Public sector reforms and the public interest: A case study of accounting control changes and performance monitoring in a Ghanaian state‐owned enterprise

Purpose – Aims to examine the changes to budgetary control and performance monitoring in the context of a series of World Bank sponsored public sector reforms.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a longitudinal study of a state enterprise (the Ghana Food Distribution Corporation (GFDC)) in which the World Bank‐sponsored reforms were imposed. This paper especially draws on the dialectic of control from structuration theory.Findings – The paper shows that budgetary practices at the GFDC did not change substantially, with the exception of the reporting practices. Budgeting remained politicised, delayed, directionless and ineffective. Reporting to the monitoring agency did not make any positive changes to accountability and performance and was thereby unable to serve public interests.Research limitations/implications – With hindsight, the authors wished they had undertaken more in‐depth investigations of workers' and farmers' roles in whole performance contracting scenarios and public sector reforms a.
On The Design of Signature Codes in Decentralized Wireless Networks

This paper addresses a unified approach towards communication in decentralized wireless networks of separate transmitter-receiver pairs. In general, users are unaware of each other's codebooks and there is no central controller to assign the resources in the network to the users. A randomized signaling scheme is introduced in which each user locally spreads its Gaussian signal along a randomly generated spreading code comprised of a sequence of nonzero elements over a certain alphabet. Along with spreading, each transmitter also masks its output independently from transmission to transmission. Using a conditional version of entropy power inequality and a key lemma on the differential entropy of mixed Gaussian random vectors, achievable rates are developed for the users. It is seen that as the number of users increases, the achievable Sum Multiplexing Gain of the network approaches that of a centralized orthogonal scheme where multiuser interference is completely avoided. An interesting observation is that in general the elements of a spreading code are not equiprobable over the underlying alphabet. Finally, using the recently developed extremal inequality of Liu-Viswanath, we present an optimality result showing that transmission of Gaussian signals via spreading and masking yields higher achievable rates than the maximum achievable rate attained by applying masking only.
Secure face biometric verification in the randomized Radon space

Biometrics has become a strong candidate to replace traditional authentication systems however biometric data in itself is vulnerable and requires protection. This paper presents a new method to protect face biometric data using one-way transformation in which original face images cannot be retrieved. The secure and reissueable templates are generated by utilizing the Radon transformed signatures of the face biometric and a multi-space random projection. Using an image-based statistical algorithm, authentication is conducted on the transformed templates without the need to reverse them back. Genuine and impostor distributions separation was also improved by 13.82% leading to a 41.35% reduction in the equal error rate.
Firm Characteristics, Industry, Horizon and Time Effects, in the Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns

We construct a panel data model to explain the cross-section of individual stock returns, using monthly data for 1,880 large US firms for 1985-2005. Model specification is geared towards multiple explanatory variables, poolability across industries, alternative forecast horizons, and the effects of unobserved heterogeneity among firms. We find that combining multiple firm characteristics increases the predictive power. High expected returns are mostly related to size, cashflow-to-price and turnover, and somewhat to earnings revisions and momentum. Diversified portfolios sorted on expected returns have moderate risk exposures and generate significant risk-adjusted returns over all horizons. Longer forecasting horizons drastically reduce portfolio turnover and hence lower costs.
Recognition of character drawn on screen with laser pointer

This paper describes approaches to recognize character strings which are drawn with a laser pointer. The recognition algorithm used is based on Dynamic Programming (DP) matching. XY coordinate, directional vector Dynamic Positional Warping (DPW) is used as data. New Inter Stroke Information was also developed and used. The information can represents shape of character. Test data are obtained by following steps: 1) taking a movie which record drawing a character string with a laser pointer on screen; 2) binarization; 3) closing operation; 4) noise rejection; and 5) thinning process. Training data are recorded with a pen - tablet. This research focuses on the laser pointer process and enables to communicate with computer in a place whose color's brightness is low and improve technology using a camera.
Perturbation biology nominates upstream–downstream drug combinations in RAF inhibitor resistant melanoma cells

Resistance to targeted cancer therapies is an important clinical problem. The discovery of anti-resistance drug combinations is challenging as resistance can arise by diverse escape mechanisms. To address this challenge, we improved and applied the experimental-computational perturbation biology method. Using statistical inference, we build network models from high-throughput measurements of molecular and phenotypic responses to combinatorial targeted perturbations. The models are computationally executed to predict the effects of thousands of untested perturbations. In RAF-inhibitor resistant melanoma cells, we measured 143 proteomic/phenotypic entities under 89 perturbation conditions and predicted c-Myc as an effective therapeutic co-target with BRAF or MEK. Experiments using the BET bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 affecting the level of c-Myc protein and protein kinase inhibitors targeting the ERK pathway confirmed the prediction. In conclusion, we propose an anti-cancer strategy of co-targeting a specific upstream alteration and a general downstream point of vulnerability to prevent or overcome resistance to targeted drugs. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.04640. 001
Improved Anaerobic Fermentation of Wheat Straw by Alkaline Pre-Treatment and Addition of Alkali-Tolerant Microorganisms

The potential of two alkali-tolerant, lignocellulolytic environmental enrichment cultures to improve the anaerobic fermentation of Ca(OH)2-pre-treated wheat straw was studied. The biomethane potential of pre-treated straw was 36% higher than that of untreated straw. The bioaugmentation of pre-treated straw with the enrichment cultures did not enhance the methane yield, but accelerated the methane production during the first week. In acidogenic leach-bed fermenters, a 61% higher volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and a 112% higher gas production, mainly CO2, were observed when pre-treated instead of untreated straw was used. With one of the two enrichment cultures as the inoculum, instead of the standard inoculum, the VFA production increased by an additional 36% and the gas production by an additional 110%, again mainly CO2. Analysis of the microbial communities in the leach-bed processes revealed similar bacterial compositions in the fermenters with pre-treated straw, which developed independently of the used inoculum. It was suggested that the positive metabolic effects with the enrichment cultures observed in both systems were due to initial activities of the alkali-tolerant microorganisms tackling the alkaline conditions better than the standard inocula, whereas the latter dominated in the long term.
EMU fiscal rules: Is there a gap?

The Stability and Growth Pact sets a medium-term target for fiscal policy of a budgetary position "close to balance of in surplus". This addition to the deficit rule defined by the Maastricht Treaty has been interpreted as an attempt to reconcile the objective of sound public finances with the availability of adequate margins for stabilisation.