Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Locating zeros of polynomials associated with Daubechies orthogonal wavelets

In the last decade, Daubechies orthogonal wavelets have been successfully used and proved their practicality in many signal processing paradigms. The construction of these wavelets via two channel perfect reconstruction filter bank requires the identification of necessary conditions that the coefficients of the filters and the roots of binomial polynomials associated with them should exhibit. In this paper, the low pass and high pass filters that generate a Daubechies mother wavelet are considered. From these filters, a new set of high pass and low pass filters are derived by using the "Alternating Flip" techniques. The new set of filters maintain perfect reconstruction status of an input signal, thus allowing the construction of a new mother wavelet and a new scaling function that are reflective to those of the originals. Illustration are given and new reflective wavelets are derived. Also, a subclass of polynomials is derived from this construction process by considering the ratios of consecutive binomial polynomials' coefficients. A mathematical proof of the residency of the roots of this class of polynomials inside the unit circle is presented along with an illustration for db6, a member of the Daubechies orthogonal wavelets family. The Kakeya-Enestrom theorem is discussed along with some of its generalizations. Finally, a λ-dependent difference among the coefficients of the new set of polynomials is examined and optimized locations of the roots are derived.
Translation and scale invariants of three-dimensional Tchebichef moments

Three-dimensional digital images are gaining more attention of image processing application and pattern classification. Discrete Tchebichef moments are usually used pattern classification in the field of image processing application and pattern classification. In this paper, we introduce three-dimensional translation and scale invariants of tree-dimensional Tchebichef moments. They are algebraically derived directly from Tchebichef moments. Simulated experiments using 3-D MRI head image are carried out to verify the validity of the proposed invariance.
Delivery of Career Counseling Services: Videodisc & Multimedia Career Interventions: ERIC Digest.

It is estimated that over one-third of Canada’s highschool students will drop out of school. (Employment & Immigration Canada, 1990). This is devastating when one considers that two-thirds of the new jobs created between now and the year 2000 will require qualifications beyond high school (Employment & Immigration Canada, 1989). One of the great challenges to career development professionals is how to motivate this massive “at-risk” youth population (a) to persist with education & training through high school and beyond, and (b) to take responsiblity for, and action toward, their own career development. The advent of multimedia computer technology has increased the potential for “high impact” career interventions. This can be particularly effective for at-risk youth, a population with extremely low motivation to use print-based materials.
Clustering of water bodies in unpolluted and polluted environments based on Escherichia coli phylogroup abundance using a simple interaction database

Different types of water bodies, including lakes, streams, and coastal marine waters, are often susceptible to fecal contamination from a range of point and nonpoint sources, and have been evaluated using fecal indicator microorganisms. The most commonly used fecal indicator is Escherichia coli, but traditional cultivation methods do not allow discrimination of the source of pollution. The use of triplex PCR offers an approach that is fast and inexpensive, and here enabled the identification of phylogroups. The phylogenetic distribution of E. coli subgroups isolated from water samples revealed higher frequencies of subgroups A1 and B23 in rivers impacted by human pollution sources, while subgroups D1 and D2 were associated with pristine sites, and subgroup B1 with domesticated animal sources, suggesting their use as a first screening for pollution source identification. A simple classification is also proposed based on phylogenetic subgroup distribution using the w-clique metric, enabling differentiation of polluted and unpolluted sites.
Investigating the Perceptions of Credit Constraints in the European Union

The promotion and support of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) forms an essential ingredient in policies to help improve Europe’s economic performance. A key issue in this context is whether SMEs face undue difficulty when trying to access credit. Using survey data from 2005 and 2006 covering almost 5,000 SMEs in the European Union, we investigate the determinants of firms’ perceived financing constraints, focusing on bank loans. It turns out that a firm’s age plays an important role in that older firms perceive external financing as being less difficult. Also, relationship banking helps to perceive an increased availability to credit. On the other hand, the ownership structure of a firm is not systematically related to perceived credit constraints, whereas turnover relaxes firms’ perceptions in the “new” EU 10 countries, but not in the “old” Member States. There exist significant country differences and this cross-country variation can be partly explained by the degree of competition in the banking sector. It has to be stressed that these survey data have been collected well before the present economic crisis; the results here do not describe the present situation but rather the more structural elements of the relationship between perceived access to credit and the determinants studied in a normal economic situation. First version: August 2007 This version: August 2011 JEL-code: O16, G30, L11
The Radiolabeled Frog Red Blood Cell: A NEW MARKER OF CORTICAL BLOOD FLOW DISTRIBUTION IN THE KIDNEY OF THE DOG

The red cell of the bullfrog Bufo vulgaris was used to measure the intrarenal distribution of blood flow in the kidney of the dog. These cells were fixed in 1% glutaraldehyde and labeled with sodium pertechnetate (99MTc); they were 18 × 10μ in size and had a specific gravity of 1.076—a value close to that of the dog red blood cell. These cells had no discernible effect on systemic or renal hemodynamics after injection, did not agglutinate, were well mixed and evenly distributed throughout different areas of the renal cortex, and were completely extracted in one circulation through the kidney. When the renal cortex was divided into four equal zones, the fractional distribution of the frog red blood cells was 39, 33, 20, and 8% going from the outer to the inner cortex. These values were not significantly different from those obtained in the same dogs with radioactive microspheres—particles much denser than the frog red cells. In two other models involving intrarenal acetylcholine administration and hemorrhagic hypotension, there was no difference between the regional blood flow distribution measured with the frog red cell method and that measured with the microsphere method. However, with both acetylcholine infusion and hemorrhage, there was a redistribution of renal cortical blood flow to the inner cortex compared with the distribution determined by either method during hydropenia. Thus, a similar intrarenal distribution of blood flow was found with two indicators of different size, shape, and density. We suggest that the primary rheologic factor affecting a particle such as a frog red blood cell or a microsphere markedly diluted among circulating red cells is its interaction with these normal cells.
Organization Program Chairs

The ability to automate the assignment of primary care medical diagnoses from free-text holds many interesting possibilities. We have collected a dataset of free-text clinical encounter notes and their corresponding manually coded diagnoses and used it to built a document classifier. Classifying a test set of 2,000 random encounter notes yielded a coding accuracy rate of 49.7 %. Automated coding of primary care encounter notes is a novel application area, and though imperfect our method proves interesting enough to warrant further research.
Rules of Origin as Export Subsidies

The paper estimates the effect of NAFTA’s rules of origin (ROO) on Mexican access to the US market treating explicitly the endogenous determination of ROOs. The first equation determines Mexico’s NAFTA (preferential) exports to the US as a function of tariff preference and Estevadeordal’s qualitative ROO index. The second equation determines ROO strictness on the basis of a Grossman-Helpman model identifying channels through which lobbying by US intermediate-good producers leads to deep preferences and stiff rules of origin in downstream sectors. The estimates suggest that the creation of a captive market for upstream intermediate-good producers is indeed one of their political determinants.
Distributed SBP Cholesky factorization algorithms with near-optimal scheduling

The minimal block storage Distributed Square Block Packed (DSBP) format for distributed memory computing on symmetric and triangular matrices is presented. Three algorithm variants (Basic, Static, and Dynamic) of the blocked right-looking Cholesky factorization are designed for the DSBP format, implemented, and evaluated. On our target machine, all variants outperform standard full-storage implementations while saving almost half the storage. Communication overhead is shown to be virtually eliminated by the Static and Dynamic variants, both of which take advantage of hardware parallelism to hide communication costs. The Basic variant is shown to yield comparable or slightly better performance than the full-storage ScaLAPACK routine PDPOTRF while clearly outperformed by both Static and Dynamic. Models of execution assuming zero communication costs and overhead are developed. For medium- and larger-sized problems, the Static schedule is near optimal on our target machine based on comparisons with these models and measurements of synchronization overhead.
Algorithm xxx: jMarkov: an Integrated Framework for Markov Chain Modeling

Markov chains (MC) are a powerful tool for modeling complex stochastic systems. Whereas a number of tools exist for solving different types of MC models, the first step in MC modeling is to define the model parameters. This step is however error prone and far from trivial when modeling complex systems. In this article we introduce jMarkov, a framework for MC modeling that provides the user with the ability to define MC models from the basic rules underlying the system dynamics. From these rules, jMarkov automatically obtains the MC parameters and solves the model to determine steady-state and transient performance measures. The jMarkov framework is composed of four modules: (i) the main module supports MC models with a finite state space; (ii) the jQBD module enables the modeling of Quasi-Birth-and-Death processes, a class of MCs with infinite state space; (iii) the jMDP module offers the capabilities to determine optimal decision rules based on Markov Decision Processes; and (iv) the jPhase module supports the manipulation and inclusion of phase-type variables to represent more general behaviors than that of the standard exponential distribution. In addition, jMarkov is highly extensible, allowing the users to introduce new modeling abstractions and solvers.
Palmprint Recognition Using Wavelet Based Kernel PCA

This paper presents a wavelet based kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) palmprint recognition method for human identification. The intensity values of palmprint images are first normalized by using their mean and their standard deviation. The normalized images are then transformed to the spectral domain by using wavelet transform and lowest frequencies are selected by filtering. Next, the feature vectors are formed with KPCA method which divergences samples on the nonlinear space. Finally, weighted Euclidean distance based nearest neighbor method is realized for palmprint classification. Experiments are performed on the most-well known public palmprint database, PolyU, includes 600 samples of 100 different persons.
The use of VR in the treatment of panic disorders and agoraphobia

Panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) is considered an important public health problem. The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for PDA has been widely demonstrated. The American National Institute of Health recommended Cognitive-Behavioral programs as the treatment of choice for this disorder. This institution also recommended that researchers develop treatments whose mode of delivery increases the availability of these programs. Virtual Reality based treatments can help to achieve this goal. VR has several advantages compared with conventional techniques. One of the essential components to treat these disorders is exposure. In VR the therapist can control the feared situations at will and with a high degree of safety for the patient, as it is easier to grade the feared situations. Another advantage is that VR is more confidential because treatment takes place in the therapist's office. It is also less time consuming as it takes place in the therapist's office. Considering the wide number of situations and activities that agoraphobic patients use to avoid, VR can save time and money significantly. Another advantage in treating PDA using VR is the possibility of doing VR interoceptive. VR could be a more natural setting for interoceptive exposure than the consultation room because we can elicit bodily sensations while the patient is immerse in VR agoraphobic situations. Finally, we think that VR exposure can be a useful intermediate step for those patients who refuse in vivo exposure because the idea of facing the real agoraphobic situations is too aversive for them. In this chapter we offer the work done by our research team at the VEPSY-UPDATED project. We describe the VR program we have developed for the treatment of PDA and we summarize the efficacy and effectiveness data of a study where we compare a cognitive-behavioral program including VR for the exposure component with a standard cognitive-behavioral program including in vivo exposure and with a waiting list control condition. Our findings support the efficacy and effectiveness of VR for the treatment of PDA.
A cost-based join selection for XML twig content-based queries

XML (Extensible Mark-up Language) has been embraced as a new approach to data modeling. Nowadays, more and more information is formated as semi-structured data, e.g., articles in a digital library, documents on the web, and so on. Implementation of an efficient system enabling storage and querying of XML documents requires development of new techniques. Many different techniques of XML indexing have been proposed during recent years. If we consider some classes of indexing methods, we distinguish two kinds of joins for processing twig queries. The first join merges two sets retrieved from an inverted list. The second join applies the first query result in building the second query. Although authors propose improvements of their joins, there has not yet been a discussion about the advantages of applying various join operations. In this article, we propose a join selection based on the cost of a join. By choosing a more appropriate join operation, twig query processing efficiency is significantly improved.
Functional specificity in the motor system: Evidence from coupled fMRI and kinematic recordings during letter and digit writing

A few intriguing neuropsychologial studies report dissociations where agraphic patients are severely impaired for writing letters whereas they write digits nearly normally. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) together with graphic tablet recordings, we tested the hypothesis that the motor patterns for writing letters are coded in specific regions of the cortex. We found a set of three regions that were more strongly activated when participants wrote letters than when they wrote digits and whose response was not explained by low‐level kinematic features of the graphic movements. Two of these regions (left dorsal premotor cortex and supplementary motor complex) are part of a motor control network. The left premotor activation belongs to what is considered in the literature a key area for handwriting. Another significant activation, likely related to phoneme‐to‐grapheme conversion, was found in the right anterior insula. This constitutes the first neuroimaging evidence of functional specificity derived from experience in the cortical motor system. Hum Brain Mapp 35:6077–6087, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Limited activity and social participation after hospital discharge from leprosy treatment in a hyperendemic area in North Brazil.

INTRODUCTION Neural damages are among the main factors that contribute to physical disability in leprosy. Systematic monitoring using a broad physical, psychological and social approach is necessary. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to characterize the limitation of activity and social participation and its correlation with disabilities and/or impairment in individuals after being discharged from a multidrug leprosy therapy. METHOD A cross-sectional study conducted in Araguaína, state of Tocantins, which is a leprosy hyperendemic municipality. We included cases of patients who were discharged from treatment considered as cured from January 2004 to December 2009. We performed dermatological examination and applied the Screening Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness (SALSA) and social participation scales. RESULTS We included 282 individuals (mean age: 45.8 years old). The paucibacillary operational classification was more common (170; 60.3%). The eye-hand-foot score ranged from 0 to 12 (mean: 0.7). A total of 84 (29.8%) individuals presented limited activity. A slight restriction in social participation occurred in 18 (6.3%) cases. There was a statistically significant correlation between activity limitation, age (r = 0.40; p < 0.0001) and degree of functional limitation (r = 0.54; p < 0.0001), as well as of restricted social participation, activity limitation (r = 0.56, p < 0.0001) and functional limitations (r = 0.54, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Functional limitation due to leprosy had an impact on the conduct of activities and social participation after the discharge from a leprosy treatment. The association between Screening of Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness and participation scales will assist in designing evidence-based assistance measures.
Forecasting based on Bayesian type models

A review of some Bayesian data analysis models is proposed, namely the models with one and several parameters. A methodology is developed for probabilistic models construction in the form of Bayesian networks using statistical data and expert estimates. The methodology provides a possibility for constructing high adequacy probabilistic models for solving the problems of classification and forecasting. An integrated dynamic network model is proposed that is based on combination of probabilistic and regression approaches; the model is distinguished with a possibility for multistep forecasts estimation. The forecast estimates computed with the dynamic model are compared with the results achieved with logistic regression combined with multiple regression. The best results were achieved in this case with the combined dynamic net model.
AUTO OWNERSHIP REVISITED: A REVIEW OF METHODS USED IN ESTIMATING AND DISTRIBUTING AUTO OWNERSHIP

THE VARIABLES MOST COMMONLY USED, SINGLY AND IN COMBINATION, IN ESTIMATING AUTO OWNERSHIP INCLUDE RESIDENTIAL DENSITY, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, AND PERSONS PER HOUSEHOLD. THESE VARIABLES WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE: /1/ HOW WELL THESE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES REPRODUCE THE SURVEY DATA, /2/ THE LOGIC OF THE VARIABLES AND THE METHODOLOGY USED AS A PREDICTIVE DEVICE, AND /3/ THE RESULTS OF PREDICTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE USING THESE VARIABLES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE PREFERRED METHODOLOGY IS THE USE OF THE COMBINED EFFORT OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND RESIDENTIAL DENSITY.
Globalization, Outsourcing, and Wage Inequality

There is considerable debate over whether international trade has contributed to the declining economic fortunes of less skilled workers. One issue that has become lost in the current discussion is how firms respond to import competition and how these responses, in turn, are transmitted to the labor market. In previous work, we have argued that outsourcing, by which we mean the import of intermediate inputs by domestic firms, has contributed to an increase in the relative demand for skilled labor in the United States. If firms respond to import competition from low-wage countries by moving non- skill-intensive activities abroad, then trade will shift employment towards skilled workers within industries. In this paper, we extend our previous work by combining new import data from the revised NBER trade database with disaggregated data on input purchases from the Census of Manufactures. We construct industry-by-industry estimates of outsourcing for the period 1972-1990 and reexamine whether outsourcing has contributed to an increase in relative demand for skilled labor. Our main finding is that outsourcing can account for 31-51% of the increase in the relative demand for skilled labor that occurred in U.S. manufacturing industries during the 1980s, compared to our previous estimate of 15-33%.
Saliency detection using a background probability model

Image saliency detection has been long studied, while several challenging problems are still unsolved, such as detecting saliency inaccurately in complex scenes or suppressing salient objects in the image borders. In this paper, we propose a new saliency detection algorithm in order to solving these problems. We represent the image as a graph with superpixels as nodes. By considering appearance similarity between the boundary and the background, the proposed method chooses non-saliency boundary nodes as background priors to construct the background probability model. The probability that each node belongs to the model is computed, which measures its similarity with backgrounds. Thus we can calculate saliency by the transformed probability as a metric. We compare our algorithm with ten-state-of-the-art salient detection methods on the public database. Experimental results show that our simple and effective approach can attack those challenging problems that had been baffling in image saliency detection.
Integrating Pairwise Constraints into Clustering Algorithms: Optimization-Based Approaches

In this paper we introduce new models for semi-supervised clustering problem, in particular we address this problem from the representation space point of view. Given a dataset enhanced with constraints (typically must-link and cannot-link constraints) and any clustering algorithm, the proposed approach aims at learning a projection space for the dataset that satisfies not only the constraints but also the required objective of the clustering algorithm on unenhanced data. We propose a boosting framework to weight the constraints and infers successive projection spaces in such a way that algorithm performance is improved. We experiment this approach on standard UCI datasets and show the effectiveness of our algorithm.