Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Projected Clustering for Huge Data Sets in MapReduce

Fast growing data sets with a very high number of attributes become a common situation in social, industry and scientific areas. A meaningful analysis of these data sets requires sophisticated data mining techniques as projected clustering that are able to deal with such complex data. In this work, we investigate solutions for extending the state-of-theart projected clustering algorithm P3C for large data sets in highdimensional spaces. We show that the original model of the P3C algorithm is not suitable to deal with huge data sets. Therefore, we propose the necessary changes of the underlying clustering model and then present an efficient MapReduce-based implementation our novel P3C + -MR algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed changes on large data sets and the efficiency of the P3C + -MR algorithm are comprehensively evaluated on synthetic and real-world data sets. Additionally, we propose the P3C + -MR-Light algorithm, a simplified version of P3C + -MR that shows extraordinary good results in terms of runtime and result quality on large data sets. In the end, we compare our solutions to existing approaches.
Reliability reconsidered: Cronbach's alpha and paediatric assessment in occupational therapy.

BACKGROUND/AIM Using reliable outcome measures is a necessity for the occupational therapy profession in enabling valid assessments of clients. Although Cronbach's alpha is the most widely applied index of internal consistency reliability, there are misconceptions about its use and interpretation. This paper aims to guide assessment developers in paediatric occupational therapy, as well as practitioners who are evaluating outcome measures in using and interpreting the Cronbach's alpha estimates appropriately. This will enable them to decide on the tools' clinical value and incorporate them into their practice with children. METHOD Previously published papers reporting on internal consistency issues of outcome measures in paediatric occupational therapy were searched through the Allied and Complementary Medicine database. These papers were used as a basis to discuss possible reasons for reporting of low internal consistency. RESULTS The analysis demonstrates that Cronbach's alpha reports are not always interpreted in a sound way. The paper emphasises that one should be cautious about judging estimates of internal consistency. Low size of the coefficient alpha might not always indicate problems with the construction of the tool; whereas large sizes do not always suggest adequate reliability. Instead, these reports might be related to the data characteristics of the construct. CONCLUSION In judging an outcome measure's internal consistency, researchers and practitioners in occupational therapy should report and consider the nature of data, the scale's length and width, the linearity and the normality of response distribution, the central response tendency, the sample response variability and the sample size.
Components of the Metabolic Syndrome and Risk for First-Ever Acute Ischemic Nonembolic Stroke in Elderly Subjects

Background and Purpose— Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) represents a constellation of lipid and nonlipid risk factors for cardiovascular disease and is a recognized target for increased behavioral therapy. Objective— The association between acute ischemic/nonembolic stroke and the MetSyn in elderly individuals was assessed in a population-based case-control study in the prefecture of Ioannina, Greece. Study Population— A total of 163 patients aged older than 70 years admitted with first-ever-in-a-lifetime acute ischemic/nonembolic stroke and 166 controls were included. Results— The prevalence of MetSyn (defined according to NCEP/ATP III criteria) was high in stroke patients (46.0% versus 15.7%, P<0.001). Compared with controls as a group (with and without MetSyn), stroke patients with the MetSyn showed higher concentrations of triglycerides, lipoprotein(a), uric acid, and fibrinogen, and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I levels. In logistic regression analysis, crude and adjusted odd ratios (ORs) for MetSyn were 5.33 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.91 to 9.79; P<0.0001) and 2.59 (95% CI, 1.24 to 5.42; P=0.012), respectively. The analysis of interaction between MetSyn and its individual components revealed significant associations with abdominal obesity (adjusted OR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.15 to 6.50; P=0.02), hypertension (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 0.91 to 4.49; P=0.08), high fasting glucose levels (OR, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.19 to 7.35; P=0.02), high triglyceride (OR, 5.55; 95% CI, 2.71 to 11.37; P<0.0001]), and low HDL cholesterol (OR, 5.42; 95% CI, 2.85 to 10.30; P<0.0001). Notably, in stroke patients with the MetSyn the inverse relationship between HDL cholesterol levels and ischemic stroke was negated (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.05; P<0.0001). Conclusions— MetSyn is associated with an increased risk for acute ischemic/nonembolic stroke in elderly subjects with significant contributions from its individual components. In the presence of MetSyn, HDL cholesterol loses its protective role against ischemic stroke.
ON HOW TO DRAW A GRAPH

We give an overview of Tutte’s paper, “How to draw a graph”, that contains: (i) a proof that every simple 3-connected planar graph admits a straight-line embedding in the plane such that each face boundary is a convex polygon, (ii) an elegant algorithm for finding such an embedding, (iii) an algorithm for testing planarity, and (iv) a proof of Kuratowski’s theorem.
A mathematical model of hepatitis C virus dynamics in patients with high baseline viral loads or advanced liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Patients with baseline hepatitis C virus-RNA levels (bHCV-RNA)>6 log IU/mL or cirrhosis have a reduced probability of a sustained-virologic response (SVR). We examined the relation between bHCV-RNA, cirrhosis, and SVR with a mathematical model that includes the critical-drug efficacy (epsilonc; the efficacy required for a drug to clear HCV), the infection-rate constant (beta), and the percentage of HCV-infected hepatocytes (pi). METHODS The relation between baseline factors and SVR was evaluated in 1000 in silico HCV-infected patients, generated by random assignment of realistic host and viral kinetic parameters. Model predictions were compared with clinical data from 170 noncirrhotic and 75 cirrhotic patients. RESULTS The ranges chosen for beta and the viral production rate (p) resulted in bHCV-RNA levels that were in agreement with the distribution observed in US patients. With these beta and p values, higher bHCV-RNA levels led to higher epsilonc, resulting in lower SVR rates. However, higher beta values resulted in lower bHCV-RNA levels but higher pi and (epsilonc), predicting lower rates of SVR. Cirrhotic patients had lower bHCV-RNA levels than noncirrhotic patients (P=.013), and more had bHCV-RNA levels<6 log IU/mL (P<.001). Even cirrhotic patients with lower bHCV-RNA levels had lower SVR rates. An increase in beta could explain the results observed in cirrhotic patients. CONCLUSIONS Our model predicts that higher bHCV-RNA levels lead to higher epsilonc, reducing the chance of achieving SVR; cirrhotic patients have lower SVR rates because of large pi values, caused by increased rates of hepatocyte infection.
It Sounds Like You Have a Cold! Testing Voice Features for the Interspeech 2017 Computational Paralinguistics Cold Challenge

This paper describes an evaluation of four different voice feature sets for detecting symptoms of the common cold in speech as part of the Interspeech 2017 Computational Paralinguistics Challenge. The challenge corpus consists of 630 speakers in three partitions, of which approximately one third had a “severe” cold at the time of recording. Success on the task is measured in terms of unweighted average recall of cold/not-cold classification from short extracts of the recordings. In this paper we review previous voice features used for studying changes in health and devise four basic types of features for evaluation: voice quality features, vowel spectra features, modulation spectra features, and spectral distribution features. The evaluation shows that each feature set provides some useful information to the task, with features from the modulation spectrogram being most effective. Feature-level fusion of the feature sets shows small performance improvements on the development test set. We discuss the results in terms of the most suitable features for detecting symptoms of cold and address issues arising from the design of the challenge.
Preparation, anti-biofouling and drag-reduction properties of a biomimetic shark skin surface

ABSTRACT Shark skin surfaces show non-smoothness characteristics due to the presence of a riblet structure. In this study, biomimetic shark skin was prepared by using the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-embedded elastomeric stamping (PEES) method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the surface microstructure and fine structure of shark skin and biomimetic shark skin. To analyse the hydrophobic mechanism of the shark skin surface microstructure, the effect of biomimetic shark skin surface microstructure on surface wettability was evaluated by recording water contact angle. Additionally, protein adhesion experiments and anti-algae adhesion performance testing experiments were used to investigate and evaluate the anti-biofouling properties of the surface microstructure of biomimetic shark skin. The recorded values of the water contact angle of differently microstructured surfaces revealed that specific microstructures have certain effects on surface wettability. The anti-biofouling properties of the biomimetic shark skin surface with microstructures were superior to a smooth surface using the same polymers as substrates. Moreover, the air layer fixed on the surface of the biomimetic shark skin was found to play a key role in their antibiont adhesion property. An experiment into drag reduction was also conducted. Based on the experimental results, the microstructured surface of the prepared biomimetic shark skin played a significant role in reducing drag. The maximum of drag reduction rate is 12.5%, which is higher than the corresponding maximum drag reduction rate of membrane material with a smooth surface. Summary: Specific microstructures of the shark skin surface have certain effects on surface wettability, and play a key role in reducing drag and anti-biofouling properties.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Inform Neuroscience : A Recipe for Conscious Machines ?

An approach based on Artificial Intelligence is proposed for the design of conscious behavior in artificial agents, with the objective that it can inform theories of consciousness in neuroscience. Points of comparison between neuroscientific theories of consciousness and the artificial intelligence based approach are presented and analyzed. The significance of an interdisciplinary approach to studying consciousness is emphasized by highlighting connections between anthropology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. ∗ fahad.khalid@hpi.de † emilia-maria.garcia@upf.edu ‡ laborde.7@osu.edu § lagesse.claire@gmail.com ¶ lusc0006@umn.edu
Residuals-based Tests for Cointegration with GLS Detrended Data

We provide GLSdetrended versions of single-equation static regression or residualsbased tests for testing whether or not non-stationary time series are cointegrated. Our approach is to consider nearly optimal tests for unit roots and apply them in the cointegration context. We derive the local asymptotic power functions of all tests considered for a triangular DGP imposing a directional restriction such that the regressors are pure integrated processes. Our GLS versions of the tests do indeed provide substantial power improvements over their OLS counterparts. Simulations show that the gains in power are important and stable across various con gurations. JEL Classi cation Number: C22, C32, C52. Keywords: Cointegration, Residuals-Based Unit Root Tests, ECR Tests, OLS and GLS Detrended Data, Hypothesis Testing. A preliminary version was presented at the European Society Econometric Meeting in Málaga, Spain, August 27-31, 2012. Rodríguez acknowledges nancial support from the International Cooperation O¢ ce and the Department of Economics of the Ponti cia Universidad Católica del Perú for a Visitor Scholarship to the Department of Economics at Boston University (January-April 2013). We also thank three referees and the co-editor Michael Jansson for useful comments. The comments of one referee were especially constructive and helpful. yDepartment of Economics, Boston University, 270 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA, 02215 (perron@bu.edu). zAddress for Correspondence: Gabriel Rodríguez, Departamento de Economia, Ponti cia Universidad Católica del Perú, Av. Universitaria 1801, Lima 32, Perú (gabriel.rodriguez@pucp.edu.pe).
Decidualized ovarian endometriosis in pregnancy: a challenging diagnostic entity.

BACKGROUND The hormonal milieu that characterizes pregnancy may determine profound modifications of ovarian endometriomas leading to lesions mimicking malignancy. In this study, we report on our experience and perform a review of the literature on this issue. METHODS Data from women evaluated at our referral center for prenatal diagnosis were reviewed in order to identify those who were detected with an ovarian endometrioma in pregnancy mimicking malignancy. A review of the literature on this issue (1990-2008) was also performed, using the PubMed database. RESULTS Three cases were identified at our center. The literature reports on a further 19 cases (11 studies). Sonographic and color Doppler examination consistently documented rapidly growing and abundantly vascularized intracystic excrescences. Conversely, the presence of septations or significant free fluid was never reported. The vast majority of cases underwent surgical removal. Interestingly, in our experience, in a woman who declined surgery and had spontaneous miscarriage at 10 weeks' gestation, the sonographic examination performed 6 weeks after dilatation and curettage revealed an unremarkable typical endometrioma, thus suggesting that it is a transitory transformation. CONCLUSIONS Pregnancy-related modifications of an ovarian endometrioma leading to the rapid development of vascularized intracystic excrescences are an uncommon but possible event. An expectant management and serial monitoring should first be envisaged in these cases provided that other features of malignancy, such as septations or free fluid, are absent.
Unit fusion for concatenative speech synthesis

An important problem in concatenative synthesis is the occurence of spectral discontinuities or “concatenation mismatch” between sonorant speech units. In this paper, we present an approach to reduce concatenation mismatch by combining spectral information from two sequences of speech units selected in parallel. Concatenation units, on one hand, deﬁne initial spectral trajectories for a target utterance. Fusion units, on the other hand, deﬁne the desired transitions between concatenated units. The two unit sequences are “fused” by imposing dynamic constraints deﬁned by the fusion units on the spectral trajectories of the concatenation units. To regenerate the modiﬁed speech units, we use a synthesis algorithm based on sinusoidal + all-pole analysis of speech, which overcomes the limitations of residual-excited LPC. Results from a perceptual test show that our method is highly successful at removing concatenation artifacts in speech generated from an inventory of diphones.
Comparison of the prevalence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in endemic and non-endemic Bulgarian locations.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The Balkans is an endemic region for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), caused by the CCHF virus (CCHFV). Several Bulgarian regions comprised of smaller locations are categorized either as endemic or non-endemic for CCHF. However, little is known about the dynamics that underlie the development of endemicity within the locations throughout the years. METHODS Seven locations categorized as endemic in one central Bulgarian region (Stara Zagora) were compared to seven non-endemic areas. During the period 2006-12, a total of 1775 blood samples from cattle, were tested for anti-CCHFV antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay. Also, the infestation of 617 mature ticks for CCHFV was studied using a combination of an immunofluorescence haemocytes assay and molecular-virological methods. RESULTS Anti-CCHFV antibodies were established in 7.89% (140/1775) of the sera. The average CCHFV-infestation in the ticks was 1.46% (9/617). CCHFV was detected in three tick species: H.m. marginatum (3.73%, 6/161), being the main vector of the infection; R. sanguineus (1.63%, 2/123); and I. ricinus (1.96%, 1/51). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION The data for the endemic and non-endemic locations did not reveal significant differences for the prevalence of CCHFV. Mosaic dispersion of the virus was determined in the studied region and the results did not vary significantly throughout the investigated years.
Dreaming as mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports

Isolated reports have long suggested a similarity in content and thought processes across mind wandering (MW) during waking, and dream mentation during sleep. This overlap has encouraged speculation that both “daydreaming” and dreaming may engage similar brain mechanisms. To explore this possibility, we systematically examined published first-person experiential reports of MW and dreaming and found many similarities: in both states, content is largely audiovisual and emotional, follows loose narratives tinged with fantasy, is strongly related to current concerns, draws on long-term memory, and simulates social interactions. Both states are also characterized by a relative lack of meta-awareness. To relate first-person reports to neural evidence, we compared meta-analytic data from numerous functional neuroimaging (PET, fMRI) studies of the default mode network (DMN, with high chances of MW) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (with high chances of dreaming). Our findings show large overlaps in activation patterns of cortical regions: similar to MW/DMN activity, dreaming and REM sleep activate regions implicated in self-referential thought and memory, including medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), medial temporal lobe structures, and posterior cingulate. Conversely, in REM sleep numerous PFC executive regions are deactivated, even beyond levels seen during waking MW. We argue that dreaming can be understood as an “intensified” version of waking MW: though the two share many similarities, dreams tend to be longer, more visual and immersive, and to more strongly recruit numerous key hubs of the DMN. Further, whereas MW recruits fewer PFC regions than goal-directed thought, dreaming appears to be characterized by an even deeper quiescence of PFC regions involved in cognitive control and metacognition, with a corresponding lack of insight and meta-awareness. We suggest, then, that dreaming amplifies the same features that distinguish MW from goal-directed waking thought.
Physical Stream Habitat Dynamics in Lower Bear Creek, Northern Arkansas

Abstract : This study evaluated the roles of geomorphic and hydrologic dynamics in determining physical stream habitat in Bear Creek, a 239 km2 watershed in the Ozarks in northern Arkansas. During a relatively wet 12-month period, Bear Creek was altered by a series of floods, including four with discharges exceeding a 1-year recurrence interval and one with an estimated 2- to 4-year recurrence interval. These floods eroded sediment from the study reach at rates in excess of other sites previously studied in the Ozarks. The 2- to 4-year flood scoured gravel from pools and deposited it in riffles (areas of swift, relatively shallow water). The smaller floods eroded gravel from the riffles and deposited it in pools. A two-dimensional hydraulic model was compiled to assess habitat variation with hydrology. Depths and velocities simulated for discharges of 0.1 to 556 cubic meters per second were classified into habitats using hydraulic criteria. Races (areas of swift, relatively deep water downstream from riffles) disappear completely at the lowest flows and riffles contract substantially in area. Pools also contract during low flow, but deep scours adjacent to bedrock outcrops sustain some pool area even at the lowest modeled flows. Magnitude and frequency of bed-sediment entrainment show that most habitat maintenance results from flows that occur about 4-7 days a year. The analysis documents the geomorphic and hydrologic dynamics that form and maintain habitats in a warm water stream in the Ozarks. The range of flows that occurs on this stream can be partitioned into flows that sustain habitat by providing the combinations of depth and velocity that stream organisms live with most of the time, and those flows that surpass sediment entrainment thresholds, alter stream geomorphology, and therefore maintain habitat. The quantitative relations show sensitivity of habitats to flow variation, but do not address how flow may vary in the future. (7 tables, 93 figures, 50 refs.)
Diagnosis of Transistor Shorts in Logic Test Environment

For deep-sub micron technology based LSIs, conventional stuck-at fault model is no longer sufficient for fault test and diagnosis. This paper presents a method of fault diagnosis for transistor shorts in combinational and full-scan circuits under logic test environment. Description of a short requires a very large number of physical parameters, and hence it is difficult, if not impossible, to describe precisely the behavior of transistor shorts. Therefore, two types of transistor short models were defined and algorithms to address the diagnostic problem were developed. The novelty of the algorithms is that they use conventional stuck-at fault simulation methodologies to diagnose transistor level shorts. Experiments were conducted on benchmark circuits to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method
A Discussion on Personalized Trust Management for Flat P2P Communities

Flat P2P communities have no authorities or supervisors to act as the root of trust, therefore trust is difficult to establish between stranger peers. A personalized P2P trust management framework is proposed in this paper, to help good peers build up trust between each other and avoid malicious peers. This framework differs from others in that it totally abandons the attempt to achieve a global view, but instead, evaluates trust from a subjective point of view and gives personalized decision support to each peer. With DHT-based backward query and collaborative-filtering-based evaluating, this new idea achieves three main advantages: free of central control, strong immunity to misleading recommendation, and limited traffic overload. We examine the performance of the proposed scheme and prove its effectiveness by a series of simulation experiments under different environmental configurations.
Results for outdoor-SLAM using sparse extended information filters

In [Thrun, S. , et al., 2001], we proposed the sparse extended information filter for efficiently solving the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem. In this paper, we extend this algorithm to handle data association problems and report real-world results, obtained with an outdoor vehicle. We find that our approach performs favorably when compared to the extended Kalman filter solution from which it is derived.