Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Approach for Personal Identification Based on dVCG

We propose a new approach to personal identification using derived vectorcardiogram (dVCG). The dVCG was calculated from recorded ECG using inverse Dower transform. Twenty-one features were extracted from the resulting dVCG. To analyze the effect of each feature and to improve efficiency while maintaining the performance, we performed feature selection using the Relief-F algorithm using these 21 features. Each set of the eight highest ranked features and all 21 features were used in SVM learning and in tests, respectively. The classification accuracy using the entire feature set was 99.53 %. However, using only the eight highest ranked features, the classification accuracy was 99.07 %, indicating only a 0.46 % decrease in accuracy compared with the accuracy achieved using the entire feature set. Using only the eight highest ranked features, the conventional ECG method resulted in a 93 % recognition rate, whereas our method achieved >99 % recognition rate, over 6 % higher than the conventional ECG method. Our experiments show that it is possible to perform a personal identification using only eight features extracted from the dVCG.
Specific N‐terminal interactions of the Escherichia coli SeqA protein are required to form multimers that restrain negative supercoils and form foci

The Escherichia coli SeqA protein binds preferentially to hemimethylated DNA and is required for inactivation (sequestration) of newly formed origins. A mutant SeqA protein, SeqA4 (A25T), which is deficient in origin sequestration in vivo, was found here to have lost the ability to form multimers, but could bind as dimers with wild‐type affinity to a pair of hemimethylated GATC sites. In vitro, binding of SeqA dimers to a plasmid first generates a topology change equivalent to a few positive supercoils, then the binding leads to a topology change in the “opposite” direction, resulting in a restraint of negative supercoils. Binding of SeqA4 mutant dimers produced the former effect, but not the latter, showing that a topology change equivalent to positive supercoiling is caused by the binding of single dimers, whereas restraint of negative supercoils requires multimerization via the N‐terminus. In vivo, mutant SeqA4 protein was not capable of forming foci observed by immunofluorescence microscopy, showing that N‐terminus–dependent multimerization is required for building SeqA foci. Overproduction of SeqA4 led to partially restored initiation synchrony, indicating that origin sequestration may not depend on efficient higher‐order multimerization into foci, but do require a high local concentration of SeqA.
Can the Piper Call the Tune? Innovation and Experiment with Deprived Families in Britain, 1940–1980s: The Work of Family Service Units

In 1948, work with so-called problem families that had been pioneered by Pacifist Service Units during the war was put on to a permanent peace-time footing and the organization was renamed Family Service Units (FSU). Because no other agencies were prepared to tackle such work, FSU negotiated a particular space for itself within post war welfare arrangements. This article will argue that the relative autonomy and dis tinctiveness that FSU could claim in its early years were eroded as a result of increasing dependence on state support and the adoption of its methods by other agencies, including statutory ones. It experienced what Nicholas Deakin has called the 'perils of partnership' between the voluntary and statutory sectors (Deakin, 1995, pp. 40ff). The growing professionalism of social work and the increasingly strained resources of local government by the 1980s combined to reduce FSU's freedom to choose its methods of work, forcing it either to perform tasks required by its funders or to face closure of units. This is a case study of one voluntary organization and its changing fortunes in its relationship with statutory authorities during and just after what has been called the period of the 'classic' welfare state. The forty-year period has been chosen because it illustrates the journey from considerable autonomy in the 1940s, to the 1980s when, after painful adjustment to new financial realities, the organization came to terms with the consequences of dependence.
Sailing Through this Storm? Capital Flows in Asia During the Crisis

The current crisis has led to an unprecedented collapse in international capital flows, with substantial heterogeneity across regions. Asian economies were relatively unaffected, despite having been the center of the storm in the crisis of the late 1990s. The contraction in capital flows for Asian countries was limited to the most acute phase of the crisis following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, after which capital flows rebounded. We find that the stronger performance of Asia primarily reflects its more limited reliance on international banking compared to Europe and the United States. We find little evidence that the drivers of capital flows had a differentiated impact in Asia. Finally, we show that while higher initial levels of foreign reserves did not insulate countries from a turnaround in private capital flows, a larger use of reserves at the height of the crisis limited the contraction in gross private outflows.
Adaptive and less-complex path-planning behavior for mobile robots

The objective of path planing is to find a sequence of states that a system has to visit in order to attain the goal state. Because of their real-time efficiency, potential field methods present a powerful heuristic to guide this search. However, potential field approaches can not guarantee goal attainability. They are often referred to as 'local methods' and are used in conjunction with a global path planning method to ensure completeness of the path planning algorithm. The present work introduces a novel methodology for path planing which combines the real- time efficiency of potential field methods with goal-attainability characteristics of global methods. The algorithm of this work is: 1) free from local minima, ii) capable of considering arbitrary-shaped obstacles, iii) computationally less complex than previous search methods; and iv) able to handle obstacle avoidance and goal attainability at the same time. At the first step a new probabilistic scheme, based on absorbing Markov chains, is presented for global planning inside structured environments, such as office, etc. The potential field method is then reformulated for adaptive path planning among modeled and new obstacles.
Polarized Expression of Ca2+ Channels in Pancreatic and Salivary Gland Cells

In polarized epithelial cells [Ca2+] i waves are initiated in discrete regions and propagate through the cytosol. The structural basis for these compartmentalized and coordinated events are not well understood. In the present study we used a combination of [Ca2+] i imaging at high temporal resolution, recording of Ca2+-activated Cl− current, and immunolocalization by confocal microscopy to study the correlation between initiation and propagation of [Ca2+] i waves and localization of Ca2+ release channels in pancreatic acini and submandibular acinar and duct cells. In all cells Ca2+ waves are initiated in the luminal pole and propagate through the cell periphery to the basal pole. All three cell types express the three known inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs). Expression of IP3Rs was confined to the area just underneath the luminal and lateral membranes, with no detectable receptors in the basal pole or other regions of the cells. In pancreatic acini and SMG ducts IP3R3 was also found in the nuclear envelope. Expression of ryanodine receptor was detected in submandibular salivary gland cells but not pancreatic acini. Accordingly, cyclic ADP ribose was very effective in mobilizing Ca2+ from internal stores of submandibular salivary gland but not pancreatic acinar cells. Measurement of [Ca2+] i and localization of IP3Rs in the same cells suggests that only a small part of IP3Rs participate in the initiation of the Ca2+ wave, whereas most receptors in the cell periphery probably facilitate the propagation of the Ca2+ wave. The combined results together with our previous studies on this subject lead us to conclude that the internal Ca2+ pool is highly compartmentalized and that compartmentalization is achieved in part by polarized expression of Ca2+ channels.
Opposing views on tensegrity as a structural framework for understanding cell mechanics.

Donald E. Ingber: Important new theories in science often ignite heated debates. If they do not, they are probably of little signiﬁcance. Thus a strong argument in support of the importance of the tensegrity model of cell and tissue architecture ﬁrst proposed almost 20 years ago (23, 24) is the large number of public and private criticisms that have been mounted against this theory. Demonstration of the ability of the tensegrity model to explain complex mechanical behaviors in vi-ruses, nuclei, cells, tissues, and organs in animals as well as in insects and plants (reviewed in Refs. 4, 5, 7, 10, 17, 20–24, 26, 30, 32, 42) has led to a drastic reduction in the number of these confrontations. Nev-ertheless, some intransigent critics remain. However, their remaining objections are limited in scope and largely result, I believe, from an overly concrete deﬁnition of what tensegrity is and how it can be applied. My purpose here, at the request of the Editor and Associate Editors of this journal, is to present the argument in support of the tensegrity model and to respond to some of these remaining concerns. The tensegrity model states that cells, tissues, other biological structures and stability
Financial Returnees as New Agents in East Asia: The Case of Korean Private Equity Funds

Although the standing of Anglo-American capitalism has been badly damaged by the global economic crisis, the return of the state in emerging markets is by no means assured. Over the past decade, financial processes originating in Anglo-American markets, such as derivatives, hedge funds and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), have made quiet headway in emerging markets. One of the transmission channels is financial returnees, defined as elites returning to domestic finance from either global finance abroad or from foreign financial institutions in their home countries. Many financial returnees pursue business agendas that parallel the Anglo-American model, while portraying themselves as local for domestic constituencies. These actions are now especially visible in the rise of private equity funds in emerging markets. This article defines the concept of a financial returnee and charts the impact of these individuals in importing the Anglo-American private equity model to Asia with Korea as the primary case study. Once foreign-controlled, the private equity industry in Korea is now domestically-run and financial returnees have been integral in this sector's short but important history.
Is the Banker a Myth

The actions of the anonymous banker in the high stake television gambling programme Deal or No Deal is examined. If a model can successfully predict his behaviour it might suggest that an automatic process is employed to reach his decisions. Potential strategies associated with a number of games are investigated and a model developed for the offers the anonymous banker makes to buy out the player. This approach is developed into a selection strategy of the optimum stage at which a player should accept the money offered. This is reduced to a simple table, by knowing their current position players can rapidly arrive at an appropriate decision strategy with associated probabilities. These probabilities give a guide as to the confidence to be placed in the choice adopted.
The Politics of Representative Bureaucracy in Multilingual States: A Comparison of Belgium, Canada and Switzerland

The role of the public service in managing territorial diversity has too often been overlooked in the literature on multilingual states. In the article, we explore the issue of bureaucratic representation of the federal public administration of Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, three economically advanced federal states in which language has become over time the dominant cultural marker and dividing line. We argue that variations observed in mechanisms of bureaucratic representation can be explained by differences in the configuration of two variables: discourse about the contours of the political community and how it has been channelled through the policy-making process of each country.
Development economics' view on growing entrepreneurship in Slovenia

Transition is considered a process of socioeconomic innovation of the countries and peoples that used to live in the pre-industrial societies of Central and Eastern Europe and tried to catch up with the advanced West under the label of communism. Institutional order is found insufficient for this innovation. Socioeconomic development reasons are summarised to explain what has been happening, e.g., in Slovenia, which used to be a part of both the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (early capitalistic) and Tito's (communistic) Yugoslavia for one two-generation cycle. Then, suggestions are provided concerning the acceleration of the current transition in order to make it real, rather than institutional only.
Using Adaptive Tests for the Analysis of Repeated Measurements

Several methods have been proposed for the analysis of data obtained from experimental units that are observed at multiple time points. In this paper we evaluate the performance of an adaptive test for the interaction of group and time, and an adaptive test for the group effect with data sets having measurements at common time points on two groups of experimental units. The results from extensive simulation studies show that the adaptive tests maintain their level of significance and are often more powerful than the corresponding likelihood ratio and mixed model tests when the error distributions and the random effect distributions are nonnormal. When the distributions are normal, the adaptive tests are nearly as powerful as the other tests.
The association between audit partner rotation and audit fees: Empirical evidence from the Australian market

SUMMARY: We examine the relation between audit partner rotation and audit fees for a sample of Australian firms from 2007 to 2010. We find a significant positive association between audit fees and partner rotation in the year of rotation. The association persists in the first year post rotation and to a lesser extent in the second year post rotation. Our analysis suggests that higher audit fees are associated with both mandatory and voluntary partner rotation. However, when we divide the sample into large global clients, mid-level clients, and small local clients, we find that mandatory and voluntary rotation are associated with higher audit fees for large global clients, while only voluntary rotation is associated with higher audit fees for small local clients. We do not find an association between partner rotation and audit fees for mid-level clients. Our study suggests that the extent to which firms are able to pass on the costs of partner rotation varies across different segments of the audit market.
Production Function Estimation and Related Risk Considerations

There has been considerable interest in estimations of input effects on the probability distribution of output. Most empirical and theoretical analyses utilize multiplicative stochastic specifications which are analyzed and found unduly restrictive, particularly since inputs that marginally reduce risk are not allowed. A more general stochastic specification is proposed, free of these a priori restrictions. The proposed functional form estimation is discussed and demonstrated with nitrogen-response data and common log-linear production functions. Though nitrogen is risk-increasing, the marginal variance contribution is smaller when compared to estimates based upon multiplicative specification. Finally, stochastic specification error effects are analyzed.
Analysis of several biomechanical models for the simulation of lamb liver behaviour using similarity coefficients from medical image

In this study, six biomechanical models for simulating lamb liver behaviour are presented. They are validated using similarity coefficients from Medical Image on reconstructed volumes from computerised tomography images. In particular, the Jaccard and Hausdorff coefficients are used. Loads of 20 and 40 g are applied to the livers and their deformation is simulated by means of the finite element method. The models used are a linear elastic model, a neo-Hookean model, a Mooney–Rivlin model, an Ogden model, a linear viscoelastic model and a viscohyperelastic model. The model that provided a behaviour that is closest to reality was the viscohyperelastic model, where the hyperelastic part was modelled with an Ogden model.
Cerebral atrophy in habitual cocaine abusers

We compared cranial CTs of 35 habitual cocaine abusers, 16 self-reported 1st-time users, and 54 headache patients using linear planimetric measures. All patients met the following criteria: age 20 to 40 years, no polydrug abuse (including alcohol), HIV seronegativity, normal albumin level, and no history of any other neurologic disease. The sex ratios and ages were not significantly different in the 3 groups. The planimetric measurements and calculated indices of cerebral atrophy were significantly different in the habitual cocaine abusers compared with the 2 other groups of patients. There were no differences between 1st-time cocaine users and controls. Among the habitual cocaine abusers there was a positive correlation between the approximate duration of cocaine abuse and the calculated atrophy indices. The findings suggest that cerebral atrophy develops in chronic cocaine abusers, and the severity correlates with the duration of abuse.
United Nations Development Programme Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean On Shaky Ground : The Effects of Earthquakes on Household Income and Poverty

Document prepared for the ISDR/RBLAC Research Project on Disaster Risk and Poverty. This document is part of the Latin American contribution to the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Regional Report on Disaster Risk and Poverty in Latin America. The terms natural disaster and climate-related events will be used interchangeably, understanding that socioeconomic conditions play a role to explain the intensity and consequences of such phenomena. Thus, no event is strictly or exclusively natural. The World Bank and IZA ** Bruegel. The opinions expressed here are of the authors and not represent those of the RBLAC-UNDP. Please cite this document as: Baez, J. and I. Santos. 2008. “On Shaky Ground: The Effects of Earthquakes on Household Income and Poverty”, RPP LAC – MDGs and Poverty – 02/2008, RBLACUNDP, New York. Research for Public Policy
Development of a layered broadband model of biological materials for aerospace applications

This paper details development of human body models for use in simulations for EMC certification and testing of aircraft. Current models are reviewed and their unsuitabilities for the task in hand are highlighted, which chiefly arise from inappropriate levels of complexity resulting in unfeasible computational loads. Tissue layering close to the body's surface is investigated, as are the frequency-dependent properties of the relevant tissues, to give a model of human interaction with EM fields over a broadband frequency range. For a preliminary model, lossy dielectric spheres are simulated loading a cavity, and results are compared. These are found to be inadequate and a new model is developed, using layered dielectric cylinders to give a better fit to the body's EM characteristics while still maintaining relative simplicity compared to the anatomically correct models previously reviewed.
The cost of out-patient management of chronic heart failure in children with congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE To evaluated the economic burden to families of managing chronic heart failure in children with congenital heart disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS This longitudinal study was conducted over a year. The families of children with congenital heart disease who were being managed for chronic heart failure in the clinic were recruited for the study. With the aid of a structured questionnaire, data were collected on a monthly basis for three consecutive months, on the family's monthly income, cost of anti-failure medicines, transportation and the number of man-hours spent on clinic visitation. The percentage of the mean monthly income spent on medicines, transportation and the total cost of care were also computed. RESULTS Thirty two families were recruited for the study. The children were 16(50%) each of males and females with a mean age of 2.2 ± 1.7 years. The mean monthly income was $314.93 ± 271.36 while the mean cost of total care was $17.61 ± 10.58. The mean percentage of income spent on total care was 16.3 ± 26.2 % with a range of 0.7 - 122%. Families from low socioeconomic class spent significantly higher percentage of income on medicines and total care compared to those in middle or high socioeconomic classes, P = 0.0095 and 0.041 respectively. Only three (0.09%) patients had surgery for their condition. CONCLUSION The mean percentage of income spent on care was significant and amounted to catastrophic health expenditure for a third of the families. Government input in strengthening the existing cardiac centres, establish new ones and subsidising the cost of surgery to meet the needs for open heart surgery for children with CHDs is recommended.
An Examination of Terrestrial and Broadcasting Satellite Broadcasters' Programming by Type: What Factors Influence Program Diversity in the Multi-channel Era?

This study calculated the program diversity and the programming differentiation of both terrestrial and broadcasting satellite broadcasters in 2010 to investigate the factors affecting program diversity in the multichannel era. The results showed that broadcast hours by program type differed between the public broadcaster, NHK, and private broadcasters, and between private terrestrial and private satellite broadcasters, implying that the operation of a public broadcaster and the introduction of satellite broadcasting have widened the range of programs available to the audience. This study also found that programming differed between terrestrial broadcasters and BS broadcasters that are related by ownership.
The 158-Year Climate Experiment

An analysis of the impact of carbon dioxide on global warming was performed using global average temperature data covering the last 158 years, along with corresponding atmospheric CO2 concentration data. A statistically significant correlation between the two was developed and used directly to calculate values of the key CO2 climate sensitivity factors (CSFs). When CO2 was treated as a proxy for all possible radiative and feedback forcing agents, an upper bound for the temperature rise due to a doubling of CO2 concentration was found to be 1.92 K. When the impact of CO2 alone was separated out from that of other radiative forcing agents, its CSF was found to be 0.250 KW−1m2, and the 2xCO2 temperature rise is 0.96 K. These values are less, by more than a factor of 3, than those typically reported from use of general circulation models.