Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Bayesian analysis of record statistics from the Rayleigh model

Based on upper record values, the Bayes estimators for the parameter, reliability function, and failure rate function of Rayleigh distribution are obtained. These estimators are obtained on the basis of square error and LINEX (linear-exponential) loss functions. Comparisons in terms of risks of those under LINEX loss and squared error loss functions with Bayes estimators relative to square error loss function are given. Numerical and simulation examples are included.
Electoral Rule Disproportionality and Platform Polarization

This paper studies the effect of electoral rule disproportionality and the effect of the number of competing parties on the degree of platform polarization by the means of a unidimensional spatial model with policy motivated parties. We show that platform polarization is decreasing in the level of disproportionality of the electoral rule and increasing in the number of competing parties. By allowing parties to strategically decide whether to enter an electoral race or not we further show that the number of competing parties is decreasing in the level of disproportionality of the electoral rule. Therefore, an increase in the level of electoral rule disproportionality decreases platform polarization both directly and indirectly (through the reduction of the number of competing parties). By constructing a large and homogeneous dataset we provide empirical evidence in support of our theoretical findings; electoral rule disproportionality is the major determinant factor of the level of platform polarization while the number of competing parties has minor explanatory power (due to its dependency on the level of electoral rule disproportionality).
Ultra-Thin Electro-Spun PAN Nanofiber Membrane for High-Efficient Inhalable PM2.5 Particles Filtration

In this work, we introduce a synthesis method for a nanofiber membrane made of polyacrylonitrile and verify its filtration ability with micron-size particles. The polyacrylonitrile nanofiber membrane was produced by electro-spun technique with a thickness less than 0.2 mm. The filtration experimental result from micron-size particle penetration proved that after 60-min deposition, the polyacrylonitrile nanofiber membrane successfully filtrated ~99% micron-size particles in solution. We found that uniform morphology, consistent nanofiber diameter without disordered beads will lead to a better filtration performance. This finding will provide a low-cost, environmental-friendly and straightforward filtration approach for future PM2.5 elimination in an aqueous and harsh environment.
Automated Progress Monitoring of Masonry Activity Using Photogrammetric Point Cloud

Information retrieval and automated progress estimation of on-going construction projects have been an area of interest for researchers in the field of civil engineering. It is done using 3D point cloud asbuilt and as-planned model. Advancements in the field of photogrammetry and computer vision have made 3D reconstruction of buildings easy and affordable. But the high variability of construction sites, in terms of lighting conditions, material appearance, etc. and error-prone data collection techniques tend to make the reconstructed 3D model erroneous and incorrect representation of the actual site. This eventually affects the result of progress estimation step. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents a novel approach for improving the results of 3D reconstruction of a construction site by employing two-step process for the reconstruction as compared to the traditional approach. In the proposed method, the first step is to obtain an as-built 3D model of the construction site using 3D scanning techniques or photogrammetry in the form of point cloud data. In the second step, the model is passed through pre-trained machine learning binary classification model for identifying and removing erroneous data points in the captured point cloud. Erroneous points are removed by identifying the correct building points. This processed as-built model is compared with an as-planned model for progress estimation. Based on the proposed method, experiments are carried out using commercially available stereo vision camera for 3D reconstruction.
The Secondary Relaxation in the Dielectric Loss of Galactose-Water Mixtures 1

We studied the dielectric relaxation phenomena of galactose-water mixtures in the supercooled and glassy states at frequencies ranging from 0.1 Hz to 10 MHz. The dielectric loss spectra show that as the water content or temperature decreased, the relaxation time difference between the α and the secondary relaxations [1] increased and the relative relaxation strength between the α and the secondary relaxation decreased. In our previous study[2] we also found the similar results in the glucose-water mixture. Therefore, we strongly speculate that the effects of adding water or increasing temperature on the secondary relaxation are qualitatively similar to that of decreasing the rotation-translation (RT) coupling constant in the schematic mode-coupling theory [3]. Therefore, we strongly speculate that the origin of the secondary relaxation might be the RT coupling.
Visualising a state-wide patient data collection: a case study to expand the audience for healthcare data

This paper describes the application of existing and novel adaptations of visualisation techniques to routinely collected health data. The aim of this case study is to examine the capacity for visualisation approaches to quickly and effectively inform clinical, policy, and fiscal decision making to improve healthcare provision. We demonstrate the use of interactive graphics, fluctuation plots, mosaic plots, time plots, heatmaps, and disease maps to visualise patient admission, transfer, in-hospital mortality, morbidity coding, execution of diagnosis and treatment guidelines, and the temporal and spatial variations of diseases. The relative effectiveness of these techniques and associated challenges are discussed.
To Lend or to Borrow on the Interbank Market: What Matters for Commercial Banks in the Visegrad Countries

The aim of this paper is to find out determinants which affect the commercial banks' decision to lend on the interbank market in the Visegrad countries. The data cover the period from 2000 to 2011. The net interbank position of individual banking sectors significantly differs. Results of the probit model showed that banks' decision to lend in interbank market is determined both by bank-specific and macroeconomic factors. Bank liquidity, capital adequacy and quality of the loan portfolio are important bank-specific factors. Growth rate of the gross domestic products, unemployment rate, financial crisis and level of interest rates matter among macroeconomic factors. Although the Visegrad countries have a lot in common, different factors determined the banks' decision in individual countries. Moreover, the direction of influence of some factors may also differ.
Confidence Intervals for the Suits Index

The Suits Index is often used in tax policy analysis to measure the degree ofprogressivity of a tax, or to analyze changes in progressivity under alternative tax regimes. As a point estimator, however, the Index provides researchers with no assistance in assessing whether changes are in fact statistically significant. We present a bootstrap methodology by which researchers can estimate confidence intervals for differences in Suits Indices. We also illustrate the use ofthat methodology with an application for the U.S. income tax, simulating the effects of removing housing deductions.
Graptoloid evolutionary rates track Ordovician–Silurian global climate change

Abstract Graptoloid evolutionary dynamics show a marked contrast from the Ordovician to the Silurian. Subdued extinction and origination rates during the Ordovician give way, during the late Katian, to rates that were highly volatile and of higher mean value through the Silurian, reflecting the significantly shorter lifespan of Silurian species. These patterns are revealed in high-resolution rate curves derived from the CONOP (constrained optimization) scaled and calibrated global composite sequence of 2094 graptoloid species. The end-Ordovician mass depletion was driven primarily by an elevated extinction rate which lasted for c. 1.2 Ma with two main spikes during the Hirnantian. The early Silurian recovery, although initiated by a peak in origination rate, was maintained by a complex interplay of origination and extinction rates, with both rates rising and falling sharply. The global δ13C curve echoes the graptoloid evolutionary rates pattern; the prominent and well-known positive isotope excursions during the Late Ordovician and Silurian lie on or close to times of sharp decline in graptoloid species richness, commonly associated with extinction rate spikes. The graptoloid and isotope data point to a relatively steady marine environment in the Ordovician with mainly background extinction rates, changing during the Katian to a more volatile climatic regime that prevailed through the Silurian, with several sharp extinction episodes triggered by environmental crises. The correlation of graptoloid species diversity with isotopic ratios was positive in the Ordovician and negative in the Silurian, suggesting different causal linkages. Throughout the history of the graptoloid clade all major depletions in species richness except for one were caused by elevated extinction rate rather than decreased origination rate.
Is the Risk Comparison Made by the Public Between EMF and Smoking or Asbestos a Valid One?

The possibility of adverse health effects from exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields (EMF) has caused considerable controversy in the scientific community and has received great attention in the media and among the general public with many comparing ELF EMF with tobacco smoking and asbestos. Although both smoking and asbestos are now classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as Group 1 or “established” carcinogens, this was not always the case. In this paper the evidence for the carcinogenicity of ELF EMF is compared with that for smoking and asbestos using the Bradford Hill model for establishing causality between exposure and disease. Application of the model shows that present data are insufficient to demonstrate that exposure to ELF EMF poses a definite human health hazard. However, while the bulk of the evidence is weak, there are several epidemiological studies which have reported an association between prolonged exposure to magnetic fields at levels above what is normally encountered and an increased risk in childhood leukaemia. On this basis IARC has classified ELF magnetic fields as a Group 2B or “possible” carcinogen.
The link between nitrification and biotransformation of 17α-ethinylestradiol

Biological treatment processes are probably important for preventing the proliferation of steroidal compounds in the environment, and a growing number of reports suggest that nitrification may play a role in removing these chemicals from wastewater. The link between nitrification and biotransformation of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) was investigated using enriched cultures of autotrophic ammonia-oxidizers. Batch experiments showed that ring A of EE2 is the site of electrophilic initiating reactions, including conjugation and hydroxylation. Ring A was also cleaved before any of the other rings were broken, which is likely because the frontier electron density of the ring A carbon units is higher than those of rings B, C, or D. EE2 and NH3 were degraded in the presence of an ammonium monooxygenase (AMO) containing protein extract, and the reaction stoichiometry was consistent with a conceptual model involving a binuclear copper site located at the AMO active site. Continuous tests showed a linear relationship.
The bifurcation structure of viscous steady axisymmetric vortex breakdown with open lateral boundaries

The effect of small viscosity on the behavior of the incompressible axisymmetric flow with open lateral and outlet boundaries near the critical swirling number has been studied by numerical simulations and asymptotic analysis. This work extends the theoretical studies of Wang and Rusak and numerical results of Beran and Culik to the case of flow with open lateral and outlet boundaries. In the inviscid limit the columnar flow state constitutes a solution that is known to become unstable at a particular swirl parameter. An asymptotic expansion shows that for small perturbations about this inviscid state an exchange of stability gives rise to a double saddle node bifurcation. The solution of the Euler equations breaks into two branches of the Navier–Stokes equations with a gap between the branches in which no near-columnar flow can exist. Around this region, two steady-state solutions exist for the same boundary conditions, one close to the columnar state and the other corresponding to either an accelerated or a decelerated state. This bifurcation structure is verified by numerical simulations, where the Navier–Stokes solutions are computed using branch continuation techniques based on the recursive projection method. For relatively small Reynolds numbers the numerically computed bifurcation curve does not exhibit any characteristic fold, and thus no hysteresis behavior. In this case, only a single equilibrium solution is found to exist, which changes monotonically from the quasicolumnar state to the breakdown solution. For large Reynolds numbers, however, the numerically determined bifurcation diagram confirms the fold structure characterized by the disappearance of the nearly columnar state via a saddle node bifurcation. Using the minimum axial velocity on the axis as a measure of the flow state we show that the agreement between theory and numerics is asymptotically good.The effect of small viscosity on the behavior of the incompressible axisymmetric flow with open lateral and outlet boundaries near the critical swirling number has been studied by numerical simulations and asymptotic analysis. This work extends the theoretical studies of Wang and Rusak and numerical results of Beran and Culik to the case of flow with open lateral and outlet boundaries. In the inviscid limit the columnar flow state constitutes a solution that is known to become unstable at a particular swirl parameter. An asymptotic expansion shows that for small perturbations about this inviscid state an exchange of stability gives rise to a double saddle node bifurcation. The solution of the Euler equations breaks into two branches of the Navier–Stokes equations with a gap between the branches in which no near-columnar flow can exist. Around this region, two steady-state solutions exist for the same boundary conditions, one close to the columnar state and the other corresponding to either an accelerated .
Variability of the Environmental Conditions and Fish Communities in the Altlantic Iberian Waters and its Relationship to the NAO

This study investigates the possible link between a large-scale atmospheric phenomenon, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and local fluctuations of some environmental variables, air and sea surface temperature, precipitation, wind, Ekman transport, and mean sea level, as well as time series (1975-1997) of catches and recruitment of some fish populations of commercial interest around Atlantic Iberian waters. The area of study (Figure 1) is located in the intergyre region between the subpolar gyre (North Atlantic current), the subtropical gyre (Azores Current), and the European shelf. The response of atmospheric signals to the different NAO phases in this area is different to that of Northern Europe, and follows the dipole form presented by Dickson (1997). Pérez et al (2000) compared conditions in river discharge in Scotland and Iberian rivers and found opposing conditions. Winter 1996 marked the minimum of the value of the NAO index, after a high value in 1995. However, although the simple index continued to increase returning to positive values, the actual pattern of the NAO over the ICES area did not recover to a "normal" distribution expected during high NAO years (Dickson and Meincke, 2000). This shift in the NAO makes the new correlation, including this period, more interesting. This new change in sign in the NAO index and the response of the system is one of the aspects to be studied in this work. The time series used was from 1970 to 1997.
Comparison of kinematic and dynamic behavior of a first generation obese dummy and obese PMHS in frontal sled tests

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a first generation obese anthropometric test device (FGOA), comparing its kinematic and dynamic behavior with two obese post mortem human surrogates (PMHS) in matching frontal impact sled tests. The FGOA was built around an existing fiftieth percentile THOR male crash test dummy’s skeletal structure but with unique flesh and additional mass added to the upper and lower torso and upper legs. It had a mass of approximately 124 kg, stature of 175 cm, and body mass index of 40 kg/m. Two 48 km/h PMHS tests and two 48 km/h dummy tests were performed with a sled buck representing the rear seat occupant component of a 2004 mid-sized sedan. Head, shoulder, pelvis, and knee maximum forward motion of the dummy were within 15%, 9%, 15%, and 30%, respectively, of the mean PMHS values. The mean peak of upper shoulder belt, lower shoulder belt, and lap belt tension were 5.9 kN, 6.8 kN, and 10.7 kN with the FGOA, compared to 6.4 kN, 6.6 kN, and 9.0 kN with the PMHS. This study was the first to evaluate biofidelity of the FGOA. The FGOA and PMHS exhibited similar kinematic characteristics that have been highlighted previously as potentially challenging for restraint systems design. Most notably, both the PMHS and dummy exhibited substantial forward motion of lower body and subsequent backwards rotation of the torso, affected by limited engagement of the lap belt with the pelvis. Although the differences presented suggest that further refinement may be warranted, the similarities suggest that this dummy may prove useful as a research tool to begin investigating the challenges of, and potential strategies for, the safe restraint of obese occupants.
Illusory causation and outcome density effects with a continuous and variable outcome

Illusory causation is a consistent error in human learning in which people perceive two unrelated events as being causally related. Causal illusions are greatly increased when the target outcome occurs frequently rather than rarely, a characteristic known as the outcome density bias. Unlike most experimental designs using binary outcomes, real-world problems to which illusory causation is most applicable (e.g. beliefs about ineffective health therapies) involve continuous and variable consequences that are not readily classifiable as the presence or absence of a salient event. This study used a causal learning task framed as a medical trial to investigate whether outcome density effects emerged when using a continuous and variable outcome that appeared on every trial. Experiment 1 compared the effects of using fixed outcome values (i.e. consistent low and high magnitudes) versus variable outcome values (i.e. low and high magnitudes varying around two means in a bimodal distribution). Experiment 2 compared positively skewed (low density) and negatively skewed (high density) continuous distributions. These conditions yielded comparable outcome density effects, providing empirical support for the relevance of the outcome density bias to real-world situations in which outcomes are not binary but occur to differing degrees.
What Is... a Multilayer Network?

The simplest type of network, which I show in Figure 1, is a graph G = (V,E) [3], where the nodes (or “vertices”) are elements of the set V of N entities in a network and E ⊆ V×V is a set of edges (or “links” or “ties”) that encode pairwise interactions between the entities. A graph can be either undirected or directed. One can encode the information in a graph G as an N×N adjacency matrix A, whose entry Aij is equal to 1 if there is an edge from node i to node j and is otherwise equal to 0. In an undirected network, Aij = 1 if and only if Aji = 1. One can learn a lot about a graph G, and about many dynamical processes on it, by studying the properties (e.g., the eigenvalues) of its associated adjacency matrix A. One can also assign
The influence of accentuation and onset complexity on gestural timing within syllables

This paper presents results from a production experiment using electromagnetic articulography. The main aim of the study was to investigate how phrasal accent and the number of onset consonants influence the gestural timing of syllable constituents in German. Five speakers of German with sensors attached to the tongue tip, tongue body and lower lip were recorded reading sentences with either accented or unaccented target words that contained simplex (one consonant) and complex (two consonants) onsets. The nucleus was always /a/ and the coda consonant was always /p/. We analyzed acoustic segment duration and gestural overlap (in terms of lag measurements). Onset complexity influenced both CV and VC overlap and accentuation affected gestural overlap to a greater extent than acoustic vowel duration. However, the extent of overlap differed between segment sequences and accentuation patterns: while for CC and VC sequences trends for greater overlap in deaccented than in accented condition were found, CV overlap decreased with deaccentuation. Shorter plateau durations in this context explain the diminished CV overlap in a prosodically weak context. The findings are discussed with respect to the predictions made by articulatory phonology regarding gestural timing and with respect to timing stability in weak versus strong prosodic contexts.
Advanced Feature Selection in Multinominal Dementia Classification from Structural MRI Data

Recent studies have shown that features extracted from brain MRIs can successfully discriminate Alzheimer’s disease from Mild Cognitive Impairment. This study describes a method that sequentially applies advanced feature selection techniques for finding the best subset of features in terms of binary classification accuracy. The classifiers that provide the highest accuracy, are then used for solving a multi-class problem by the one-versus-one strategy. Although several approaches based on Regions of Interest (ROIs) feature extraction exist, the predictive power of these features has not yet been investigated by comparing filter and wrapper techniques. The findings of this work suggest that (i) the IntraCranial Volume (ICV) normalization can lead to overfitting and can worsen the predictive accuracy on data originated by different studies and (ii) the combined use of a correlation filter and a Random Forest-based filter improves the accuracy of classification.
The Role of Social Capital in Information Diffusion over Twitter: A Study Case over Brazilian Posts

Social Capital is the resulting advantage of the individual’s localization in a social structure. It can be measured by traditional complex networks metrics, or speciﬁc ones, such as information capital, bro-kerage and bridging. Our goal is to verify which users have high information capital, bridging and brokerage for providing and spreading information. To do so, we ﬁrst categorize Twitter users into seven types: typical users, primary media, secondary media, independent experts, fan accounts, fake accounts and potential bots. Then, we analyze their pro-ﬁles on trending topics. Our results show potential bots and fan accounts as the main information spreaders in Brazil, a very concerning result given the upcoming presidential election in October 2018.