Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Protects the Autonomy of the Federal Statistical Agencies? An Assessment of the Procedures in Place to Protect the Independence and Objectivity of Official U.S. Statistics

Abstract We assess the professional autonomy of the 13 principal U.S. federal statistical agencies. We define six components or measures of such autonomy and evaluate each of the 13 principal statistical agencies according to each measure. Our assessment yields three main findings: (a) Challenges to the objectivity, credibility, and utility of federal statistics arise largely as a consequence of insufficient autonomy. (b) There is remarkable variation in autonomy protections and a surprising lack of statutory protections for many agencies for many of the proposed measures. (c) Many existing autonomy rules and guidelines are weakened by unclear or unactionable language. We conclude that a lack of professional autonomy unduly exposes the principal federal statistical agencies to efforts to undermine the objectivity of their products and that agencies cannot completely rebuff these efforts. Our main recommendations are to strengthen the role of the OMB Chief Statistician and to legislate new statutory autonomy protections, including explicit authorization for the principal federal statistical agencies that currently have no recognition in statute. We also recommend periodic assessments of the health of the federal statistical system, including not only autonomy protections and resources, but also how well agencies are satisfying data needs for the public good and using best methods to do so.
Global investigations of the satellite-based Fugro OmniSTAR HP service

Abstract OmniSTAR is one of the world's leading suppliers of satellite-based augmentation services for onshore and offshore GNSS applications. OmniSTAR currently offers three services: VBS, HP and XP. OmniSTAR VBS is the code-based service, suitable for sub-metre positioning accuracy. The HP and XP services provide sub-decimetre accuracy, with the HP service based on a precise differential methodology and the XP service uses precise absolute positioning. The sub-decimetre HP and XP services both have distinctive convergence behaviour, and the positioning task is essentially a time-dependent process during which the accuracy of the estimated coordinates continuously improves over time. To validate the capabilities of the OmniSTAR services, and in particular the HP (High Performance) service, globally distributed measurement campaigns were performed. The results of these investigations confirm that the HP service satisfies its high accuracy specification, but only after a sufficient initialisation phase. Two kinds of disturbances can handicap HP operation: lack of GNSS observations and outages of the augmentation signal. The most serious kind of disturbance is the former. Within a few seconds the achieved convergence level is completely lost. Outages in the reception of augmentation data merely affect the relevant period of the outage – the accuracy during the outage is degraded. Only longer interruptions lead to a loss of the HP solution. When HP convergence is lost, the HP process has to be re-initialized. If there are known points (so-called “seed points”) available, a shortened “kick-start”-initialization is possible. With the aid of seed points it only takes a few minutes to restore convergence.
The Brief Survey of Interpersonal Exploitative Behavior: Preliminary Development and Validation

The development and preliminary validation of a new measure of interpersonal exploitativeness, i.e., Brief Survey of Interpersonal Exploitative Behavior (BSIEB), is described in two studies. Interpersonal exploitativeness is a transdiagnostic feature of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder. The BSIEB focuses on instantiating interpersonal exploitative behavior by surveying specific, "real world” exploitative behaviors. In Study 1, an item pool was generated by 50 Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) participants. Inter-rater reliability was assessed via independent ratings from a second group of MTurk participants. The BSIEB was administered to a new sample of 508 adults (64.5% males; M age = 37.1). The BSIEB demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α = .94) and convergent validity (r = .64) with a measure of exploitativeness based on the Five-Factor Model of personality. A 1-factor measurement model fit well and was invariant for gender. In Study 2, the BSIEB demonstrated convergent validity with other measures of exploitativeness and incremental validity, registering the most significant share of unique variance in predicting the outcome variables of social aggression and alcohol and substance use, which are associated with narcissism and antisocial personality disorder. The results support using the BSIEB as a valid research measure that expands construct coverage of interpersonal exploitative behavior.
Temporal pattern mining of urban traffic volume data: a pairwise hybrid clustering method

Multiple pattern analyses of traffic data have been conducted previously; however, it has yet to be explored with an awareness of temporal factors in big real-world traffic data. In this paper, we introduce a hybrid method to measure the intensity of differences among various temporal factors’ data. The proposed method can efficiently process the historical data given temporal factors and provide insightful information about the intensity of variations. After data denoising with basis splines, we reshape the time series into a 2-D latent space using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) according to the type of analysis. Pairwise K-means clustering is then applied after anomaly elimination with DBSCAN to derive Adjusted Rand Index (ARI) matrices. Finally, these matrices are then systematically used to find similar patterns of different temporal perspectives. Multiple analyses are carried out with real data from Melbourne, Australia. Dissimilarities with intensities of up to 80% are detected that are not detectable with general clustering approaches.
The association between Chinese eye exercises and myopia in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective This study aims to summarize the relevant evidence on the association between eye exercises and myopia in children and adolescents in China. Methods The meta-analysis pooled the results of 12 studies, with a total of 134,201 participants. Another five studies (no OR for myopia as an outcome and meeting inclusion criteria) were reported in the systematic review. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wan Fang, and reference lists of retrieved studies. Association estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for eye exercises and myopia were pooled from a meta-analysis. Results After standardizing the reference values, a pooled OR of the univariate analysis showed a 24% reduction in myopia in children and adolescents who performed eye exercises (OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.62–0.89). After adjusting the covariate, a pooled OR of multiple logistic analysis for myopia (OR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.72–1.02) showed that there is no significance between eye exercises and myopia. However, in subgroup studies of the multivariate analysis, the large sample (OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.74–0.94) and Chinese database (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.67–0.93) subgroup showed modest protective effects. In addition, five studies in the systematic review also evaluated the risk of myopia events, and Chinese eye exercises had a modest protective effect on myopic control, but the incorrect performance of and attitude toward eye exercises posed negative effects on their eyesight health. Conclusion Chinese eye exercises have a modest protective effect on myopic control, but considering that the incorrect performance of and attitude toward eye exercises have a significant influence on the effect of eye exercises, the effect of eye exercises may not be enough to prevent the progress of myopia in the long term, and more standardized eye exercises need to be conducted.
Combined Femtosecond Laser Glass Microprocessing for Liver-on-Chip Device Fabrication

Nowadays, lab-on-chip (LOC) devices are attracting more and more attention since they show vast prospects for various biomedical applications. Usually, an LOC is a small device that serves a single laboratory function. LOCs show massive potential for organ-on-chip (OOC) device manufacturing since they could allow for research on the avoidance of various diseases or the avoidance of drug testing on animals or humans. However, this technology is still under development. The dominant technique for the fabrication of such devices is molding, which is very attractive and efficient for mass production, but has many drawbacks for prototyping. This article suggests a femtosecond laser microprocessing technique for the prototyping of an OOC-type device—a liver-on-chip. We demonstrate the production of liver-on-chip devices out of glass by using femtosecond laser-based selective laser etching (SLE) and laser welding techniques. The fabricated device was tested with HepG2(GS) liver cancer cells. During the test, HepG2(GS) cells proliferated in the chip, thus showing the potential of the suggested technique for further OOC development.
Identification of I-mode with ion ITB in NBI-heated plasmas on the HL-2A tokamak

Improved energy confinement mode (I-mode) has been observed on the HL-2A tokamak. The I-mode features an edge transport barrier (ETB) in electron temperature and a low confinement mode like edge density. A weakly coherent mode (WCM) is observed in the edge region with the frequency of f∼60−160 kHz and the poloidal wavenumber of kθ∼0.5−2.5cm −1 . The maximum of WCM amplitude is located near the top of electron temperature pedestal. A critical value of E×B velocity shear for triggering the L–I transition has been found, and is much lower than that for triggering the L–H transition. Additionally, ion internal transport barrier (ITB) has been observed in the I-mode. The formation of ion ITB is due to the increase of E×B velocity shear, leading to the suppression of turbulence. Transport analysis further confirms the existence of electron ETB and ion ITB. The coexistence of electron ETB and ion ITB leads to an improved plasma confinement, which is comparable to that in the high confinement mode, suggesting that I-mode with ITB regimes could be an interesting operation scenario for future fusion devices.
An Analysis of the Johnson-Lindenstrauss Lemma with the Bivariate Gamma Distribution

Probabilistic proofs of the Johnson-Lindenstrauss lemma imply that random projection can reduce the dimension of a data set and approximately preserve pairwise distances. If a distance being approximately preserved is called a success, and the complement of this event is called a failure, then such a random projection likely results in no failures. Assuming a Gaussian random projection, the lemma is proved by showing that the no-failure probability is positive using a combination of Bonferroni's inequality and Markov's inequality. This paper modifies this proof in two ways to obtain a greater lower bound on the no-failure probability. First, Bonferroni's inequality is applied to pairs of failures instead of individual failures. Second, since a pair of projection errors has a bivariate gamma distribution, the probability of a pair of successes is bounded using an inequality from Jensen (1969). If $n$ is the number of points to be embedded and $\mu$ is the probability of a success, then this leads to an increase in the lower bound on the no-failure probability of $\frac{1}{2}\binom{n}{2}(1-\mu)^2$ if $\binom{n}{2}$ is even and $\frac{1}{2}\left(\binom{n}{2}-1\right)(1-\mu)^2$ if $\binom{n}{2}$ is odd. For example, if $n=10^5$ points are to be embedded in $k=10^4$ dimensions with a tolerance of $\epsilon=0.1$, then the improvement in the lower bound is on the order of $10^{-14}$. We also show that further improvement is possible if the inequality in Jensen (1969) extends to three successes, though we do not have a proof of this result.
Strength of a cement-based dental material: Early age testing and first micromechanical modeling at mature age

The compressive strength evolution of 37 centigrade-cured Biodentine, a cement-based dental material, is quantified experimentally by crushing cylindrical specimens with length-to-diameter ratios amounting to 1.84 and 1.34, respectively, at nine different material ages ranging from 1 h to 28 days. After excluding strength values significantly affected by imperfections, formulae developed for concrete are i) adapted for inter- and extrapolation of measured strength values, and ii) used for quantification of the influence of the slenderness of the specimens on the compressive strength. The microscopic origin of the macroscopic uniaxial compressive strength of mature Biodentine is investigated by means of a micromechanics model accounting for lognormal stiffness and strength distributions of two types of calcite-reinforced hydrates. The following results are obtained: The material behavior of Biodentine is non-linear in the first few hours after production. After that, Biodentine behaves virtually linear elastic all the way up to sudden brittle failure. The strength evolution of Biodentine can be well described as the exponential of a function involving the square root of the inverse of the material age. The genuine uniaxial compressive strength evolution can be quantified using a correction formula taken from a standard for testing of concrete, which accounts for length-to-diameter ratios of cylindrical samples deviating from 2. Multiscale modeling suggests that 63% of the overall material volume, occupied by dense calcite-reinforced hydration products, fail virtually simultaneously. This underlines the highly optimized nature of the studied material.
3D Printed Hydrogel Microneedle Arrays for Interstitial Fluid Biomarker Extraction and Colorimetric Detection

To treat and manage chronic diseases, it is necessary to continuously monitor relevant biomarkers and modify treatment as the disease state changes. Compared to other bodily fluids, interstitial skin fluid (ISF) is a good choice for identifying biomarkers because it has a molecular composition most similar to blood plasma. Herein, a microneedle array (MNA) is presented to extract ISF painlessly and bloodlessly. The MNA is made of crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), and an optimal balance of mechanical properties and absorption capability is suggested. Besides, the effect of needles’ cross-section shape on skin penetration is studied. The MNA is integrated with a multiplexed sensor that provides a color change in a biomarker concentration-dependent manner based on the relevant reactions for colorimetric detection of pH and glucose biomarkers. The developed device enables diagnosis by visual inspection or quantitative red, green, and blue (RGB) analysis. The outcomes of this study show that MNA can successfully identify biomarkers in interstitial skin fluid in a matter of minutes. The home-based long-term monitoring and management of metabolic diseases will benefit from such practical and self-administrable biomarker detection.
Temperature-controlled optical switch metasurface with large local field enhancement based on FW-BIC

Introduction: Many researchers have explored the bound states in the continuum (BICs) as a particular bound wave state which can be used to achieve a very high Q-factor. High-Q factor devices, typically based on the bound states in the continuum (BICs), are well used in the fields of hypersensitive biochemical sensors, non-linear effects enhancement, plasmon lasers, and hi-performance filtering. However, symmetrical-protected BIC is difficult to achieve experimentally high-Q factor because it strongly depends on the geometry and can be destroyed by any slight disturbance in the potential well. Methods: Therefore, we proposed a parameter-adjusted Friedrich-Wintergen BIC based on the analysis model of time-coupled model theory, where the target system parameters can be tuned to achieve high-Q excitation. Results: Moreover, considering the tunability and flexibility of the components in various practical applications, we integrate active materials into metasurface arrays with the help of external stimuli to achieve modulation of high-Q resonances. Our results demonstrate that an optical resonator based on FW-BIC can modulate the BIC state by changing the intermediate gap. Discussion: The BIC state and the high-Q factor Fano resonance can be dynamically tuned by adding temperature-sensitive VO 2 material.
Glucose- and disaccharide-containing baits impede secondary mortality in glucose-averse German cockroaches

Glucose aversion in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), results in behavioral resistance to insecticidal baits. Glucose-averse (GA) cockroaches reject foods containing glucose, even in relatively low concentrations, which protects the cockroaches from ingesting lethal amounts of toxic baits. Horizontal transfer of baits and the resulting secondary mortality have been documented in German cockroaches, including in insecticide resistant strains. However, the effects of the GA trait on secondary mortality have not been investigated. We hypothesized that ingestion of insecticide baits that contain glucose or glucose-containing disaccharides would result in behaviorally relevant glucose levels in the feces, possibly deterring coprophagy by GA nymphs. We fed adult female cockroaches hydramethylnon baits rich in either glucose, fructose, sucrose, or maltose and compared secondary mortality of GA and wild-type (WT) nymphs via coprophagy. When adult females were fed baits containing glucose, sucrose, or maltose and their feces offered to nymphs, secondary mortality was significantly lower in GA nymphs than in WT nymphs. However, survival of GA and WT nymphs was similar on feces generated by adult females fed fructose bait. Analysis of feces indicated that disaccharides in baits were hydrolyzed into glucose, some of which was excreted in the feces of females that ingested the bait. Based on these results, we caution that baits containing glucose or glucose-containing oligosaccharides may impede cockroach interventions; while GA adults and large nymphs avoid ingesting such baits, first instars reject the glucose-containing feces of any WT cockroaches that consumed the bait.
Ageing Evaluation of Foamed Polymer Modified Bitumen with Bio-Flux Additive

This paper presents the results of an analysis of the changes in the stiffness of asphalt binders modified with a bio-flux additive and subjected to the processes of foaming and short-term ageing. The purpose of the analyses was to determine changes in the rheological properties of asphalt binder as a result of technological processes characteristic of hot and warm mix asphalt technology. Three asphalt binders with similar penetration but varying degrees of polymer modification were tested: 50/70, 45/80–55 polymer-modified bitumen, and 45/80–80 highly modified bitumen. Tests were carried out on four groups of binders: original binders, foamed binders after 14 days of storage, non-foamed binders after Rolling Thin Film Oven Test (RTFOT) ageing, and foamed binders after 14 days of storage subjected to RTFOT ageing. The master curves of the complex shear modulus G* were analysed, and three indexes of binder stiffening were determined, characterising the investigated effects. The tests showed that some of the stiffening indices significantly depended on the degree of polymer modification and the content of the bio-flux additive. Moreover, it was found that the foaming process in the case of paving-grade bitumen and polymer-modified bitumen did not contribute to the additional stiffening of the binders.
Wavelet analysis on Cauchy problems of nonlinear Schrodinger equations

The property of localization in both time and frequency domains helps the wavelet analysis make a good resort for numerical solutions which vary dramatically in both domains. A wavelet-based numerical analysis is proposed for solving the Cauchy problems of the nonlinear Schrodinger equations in this paper. It calculates linear and nonlinear terms of the equations in the wavelet-transformed domain to show that the analysis is quite effective.
Once again: Finding simple cycles in graphs

We present a randomized algorithm that computes a simple cycle of length k in general graphs, where k is a fixed integer, in O(max {m, n log n}) expected time. This algorithm can be derandomized with only a small loss in efficiency, yielding a deterministic algorithm for this task which runs in O(max {m log n, n log n}) worst-case time. We show that the randomized algorithm may be parallelized. These algorithms improve upon previous results of many authors. Furthermore, we answer the question of [AlYuZw94], whether deciding if a given graph contains a triangle is as difficult as boolean multiplication of two n by n matrices, in the negative.
Review of three neglected species of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) from Argentina

Ctenomys is one of the most speciose genera among South American rodents, whose systematics have not yet been fully elucidated. One of the difficulties for clarifying the identity of its species is the limited information available on some of them, erected more than a century ago and of which only the original descriptions are known, generally very poorly detailed. Our study provides new information about Ctenomys coludo Thomas 1920, based on the collection of topotype specimens that allowed us to perform more detailed morphological and molecular analyses, and to compare them with the available information referred to the holotype, with specimens deposited in museum collections, and other species of the genus that have been proposed as related to C. coludo. Our results allow us to place C. coludo as a member of the mendocinus group, proposing C. famosus Thomas, 1920 as a junior synonym for C. coludo. We also recognize Ctenomys johannis as a valid and full species, and provide unpublished information on it from the collection of specimens at the type locality. Thus, we add new areas for the distribution of these species and present their phylogenetic relationships. Ctenomys es uno de los géneros más especiosos entre los roedores sudamericanos, cuya sistemática aún no ha sido completamente dilucidada. Una de las dificultades para esclarecer la identidad de sus especies es la escasa información disponible sobre algunas de ellas descritas hace más de un siglo y de las que sólo se conocen las descripciones originales, generalmente muy poco detalladas. Nuestro estudio aporta nueva información sobre Ctenomys coludo Thomas, 1920 basada en la recolecta de topotipos que permitieron realizar análisis morfológicos y moleculares más detallados y compararlos con la información disponible sobre el holotipo, con ejemplares depositados en colecciones de museos y con otras especies del género que han sido propuestas como emparentadas con C. coludo. Nuestros resultados nos permiten situar a C. coludo como miembro del grupo mendocinus, y proponer a C. famosus Thomas, 1920 como sinónimo junior de C. coludo. También reconocemos a Ctenomys johannis como una especie válida y plena, y proporcionamos información inédita sobre ella a partir de la colecta de ejemplares en la localidad tipo. Así, añadimos nuevas áreas para la distribución de estas especies y presentamos sus relaciones filogenéticas.