Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Auditing Black-box Models by Obscuring Features

Data-trained predictive models are widely used to assist in decision making. But they are used as black boxes that output a prediction or score. It is therefore hard to acquire a deeper understanding of model behavior: and in particular how different attributes influence the model prediction. This is very important when trying to interpret the behavior of complex models, or ensure that certain problematic attributes (like race or gender) are not unduly influencing decisions. In this paper, we present a technique for auditing black-box models: we can study the extent to which existing models take advantage of particular features in the dataset without knowing how the models work. We show how a class of techniques originally developed for the detection and repair of disparate impact in classification models can be used to study the sensitivity of any model with respect to any feature subsets. Our approach does not require the black-box model to be retrained. This is important if (for example) the model is only accessible via an API, and contrasts our work with other methods that investigate feature influence like feature selection. We present experimental evidence for the effectiveness of our procedure using a variety of publicly available datasets and models. We also validate our procedure using techniques from interpretable learning and feature selection.
First-Trimester Prediction of Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy

This study aimed to establish a method of screening for pregnancy hypertension by a combination of maternal variables, including mean arterial pressure, uterine artery pulsatility index, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, and placental growth factor in early pregnancy. The base-cohort population constituted of 7797 singleton pregnancies, including 34 case subjects who developed preeclampsia (PE) requiring delivery before 34 weeks (early PE) and 123 with late PE, 136 with gestational hypertension, and 7504 cases subjects (96.3%) who were unaffected by PE or gestational hypertension. Maternal history, uterine artery pulsatility index, mean arterial pressure, and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A were recorded in all of the cases in the base cohort, but placental growth factor was measured only in the case-control population of 209 cases who developed hypertensive disorders and 418 controls. In each case the measured mean arterial pressure, uterine artery pulsatility index, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, and placental growth factor were converted to a multiple of the expected median (MoM) after correction for maternal characteristics found to affect the measurements in the unaffected group. Early PE and late PE were associated with increased mean arterial pressure (1.15 MoM and 1.08 MoM) and uterine artery pulsatility index (1.53 MoM and 1.23 MoM) and decreased pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (0.53 MoM and 0.93 MoM) and placental growth factor (0.61 MoM and 0.83 MoM). Logistic regression analysis was used to derive algorithms for the prediction of hypertensive disorders. It was estimated that, with the algorithm for early PE, 93.1%, 35.7%, and 18.3% of early PE, late PE, and gestational hypertension, respectively, could be detected with a 5% false-positive rate and that 1 in 5 pregnancies classified as being screen positive would develop pregnancy hypertension. This method of screening is far superior to the traditional approach, which relies entirely on maternal history.
Qualitative analysis of causal anisotropic viscous-fluid cosmological models

The truncated Israel--Stewart theory of irreversible thermodynamics is used to describe the bulk viscous pressure and the anisotropic stress in a class of spatially homogeneous viscous-fluid cosmological models. The governing system of differential equations is written in terms of dimensionless variables and a set of dimensionless equations of state is utilized to complete the system. The resulting dynamical system is then analysed using standard geometric techniques. It is found that the presence of anisotropic stress plays a dominant role in the evolution of the anisotropic models. In particular, in the case of the Bianchi type-I models it is found that anisotropic stress leads to models that violate the weak energy condition and to the creation of a periodic orbit in some instances. The stability of the isotropic singular points is analysed in the case with zero heat conduction; it is found that there are ranges of parameter values such that there exists an attracting isotropic Friedmann--Robertson--Walker model. In the case of zero anisotropic stress but, with non-zero heat conduction, the stability of the singular points is found to be the same as in the corresponding case with zero heat conduction; hence the presence of heat conduction does not apparently affect the global dynamics of the model.
The effects of CO2-differentiated vehicle tax systems on car choice, CO2 emissions and tax revenues

This paper assesses the impacts of a CO2-differentiated tax policy designed to influence car purchasing trends towards lower CO2 emitting vehicles in the Netherlands. Since 2009, gasoline and diesel cars up to 110 and 95 gram CO2 per km are exempted from the vehicle registration tax (VRT). In addition, in 2010 a first step was implemented to change the VRT into a CO2-differentiated tax. This paper provides an ex-post analysis of the first years of the tax change, tracking the change in purchasing trends arising from the measure related to CO2-emissions, engine power, car weight, car size and segment and fuel type, and government revenues. The analysis shows that Dutch consumers are responsive to price incentives for low carbon cars.
2 1 Ju l 2 00 5 Complexity Theory for Simpletons

In this article, we shall describe some of the most interesting topics in the subject of Complexity Theory for a general audience. Anyone with a solid foundation in high school mathematics (with some calculus) and an elementary understanding of computer programming will be able to follow this article. First, we shall describe the P versus NP problem and its significance. Next, we shall describe two other famous mathematics problems, the Collatz 3n + 1 Conjecture and the Riemann Hypothesis, and show how the notion of “computational irreducibility” is important for understanding why no one has, as of yet, solved these two problems. Disclaimer: This article was authored by Craig Alan Feinstein in his private capacity. No official support or endorsement by the U.S. Government is intended or should be inferred.
Adaptive Error Correction to Support Heterogeneous Multicast Groups

Usage of IP multicast for the distribution of e.g. multimedia ata to a set of receivers is increasing. Neither TCP nor UDP are suited for providing a reliable transmission, however, because they lack multicast support or (in the case of UDP) the ability of retransmission. The situation is further complicated by multicast groups that are heterogeneous with respect to error rates and delays experienc ed at the receivers, the processing power of the receivers, or the personal preferences of the users of the applications deploying the multicast communication. For the task of err r control in multicast environments, Forward Error Correction (FEC) schemes have shown a number of advantages over Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) schemes. Er ror control in heterogeneous multicast groups could be improved by using a layered codi ng scheme that utilizes IP multicast. Receivers can adaptively decide to subscribe to one or more layers based on the congestion of the network, and also can improve the quality of reception of each layer using a modified retransmission mechanism based on local subgrouping. The proposed mechanisms do not require any modification to the current routi ng in the Internet.
A Systematic Research on the Working Mechanism of Decategorization of Nouns in Mandarin Chinese

Based on the previous research, this paper makes a systematic study of the working mechanism of decategorizaiton of nouns in Mandarin Chinese, employing the theories of metaphor and metonymy and the theory of duality of concept. The major findings are as follows: metonymy-metaphor interaction is the working mechanism in the decategorization of nouns in Mandarin Chinese, mainly metaphor from metonymy, with metonymy and metaphor, functioning at different stages of decategorization. At the initial stage, the basic working mechanism is WHOLE-PART METONYMY. By this mechanism, a certain meaning component in the type notion domain of a noun is highlighted through metonymical constituent perspectivization and subjectivization, expressing descriptive or assertive meaning related to the noun. At the final stage, the working mechanism is mainly categorical metaphor, of which the source domain is the token notion of a typical noun with concrete meaning while the target domain is the type notion with abstract sense intended to express in communication.
The evolution of irradiance detection: melanopsin and the non-visual opsins

Circadian rhythms are endogenous 24 h cycles that persist in the absence of external time cues. These rhythms provide an internal representation of day length and optimize physiology and behaviour to the varying demands of the solar cycle. These clocks require daily adjustment to local time and the primary time cue (zeitgeber) used by most vertebrates is the daily change in the amount of environmental light (irradiance) at dawn and dusk, a process termed photoentrainment. Attempts to understand the photoreceptor mechanisms mediating non-image-forming responses to light, such as photoentrainment, have resulted in the discovery of a remarkable array of different photoreceptors and photopigment families, all of which appear to use a basic opsin/vitamin A-based photopigment biochemistry. In non-mammalian vertebrates, specialized photoreceptors are located within the pineal complex, deep brain and dermal melanophores. There is also strong evidence in fish and amphibians for the direct photic regulation of circadian clocks in multiple tissues. By contrast, mammals possess only ocular photoreceptors. However, in addition to the image-forming rods and cones of the retina, there exists a third photoreceptor system based on a subset of melanopsin-expressing photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGCs). In this review, we discuss the range of vertebrate photoreceptors and their opsin photopigments, describe the melanopsin/pRGC system in some detail and then finally consider the molecular evolution and sensory ecology of these non-image-forming photoreceptor systems.
A Phox2- and Hand2-Dependent Hand1 cis-Regulatory Element Reveals a Unique Gene Dosage Requirement for Hand2 during Sympathetic Neurogenesis

Neural crest cell specification and differentiation to a sympathetic neuronal fate serves as an important model for neurogenesis and depends upon the function of both bHLH transcription factors, notably Hand2, and homeodomain transcription factors, including Phox2b. Here, we define a 1007 bp cis-regulatory element 5′ of the Hand1 gene sufficient to drive reporter expression within the sympathetic chain of transgenic mice. Comparative genomic analyses uncovered evolutionarily conserved consensus-binding sites within this element, which chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays confirm are bound by Hand2 and Phox2b. Mutational analyses revealed that the conserved Phox2 and E-box binding sites are necessary for proper cis-regulatory element activity, and expression analyses on both Hand2 conditionally null and hypomorphic backgrounds demonstrate that Hand2 is required for reporter activation in a gene dosage-dependent manner. We demonstrate that Hand2 and Hand1 differentially bind the E-boxes in this cis-regulatory element, establishing molecular differences between these two factors. Finally, we demonstrate that Hand1 is dispensable for normal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) expression in sympathetic neurons, even when Hand2 gene dosage is concurrently reduced by half. Together, these data define a tissue-specific Hand1 cis-regulatory element controlled by two factors essential for the development of the sympathetic nervous system and provide in vivo regulatory evidence to support previous findings that Hand2, rather than Hand1, is predominantly responsible for regulating TH, DBH, and Hand1 expression in developing sympathetic neurons.
Adult learning for nutrition security: Challenging dominant values through participatory action research in Eastern India

Abstract National statistics point to the severe problem of hunger and undernutrition within indigenous communities in India. Several state interventions exist, in terms of both supplementary feeding and nutritional literacy, yet not much progress is visible. This paper explores the experiences of a participatory, educational, action research programme on nutrition for indigenous women and men in Eastern India. Spanning a period of three years, it examines the adult learning approaches involved in the process and their implications for gender relations as well as improved nutritional outcomes. It became clear, that to bring change, the facilitators needed to listen to women’s voices and question their own assumptions about ethnicity/caste, class and gender, as well as nutrition. Based mainly on their field reports, this paper seeks to highlight the emergent insights in terms of indigenous women’s priorities, their focus on the ‘collective’, and emphasis on recognition and reciprocity, vis-a-vis institutions of both state and society, articulated during the process of dialogue, reflection, action and learning.
Hierarchical topic detection report at TDT 2004

Hierarchical topic detection is a new task in the TDT 2004 evaluation program, which aims to organize a collection of unstructured news data in a directed acyclic graph (DAG) structure, reflecting the topics discussed in the collection, ranging from rather coarse category like nodes to fine singular events. The HTD task poses interesting challenges since its evaluation metric is composed of a travel cost component reflecting the time to find the node of interest starting from the top node and a quality cost component, determined by the quality of the selected node. We present a scalable architecture for HTD and compare several alternative choices for agglomerative clustering and DAG optimization in order to minimize the HTD cost metric. The alternatives are evaluated on the TDT3 and TDT5 test collections.
AM-FM conversion by the active devices in MOS LC-VCOs and its effect on the optimal amplitude

Large oscillation amplitudes in differential MOS LC-VCOs change the operation region of the MOS negative-resistance devices and thus modulate their parasitic capacitances. As a result, the effective tank capacitance and the oscillation frequency change with respect to the oscillation amplitude for a fixed tuning voltage. The resulting frequency-versus-amplitude curve has a maximum for differential amplitude approximately equal to the threshold voltage of the MOS devices which corresponds to the optimum amplitude that minimizes AM-to-FM conversion. The presented analysis is confirmed with simulation and measurement results for a 2 GHz differential NMOS VCO fabricated in a 0.25 mum BiCMOS process. The optimum amplitude for lowest AM-to-FM conversion also yields the lowest phase noise for this oscillator
Effects of resolution and model physics on tracer transports in the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies general circulation models

[1] We explore the dependency of general circulation model tracer transports on model physics and horizontal and vertical resolution. We use NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) Model E at 4° × 5° with 20 and 23 layers and the GISS Global Climate Middle Atmosphere Model 3 at 4° × 5° with 23 and 53 layers and at 2° × 2.5° with 53 and 102 layers. The online tracers employed are CO2, CH4, N2O, CFC-11, SF6, 222Rn, bomb 14C, and O3. Model experiments are done two ways: with specified stratospheric ozone or with the stratospheric ozone tracer used for atmospheric radiation calculations. The results show that when model physics produces greater precipitation over land in the Northern Hemisphere summer monsoon region, as occurs in Model 3, the associated dynamics (stronger Hadley cell) and subgrid-scale transports lead to faster and more realistic interhemispheric transport. Increased vertical resolution results in some increase in vertical mixing between the boundary layer and upper troposphere, due to both convective and synoptic-scale influences. A better resolved boundary layer does not result in higher surface concentrations, as the influence of various processes (convection, turbulence, rainfall) contribute in different ways. Transport into, within, and out of the stratosphere is faster (less realistic) with the coarser resolution models as wave forcing generates a stronger residual circulation. It is also faster in Model E as a result of its larger parameterized orographic gravity wave drag; the latter also results in a more “leaky” stratospheric tropical pipe. Horizontal resolution in this range by itself has minimal impact on most transports (although for active chemical tracers, photochemistry has been shown to be resolution-dependent). In contrast, finer vertical resolution leads to faster interhemispheric transport, slower mixing into and out of the stratosphere, and greater age of stratospheric air. When both resolutions are increased, the largest changes are seen. The interactive stratospheric ozone tracer, without an ozone hole parameterization, produced (as expected) greater ozone values than observations in the lower stratosphere. The associated temperature warming of a few degrees Celsius increased atmospheric stability and altered the tropospheric wave forcing of the Brewer Dobson circulation such that the stratospheric age of air increased by some 30%. This large sensitivity has implications for past and future stratospheric circulations and for the ability of climate perturbations to affect the stratosphere.
Informational Masking in Normal-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Listeners Measured in a Nonspeech Pattern Identification Task

Individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) often experience more difficulty with listening in multisource environments than do normal-hearing (NH) listeners. While the peripheral effects of sensorineural hearing loss certainly contribute to this difficulty, differences in central processing of auditory information may also contribute. To explore this issue, it is important to account for peripheral differences between NH and these hearing-impaired (HI) listeners so that central effects in multisource listening can be examined. In the present study, NH and HI listeners performed a tonal pattern identification task at two distant center frequencies (CFs), 850 and 3500 Hz. In an attempt to control for differences in the peripheral representations of the stimuli, the patterns were presented at the same sensation level (15 dB SL), and the frequency deviation of the tones comprising the patterns was adjusted to obtain equal quiet pattern identification performance across all listeners at both CFs. Tonal sequences were then presented at both CFs simultaneously (informational masking conditions), and listeners were asked either to selectively attend to a source (CF) or to divide attention between CFs and identify the pattern at a CF designated after each trial. There were large differences between groups in the frequency deviations necessary to perform the pattern identification task. After compensating for these differences, there were small differences between NH and HI listeners in the informational masking conditions. HI listeners showed slightly greater performance asymmetry between the low and high CFs than did NH listeners, possibly due to central differences in frequency weighting between groups.
Is Maternal Smoking during Early Pregnancy a Risk Factor for All Low Birth Weight Infants?

Background Low birth weight (LBW) infants do not form a homogeneous group; LBW can be caused by prematurity or poor fetal growth manifesting as small for gestational age (SGA) infants or intrauterine growth retardation. We aimed to clarify the relationship of maternal smoking with both SGA and preterm LBW infants. Methods The study population comprised pregnant women who registered at the Koshu City between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2000, and their children. We performed multivariate analyses using multiple logistic regression models to clarify the relationship of maternal smoking during pregnancy with the SGA outcome and preterm birth in LBW infants. Results In this study period, 1,329 pregnant women responded to questionnaires, and infant data were collected from 1,100 mothers (follow-up rate: 82.8%). The number of LBW infants was 81 (7.4%). In this cohort, maternal smoking during early pregnancy was associated with LBW and the SGA outcome. Maternal smoking during early pregnancy was a risk factor for LBW with SGA outcome and for LBW with full-term birth. However, it was not a risk factor for LBW with appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA) and LBW with preterm birth. Conclusion These results suggested that LBW with AGA and LBW with preterm birth were associated with other risk factors that were not considered in this study, such as periodontal disease. For the prevention of LBW, not only abstinence from smoking during pregnancy but also other methods such as establishing a clinical setting should be adopted.
Managing a Project Using an Agile Approach and the PMBOK® Guide

This paper includes excerpts from Kathy Schwalbe’s text, Information Technology Project Management, Seventh Edition, with permission from Cengage Learning. It emphasizes the unique aspects of using an agile approach in each project management process group versus using a more predictive or waterfall approach. An agile approach is often used for projects in which the team cannot clearly express the scope early in the product life cycle. An agile project team typically uses several iterations or deliveries of software instead of waiting until the end of the project to provide one product. This paper suggests that the project management process groups (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing) can be used in an agile approach, but there are several different terms, techniques, and outputs.
LifeBook: A Mobile Personal Information Management System on the Cloud

In this paper, we present LifeBook, a Personal Information Management (PIM) system that handles information on events captured by all the user's devices. Our PIM retrieves events on the basis of both the user's context and event similarity, which is computed by exploiting an information retrieval technique. We aggregated together the similarity of content, location, time, and event type to relate and surf the events. To this aim, we propose a re-find interface enabling the user to search and visualize information already seen before, of which he remembers some context aspects, such as time and/or place. The events captured on different devices are stored on the cloud without user intervention. A preliminary quantitative and qualitative evaluation has been also conducted to assess the effectiveness of LifeBook. Results in terms of time, effort and relevance of the information provided suggest that LifeBook be a viable means to retrieve personal information. Participants in the empirical investigation also considered the tool appropriate for supporting information re-finding tasks.