Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Root locus analysis for randomly sampled systems

Root locus analysis is a graphical method to determine how the roots of the characteristic equation of a linear time-invariant feedback loop change with the loop gain. In this paper we show that a similar analysis can be carried out for randomly sampled systems, i.e., controlled linear systems sampled at random times spaced by independent and identically distributed time-varying intervals. For such systems, the roots of a characteristic equation determine the behavior of expected values of signals in the loop. The root locus analysis in this context is especially useful for positive systems, for which (almost sure) stability can be concluded if the roots of the characteristic equation have a negative real part, and it is particularly simple when the distribution of the intervals between sampling times is exponential or Erlang.
Distortionary scal policy and monetary policy goals 1

We study interactions between monetary policy, which sets nominal interest rates, and scal policy, which levies distortionary income taxes to nance public goods, in a standard, stickyprice economy with monopolistic competition. Policymakersinability to commit in advance to future policies gives rise to excessive ination and excessive public spending, resulting in welfare losses equivalent to several percent of consumption each period. We show how appointing a conservative monetary authority, which dislikes ination more than society does, can considerably reduce these welfare losse and that optimally the monetary authority is predominatly concerned about ination. Full conservatism, i.e., exclusive concern about ination, entirely eliminates the welfare losses from discretionary monetary and scal policymaking, provided monetary policy is determined after scal policy each period. Full conservatism, however, is severely suboptimal when monetary policy is determined simultaneously with scal policy or before scal policy each period. Keywords: discretion, Nash and Stackelberg equilibria, policy biases, sequential noncooperative policy games JEL classi cation: E52, E62, E63
Using Information on Lexical Stress for Utterance Verification

ASR applications like nationwide telephone directory assis­ tance (DA) face the challenge of making a correct classifica­ tion with only minimal amounts of acoustic data. For this reason, current systems still make too many errors in order to be useful. In the perspective of the idea that ‘no recognition’ is better than ‘misrecognition’, a feasible system should there­ fore detect and reject the least reliable hypotheses. This proc­ ess is known as utterance verification. Against the disadvantage of having few information, there is the advantage that isolated utterances have a relatively small degree of prosodic variation, for instance in intonation, speech rate and accent. In this paper we investigate how one can capitalise on this advantage in terms of better utterance verification. We define a number of confidence measures (CMs) on prosodic features and evaluate several linear com­ binations of one or more CMs. Experimental results on a field corpus of city names show that a relative improvement of 11.0% Confidence Error Rate can be achieved when compared to a ‘conventional’ system with only a Log Likelihood Ratio CM.
Ambiguity in Stereo Matching

Stereo correspondence is hard because di erent image features can look alike. We propose a measure for the ambiguity of image points that allows matching distinctive points rst and breaks down the matching task into smaller and separate subproblems. Experiments with a branch-and-bound algorithm based on this measure demonstrate the ensuing e ciency and low likelihood of incorrect matches. Category: Stereo matching
An indulgent uniform total order algorithm with optimistic delivery

A total order algorithm is a fundamental building block in the construction of distributed fault-tolerant applications. Unfortunately, the implementation of such a primitive can be expensive both in terms of communication steps and of number of messages exchanged. This problem is exacerbated in large-scale systems, where the performance of the algorithm may be limited by the presence of high-latency links. Typically, the most efficient total order algorithms do not provide uniform delivery and assume the availability of a perfect failure detector. Such algorithms may provide inconsistent results if the system assumptions do not hold. On the other hand, algorithms that assume an unreliable failure detector always provide consistent results but exhibit higher costs. This paper presents a new algorithm that combines the advantages of both approaches. On good periods, when the system is stable and processes are not suspected, the algorithm operates as if a perfect failure detector is assumed. Yet, the algorithm is indulgent, since it never violates consistency, even in runs where processes are suspected.
Tumor Biology of Vestibular Schwannoma: A Review of Experimental Data on the Determinants of Tumor Genesis and Growth Characteristics

Objective Provide an overview of the literature on vestibular schwannoma biology with special attention to tumor behavior and targeted therapy. Background Vestibular schwannomas are benign tumors originating from the eighth cranial nerve and arise due to inactivation of the NF2 gene and its product merlin. Unraveling the biology of these tumors helps to clarify their growth pattern and is essential in identifying therapeutic targets. Methods PubMed search for English-language articles on vestibular schwannoma biology from 1994 to 2014. Results Activation of merlin and its role in cell signaling seem as key aspects of vestibular schwannoma biology. Merlin is regulated by proteins such as CD44, Rac, and myosin phosphatase-targeting subunit 1. The tumor-suppressive functions of merlin are related to receptor tyrosine kinases, such as the platelet-derived growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor. Merlin mediates the Hippo pathway and acts within the nucleus by binding E3 ubiquiting ligase CRL4DCAF1. Angiogenesis is an important mechanism responsible for the progression of these tumors and is affected by processes such as hypoxia and inflammation. Inhibiting angiogenesis by targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor seems to be the most successful pharmacologic strategy, but additional therapeutic options are emerging. Conclusion Over the years, the knowledge on vestibular schwannoma biology has significantly increased. Future research should focus on identifying new therapeutic targets by investigating vestibular schwannoma (epi)genetics, merlin function, and tumor behavior. Besides identifying novel targets, testing new combinations of existing treatment strategies can further improve vestibular schwannoma therapy.
An efficient method to exploit LiDAR data in animal ecology

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology provides ecologists with high‐resolution data on three‐dimensional vegetation structure. Large LiDAR datasets challenge predictive ecologists, who commonly simplify point clouds into structural attributes (namely LiDAR‐based metrics such as canopy height), which are used as predictors in ecological models, potentially with loss of relevant information. We illustrate an efficient alternative approach to reduce the dimensionality of LiDAR data that aims at minimal data filtering with no a priori assumptions on the ecology of the target species. We first fit the ecological model exploiting the full variability in the LiDAR point cloud, then we explain the results using post‐modelling LiDAR‐data classification for ecological interpretation only. This is the classical logic of explorative, hypothesis generating and predictive statistics, rather than testing specific vegetation‐structural hypotheses. First, we reduce the dimensionality of the LiDAR point cloud by principal component analysis (PCA) to fewer predictors. Second, we show that LiDAR‐PCs are capable to outperforming commonly used environmental predictors in ecological modelling, including LiDAR‐based metrics. We exemplify this by modelling red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) resource selection in the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany. After fitting the ecological model, we provide an interpretation of the information included in LiDAR‐PCs, which allows users to draw conclusions whenever using them as predictors. We make use of the PCA rotation matrix and post‐modelling data classification, and document deer selection for understorey vegetation at unprecedented fine scale. Our approach is the first attempt in animal ecology to avoid the use of LiDAR‐based metrics as model predictors, but rather generate principal components able to capture most of the LiDAR point cloud variability. Our study demonstrates that LiDAR‐PCs can boost ecological models. We envision a potential use of LiDAR‐PCs in several applications, particularly species distribution and habitat suitability models. We demonstrate an application of our approach by building suitability maps for both deer species, which can be used by practitioners to visualize model spatial predictions and understand the type of forest structures selected by deer.
Mitochondrial genomes and avian phylogeny: complex characters and resolvability without explosive radiations.

We improve the taxon sampling for avian phylogeny by analyzing 7 new mitochondrial genomes (a toucan, woodpecker, osprey, forest falcon, American kestrel, heron, and a pelican). This improves inference of the avian tree, and it supports 3 major conclusions. The first is that some birds (including a parrot, a toucan, and an osprey) exhibit a complete duplication of the control region (CR) meaning that there are at least 4 distinct gene orders within birds. However, it appears that there are regions of continued gene conversion between the duplicate CRs, resulting in duplications that can be stable for long evolutionary periods. Because of this stable duplicated state, gene order can eventually either revert to the original order or change to the new gene order. The existence of this stable duplicate state explains how an apparently unlikely event (finding the same novel gene order) can arise multiple times. Although rare genomic changes have theoretical advantages for tree reconstruction, they can be compromised if these apparently rare events have a stable intermediate state. Secondly, the toucan and woodpecker improve the resolution of the 6-way split within Neoaves that has been called an "explosive radiation. " An explosive radiation implies that normal microevolutionary events are insufficient to explain the observed macroevolution. By showing the avian tree is, in principle, resolvable, we demonstrate that the radiation of birds is amenable to standard evolutionary analysis. Thirdly, and as expected from theory, additional taxa breaking up long branches stabilize the position of some problematic taxa (like the falcon). In addition, we report that within the birds of prey and allies, we did not find evidence pairing New World vultures with storks or accipitrids (hawks, eagles, and osprey) with Falconids.
Survival and long-term outcomes following bioprosthetic vs mechanical aortic valve replacement in patients aged 50 to 69 years.

IMPORTANCE The choice between bioprosthetic and mechanical aortic valve replacement in younger patients is controversial because long-term survival and major morbidity are poorly characterized. OBJECTIVE To quantify survival and major morbidity in patients aged 50 to 69 years undergoing aortic valve replacement. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective cohort analysis of 4253 patients aged 50 to 69 years who underwent primary isolated aortic valve replacement using bioprosthetic vs mechanical valves in New York State from 1997 through 2004, identified using the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System. Median follow-up time was 10.8 years (range, 0 to 16.9 years); the last follow-up date for mortality was November 30, 2013. Propensity matching yielded 1001 patient pairs. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Primary outcome was all-cause mortality; secondary outcomes were stroke, reoperation, and major bleeding. RESULTS No differences in survival or stroke rates were observed in patients with bioprosthetic compared with mechanical valves. Actuarial 15-year survival was 60.6% (95% CI, 56.3%-64.9%) in the bioprosthesis group compared with 62.1% (95% CI, 58.2%-66.0%) in the mechanical prosthesis group (hazard ratio, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.83-1.14]). The 15-year cumulative incidence of stroke was 7.7% (95% CI, 5.7%-9.7%) in the bioprosthesis group and 8.6% (95% CI, 6.2%-11.0%) in the mechanical prosthesis group (hazard ratio, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.75-1.43). The 15-year cumulative incidence of reoperation was higher in the bioprosthesis group (12.1% [95% CI, 8.8%-15.4%] vs 6.9% [95% CI, 4.2%-9.6%]; hazard ratio, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.36-0.75]). The 15-year cumulative incidence of major bleeding was higher in the mechanical prosthesis group (13.0% [95% CI, 9.9%-16.1%] vs 6.6% [95% CI, 4.8%-8.4%]; hazard ratio, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.27-2.43]). The 30-day mortality rate was 18.7% after stroke, 9.0% after reoperation, and 13.2% after major bleeding. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among propensity-matched patients aged 50 to 69 years who underwent aortic valve replacement with bioprosthetic compared with mechanical valves, there was no significant difference in 15-year survival or stroke. Patients in the bioprosthetic valve group had a greater likelihood of reoperation but a lower likelihood of major bleeding. These findings suggest that bioprosthetic valves may be a reasonable choice in patients aged 50 to 69 years.
Forming coalitions and facilitating relationships for completing tasks in social networks

We consider the problem of computing effective coalition structures in situations where the coalitions that can be formed and the value of these coalitions is determined by a social network, indicating the strength of relationships between agents. We assume that a central organizer desires to build coalition structures to carry out a given set of tasks, and that it is possible for this central organizer to create new relationships between agents, although such relationship-building is assumed to incur some cost. Within this model, we investigate the problem of computing coalition structures that maximize social welfare, and the problem of computing core-stable coalition structures. In addition to giving some general results on these problems, we identify tractable instances of the problems, and present algorithms for these cases.
Development and standardization of tinnitus handicap inventory in malayalam.

INTRODUCTION Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound mainly due to the activity within the central nervous system without any mechanical, vibratory activity within the cochlea. Administration of tinnitus related questionnaires along with the audiological test battery is recommended in routine clinical practice. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) is one of the useful and widely recognized tools for quantifying the impact of tinnitus on daily life. India, being a multilingual country with a multicultural background, there is no such inventories available in many of the local Indian languages except in Tamil and Kannada. MATERIALS & METHODS The English THI was translated to Malayalam by a faculty who is qualified and proficient in Malayalam language. Then the translated THI was given to 40 native Malayalam speakers for content validity. The final THI-M was administered on 50 tinnitus patient. Obtained data was then subjected for statistical analysis using SPSS Statistics 17.0. RESULTS Reliability statistics revealed an alpha score of 0.855 for the overall inventory. Across the three subscales, i.e. emotional, functional and catastrophic, a global alpha score of 0.766, 0.693 and 0.630, respectively. The alpha score remained the same even after deleting any single item. CONCLUSION The results of the current study conclude that, THI-M has a good reliability/internal consistency as per the Cronbach's alpha score. THI-M can be considered as a reliable tool that can be used across the State by Hearing Professionals in assessment and management.
Time trend and age‐period‐cohort effect on incidence of thyroid cancer in Connecticut, 1935–1992

Recent studies from Europe suggest a continuing increase in thyroid cancer, but it is unclear whether this trend also applies to the United States. The current study examined the long‐term trend of thyroid cancer in Connecticut. Our results show that the overall age‐adjusted incidence rate of thyroid cancer has been increasing in Connecticut, from 1.30/100,000 in 1935–1939 to 5.78/100,000 in 1990–1992 in females, and from 0.30/100,000 in 1935–1939 to 2.77/100,000 in 1990–1992 in males. The increase mainly comes from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. The birth cohort analyses indicate that the increase in thyroid cancer occurred among cohorts born between 1915 and 1945, which experienced an increase of 31.4% every 5 years in males and 17.3% in females over the period 1960–1979. For those born since the 1945 cohort, the incidence has been decreasing, at rates of 9.3% and 8.3% every 5 years over the period 1975–1992 in males and females, respectively. Age‐period‐cohort modeling results also suggest a strong birth cohort effect on the observed time trend in both sexes, which closely follows the introduction of radiation treatment of benign childhood conditions in the head and neck between 1920 and the 1950s in the United States. Our results are consistent with the suggested radiation hypothesis, indicating that radiation treatment of benign childhood conditions in the head and neck is largely responsible for the observed increase of thyroid cancer in Connecticut. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Choice Both Affects and Reflects Preferences

The free-choice paradigm is a widely used paradigm in psychology. It has been used to show that after a choice between two similarly pleasant stimuli, the pleasantness of the chosen one tends to increase, whereas the pleasantness of the rejected one tends to decrease—a spreading of alternatives. However, the methodological validity of the free-choice paradigm to study choice-induced preference change has recently been seriously questioned [Chen, K. M. , & Risen, J. L. (2010). How choice affects and reflects preferences: Revisiting the free-choice paradigm. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 573–594. doi:10.1037/a0020217]. According to this criticism, the classically reported spreading of alternatives between the first and second rating sessions cannot be unambiguously interpreted to reflect a true change in preferences and can be observed even for completely static preferences. Here, we used two measurement sequences, a classical Rating 1–choice–Rating 2 sequence and a control Rating 1–Rating 2–choice sequence, to disentangle the spreading of alternatives driven by the effect of choice from the artefactual effect highlighted by Chen and Risen. In two studies using different stimulus material (faces and odours), we find that choice has a robust modulatory impact on preferences for rejected odours, but not for chosen odours and not for faces.
Stepup procedures for control of generalizations of the familywise error rate

Consider the multiple testing problem of testing null hypotheses H 1 ,. ,H s . A classical approach to dealing with the multiplicity problem is to restrict attention to procedures that control the familywise error rate (FWER), the probability of even one false rejection. But if s is large, control of the FWER is so stringent that the ability of a procedure that controls the FWER to detect false null hypotheses is limited. It is therefore desirable to consider other measures of error control. This article considers two generalizations of the FWER. The first is the k-FWER, in which one is willing to tolerate k or more false rejections for some fixed k ≥ I. The second is based on the false discovery proportion (FDP), defined to be the number of false rejections divided by the total number of rejections (and defined to be 0 if there are no rejections). Benjamini and Hochberg [J. Roy. Statist. Soc. Ser. B 57 (1995) 289-300] proposed ccntrol of the false discovery rate (FDR), by which they meant that, for fixed a, E(FDP) ≤ a. Here, we consider control of the FDP in the sense that, for fixed y and a, P{FDP > γ} ≤ a. Beginning with any nondecreasing sequence of constants and p-values for the individual tests, we derive stepup procedures that control each of these two measures of error control without imposing any assumptions on the dependence structure of the p-values. We use our results to point out a few interesting connections with some closely related stepdown procedures. We then compare and contrast two FDP-controlling procedures obtained using our results with the stepup procedure for control of the FDR of Benjamini and Yekutieli [Ann. Statist. 29 (2001) 1165-1188].
The Correlation between the CLEC16A Gene and Genetic Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes in Chinese Children

Objective. The CLEC16A gene is related to the genetic susceptibility to T1DM with racial variability. This study investigated the association between CLEC16A gene polymorphisms and T1DM in Chinese children. Methods. 131 Chinese children with T1DM were selected for study, and 121 healthy adult blood donors were selected as normal controls. PCR and mass spectrometry was used to study the distributions of 17 CLEC16A alleles in patients and controls. The relationship between CLEC16A gene polymorphisms and T1DM was studied. Results. The distributions of two polymorphisms (rs12921922, rs12931878) of CLEC16A in T1DM and healthy controls were significantly different, while the distributions of other CLEC16A polymorphisms show no significant differences. The alleles of rs12921922 are C and T. The frequency of the T allele was significantly increased in patients versus healthy controls. The alleles of rs12931878 are A and C. The frequencies of the A allele are significantly increased in T1DM patients versus healthy controls. Conclusion. Two polymorphisms in the CLEC16A gene correlate with increased susceptibility to T1DM in Chinese children, revealing that it was another new gene that correlates with susceptibility to T1DM in multiple populations.