Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Persian handwritten digit recognition by random forest and convolutional neural networks

Persian handwritten digit recognition has attracted some interests in the research community by introduction of large Hoda dataset. In this paper, the well-known random forest (RF) and convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithms are investigated for Persian handwritten digit recognition on the Hoda dataset. Using the Hoda dataset as a standard testbed, we have performed some experiments with different preprocessing steps, feature types, and baselines. It is then shown that RFs and CNNs perform competitively with the state-of-the-art methods on this dataset, while CNNs being the fastest if appropriate hardware is available.
2D Finger Shape Recognition Based on Local Zero-Order Moment Features

This paper proposed a biometric identification system through 2D fingers' geometry measurements. The hand image captured from digital camera was first preprocessed to segment hand and its contour out from background. Then the finger tops and valleys were located by tracking out the maximum and minimum radial distances to a wrist reference point. The geometry features of index, middle, ring and little fingers were extracted, which included the length, mean width and normalized local zero-order moment. Experiments show that a high recognition accuracy and efficient matching performance were achieved with the proposed algorithm, which can meet the requirement of real time searching in large hand database.
CONGESTION PRICING: PUBLIC POLLING PERSPECTIVE

Several state, regional and local governments now are studying congestion pricing and are especially concerned with public reactions to the concept. This article analyzes the results of public opinion polls on congestion pricing spanning 13 years and draws implications for analysts assessing public opinion regarding the prospects of public acceptance. This article addresses the importance of broadening and detailing congestion pricing in public polls, including attention to variations in the concept as well as plans for revenue allocation, alternative services and mitigations. It also suggests broadening assessment of equity from its usual focus on income, testing the concept in the context of highway finance and assessing both gains and losses in support with concept variations.
Mediator-learner Dyad - Cooperative Relationships

This study presents results from a quali-quantitative research looking for evidence on the pedagogical mediation influence on the academic performance of distance learning students. For the systematization of the responses to the research question, a content analysis was performed using the Alceste method. An explanation for the evidence of the mediation relevance to the student professional performance, following from the dyad for cooperation concept, based on social psychology theoretical underpinnings, founded on the philosophy of the Hegelian logic. These concepts paved the ground on which the analysis was deployed.
Human Fetal Liver: An In Vitro Model of Erythropoiesis

We previously described the large-scale production of RBCs from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) of diverse sources. Our present efforts are focused to produce RBCs thanks to an unlimited source of stem cells. Human embryonic stem (ES) cells or induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) are the natural candidates. Even if the proof of RBCs production from these sources has been done, their amplification ability is to date not sufficient for a transfusion application. In this work, our protocol of RBC production was applied to HSC isolated from fetal liver (FL) as an intermediate source between embryonic and adult stem cells. We studied the erythroid potential of FL-derived CD34+ cells. In this in vitro model, maturation that is enucleation reaches a lower level compared to adult sources as observed for embryonic or iP, but, interestingly, they (i) displayed a dramatic in vitro expansion (100-fold more when compared to CB CD34+) and (ii) 100% cloning efficiency in hematopoietic progenitor assays after 3 days of erythroid induction, as compared to 10–15% cloning efficiency for adult CD34+ cells. This work supports the idea that FL remains a model of study and is not a candidate for ex vivo RBCS production for blood transfusion as a direct source of stem cells but could be helpful to understand and enhance proliferation abilities for primitive cells such as ES cells or iPS.
Unemployment, Growth and Taxation in Industrial Countries

To the layman, the upward trend in European unemployment is related to the slowdown in economic growth. We argue that the layman's view is correct. The increase in European unemployment and the slowdown in economic growth are related because they stem from a common cause: an excessively high cost of labor. In Europe, labor costs have gone up for many reasons, but one is particularly easy to identify: higher taxes on labor. If wages are set by strong and centralized trade unions, an increase in labor taxes is shifted onto higher real wages. This has two effects. First, it reduces labor demand and thus creates unemployment. Second, as firms substitute capital for labor, the marginal product of capital falls; over long periods of time, this in turn diminishes the incentive to accumulate and thus to grow. Thus high unemployment is associated with low growth rates. The model also predicts that the effect of labor taxation differs sharply in countries with different labor market institutions. We test these predictions on data for 14 industrial countries between 1965 and 1991 and find striking support for them. In particular, labor taxes have a strong positive effect on unemployment only in Europe and not in other industrial countries. The observed rise of 9.4 percentage points in labor tax rates can account for a reduction of the EU growth rate of about 0.4 percentage points a year--about one third of the observed reduction in growth between 1965-75 and 1976-91--and a rise in unemployment of about 4 percentage points.
MEG Source Localization of Spatially Extended Generators of Epileptic Activity: Comparing Entropic and Hierarchical Bayesian Approaches

Localizing the generators of epileptic activity in the brain using Electro-EncephaloGraphy (EEG) or Magneto-EncephaloGraphy (MEG) signals is of particular interest during the pre-surgical investigation of epilepsy. Epileptic discharges can be detectable from background brain activity, provided they are associated with spatially extended generators. Using realistic simulations of epileptic activity, this study evaluates the ability of distributed source localization methods to accurately estimate the location of the generators and their sensitivity to the spatial extent of such generators when using MEG data. Source localization methods based on two types of realistic models have been investigated: (i) brain activity may be modeled using cortical parcels and (ii) brain activity is assumed to be locally smooth within each parcel. A Data Driven Parcellization (DDP) method was used to segment the cortical surface into non-overlapping parcels and diffusion-based spatial priors were used to model local spatial smoothness within parcels. These models were implemented within the Maximum Entropy on the Mean (MEM) and the Hierarchical Bayesian (HB) source localization frameworks. We proposed new methods in this context and compared them with other standard ones using Monte Carlo simulations of realistic MEG data involving sources of several spatial extents and depths. Detection accuracy of each method was quantified using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis and localization error metrics. Our results showed that methods implemented within the MEM framework were sensitive to all spatial extents of the sources ranging from 3 cm2 to 30 cm2, whatever were the number and size of the parcels defining the model. To reach a similar level of accuracy within the HB framework, a model using parcels larger than the size of the sources should be considered.
Orienteering competition injuries: injuries incurred in the Finnish Jukola and Venla relay competitions.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to find out the amount, type, and localisation of acute orienteering injuries in the 1995 Finnish Jukola (men's) and Venla (women's) relay competitions with 9724 participants. METHODS: Patient data were collected on a preplanned form at the first aid station. RESULTS: There were 244 acute competition injuries. The overall injury incidence was 2.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2 to 2.8), 2.3% in the men's relay and 3.2% in the women's relay, and the difference between incidences among men and women was statistically significant (odds ratio (OR) 1.4; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.9). The injury rates were also calculated per 1000 competition hours and per 1000 km and were 15.4 and 2.6 respectively. Most of the injuries could be treated at the first aid station. Female orienteers had more blisters (OR 4.4; 95% CI 2.5 to 7.9) and fewer wounds (OR 0.5; 95% CI 0.2 to 1.0) than male orienteers. Injuries occurred mostly in the lower extremities (70%), and ankle sprains accounted for 25% of all injuries. Injuries were more common during the first leg of both relays. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the heavy workload in a first aid station of a big orienteering relay competition. It indicates a difference in injuries between the sexes and in the different stages of the relay, which should be further investigated in order to prevent orienteering competition injuries.
A design framework for low power analog filter banks

We detail the design of multiresolution analog filter banks, linear models of cochlear function, with power dissipation being a prime engineering constraint. We propose that a reasonable goodness criterion is the information rate through the system, per watt of power dissipated. Speech applications requiring filter banks with a wide frequency tuning range, from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and low power consumption make the transconductance-C integrator in subthreshold CMOS the preferable integrator structure. As an example, the dynamic range of a lowpass filter is computed and subsequently used to design a filter bank that models faithfully cochlear micro-mechanics. The power consumption of the entire filter bank is computed from analytical expressions and is estimated as 355 nW, at 68 kb/s overall information rate at the output of the system.
Progress Towards Strong Coupling between Collisionally Blockaded atoms and an Optical Cavity by Alexander Themis Papageorge

In this thesis, I present the motivation and design for an experiment in which to probe the interactions between an atom and a single photon light field. I discuss the relevant technical considerations and many of the physical phenomena that can be tested with this particular experimental system. In particular, I dicuss the design, implementation, and control of a high finesse cavity overlapped with a 2pm dipole trap. The use of a relatively long (14mm) cavity grants good optical access, permitting the implementation of a dipole trap centered on the cavity, and small enough to capture only a single atom in the collisional blockade regime. Thesis Supervisor: Vladan Vuleti6 Title: Lester Wolfe Associate Professor of Physics
Frequency of Harmful Behaviors in Patients Who Are Suffering From Substances Abuse

Background Drug abuse is a disorder associated with unhealthy pattern of drug consumption and is a widespread social delinquent both in society and at home. There have only been a few studies conducted on the frequency and types of harmful behaviors among drug abusers. Objectives The objective of this study is to investigate the frequency of harmful behaviors in people who are suffering from drug abuse. Patients and Methods The population was comprised of all the patients with drug abuse disorders hospitalized during 6 month from 1389 - 1390 in adult wards of Ibn - Sina Psychiatric Hospital in Mashhad. Of those patients who had been identified as having drug abuse disorder, based on the initial interview by a psychiatrist and a urine drug screening test, 99 subjects were selected as the available sample and were informed of the study and its objectives. In this descriptive study patient’s consent had been taken. In psychotic cases, legitimate guardian consent has been obtained. Furthermore, demographic questionnaire in order to determine the harmful behaviors has been completed. Comorbid psychiatric diagnosis was recorded by a psychiatrist, according to the patients’ records. SPSS software was used to analyze the results and, descriptive statistics such as frequency tables and inferential statistics including the chi-square test were used. Results 85 drug abusers (58.5%) have a history of harmful behaviors and 14 persons (14.1%) have not acted out in this manner. Seventy individuals had participated in more than one harmful behavior. The most common harmful behavior has been reported as aggression by force and attack (65.5 %.). Conclusions The most common type of harmful behaviors was “aggression by force and attack”. The next most harmful behavior was defined as the threat of suicide. Clearly, drug abuse was a disorder strongly associated with harmful behaviors.
Reliance on end-expiratory wedge pressure leads to misclassification of pulmonary hypertension

Current guidelines recommend measurement of pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) at end-expiration. However, this recommendation is not universally followed and may not be physiologically appropriate. We investigated the performance of end-expiratory PAWP in the evaluation of precapillary pulmonary hypertension patients. 329 spontaneously breathing patients undergoing right heart catheterisation were retrospectively classified as having a precapillary, post-capillary or mixed phenotype based on standardised clinical criteria. Tracings were reviewed to compare end-expiratory PAWP with PAWP averaged throughout the respiratory cycle; these values were correlated with the clinical classifications. Predictors of large respirophasic variation in PAWP were determined. Elevated end-expiratory PAWP (>15 mmHg) occurred in 29% of subjects with precapillary phenotype. There were no differences in demographics or clinical history between those with elevated and normal end-expiratory PAWP. Those with elevated end-expiratory PAWP had greater right atrial pressure and respirophasic PAWP variation. Among all subjects, the magnitude of respirophasic variation in PAWP was positively correlated with body mass index and respirophasic variation in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. A significant proportion of precapillary pulmonary hypertension patients have end-expiratory PAWP >15 mmHg. Spontaneous positive end-expiratory intrathoracic pressure may contribute; in those cases, PAWP averaged throughout respiration may be a more accurate measurement. Strict use of end-expiratory pulmonary artery wedge pressure leads to over diagnosis of pulmonary venous hypertension http://ow.ly/vNHMj
Exploring the multi-project matrix : Process dynamics of a projectified organization.

Executive Summary The classical view of matrix-based organizing does not capture its dynamic nature. Today, matrix organization design seems to be out of fashion. The academic interest is sparse. The predominant theory within the field was formulated more than 20 years ago. In organizational practice, however, with the increased emphasis on flexibility, customer orientation, product development, and teams based organizations, the matrix structure is more important than ever. Anchored in an extensive qualitative case study, this paper inquires into the application of the matrix structure in an organization where several projects were conducted simultaneously and successively. We label this form " the multi-project matrix ". The purpose of the paper is to evaluate to what extent present theory on matrix organizing provides sufficient knowledge to understand the management problems of such an organization. The results indicate that the present theory has limitations in a multi-project setting. It is static, it has a single-project perspective, and it falls short in explaining the possible causalities between structure and process dynamics of the multi-project portfolio. In order to capture these dynamics, the paper sketches an alternative conceptual framework focusing on the complexity of the project portfolio, how the portfolio changes over time, and the mechanisms behind these continuous changes. Implications and directions for future research are discussed and a new concept is uncovered: " the multi-project matrix " .
Breaking Up the Collective Farm: Welfare Outcomes of Vietnam's Massive Land Privatization

The decollectivization of agriculture in Vietnam was a crucial step in the country's transition to a market economy. But the assignment of land use rights had to be decentralized, and local cadres ostensibly had the power to corrupt this process. The authors assess the realized land allocation against explicit counterfactuals, including the simulated allocation implied by a competitive market-based privatization. The authors find that 95-99 percent of maximum aggregate consumption (depending on the region) was realized by a land allocation that reduced overall inequality, with the poorest absolutely better off. They attribute this outcome to initial conditions at the time of reform and actions by the center to curtail the power of local elites.
On the Influence of Phased Growth of the Internet on Power Laws in the Topology

Empirical analysis has revealed several basic, yet interesting, large-scale power-law relationships in the Internet topology. Recent work has focused on discerning the underlying phenomena that give rise to the observed scale-free properties in the topology. Incremental growth with preferential connectivity is one of the phenomena that has been said to have contributed to the observed power-law relationships. In this work, we present a conjecture that the Internet has undergone not one but several distinct growth phases, each with a possibly different growth process. We present simulation results to corroborate our conjecture and show that a 2-phase growth with preferential connectivity only in the second phase leads to stronger power-law relationships closer to those observed in the real Internet.
Using Conditional Autoregressive Range Model to Forecast Volatility of the Stock Indices

This paper compares the forecasting performance of the conditional autoregressive range (CARR) model with the commonly adopted GARCH model. Two major stock indices, FTSE 100 and Nikkei 225, are studies using the daily range data and daily close price data over the period 1990 to 2000. Our results suggest that improvements of the overall estimation are achieved when the CARR models are used. Moreover, we find that the CARR model gives better volatility forecasts than GARCH, as it can catch the extra informational contents of the intra-daily price variations. Finally, we also find that the inclusion of the lagged return and the lagged trading volume can significantly improve the forecasting ability of the CARR models. Our empirical results also significantly suggest the existence of a leverage effect in the U.K. and Japanese stock markets.
Re-evaluation of the T2KK physics potential with simulations including backgrounds

The Tokai-to-Kamioka-and-Korea (T2KK) neutrino oscillation experiment under examination can have a high sensitivity to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy for a combination of relatively large ( ~ 3.0°) off-axis angle beam at Super-Kamiokande (SK) and small ( ~ 0.5°) off-axis angle at L ~ 1,000 km in Korea. We elaborate previous studies by taking into account smearing of reconstructed neutrino energy due to finite resolution of electron or muon energies, nuclear Fermi motion and resonance production, as well as the neutral current π0 production background to the νμ → νe oscillation signal. It is found that the mass hierarchy pattern can still be determined at 3σ level if sin22θRCT ≡ 4|Ue3|2(1 − |Ue3|2) 0.08(0.09) when the hierarchy is normal (inverted) with 5 × 1021} POT (protons on target) exposure, or 5 years of the T2K experiment, if a 100 kton water Cerenkov detector is placed in Korea. The π0 backgrounds deteriorate the capability of the mass hierarchy determination, whereas the events from CC nuclear resonance productions contribute positively to the hierarchy discrimination power. We also find that the π0 backgrounds seriously affect the CP phase measurement. Although δMNS can still be constrained with an accuracy of ~ ±45° (±60°) at 1σ level for the normal (inverted) hierarchy with the above exposure if sin22θRCT 0.04, CP violation can no longer be established at 3σ level even for δMNS = ±90° and sin22θRCT = 0.1. About four times higher exposure will be needed to measure δMNS with ±30° accuracy.
Xart system: discovering and extracting correlated arguments of n-ary relations from text

In this paper, we present Xart system based on a hybrid method using data mining approaches and syntactic analysis to automatically discover and extract relevant information modeled as n-ary relations from text. A n-ary relation links a studied object with its features considered as several arguments. Our work focuses on extracting quantitative arguments associated with their attributes, i.e. a numerical value and a unit of measure, in order to populate a domain Ontological and Terminological Resource (OTR) with new instances. The proposed method relies on the discovery of correlated arguments in text using sequential pattern mining and the OTR. Then, those Ontological Sequential Patterns (OSP) are enriched with specific syntactic relations in order to construct Ontological Linguistic Sequential Patterns (OLSP) where the arguments are expressed according to different levels of term abstraction (term, grammatical category and concept). We have made concluding experiments on a corpus from food packaging domain where relevant data to be extracted are experimental results on packagings. We have been able to extract up to 4 correlated arguments with a F-measure from 0.6 to 0.8.
Integrated volatility and round-off error

We consider a microstructure model for a financial asset, allowing for price discreteness and for a diffusive behavior at large sampling scale. This model, introduced by Delattre and Jacod, consists in the observation at the high frequency $n$, with round-off error $\alpha_n$, of a diffusion on a finite interval. We give from this sample estimators for different forms of the integrated volatility of the asset. Our method is based on variational properties of the process associated with wavelet techniques. We prove that the accuracy of our estimation procedures is $\alpha_n\vee n^{-1/2}$. Using compensated estimators, limit theorems are obtained.