Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Efficient Model for Isolated Vietnamese Handwritten Recognition

This paper proposes an efficient recognition model for isolated Vietnamese handwritten character recognition. Based on connected regions of image we try to determine character image that belongs to a group of characters which has either diacritical mark or not. In our model, character part and its diacritical mark part could be separately defined and they come independently for recognition. Hence, we apply SVM (support vector machines) classification where statistical features from a mark part and a character part are extracted independently. Finally, we join classified results together to have recognition outcome. Our test results over Vietnamese handwriting with 50,000 character samples collecting from 655 individuals show that the accuracy of our recognition model is over 90%.
Research Practices in Entrepreneurship

The dominant paradigm of entrepreneurship research practices, positivism, has brought about a fundamental paradox: researchers often try to analyse a phenomenon that cannot properly be defined. As a result, much entrepreneurship research is fragmentary and focuses narrowly on aspects of entrepreneurship. Nonetheless, there are very rich descriptive data on what people mean when they talk about ‘enterprise’. The argument is developed that interpretative methodologies – new lenses for seeing entrepreneurship – such as social constructionism, are required to extend people's understanding. If the fragmentary positivistic approaches are imagined as pieces of a jigsaw, it can be seen how a social constructivist approach can provide an overview of how the pieces match, fit and come together. Following this way of thinking, the authors propose Giddens's structuration as an orienting framework for these interpretative lenses.
Active Collaborative Prediction with Maximum Margin Matrix Factorization

Collaborative prediction (CP) is a problem of predicting unobserved entries in sparsely observed matrices, e.g. product ratings by different users in online recommender systems. However, the quality of prediction may be quite sensitive to the choice of available samples, which motivates active sampling approaches. In this paper, we suggest an active sampling method based on the recently proposed Maximum-Margin Matrix Factorization (MMMF) [7], a linear factor model that was shown to outperform state-of-art collaborative prediction techniques. MMMF is formulated as a semidefinite program (SDP) that finds a low-norm (rather than traditional low-rank) matrix factorization, and is also closely related to learning max-margin linear discriminants (SVMs). This relation to SVMs inspires several margin-based active sampling heuristics that augment MMMF and demonstrate promising results in a variety of practical domains, including both traditional recommender systems and novel systems-management applications such as predicting latency and bandwidth in computer networks.
Condom use and psychological sensation seeking by college students

Condom use and its relationship to sensation seeking were investigated. Sensation seeking was measured on scales of sexual compulsivity, sexual sensation seeking, and non-sexual experience seeking. Participants who self-rated their condom use as high, scored significantly lower on the scales of sensation seeking. Males scored higher than females on sensation seeking. Suggestions to optimize STI/HIV preventive campaigns for college students are discussed.
An invitation to grieve: reconsidering critical incident responses by support teams in the school setting

This article proposes that consideration could be given to an invitational intervention rather than an expectational intervention when support personnel respond to a critical incident in schools. Intuitively many practitioners know that it is necessary for guidance/counselling personnel to intervene in schools in and following times of trauma. Most educational authorities in Australia have mandated the formulation of a critical incident intervention plan. This article defines the term critical incident and then outlines current intervention processes, discussing the efficacy of debriefing interventions. Recent literature suggests that even though it is accepted that a planned intervention is necessary, there is scant evidence as to the effectiveness of debriefing interventions in stemming later symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. The authors of this article advocate for an expressive therapy intervention that is invitational rather than expectational, arguing that not all people respond to trauma in the same way and to expect that they will need to recall and retell what has happened is most likely a dangerous assumption. A model of invitation using Howard Gardner's (1983) multiple intelligences is proposed so that students are invited to grieve and understand emotionally what is happening to them following a critical incident.
Time-Varying Space-Only Codes for Coded MIMO

Multiple antenna (MIMO) devices are widely used to increase reliability and information bit rate. Optimal error rate performance (full diversity and large coding gain), for unknown channel state information at the transmitter and for maximal rate, can be achieved by approximately universal space-time codes, but comes at a price of large detection complexity, infeasible for most practical systems. We propose a new coded modulation paradigm: error-correction outer code with space-only but time-varying precoder (as inner code). We refer to the latter as Ergodic Mutual Information (EMI) code. The EMI code achieves the maximal multiplexing gain and full diversity is proved in terms of the outage probability. Contrary to most of the literature, our work is not based on the elegant but difficult classical algebraic MIMO theory. Instead, the relation between MIMO and parallel channels is exploited. The theoretical proof of full diversity is corroborated by means of numerical simulations for many MIMO scenarios, in terms of outage probability and word error rate of LDPC coded systems. The full-diversity and full-rate at low detection complexity comes at a price of a small coding gain loss for outer coding rates close to one, but this loss vanishes with decreasing coding rate.
CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA IN CHILDREN

We have reviewed the 40 cases of adult-type chronic myelogenous leukemia (ACML) and 21 cases of juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia (JCML) seen at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital since 1964. The ACML patients ranged in age from 9 mo to 20-4/12 yr (median 11-1/12 yr) and included 23 boys and 17 girls. The JCML patients ranged from 6 mo to 11-8/12 yr (median 2 yr) and included 14 boys and 7 girls. Cytogenetic studies from 32 of the 36 ACML patients demonstrated the Philadelphia chromosome, whereas studies from only 1 of the 15 JCML patients had a structural chromosome abnormality. The range and median of other presenting characteristics are summarized below:The survival of the ACML patients ranged from 5 to 63 mo from diagnosis (median 25) and for the JCML patients from 2 to 28 mo (median 9). Eight ACML patients remain alive in chronic phase, 4 died in chronic phase, 5 had disease acceleration without clear documentation of blast crisis, 23 entered blast crisis 4 to 63 mo after diagnosis (6 lymphoblastic, 17 nonlymphoblastic). Five of the 6 patients entering lymphoblastic crisis achieved remission after 4 weeks of a vincristine-prednisone containing regimen. All 21 JCML patients died of disease despite modern therapy. Our studies suggest that better characterization of blast crisis cells of ACML patients may permit more specific and effective therapy. New therapeutic approaches are needed for both ACML and JCML.
Robust Audio-Fingerprinting With Spectral Entropy Signatures

In this paper we propose a highly robust audio-fingerprint (A FP). We call this AFP theSpectral Entropy Signature(SES). To extract the SES of a song, Shannon’s entropy is dete rmin d from the spectral coefficients of each one of the first 24 critical band s according to the Bark scale; entropy values are then binary coded to obtain a very compact AFP of only 0.13 kbps. To put the SES in context we compared it with a spectral flatness signature (SFS) and aTime domain Entropy Signature(TES). The SES, TES and SFS were determined for every song in a n assorted genre collection of4 000 elements. Four hundred songs were severely degraded and sea rched for using excerpts of five seconds. The SES showed higher robustness than both th e TES and the SFS for the degradations of white noise addition, equalization, lossy compression, re-recording in a noisy environment, low pass filtering, time-shifting and cropping. EDICS: AUD-CONT Index Terms Audio-Fingerprint, Entropy, Music Information Retrieval .
Physiotherapy intervention in Smith–Magenis syndrome: A case report based on exercise therapy for postural control and balance

Key Clinical Message This case report aims to raise a physiotherapy intervention for subjects with SMS. The basis is an active work, based on postural control and balance training. Physiotherapists can play an important role in the management of these subjects. Abstract Smith–Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a genetic alteration that encompasses a series of psychophysical repercussions that interferes with postural control and the autonomous functionality of the subjects who suffer from it. In this study, a clinical case of an 18‐year‐old adolescent with a genetic diagnosis of an SMS mutation is presented. This work proposes a physiotherapy intervention, adapted to the individual conditions and agreed upon with his family. The goal would be to analyze the effectiveness of postural control and balance training in a subject with SMS. A physiotherapy intervention based on postural control and balance was proposed. This approach is combined with the strengthening and readaptation of the antigravity muscles, through strength training, mobilization exercises, gait and transfers reeducation. An initial assessment was carried out. The interventions were developed at the home of the clinical case. The main variables were balance and postural control. For this, the following measurement scales and tests were used: Face Scale, Gross Motor Function Scale, Berg Balance Scale, Romberg Test, Barthel Index, and Functional Assessment of Sitting (SATco scale). After the intervention, the case presented under observation greater postural control in the transfers, less imbalances, and introduced new positions during their development, which allow more functional and autonomous movement. This was also extrapolated to gait, which was optimized in its development. This observation was not reflexed in test scores, which remained the same than the initial assessment. The intervention had a positive effect on the development of trunk control, transfers, and gait.
Guilt versus Shame: Coping, Fluency, and Framing in the Effectiveness of Responsible Drinking Messages

This article presents three studies on how the negative emotions of guilt and shame differentially influence the effectiveness of health messages framed as gains or losses. Guilt appeals are more effective when paired with gain frames, whereas shame appeals are more effective when paired with loss frames. These framing effects occur because gain frames facilitate the use of problem-focused coping strategies favored by guilt, whereas loss frames facilitate the use of emotion-focused coping strategies favored by shame. Frames that fit with the emotion facilitate the activation of coping strategies consistent with that emotion and consequently lead to greater fluency and message effectiveness. These effects manifest on intentions to binge drink and time spent viewing alcohol advertising.
Natural Variation Identifies ICARUS1, a Universal Gene Required for Cell Proliferation and Growth at High Temperatures in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plants are highly sensitive to environmental changes and even small variations in ambient temperature have severe consequences on their growth and development. Temperature affects multiple aspects of plant development, but the processes and mechanisms underlying thermo-sensitive growth responses are mostly unknown. Here we exploit natural variation in Arabidopsis thaliana to identify and characterize novel components and processes mediating thermo-sensitive growth responses in plants. Phenotypic screening of wild accessions identified several strains displaying pleiotropic growth defects, at cellular and organism levels, specifically at high ambient temperatures. Positional cloning and characterization of the underlying gene revealed that ICARUS1 (ICA1), which encodes a protein of the tRNAHis guanylyl transferase (Thg1) superfamily, is required for plant growth at high temperatures. Transcriptome and gene marker analyses together with DNA content measurements show that ICA1 loss-of-function results in down regulation of cell cycle associated genes at high temperatures, which is linked with a block in G2/M transition and endoreduplication. In addition, plants with mutations in ICA1 show enhanced sensitivity to DNA damage. Characterization of additional strains that carry lesions in ICA1, but display normal growth, shows that alternative splicing is likely to alleviate the deleterious effects of some natural mutations. Furthermore, analyses of worldwide and regional collections of natural accessions indicate that ICA1 loss-of-function has arisen several times independently, and that these occur at high frequency in some local populations. Overall our results suggest that ICA1-mediated-modulation of fundamental processes such as tRNAHis maturation, modify plant growth responses to temperature changes in a quantitative and reversible manner, in natural populations.
H&#246;Lderian Regularity-Based Image Interpolation

We consider the problem of interpolating a signal in Rd known at a given resolution. In our approach, the signal is assumed to belong to a given (large) class of signals. This class is characterised by local regularity constraints, that can be described by a certain inter-scale behaviour of their wavelet coefficients. These constraints allow to predict the scale n coefficient from the ones at lower scales. We investigate some properties of this interpolation scheme. In particular, we give the Holder regularity of the refined signal, and present some asymptotic properties of the method. Finally, numerical experiments are presented. Both the theoretical and numerical results show that our regularity-based scheme allows to obtain good quality interpolated images
Texture Classification Using Windowed Fourier Filters

We define a distance between textures for texture classification from texture features based on windowed Fourier filters. The definition of the distance relies on an interpretation of our texture attributes in terms of spectral density when the texture can be considered as a Gaussian random field. The distance between textures is then defined as a symmetrized Kullback distance which is a simple function of the attributes and does not require any normalization. An experimental analysis using Gabor filters, and in particular a comparison to quadratic distances, shows the efficiency and robustness of the method.
Nordic Bliss? Scandinavian Registered Partnerships and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate

The proponents of same-sex marriage have long argued that committed lesbian and gay couples should have the same legal options as committed straight couples, including marriage. Same-sex marriage opponents have shifted from one argument to another in an effort to find one that can appeal to the increasing number of Americans open to equal rights for gay people. Since the 1990s, opponents have argued that allowing same-sex marriage would undermine the institution of marriage. In recent publications, Hoover Institute scholar Stanley Kurtz has expanded this argument and provided evidence to support it. He argues that Scandinavian "registered partnerships", which provide same-sex couples with almost all the same rights and responsibilities as marriage, are "both an effect and a reinforcing cause of this Scandinavian trend toward unmarried parenthood. " According to Kurtz, "Once marriage is separated from the idea of parenthood, there seems little reason to deny marriage, or marriage-like partnerships, to same-sex couples. By the same token, once marriage (or a status close to marriage) has been redefined to include same-sex couples, the symbolic separation between marriage and parenthood is confirmed, locked-in, and reinforced. "Eskridge, Spedale, and Ytterberg dissent from Kurtz's speculative causal link between registered partnerships and what he calls the "end" of marriage in Scandinavia. To begin with, the authors question Kurtz's logic. Family law throughout much of the West has, arguably, undermined marriage as an institution by making it easier to exit and by providing civil alternatives with some of the benefits and few of the obligations. But expanding the eligibility of marriage, or a parallel institution, to same-sex couples who want to take on the civil obligations as well as the benefits of marriage does not logically undermine the institution of marriage. More important, the evidence from Scandinavia refutes rather than supports Kurtz's logic. Long-range trends in marriage rates, divorce rates, and nonmarital births either have been unaffected by the advent of same-sex partnerships or have moved in a direction that suggests that the institution of marriage is strengthening. Finally, the authors focus on the security of children in Scandinavia and find none of the ill effects posited by Kurtz. In a concluding section, Eskridge, Spedale, and Ytterberg raise normative questions relevant to the ongoing search for arguments to deny gay people civil equality. The big loser in such a campaign is marriage. By scapegoating gay marriage (or partnerships) as the "cause" of marriage's decline, pseudo-conservatives tend to reinforce the actual causes of the decline - the options straight couples are utilizing, such as no-fault divorce and cohabitation rights.
Brain connectivity during verbal working memory in children and adolescents

Working memory (WkM) is a fundamental cognitive process that serves as a building block for higher order cognitive functions. While studies have shown that children and adolescents utilize similar brain regions during verbal WkM, there have been few studies that evaluate the developmental differences in brain connectivity. Our goal was to study the development of brain connectivity related to verbal WkM in typically developing children and adolescents. Thirty‐five healthy children and adolescents, divided into three groups: 9–12 (children), 13–16 (young adolescents), and 17–19 (older adolescents) years, were included in this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. The verbal WkM task involved a modified Sternberg item recognition paradigm using three different loads. Brain connectivity analysis was performed using independent component analyses and regressing the components with the design matrix to determine task‐related networks. Connectivity analyses resulted in four components associated solely with encoding, four solely with recognition and two with both. Two networks demonstrated age‐related differences with respect to load, (1) the left motor area and right cerebellum, and 2) the left prefrontal cortex, left parietal lobe, and right cerebellum. Post hoc analyses revealed that the first network showed significant effects of age between children and the two older groups. There was increasing connectivity with increasing load for adolescents. The second network demonstrated age‐related differences between children and older adolescents. Children have higher task‐related connectivity at lower loads, but they tend to equalize with the adolescents with higher loads. Finally, a non‐load related network involving the orbital frontal and anterior cingulate cortices showed less connectivity in children. Hum Brain Mapp 35:698–711, 2014. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Binds to the Regulatory β Subunit of CK2 and Directly Stimulates CK2 Activity toward Nucleolin*

The presence of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) in the nucleus has now been reported both in vitro and in vivo, but its nuclear functions are unknown. Here, we show that FGF-2 added to nuclear extract binds to protein kinase CK2 and nucleolin, a CK2 natural substrate. Added to baculovirus-infected cell extracts overexpressing CK2 or its isolated subunits, FGF-2 binds to the enzyme through its regulatory β subunit. Using purified proteins, FGF-2 is shown to directly interact with CK2 and to stimulate CK2 activity toward nucleolin. Furthermore, a mitogenic-deficient FGF-2 mutant protein has an impaired ability to interact with CK2 and to stimulate CK2 activity using nucleolin as substrate. We propose that in growing cells, one function of nuclear FGF-2 is to modulate CK2 activity through binding to its regulatory β subunit.
Non‐Linear Pricing and Price Indexes: Evidence and Implications from Scanner Data

type="main"> Non-linear pricing, the fact that prices do not necessarily change in proportion to size, is a ubiquitous phenomenon. However, it has been neither particularly well understood nor well measured. Non-linear pricing is of practical importance for statistical agencies who, in constructing price indexes, are often required to compare the relative price of a product-variety of two different sizes. It is usually assumed that prices change one-for-one with package and pack size (e.g. a 1-liter cola costs half as much as a 2-liter bottle). We question the wisdom of such an assumption and outline a model to flexibly estimate the price-size function. Applying our model to a large U.S. scanner dataset for carbonated beverages, at a disaggregated level, we find very significant discounts for larger-sized products. This highlights the need to pursue methods such as those advocated in this paper.
THE EFFECT OF TASK COMPLEXITY AND SEQUENCE ON RULE LEARNING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

Two experiments were carried out in order to test the effects of task sequence on the speed of rule learning and problem solving. Expt. I involved numerical rule-learning tasks. One group of subjects was presented with the tasks using a simple-complex sequence while another group was presented with the complex rather than the simple task initially. The simple-complex order resulted in a far superior performance. Expt. II tested the effect of task difficulty and task precedence using problem-solving tasks. Speed of problem solving was not found to be significantly affected by task order. These contrasting results were discussed in terms of hypothesis testing theory and learning hierarchies.
Architecture and Application of PLATO, A Reconfigurable Active Network Platform

A new, configurable architecture has been designed and built in order to serve as a platform for experimentation with active networks. This architecture, named PLATO, provides 4 physical bi-directional connections for ATM networks, large reconfigurable resources, 256 Mbytes SDRAM for buffer space, a PCI port, and auxiliary expansion ports. Several applications are presented for this platform, one of which has been prototyped on the PCI Pamette and on PLATO. Detailed simulations and experimental results show that, for some applications, a significant improvement can be obtained using this approach as compared to using conventional network architectures.