Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Rough Set Approach towards Analysis of Cosmetic Data

The Global cosmetic industry borders are expanding everyday with new product launches and new packaging for old products. To cater the needs of the diverse customers, the industry has to deal with enormous features of skin, extracted from the face images of the customers, out of which few are required to identify the skin problems and necessary product rejuvenation. This paper proposes data mining techniques to meet these challenges in the cosmetic industry. The proposed approach is based on rough set theory, for discretizing the skin data which is of continuous valued in nature, feature selection using quick reducts and categorization of skin problems using rough clustering technique. General Terms Cosmetic industry, face image, continuous valued data, clustering.
Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods Hierarchical Clustering with Simple Matching and Joint Entropy Dissimilarity Measure Hierarchical Clustering with Simple Matching and Joint Entropy Dissimilarity Measure

Conventional clustering algorithms are restricted for use with data containing ratio or interval scale variables; hence, distances are used. As social studies require merely categorical data, the literature is enriched with more complicated clustering techniques and algorithms of categorical data. These techniques are based on similarity or dissimilarity matrices. The algorithms are using density based or pattern based approaches. A probabilistic nature to similarity structure is proposed. The entropy dissimilarity measure has comparable results with simple matching dissimilarity at hierarchical clustering. It overcomes dimension increase through binarization of the categorical data. This approach is also functional with the clustering methods, where a-priori cluster number information is available.
Cross-Category Effects of Aisle and Display Placements: A Spatial Modeling Approach and Insights

Amid growing competition, retailers are increasingly interested in more effective aisle and display management strategies. These strategies involve placements of product categories in aisles and displays within each store to facilitate greater sales affinity (demand attraction) between categories to improve the store's share of customer wallet. The authors investigate the effects of aisle and display placements on the sales affinities between categories. They develop a spatial model of brand sales that allows for asymmetric store-specific affinity effects between two or more categories, while controlling for the effects of traditional merchandising and marketing-mix variables, such as price, feature, and display. They estimate the model on aggregate store-level data for regular cola and regular potato chip categories for a major retail chain, using hierarchical Bayesian methods. They show the usefulness and extension potential of the model through simulation of aisle placements for a third category. The results show that aisle and display placements have significant and sizable asymmetric effects on cross-category sales affinities comparable to those influenced by marketing-mix variables. Retail managers can use this detailed store-level model and subsequent insights to develop customized aisle and display management for their individual stores.
Distinct patterns of genetic variation in Pristionchus pacificus and Caenorhabditis elegans, two partially selfing nematodes with cosmopolitan distribution

Hermaphroditism has evolved several times independently in nematodes. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus are self‐fertile hermaphrodites with rare facultative males. Both species are members of different families: C. elegans belongs to the Rhabditidae and P. pacificus to the Diplogastridae. Also, both species differ in their ecology: C. elegans is a soil‐dwelling nematode that is often found in compost heaps. In contrast, field studies in Europe and North America indicate that Pristionchus nematodes are closely associated with scarab beetles. In C. elegans, several recent studies have found low genetic diversity and rare out‐crossing events. Little is known about diversity levels and population structure in free‐living hermaphroditic nematodes outside the genus Caenorhabditis. Taking a comparative approach, we analyse patterns of molecular diversity and linkage disequilibrium in 18 strains of P. pacificus from eight countries and four continents. Mitochondrial sequence data of P. pacificus isolates reveal a substantially higher genetic diversity on a global scale when compared to C. elegans. A mitochondrial‐derived hermaphrodite phylogeny shows little geographic structuring, indicating several worldwide dispersal events. Amplified fragment length polymorphism and single strand conformation polymorphism analyses demonstrate a high degree of genome‐wide linkage disequilibrium, which also extends to the mitochondrial genome. Together, these findings indicate distinct patterns of genetic variation of the two species. The low level of genetic diversity observed in C. elegans might reflect a recent human‐associated dispersal, whereas the P. pacificus diversity might reflect a long‐lasting and ongoing insect association. Thus, despite similar lifestyle characteristics in the laboratory, the reproductive mode of hermaphroditism with rare facultative males can result in distinct genetic variability patterns in different ecological settings.
A Spatially Resolved Plerionic X-Ray Nebula around PSR B0540–69

We present a high-resolution Chandra X-ray observation of PSR B0540-69, the Crab-like 50 ms pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We use phase-resolved imaging to decompose the extended X-ray emission, as expected of a synchrotron nebula, from the pointlike emission of the pulsar. The image of the pulsed X-ray emission shows a well-defined point-spread function of the observation, while the resolved nebula has a morphology and size remarkably similar to the Crab nebula, including evidence for a jetlike feature from PSR B0540-69. The patchy outer shell, which most likely represents the expanding blast wave of the supernova, is reminiscent of that seen in radio. Based on morphology, size, and energetics, there can be little doubt that SNR B0540-69 is an analogous system to the Crab but located in our neighboring galaxy.
Systemic lupus erythematosus--is a viral aetiology a credible hypothesis?

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is still regarded as a paradigm for autoimmune diseases, an Everest which if conquered would allow the solution of other unsolved problems in autoimmunity. Thus, interest in this issue is not confined to physicians and medical scientists who deal directly with patients with this disorder. The seach for viral causes of SLE has continued despite many decades of largely fruitless endeavour. Indeed, interest in this possibility has been sustained mainly by the discovery of the many mechanisms in natural infections and model systems by which persistently infective viruses are able to evade elimination by host immune defences and to stimulate autoimmune phenomena or disease. 1,2 Of particular relevance to the immunopathogenesis of SLE are those viral infections which induce the characteristic spectrum of anti-nuclear and related autoantibodies and also lesions related to immune complex deposition and cytokine-induced inflammation resembling those characteristic of human SLE. For example, viral infections reveal cryptic auto-antigens to the immune system, thereby allowing tolerance to these antigens to be broken. 3 The inflammatory reaction accompanying many viral infections generates high local concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines with subsequent autoantibody production. 4,5 Such findings mirror the many situations in which transgenic manipulation of constitutive cytokine production is followed by autoimmune disorders. More simplistically, in clinical medicine parvovirus B19 infection is a telling example of a situation in which an ubiquitous agent induces acute clinical features and immunological abnormalities closely resembling SLE, often over a period of many months. 6
Exploring the Learning Experiences of Students Involved in Community Profiling Projects

Practice learning in the UK is a vital part of social work education where students are given the opportunity to implement theoretical knowledge, skills and values into practice. At the University of Bath we organise community profiling projects as students' first practice learning experience where students work in small groups/teams to conduct a participative piece of research alongside a community agency and service users. In an effort to evaluate the quality and usefulness of community profiling projects, this study employed qualitative data collection methods to gather the experiences and perspectives of University of Bath social work students during their course of conducting a community profiling project. Two research questions guided this study: ‘What are the learning experiences of students involved in community profiling projects? ’ and ‘What do students perceive as the relevance of a community profiling project on their practice learning? ’. The data analysis revealed five emerging themes (importance of service user involvement in defining ‘needs’; ability to challenge one's assumptions; enhancement of research skills; ability to enhance groupwork/teamwork skills; and ability to apply lecture material to the ‘real’ world), which together depict the learning experiences of students. The importance and implications of community profiling on practice learning are discussed.
Nature-deficit disorder: evidence, dosage, and treatment

Claims have long been made of the health-promoting effects of contact with ‘nature’, but these claims have only recently been subjected to rigorous scientific testing. A strong body of evidence is now in hand. An array of studies ranging from rigorous experiments to large-scale epidemiological work has tied nature to health for outcomes ranging from childhood obesity, to immune functioning and rates of physician-diagnosed disease in adults, to longevity in older adults. Moreover, enough evidence has accumulated to begin to answer key questions about the dosage of nature needed to promote health. Do all forms of nature seem to help? Do small bits of nature help, or is some minimum level required for an effect? Similarly, to what extent is an explicit focus on nature necessary – are effects limited to fishing, hiking, gardening, and the like? The evidence to date suggests, broadly, that total exposure is important; all forms and quantities of exposure are helpful; and the greener the better. From these insi.
A Competitive Analysis of Web 2.0 Communities: Differentiation with User-Generated Content

This paper studies the competition between Web 2.0 communities in a game theoretic framework. We model three important features of these institutions: (i) firms' content is usually user-generated; (ii) consumers' content preferences are governed by local network effects, and (iii) consumers have strong tendencies to multi-home. Our analyses reveal that ex-ante identical community sites can acquire differentiated market positions that spontaneously emerge from user-generated content. Moreover, sites may obtain unanticipated and sometimes ambiguous market positions, wherein one site simultaneously attracts distinct and isolated consumer segments that seldom interact. Spontaneous differentiation reduces firm competition but may imply too much consumer segregation and lower social welfare. In most equilibria, a subset of consumers multi-home. We show that the degree of spontaneous differentiation increases in the localness of network effects. Interestingly, more multi-homing consumers imply reduced differentiation and intensify site competition. In one extension, we show that market growth tends to lead to lower market concentration, in contrast to the prediction by the classical horizontal differentiation model. We also study competing sites' community design strategies and provide conditions under which sites reduce or enhance user connectivity within their communities, leading to maximal and minimal spontaneous differentiation respectively.
Postoperative Fluid Overload is a Useful Predictor of the Short-Term Outcome of Renal Replacement Therapy for Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery

AbstractTo analyze the predictive value of postoperative percent fluid overload (PFO) of renal replacement therapy (RRT) for acute kidney injury (AKI) patients after cardiac surgery.Data from 280 cardiac surgery patients between 2005 January and 2012 April were collected for retrospective analyses. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the predictive values of cumulative PFO at different times after surgery for 90-day mortality.The cumulative PFO before RRT initiation was 7.9% ± 7.1% and the median PFO 6.1%. The cumulative PFO before and after RRT initiation in intensive care unit (ICU) was higher in the death group than in the survival group (8.8% ± 7.6% vs 6.1% ± 5.6%, P = 0.001; −0.5[−5.6, 5.1]% vs 6.9[2.2, 14.6]%, P < 0.001). The cumulative PFO during the whole ICU stay was 14.3% ± 15.8% and the median PFO was 10.7%. The areas under the ROC curves to predict the 90-day mortality by PFO at 24 hours, cumulative PFO before and after RRT initiation, and PFO during the whole ICU stay postoperatively were 0.625, 0.627, 0.731, and 0.752. PFO during the whole ICU stay ≥7.2% was determined as the cut-off point for 90-day mortality prediction with a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 64%. Kaplan–Meier survival estimates showed a significant difference in survival among patients with cumulative PFO ≥ 7.2% and PFO < 7.2% after cardiac surgery (log-rank P < 0.001). Postoperative cumulative PFO during the whole ICU stay ≥7.2% would have an adverse effect on 90-day short-term outcome, which may provide a strategy for the volume control of AKI-RRT patients after cardiac surgery.
Os Efeitos da Idade na Seleção de Carga Perceptual

Some studies suggest the existence of distinct maturation moments of the attentional system. This study investigated the selection patterns of visual information through a perceptual load task performed by three age groups: children, adults and elderly people. In general, the obtained results indicate a decrease of the efficiency in the process of information selection under low perceptual load in the group of elderly people, and a decrease of the selection efficiency under conditions of high and low perceptual load in the group composed by children. The results suggest the existence of specific patterns in the selection of visual information in relation to age and the perceptual load to be processed by the visual system.
Assessment of androgyny in children

Androgyny as a sex-role type has been studied extensively in adults but hardly at all in children. In the present study, children in Kindergarten through Grade 2 were administered a sex-role preference test in such a way that masculine and feminine scores could be derived independently. As a test of concurrent validity, the children's masculine and feminine preference scores were correlated with a parent-report measure of sex-typing. Both the child and parent measures showed strong sex differences in the types of stimuli preferred. Significant correlations were found between the parent and child measures for girls, but not for boys. Based on their masculine and feminine scores, children were classified as androgynous, masculine, feminine, or undifferentiated. The "absolute midpoint" method of sex-role classification placed the majority of boys in the masculine category (83%) and the majority of girls in the feminine category (79%); 9% of the boys and 18% of the girls were classified as androgynous. This method of classification yielded results similar to the more commonly used "between-sex" median split procedure, but differed sharply from the "within-sex" median split method, which yielded a more even distribution of children across the four sex-role types. The results were discussed with respect to a number of methodological issues in the measurement of androgyny in children.
The Innate and Adaptive Immune System as Targets for Biologic Therapies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory condition causing inflammation of gastrointestinal and systemic cells, with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Many factors are known to trigger and maintain inflammation in IBD including the innate and adaptive immune systems, genetics, the gastrointestinal microbiome and several environmental factors. Our knowledge of the involvement of the immune system in the pathophysiology of IBD has advanced rapidly over the last two decades, leading to the development of several immune-targeted treatments with a biological source, known as biologic agents. The initial focus of these agents was directed against the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) leading to dramatic changes in the disease course for a proportion of patients with IBD. However, more recently, it has been shown that a significant proportion of patients do not respond to anti-TNF-α directed therapies, leading a shift to other inflammatory pathways and targets, including those of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, and targets linking both systems including anti-leukocyte trafficking agents-integrins and adhesion molecules. This review briefly describes the molecular basis of immune based gastrointestinal inflammation in IBD, and then describes how several current and future biologic agents work to manipulate these pathways, and their clinical success to date.
Visual object agnosia without prosopagnosia or alexia: Evidence for hierarchical theories of visual recognition

Abstract A single case study is presented of a patient, Mr. W, with a selective deficit in recognizing pictures and real objects, linked to impaired stored visual knowledge about objects. Despite this, Mr. W maintained a preserved ability both to read aloud printed words and to recognize famous faces, when compared with age-matched control subjects. In addition, his access to semantic information from words was superior to that from pictures. The data provide evidence that visual agnosia can occur without alexia or prosopagnosia, contrary to recent proposals (Farah 1990, 1991). This finding is consistent with a hierarchical model of visual object recognition in which agnosia can reflect impaired stored knowledge of objects without accompanying perceptual deficits. The selective recognition deficit for objects further indicates that stored knowledge concerning different classes of visual stimuli (common objects, faces, and words) is separately represented in the brain.
Democratic Assessment of Collaborative Planning Processes

Collaborative planning is often mentioned as one of the most appropriate planning theories in relation to the network society owing to its focus on creating fair and inclusive institutional settings for deliberations among public and private stakeholders. Even though this theoretical framework discusses potential outcomes, the actual democratic effects of collaborative planning processes are notably overlooked in the literature. The central question raised in this article is: how can we assess the democratic effects of collaborative planning processes? The article presents a tentative evaluative framework for assessing the different stages (input, process and outcome) of collaborative planning processes deriving criteria from democratic theory, as well as from theories on collaborative planning, which can be deployed for empirical studies.
The Moi Formula for Improper Exponential Definite Integrals

A general formula is developed for solving a type of improper exponential definite integral of order n in the number plane. Termed the Moi Formula, it is shown to produce substantially simpler derivations of the finite moments of a probability distribution employed for assessing stochastic randomness, such as recently published by the authors. Other applications of the integral formula are discussed.
A Hybrid Parallel Tridiagonal Solver on Multi-core Architectures

An optimized parallel algorithm is proposed to solve the problem occurred in the process of complicated backward substitution of cyclic reduction during solving tridiagonal linear systems. Adopting a hybrid parallel model, this algorithm combines the cyclic reduction method and the partition method. This hybrid algorithm has simple backward substitution on parallel computers comparing with the cyclic reduction method. In this paper, the operation count and execution time are obtained to evaluate and make comparison for these methods. On the basis of results of these measured parameters, the hybrid algorithm using the hybrid approach with a multi-threading implementation achieves better efficiency than the other parallel methods, i.e., the cyclic reduction and the partition methods. Among them, the cyclic reduction method is previously found to be the fastest algorithm in many ways for solutions. In particular, the approach involved in this paper has the least scalar operation count and the shortest execution time on multi-core computer when the size of an equation is large enough. The hybrid parallel algorithm improves the performance of the cyclic reduction and partition methods by 30% and 20% respectively.
ESTIMATION OF HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL COMPONENTS FOR POSITIONING STANDARD DEVIATION IN ABSOLUTE GPS POSITIONING

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) greatly improves the precision of absolute GPS positioning by using the international GPS services (IGSs) orbit and satellite clock error products with positioning precision reaching the 1cm level [1-3]. At present, this technique has been widely applied in many engineering fields, such as mining engineering, high precise navy engineering surveying, lane surveying and cadastration[4-8]. Since the requirements for horizontal and vertical components of positioning standard deviations vary enormously in different applications it is necessary to estimate the horizontal and vertical components of positioning standard deviation. 2. POSITIONING PRECISION OF SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS IN WGS-84
Interharmonic mitigation of adjustable speed drives using an active DC-link capacitor

Current and voltage source Adjustable - Speed Drives (ASDs) exert distortion currents in the grid which may lead to some interharmonic components other than the characteristic harmonic components. The frequencies of the line current interharmonics, generated by these ASDs, depend on the motor operating frequency. As there is a growing discussion about the interharmonic effects on the grid and its limitation, the reduction and mitigation of these components is worthwhile especially when more drives are tied to the grid. This paper proposes a new dc-link active capacitor in order to reduce the drive input current interharmonic components. Although the proposed active device is only applied on a voltage source ASD with unbalance load, the concept is general and can also be applied on the multi-pulse thyristor based adjustable speed drives. The study clearly verifies the effectiveness of the proposed dc-link active compensator on the grid current interharmonics reduction.
Power and social communication

A propos de la nature de la democratie dans les societes mediatisees, deux interrogations sont exprimees : la fragmentation constatee des acteurs sociaux entraine-t-elle un affaiblissement des identites sociales, accompagne d'une montee des particularismes ? L'A. articule son analyse autour de la notion d'hegemonie qui suppose une asymetrie entre universalite et particularite. Il insiste sur la contingence inherente a la democratie, et le fosse separant l'universalite de la particularite est en permanente renegociation. C'est dans les ambiguites de cet espace de negociation que la representation recele ses potentialites d'emancipation. C'est pour cette raison que la fragmentation sociale n'est pas pour l'A. source de pessimisme politique