Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Bayesian Evaluation of Alternative Models of Trend Inflation

With the concept of trend inflation now widely understood as to be important as a measure of the public's perception of the inflation goal of the central bank and important to the accuracy of longer-term inflation forecasts, this paper uses Bayesian methods to assess alternative models of trend inflation. Reflecting models common in reduced-form inflation modeling and forecasting, we specify a range of models of inflation, including: AR with constant trend; AR with trend equal to last period's inflation rate; local level model; AR with random walk trend; AR with trend equal to the long-run expectation from the Survey of Professional Forecasters; and AR with time-varying parameters. We consider versions of the models with constant shock variances and with stochastic volatility. We first use Bayesian metrics to compare the fits of the alternative models. We then use Bayesian methods of model averaging to account for uncertainty surrounding the model of trend inflation, to obtain an alternative estimate of trend inflation in the U.S. and to generate medium-term, model-average forecasts of inflation. Our analysis yields two broad results. First, in model fit and density forecast accuracy, models with stochastic volatility consistently dominate those with constant volatility. Second, for the specification of trend inflation, it is difficult to say that one model of trend inflation is the best. Among alternative models of the trend in core PCE inflation, the local level specification of Stock and Watson (2007) and the survey-based trend specification are about equally good. Among competing models of trend GDP inflation, several trend specifications seem to be about equally good.
A Computer Aided Diagnosis System for Microcalcification Cluster Detection in Digital Mammogram

Mammography is the most efficient method for breast cancer early detection. Clusters of microcalcifications are the sign of breast cancer and their early detection is the key to improve breast cancer prognosis. Microcalcifications appear in mammogram as tiny granular points, which are difficult to observe by radiologists due to their small size. An efficient method for automatic and accurate detection of clustered microcalcifications in digitized mammograms is the use of Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems. This paper presents a novel approach based on multiscale products of eigenvalues of Hessian matrix. The detection of microcalcifications is achieved by decomposing the mammograms by filter bank based on Hessian matrix into different frequency sub-bands, suppressing the low-frequency subband, and finally reconstructing the subbands containing only significant high frequencies features. The significant features are obtained by multiscale products. Preliminary results indicate that the proposed scheme is better in suppressing the background and detecting the microcalcification clusters than any other detection methods.
Optimization of permanent magnet brushless machine for biomechanical energy harvesting applications

Cylindrical permanent magnet brushless machines are used in the biomechanical energy conversion device, mounted in a backpack, to harvest energy from center-of-mass motion during human walking. Optimization of motor constant, indicating torque efficiency, is studied. The optimal ratio of the stator bore diameter to the stator outer diameter, the so-called split ratio, is determined analytically to maximize the motor constant per-unit volume of the machine. The influence of winding disposition, tooth-tips and end-windings are taken into account appropriately. The optimization procedure is implemented using a 40 W brushless dc machine.
Structure of sterol aliphatic chains affects yeast cell shape and cell fusion during mating

Under mating conditions, yeast cells adopt a characteristic pear-shaped morphology, called a “shmoo,” as they project a cell extension toward their mating partners. Mating partners make contact at their shmoo tips, dissolve the intervening cell wall, and fuse their plasma membranes. We identified mutations in ERG4, encoding the enzyme that catalyzes the last step of ergosterol biosynthesis, that impair both shmoo formation and cell fusion. Upon pheromone treatment, erg4Δ mutants polarized growth, lipids, and proteins involved in mating but did not form properly shaped shmoos and fused with low efficiency. Supplementation with ergosterol partially suppressed the shmooing defect but not the cell fusion defect. By contrast, removal of the Erg4 substrate ergosta-5,7,22,24(28)-tetraenol, which accumulates in erg4Δ mutant cells and contains an extra double bond in the aliphatic chain of the sterol, restored both shmooing and cell fusion to wild-type levels. Thus, a two-atom change in the aliphatic moiety of ergosterol is sufficient to obstruct cell shape remodeling and cell fusion.
Incorporation of D-Alanine into Lipoteichoic Acid and Wall Teichoic Acid in Bacillus subtilis

The Bacillus subtilis dlt operon (D-alanyl-lipoteichoic acid) is responsible for D-alanine esterification of both lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and wall teichoic acid (WTA). The dlt operon contains five genes, dltA-dltE. Insertional inactivation of dltA-dltD results in complete absence of D-alanine from both LTA and WTA. Based on protein sequence similarity with the Lactobacillus casei dlt gene products (Heaton, M. P., and Neuhaus, F. C.(1992) J. Bacteriol. 174, 4707-4717), we propose that [Abstract] dltA encodes the D-alanine-D-alanyl carrier protein ligase (Dcl) and dltC the D-alanyl carrier protein (Dcp). We further hypothesize that the products of dltB and dltD are concerned with the transport of activated D-alanine through the membrane and the final incorporation of D-alanine into LTA. The hydropathy profiles of the dltB and dltD gene products suggest a transmembrane location for the former and an amino-terminal signal peptide for the latter. The incorporation of D-alanine into LTA and WTA did not separate in any of the mutants studied which indicates that either one and the same enzyme is responsible for D-alanine incorporation into both polymers or a separate enzyme, encoded outside the dlt operon, transfers the D-alanyl residues from LTA to WTA (Haas, R., Koch, H.-U., and Fischer, W.(1984) FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 21, 27-31). Inactivation of dltE has no effect on D-alanine ester content of both LTA and WTA, and at present we cannot propose any function for its gene product. Transcription analysis shows that the dlt operon is transcribed from a D-dependent promoter and follows the pattern of transcription of genes belonging to the D regulon. However, the turn off of transcription observed before sporulation starts seems to be dependent on the Spo0A and AbrB sporulation proteins and results in a D-alanine-free purely anionic LTA in the spore membrane. The dlt operon is dispensable for cell growth; its inactivation does not affect cell growth or morphology as described for L. casei.
A survey of energy-efficient wireless communications

Reducing energy consumption in wireless communications has attracted increasing attention recently. Advanced physical layer techniques such as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), cognitive radio, network coding, cooperative communication, etc.; new network architectures such as heterogeneous networks, distributed antennas, multi-hop cellulars, etc.; as well as radio and network resource management schemes such as various cross-layer optimization algorithms, dynamic power saving, multiple radio access technologies coordination, etc. have been proposed to address this issue. In this article, we overview these technologies and present the state-of-the-art on each aspect. Some challenges that need to be solved in the area are also described.
Psychedelics and Creativity: a Review of the Quantitative Literature

After a 40-year hiatus, the question of whether psychedelics can increase creativity is being asked with renewed vigor. This article critically reviews the conceptual issues of studying psychedelicinduced creativity by summarizing the limited evidence on the question and suggesting two broader frameworks. There are two important challenges to researchers on this topic. One is to separate creativity from other effects of the drug that may be mistaken for creativity. The second is to develop operational measures to quantify it. This article reviews the major studies assessing creativity (or related constructs) induced by psychedelics, including a reanalysis of raw data from one study. Results are modest and inconclusive but are consistent with reports that psychedelics give rise to unusual or novel thoughts. Given the lack of robust changes in creativity measures, I suggest creativity may be too specific of a construct to accurately and fully characterize the putatively beneficial cognitive changes that psychedelic users report. Feelings of creativity may be an inconsistent result of a more general effect of these drugs, such as alterations in availability of mental representations or changes in Bayesian inference. Ultimately, creativity may not be a sufficiently creative construct to capture the beneficial effects of psychedelics.
Patient preference randomised controlled trials in mental health research

Summary The relationship between psychiatric patients' preferences for different treatments and the outcome of interventions is unclear, as the few relevant trials have tended to be underpowered. Strong patient preferences result in patients refusing to enter a trial. This leads to bias and limits generalisability, and the patient preference randomised controlled trial (RCT) design has been proposed as an alternative. Limitations and advantages of patient preference RCTs are discussed.
Lessons from a Teacher Inquiry Group about Tracking: Perceived Student Choice in Course-Taking and its Implications for Detracking Reform

Background/Context Given resistance to detracking and the need for strong professional development to support teachers that detracking research documents, it is interesting that little research has focused on teachers’ perspectives in the context of professional development. This study addresses this gap in the literature by closely considering the views of teachers participating in a teacher inquiry group for detracking reform. Purpose of the Study Six teachers at an urban public high school that historically disavowed tracking met monthly to discuss issues of ability, intelligence, and tracking in response to the challenge set forth by Oakes, Wells, Jones and Datnow (1997) to address deeply rooted notions of ability and intelligence for detracking reform. This article presents case studies of three of the six teacher participants, whose conceptions of tracking provide insight into some of the complex notions of tracking operating at the practitioner level in schools. Research Design Data sources for this qualitative case study primarily constituted field-notes from eleven teacher inquiry group meetings and two interviews with each of the six teacher participants. Conclusions/Recommendations The perspectives of teachers about tracking and detracking in the context of professional development reveal that there is disagreement in the practitioner community on how much tracking exists and what it looks like, even among teachers teaching at the same school. While teachers clearly articulated and exposed the constraints on student choice in course-taking, teachers frequently called on choice as a rationale for why tracking no longer existed. The emerging variation in these teachers’ conceptions of tracking parallels discourse over the shifts in the scope and complexity of tracking in the research community, and has important implications for the pursuit of detracking reform. Among the specific recommendations the author presents for researchers and practitioners are the following: 1) Teachers and researchers need to unpack their definitions of tracking, 2) Teachers and researchers need to give student choice in course-taking more attention, 3) Teacher inquiry groups need to examine professional community literature, and 4) Teachers need structural support for this form of professional development.
Determinants of Malaysian undergraduate nurses' occupational commitment

Objectives: To explore factors that influenced the self-reported occupational commitment of Malaysian nurses to remain within the nursing profession upon completion of their undergraduate studies Design: A one-level hypothetical model was formulated to identify which latent variables had direct and indirect influences on the Malaysian undergraduate nurses’ expectations to remain in the nursing profession upon graduation. Setting: A Malaysian university school of nursing Participants: 172 undergraduate diploma nursing students Method: Questionnaires including the use of Likert scales were used to capture demographic data and to estimate self-rated consensus and ability levels which measure occupational commitment to the nursing profession. Results: Forty-one percent of the variance of the Malaysian undergraduate nurses’ occupational commitment scores was explained. The most significant predictor variables which had direct influence on self-consensus for occupational commitment was their undergraduate stress levels, achievement grades and their concurrent beliefs about their transition roles as a beginning registered nurse. The variables of students’ age, qualifications, emotional intelligence, number of siblings and the number of persons residing at home exerted additional indirect effects on occupational commitment with the undergraduate student gender having no influence at all.
A supraliminal channel in a wireless phone application

Supraliminal channels are robust public channels based on multimedia content, allowing innocuous key exchange in the presence of an active warden. One approach to supraliminal communication embeds bits in the pseudo-random state used to produce computer-generated special effects in hybrid media such as a videoconferencing session. In this paper we describe an application for wireless phones whose audio effects betray pseudo-random state and hence potential key information for an innocuous exchange protocol. Implementation of a walkie-talkie application for the Apple iPhone shows that hundreds of bits can be reliably transmitted per effect.
Effects of climate change on environmental factors in respiratory allergic diseases

A body of evidence suggests that major changes involving the atmosphere and the climate, including global warming induced by human activity, have an impact on the biosphere and the human environment. Studies on the effects of climate change on respiratory allergy are still lacking and current knowledge is provided by epidemiological and experimental studies on the relationship between asthma and environmental factors, such as meteorological variables, airborne allergens and air pollution. However, there is also considerable evidence that subjects affected by asthma are at an increased risk of developing obstructive airway exacerbations with exposure to gaseous and particulate components of air pollution. It is not easy to evaluate the impact of climate change and air pollution on the prevalence of asthma in general and on the timing of asthma exacerbations. However, the global rise in asthma prevalence and severity suggests that air pollution and climate changes could be contributing. Pollen allergy is frequently used to study the interrelationship between air pollution, rhinitis and bronchial asthma. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that urbanization, high levels of vehicle emissions and westernized lifestyle are correlated to an increase in the frequency of pollen‐induced respiratory allergy, prevalent in people who live in urban areas compared with those who live in rural areas. Meteorological factors (temperature, wind speed, humidity, etc.) along with their climatological regimes (warm or cold anomalies and dry or wet periods, etc.), can affect both biological and chemical components of this interaction. In addition, by inducing airway inflammation, air pollution overcomes the mucosal barrier priming allergen‐induced responses. In conclusion, climate change might induce negative effects on respiratory allergic diseases. In particular, the increased length and severity of the pollen season, the higher occurrence of heavy precipitation events and the increasing frequency of urban air pollution episodes suggest that environmental risk factors will have a stronger effect in the following decades.
Product-line verification with feature-oriented contracts

Software product lines allow programmers to reuse code across similar software products. Software products are decomposed into separate modules representing user-visible features. Based on a selection of desired features, a customized software product can be generated automatically. However, these reuse mechanisms challenge existing techniques for specification and verification of software. Specifying and verifying each product involves redundant steps, and is often infeasible. We discuss how method contracts (i.e., preconditions and postconditions) can be used to efficiently specify and verify product lines.
Effects of inhaled nitric oxide in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: results of a randomized phase II trial. Inhaled Nitric Oxide in ARDS Study Group.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the safety and physiologic response of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In addition, the effect of various doses of inhaled NO on clinical outcome parameters was assessed. DESIGN Prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. SETTING Intensive care units of 30 academic, teaching, and community hospitals in the United States. PATIENTS Patients with ARDS, as defined by the American-European Consensus Conference, were enrolled into the study if the onset of disease was within 72 hrs of randomization. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive placebo (nitrogen gas) or inhaled NO at concentrations of 1.25, 5, 20, 40, or 80 ppm. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Acute increases in PaO2, decreases in mean pulmonary arterial pressure, intensity of mechanical ventilation, and oxygenation index were examined. Clinical outcomes examined were the dose effects of inhaled NO on mortality, the number of days alive and off mechanical ventilation, and the number of days alive after meeting oxygenation criteria for extubation. A total of 177 patients were enrolled over a 14-month period. An acute response to treatment gas, defined as a PaO2 increase > or =20%, was seen in 60% of the patients receiving inhaled NO with no significant differences between dose groups. Twenty-four percent of placebo patients also had an acute response to treatment gas during the first 4 hrs. The initial increase in oxygenation translated into a reduction in the FIO2 over the first day and in the intensity of mechanical ventilation over the first 4 days of treatment, as measured by the oxygenation index. There were no differences among the pooled inhaled NO groups and placebo with respect to mortality rate, the number of days alive and off mechanical ventilation, or the number of days alive after meeting oxygenation criteria for extubation. However, patients receiving 5 ppm inhaled NO showed an improvement in these parameters. In this dose group, the percentage of patients alive and off mechanical ventilation at day 28 (a post hoc analysis) was higher (62% vs. 44%) than the placebo group. There was no apparent difference in the number or type of adverse events reported among those patients receiving inhaled NO compared with placebo. Four patients had methemoglobin concentrations >5%. The mean inspired nitrogen dioxide concentration in inhaled NO patients was 1.5 ppm. CONCLUSIONS From this placebo-controlled study, inhaled NO appears to be well tolerated in the population of ARDS patients studied. With mechanical ventilation held constant, inhaled NO is associated with a significant improvement in oxygenation compared with placebo over the first 4 hrs of treatment. An improvement in oxygenation index was observed over the first 4 days. Larger phase III studies are needed to ascertain if these acute physiologic improvements can lead to altered clinical outcome.
Audiovestibular sensory processing in migraine

Migraine can be conceptualised as a disorder of sensory processing, manifest by such symptoms as headache (pain), phonophobia and photophobia. Current models of migraine pathophysiology incorporate a significant role for the brainstem. Vestibular migraine (VM) is a subtype of the disorder in which significant brainstem dysfunction has been documented. The condition is known to have a significant effect on mental health. This study was designed to investigate disturbances in audiovestibular brainstem function in vestibular migraine in a four part study: 1. Otoacoustic emission suppression by contralateral noise, a test of auditory efferent pathway function, was measured in a group of 33 VM patients and compared with 31 healthy controls. Regression analysis showed a higher rate of abnormality amongst the VM group (p=0.03). 2. Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials were recorded in a group of 30 VM patients and compared with 35 healthy controls. Recordings showed a higher rate of abnormal responses in the VM group than amongst controls (p=0.008). 3. The potential for vestibular stimuli to act as migraine triggers was investigated by observing the effect of vestibular testing or a control condition on 148 individuals. Vestibular stimulation was associated with a significant increase in the probability of developing a migraine attack over the following 24 hour period (p=0.01). 4. Psychological symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed using questionnaires 39 patients with VM and compared with a control group of 44 patients with dizziness of other causes. Although the VM group had a significantly higher load of symptoms of depression and anxiety, regression modelling showed that this effect was largely accounted for by an excess of dizziness symptoms. In conclusion, this study documents a number of audiovestibular sensory processing abnormalities using a variety of techniques. Vestibular migraine has a significant effect on psychological wellbeing, largely via the associated balance symptoms.
Li-ion storage models for energy system optimization: the accuracy-tractability tradeoff

There is a need for accurate analytical models that describe how a Lithium-ion battery's state of charge evolves as a result of a charging or discharging operation and that can be used in optimization problems. Although 'white box' models that take into account the details of electro-chemical processes can be highly accurate, they are not typically suitable for optimization problems. We propose two models that represent different tradeoffs between accuracy and tractability. We validate the accuracy of these models with data traces obtained from extensive experiments using two different commercially-available cells based on two distinct Li-ion technologies. We find that one of our models can be easily adopted for use in a mathematical optimization problem, while significantly increasing the range of C-rates over which it is accurate (<5% error) compared to the models that are currently being used.