Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BIAS OPTIMALITY FOR MULTICHAIN MARKOV DECISION PROCESSES

Abstract In recent research we find that the policy iteration algorithm for Markov decision processes (MDPs) is a natural consequence of the performance difference formula that compares the difference of the performance of two different policies. In this paper, we extend this idea to the bias-optimal policy of MDPs. We first derive a formula that compares the biases of any two policies which have the same gains, and then we show that a policy iteration algorithm leading to a bias-optimal policy follows naturally from this bias difference formula. Our results extend those in (Lewis & Puterman, 2001) to the multichain case and provide a simple and intuitive explanation for the mathematics in (Veinott, 1966 Veinott, 1969). The results also confirm the idea that the solutions to performance (including bias) optimal problems can be obtained from performance sensitivity formulas.
Altered Levels of Zinc and N-methyl-D-aspartic Acid Receptor Underlying Multiple Organ Dysfunctions After Severe Trauma

Background Severe trauma can cause secondary multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death. Oxidative stress and/or excitatory neurotoxicity are considered as the final common pathway in nerve cell injuries. Zinc is the cofactor of the redox enzyme, and the effect of the excitatory neurotoxicity is related to N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR). Material/Methods We investigated the levels of zinc and brainstem NMDAR in a rabbit model of severe trauma. Zinc and serum biochemical profiles were determined. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect brainstem N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor 1 (NR1), N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor 2A (NR2A), and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor 2B (NR2B) expression. Results Brain and brainstem Zn levels increased at 12 h, but serum Zn decreased dramatically after the trauma. NR1 in the brainstem dorsal regions increased at 6 h after injury and then decreased. NR2A in the dorsal regions decreased to a plateau at 12 h after trauma. The levels of NR2B were lowest in the death group in the brainstem. Serum zinc was positively correlated with NR2A and 2B and negatively correlated with zinc in the brain. Correlations were also found between the brainstem NR2A and that of the dorsal brainstem, as well as between brainstem NR2A and changes in NR2B. There was a negative correlation between zinc and NR2A. Conclusions Severe trauma led to an acute reduction of zinc enhancing oxidative stress and the changes of NMDAR causing the neurotoxicity of the nerve cells. This may be a mechanism for the occurrence of MODS or death after trauma.
Evidence for inequalities in morbidity and mortality by occupational social class and material standard of living has become irrefutable

Evidence for inequalities in morbidity and mortality by occupational social and mortality by occupational social class and material standard of living class and material standard of living has become irrefutable (Acheson, has become irrefutable (Acheson, 1998). Attention has now turned to 1998). Attention has now turned to the effects of social context (MacIntyre the effects of social context (MacIntyre et al Despite the political imperative 2001). Despite the political imperative to build 'healthy communities' (Depart-to build 'healthy communities' (Depart-is unclear which aspects of the social, is unclear which aspects of the social, economic and physical environment have economic and physical environment have the greatest effects on health (Sloggett & Lynch et al et al, 2000) or how , 2000) or how these effects might be mediated (Yen & these effects might be mediated (Yen & Syme, 1999). Durkheim in the 1890s Syme, 1999). Durkheim in the 1890s was among the first to posit that the was among the first to posit that the structure of society had a strong bearing structure of society had a strong bearing on psychological health (Simpson, on psychological health (Simpson, 1995). There has since been a strong 1995). There has since been a strong tradition of research and innovation in tradition of research and innovation in psychiatry concerning the effects of so-psychiatry concerning the effects of social context on health (Faris & Dunham, cial context on health and the conceptual development of ap-and the conceptual development of appropriate epidemiological approaches to propriate epidemiological approaches to its investigation (Susser & Susser, its investigation (Susser & Susser, 1996). More recently, 'social capital' 1996). More recently, 'social capital' has been embraced as a possible expla-has been embraced as a possible explanation for differences in health that are nation for differences in health that are found between places or between groups found between places or between groups of people (Amick of people (Amick et al Social capital may play a role in the incidence and preva-play a role in the incidence and prevalence of mental illness. lence of mental illness. Social capital has been vaunted as the Social capital has been vaunted as the next big idea in social policy and health next big idea in social policy and health since its recent incorporation into public since its recent incorporation into public health discourse. There have been a number health discourse. There have been a number of methodological advances …
A Unified Mathematical Framework for Coding Time, Space, and Sequences in the Hippocampal Region

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) is believed to support episodic memory, vivid recollection of a specific event situated in a particular place at a particular time. There is ample neurophysiological evidence that the MTL computes location in allocentric space and more recent evidence that the MTL also codes for time. Space and time represent a similar computational challenge; both are variables that cannot be simply calculated from the immediately available sensory information. We introduce a simple mathematical framework that computes functions of both spatial location and time as special cases of a more general computation. In this framework, experience unfolding in time is encoded via a set of leaky integrators. These leaky integrators encode the Laplace transform of their input. The information contained in the transform can be recovered using an approximation to the inverse Laplace transform. In the temporal domain, the resulting representation reconstructs the temporal history. By integrating movements, the equations give rise to a representation of the path taken to arrive at the present location. By modulating the transform with information about allocentric velocity, the equations code for position of a landmark. Simulated cells show a close correspondence to neurons observed in various regions for all three cases. In the temporal domain, novel secondary analyses of hippocampal time cells verified several qualitative predictions of the model. An integrated representation of spatiotemporal context can be computed by taking conjunctions of these elemental inputs, leading to a correspondence with conjunctive neural representations observed in dorsal CA1.
Optimal Home Currency and the Curved International Equilibrium

In this paper we extend the choice of optimal portfolio and consumption to include also the selection of an optimal home currency for single agents in a segmented real international economy. We also derive an equilibrium that emerges if representative agents behave according to the optimization model. In this situation the market prices of risk do not reflect the risk attitudes of the investors in the particular currency, but are simply determined by the interplay of all investors in the international economy. This yields the curved international equilibrium.
Adaptive intra cluster routing for wireless sensor networks

Scientists have listed down ten emerging technologies that will change the world's future and Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is one of them. A lot of work is in progress to make this technology more effective by having research in this field. This network is composed of sensing nodes which are energy limited so energy efficiency is one of the most critical design issues. To have energy efficient network, efficient routing plays very important role. In this paper, Adaptive Intra Cluster routing (AICR) is proposed which is the best solution to the problem offered by traditional routing algorithms. Comparative study of AICR is done with MultiHop Router [1] by simulating. Simulation results have revealed that AICR is 17% more energy efficient and has increased network lifetime up to 12%.
The Role of the st313-td Gene in Virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium ST313

Multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ST313 has emerged in sub-Saharan Africa causing severe infections in humans. Therefore, it has been speculated that this specific sequence type, ST313, carries factors associated with increased pathogenicity. We assessed the role in virulence of a gene with a yet unknown function, st313-td, detected in ST313 through comparative genomics. Additionally, the structure of the genomic island ST313-GI, harbouring the gene was determined. The gene st313-td was cloned into wild type S. Typhimurium 4/74 (4/74-C) as well as knocked out in S. Typhimurium ST313 02–03/002 (Δst313-td) followed by complementation (02-03/002-C). Δst313-td was less virulent in mice following i.p. challenge than the wild type and this phenotype could be partly complemented in trans, indicating that st313-td plays a role during systemic infection. The gene st313-td was shown not to affect invasion of cultured epithelial cells, while the absence of the gene significantly affects uptake and intracellular survival within macrophages. The gene st313-td was proven to be strongly associated to invasiveness, harboured by 92.5% of S. Typhimurium blood isolates (n = 82) and 100% of S. Dublin strains (n = 50) analysed. On the contrary, S. Typhimurium isolates of animal and food origin (n = 82) did not carry st313-td. Six human, non-blood isolates of S. Typhimurium from Belarus, China and Nepal harboured the gene and belonged to sequence types ST398 and ST19. Our data showed a global presence of the st313-td gene and in other sequence types than ST313. The gene st313-td was shown to be expressed during logarithmic phase of growth in 14 selected Salmonella strains carrying the gene. This study reveals that st313-td plays a role in S. Typhimurium ST313 pathogenesis and adds another chapter to understanding of the virulence of S. Typhimurium and in particular of the emerging sequence type ST313.
Spatial frequency reuse in a novel generation of PMR networks

Private Mobile Radio (PMR) networks are cellular infrastructures dedicated to be used by professionals, such as public safety, military, industry and transportation organizations. In those networks, resources are scarce, and there are strong Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. The emergence of new services which need more bandwidth has made the world PMR leader focus on the LTE-Advanced protocol. In order to ensure the QoS despite resource shortage, we propose an algorithm of Resource Blocks (RBs) allocation with spatial frequency reuse whose scheme takes into account users' (UEs') interference possibility and probability. We start by defining the underlying problem, which we call Weighted Fractional Coloring Problem (WFCP), in terms of graph theory. Next, we prove its NP-hardness. As obtaining an exact solution of such a problem in reasonable time is unrealistic, we propose a heuristic algorithm. In order to evaluate the performance of our algorithm we use a rigorous validation procedure. We compare its performance with that of a random one which we propose as a reference and the exact one which can be run on very small networks. Thanks to the results obtained we believe that the proposed algorithm can establish a solid starting point to conceive its distributed versions for novel PMR protocols.
Measuring the Stability of the Price System

Is the high degree of indexing that characterized the Brazilian economy for decades a thing of the past, or could it be easily reactivated in the event of some important price shock? Alternatively: is the economy sufficiently stable to absorb a large exchange rate nominal devaluation? This paper propose and estimates some measures of the stability of the price system using characteristic roots of time varying parameter VAR model. We used the proposed methodology to evaluate price system stability of selected countries: Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Mexico and United Kingdom. O alto grau de indexacao que caracterizou a economia brasileira por decadas e um fato passado ou pode ser facilmente reativado no caso de um importante choque nominal? Alternativamente, a economia esta suficientemente estavel para absorver uma grande desvalorizacao nominal do câmbio? Este artigo propoe e estima algumas medidas de estabilidade do sistema de precos utilizando as raizes caracteristicas de um modelo auto-regressivo vetorial que foi estimado com parâmetros flutuando no tempo. A metodologia foi utilizada para avaliar a estabilidade dos sistemas de precos de paises selecionados: Brasil, Argentina, Israel, Mexico e Inglaterra.
COMS 6998-3 : Algorithmic Game Theory September 29 , 2008 Lecture 4 : Sealed-Bid Combinatorial Auctions

In this lecture we examine two different generalizations of the Vickrey auction to a setting where there are multiple distinct items to be allocated, and the agents’ values are define over bundles rather than just individual items. Auctions that allocate multiple distinct items are commonly called “combinatorial” or “package” auctions. The properties of the Vickrey auction we would like to generalize are:
Reliability and Validity of the Shortened Hungarian Version of the Existence Scale

The aim of the current study was to present the adaptation process of the Hungarian version of the Existence Scale (ES) and to demonstrate the psychometric properties of a shortened version (ES-S). The design of the 8item ES-S was based on the data of 166 Hungarian young adults who completed the full version of the ES (study 1). In the next step reliability and validity of the ES-S were examined with the participation of 392 respondents (study 2). For the construct validity analysis, the Purpose in Life Test, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and a shortened version of the Beck Depression Inventory were used. Both internal reliability and convergent / divergent validity of the ES-S were found to be adequate.
Wireless sensor Network based automated irrigation and crop field monitoring system

Wireless sensor Network based automated irrigation system for optimize water use for agricultural purpose. The system consists of distributed wireless sensor network of soli-moisture, and temperature sensors placed in the crop field. To handle the sensor information Zigbee protocol used and control the water quantity programming using an algorithm with threshold values of the sensors to a microcontroller for irrigation system. The system has powered by solar panel and Cellular-internet interface for data inspection. A wireless camera is fixed in crop field to monitor the disease area using image processing technique. The system is low cost and energy autonomy useful in water limited geographically isolated areas.
A NON Reference Fingerprint Image Validity via Statistical Weight Calculation

Clarity of fingerprint image structure is crucial for many fingerprint applications, as well as the performance of built systems which relies on the validity and quality of captured images. Validity check will eliminate invalid images before starting the life cycle of fingerprint metadata enrolling for system processing cycle; therefore the overall benchmarking system accuracy will not be affected by rejecting an invalid image before getting in the system cycle. In this paper we propose a validity check algorithm (VCA). The VCA is applied to the base image element statistical weight calculation because the image element (pixel) describes an image object with the contrast, brightness, clarity and noising attributes. Our algorithm depends on fingerprint object segmentation, background subtraction, total image thresholding and pixel weight calculation. A VTC2000DB1_B, TIMA databases was used to evaluate the VCA and it has been compared with NIST fingerprint image quality results. Correlation results indicate that the proposed algorithm is feasible in detecting low quality as well as non-fingerprint images.
Dietary Behaviour Pattern and Physical Activity in Overweight and Obese Egyptian Mothers: Relationships with Their Children’s Body Mass Index

BACKGROUND: Obesity and related morbidity increase in Egyptian women and their children. A better understanding of dietary and activity patterns is needed to reduce obesity prevalence. AIM: The present study aimed to assess dietary patterns and physical activity in Egyptian overweight and obese mothers and to explore its relationships with their children’s body mass index (BMI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This descriptive case-control study was conducted at the National Research Center. The study included a sample of 64 overweight and obese mothers and 75 children, compared with apparently healthy non-obese mothers and their children of matched age and social class. Tested questionnaires were used to collect information of the studied subjects. RESULTS: A statistically significantly higher incidence of unemployment, large family size was observed in overweight & obese women compared to controls (P < 0.05). Those women who consumed vegetables more than 3 times a week were less likely to be overweight or obese (P < 0.05). No significant association were detected between mothers’ physical activity, dietary behaviour variables and children’s BMI except for consuming beverages with added sugar (95%CI = 0.074-0.985, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Improper dietary patterns, nonworking mothers and big family size are associated with obesity among Egyptian women. Emphasis should be given to increasing physical activity and encourage healthier diets among Egyptian mothers and their children.
Oxytocin during Development: Possible Organizational Effects on Behavior

Oxytocin (Oxt) is a neurohormone known for its physiological roles associated with lactation and parturition in mammals. Oxt can also profoundly influence mammalian social behaviors such as affiliative, parental, and aggressive behaviors. While the acute effects of Oxt signaling on adult behavior have been heavily researched in many species, including humans, the developmental effects of Oxt on the brain and behavior are just beginning to be explored. There is evidence that Oxt in early postnatal and peripubertal development, and perhaps during prenatal life, affects adult behavior by altering neural structure and function. However, the specific mechanisms by which this occurs remain unknown. Thus, this review will detail what is known about how developmental Oxt impacts behavior as well as explore the specific neurochemicals and neural substrates that are important to these behaviors.
Virtual Ties, Perceptible Reciprocity, and Real-Life Gratifications in Online Community Networks: A Study of QQ User Groups in China

QQ has been a leading force of China’s social media revolution both in terms of its user reach and its socio-cultural impact. This chapter offers an analysis of QQ groups based on semi-structured in-depth interviews of 33 users with a particular emphasis on participants’ rationales, motivations, and communicative behaviors as displayed in different types of groups. This is accomplished through interrogating a multiple set of individual, collective, social, and contextual factors that shape group dynamics and individual participation. It also discusses the implications of the findings for the scholarship on online communities in general, and the understanding of Chinese online groups in particular.
Severe Burns and Amputation of Both Arms in the First Psychotic Episode of a Schizophrenic Patient

An alleged reduction of sensitivity to pain in people with schizophrenia has been reported, but the nature of this complex phenomenon has not been elucidated yet. Reports of insensitivity to burns from people with schizophrenia are extremely rare. We report the case of a 24-year-old man who set both of his arms on fire during the first break of paranoid schizophrenia. As a result of severe tissue damage, both of his limbs had to be amputated. Today, at the age of 59, the patient is physically and mentally rehabilitated and is adherent to treatment. Additionally, given the uncertainty about the true nature of the alleged hypoalgesia in schizophrenia, we postulate the need for a comprehensive phenomenological approach in the study of embodiment in people with this condition.
An FPGA Implementation of a Hopfield Optimized Block Truncation Coding

This paper presents an implementation for image compression using variable block truncation coding (BTC) on a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The compression technique is improved by employing a cost function obtained using Hopfield neural network (HNN), upon which a block is classified as either a high- or a low-detail block. Accordingly, different blocks are coded with different bit rates and thus better compression ratios are achieved. The paper formulates the utilization of HNN within the BTC algorithm in such a way that a viable FPGA implementation is produced. The Xilinx Virtex EBTC implementation has shown to provide a processing speed of about 1.113 times 106 of pixels per second with a compression ratio which varies between 1.25 and 2 bits per pixel, according to the image homogeneity
Gauge Theory in higher dimensions, II

The main aim of the paper is to develop the "Floer theory" associated to Calabi-Yau 3-folds, exending the analogy of Thomas' "holomorphic Casson invariant". The treatment in the body of the paper is largely formal, assuming appropriate compactness properties of moduli spaces of $G_{2}$-instantons, but in the last section we make some remarks about these compactness isssues. Section 3 of the paper contains a general dscussion of deformations of the equations, for gauge field and submanifolds, associated to manifolds with exceptional holonomy.