Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electing Happiness: Does Happiness Effect Voting and do Elections Affect Happiness

What causes us to vote and what do we get out of it? We approach these questions using data on voting and subjective well-being (SWB) from a large household panel dataset in the UK. We find some evidence that SWB can affect voting intention but no evidence that the results of three recent elections have any effect on SWB.
User evaluations of tax filing web sites: A comparative study of South Korea and Turkey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the web‐based tax filing systems of Turkey and South Korea. The comparison is based on user satisfaction which has parameters such as ease of work, adequacy of the amount of information, display speed, convenience to life, job productivity, and help service.Design/methodology/approach – The tax filing systems are presented along with a background of such systems and their usability parameters. The survey instrument that has been prepared for gauging user satisfaction was applied to the users in both countries. The statistical analyses of the results are performed through t‐test and stepwise regression.Findings – The study shows that users in the two countries felt differently in such factors as ease of work, adequacy of the amount of information, display speed, convenience to life, job productivity, and help service. Although Turkey has a complex tax system Turkish users did not find the tax filing system difficult to use and that may be attributable to th.
Incremental Learning with Ensemble Based Svm Classifiers for Non-Stationary Environments

In most of the real world applications, data are collected over an extended period of time and the distribution underlying the data is likely to change by time. In recent years, a lot of methods have been proposed for effective learning in changing environments. Incremental learning algorithms can also be used for learning in changing environments. In this work, we proposed to use incremental learning with ensemble of SVM classifiers for classification problems in changing environment and evaluated the performance of the proposed method on changing environments. Simulation results of the proposed algorithm on different non-stationary environments show promising results.
In-Probe Ultrasound Beamformer Utilizing Switched-Current Analog RAM

A low-power high-energy-efficiency switched current (SI)-based beamformer is designed and fabricated in a 180-nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology. The beamformer is implemented using an analog RAM (ARAM) delay and sum approach. A new bias-shared SI architecture is proposed for the low-power ARAM implementation. The highlight of the proposed architecture is that the number of memory cells in the ARAM can be increased without a proportional increase in power consumption. This feature allows the beamformer to have a longer memory depth and higher flexibility for wave shaping during the beam formation. As proof of concept, 16 channels have been implemented for the beamformer, each containing 16 memory cells. The current consumption of a single memory cell is 27 μA. The maximum input signal frequency is 10 MHz, and the sampling frequency is 25 MHz. The measurement results for the beamformer show a 60-dB signal-to-noise ratio after summation. The total current consumption of the chip, including the beamformer along with the bias generation and a digital controller, is 7 mA, and it occupies an active area of 1.3 mm2.
24.8 A 14nm fractional-N digital PLL with 0.14psrms jitter and −78dBc fractional spur for cellular RFICs

To meet ever-growing demands for higher mobile data-rates, LTE standards continue to evolve. While carrier aggregation (CA) improves data-rates, it requires wider aggregated signal bandwidth that limits the number of users that can be serviced. Techniques like 256QAM and 4×4 MIMO are attractive because improvements do not need wider signal bandwidth. To support 256QAM and 4×4 MIMO for the 5GHz band, we need IPN better than −48dBc or 155fsec rms. A digital fractional-N PLL that achieves 137fsec rms jitter integrating from 10kHz to 10MHz (or 142fsec 1kHz to 10 MHz) with a −78.6dBc near integer-N fractional spur is presented. We have introduced a TDC chopping technique, fine-conversion through SARADCs and TDC nonlinearity calibration to improve IPN and fractional spurs.
Inventory of pedagogy and practice: confirmatory factor analysis of multiple facets of teaching

Student perceptions of teaching have often been used in tertiary education for evaluation purposes. However, there is a paucity of research on the validity, reliability, and applicability of instruments that cover a wide range of student perceptions of pedagogies and practices in high school settings for descriptive purposes. The study attempts to validate an inventory of pedagogy and practice (IPP) that provides researchers and practitioners with a psychometrically sound instrument that covers the most salient factors related to teaching. Using a sample of students (N = 1515) from 39 schools in Singapore, 14 factors about teaching in English lessons from the students’ perspective were tested with confirmatory factor analysis (classroom task goal, structure and clarity, curiosity and interest, positive class climate, feedback, questioning, quality homework, review of students’ work, conventional teaching, exam preparation, behaviour management, maximizing learning time, student-centred pedagogy, and subject domain teaching). Two external criterion factors were used to further test the IPP factor structure. The inventory will enable teachers to understand more about their teaching and researchers to examine how teaching may be related to learning outcomes.
Kinesin‐3 is an Organelle Motor in the Squid Giant Axon

Conventional kinesin (Kinesin‐1), the founding member of the kinesin family, was discovered in the squid giant axon, where it is thought to move organelles on microtubules. In this study, we identify a second squid kinesin by searching an expressed sequence tag database derived from the ganglia that give rise to the axon. The full‐length open reading frame encodes a 1753 amino acid sequence that classifies this protein as a Kinesin‐3. Immunoblots demonstrate that this kinesin, unlike Kinesin‐1, is highly enriched in chaotropically stripped axoplasmic organelles, and immunogold electron microscopy (EM) demonstrates that Kinesin‐3 is tightly bound to the surfaces of these organelles. Video microscopy shows that movements of purified organelles on microtubules are blocked, but organelles remain attached, in the presence Kinesin‐3 antibody. Immunogold EM of axoplasmic spreads with antibody to Kinesin‐3 decorates discrete sites on many, but not all, free organelles and localizes Kinesin‐3 to organelle/microtubule interfaces. In contrast, label for Kinesin‐1 decorates microtubules but not organelles. The presence of Kinesin‐3 on purified organelles, the ability of an antibody to block their movements along microtubules, the tight association of Kinesin‐3 with motile organelles and its distribution at the interface between native organelles and microtubules suggest that Kinesin‐3 is a dominant motor in the axon for unidirectional movement of organelles along microtubules.
Reconstruction of Nonuniformly Sampled Bandlimited Signals Using a Differentiator–Multiplier Cascade

This paper considers the problem of reconstructing a bandlimited signal from its nonuniform samples. Based on a discrete-time equivalent model for nonuniform sampling, we propose the differentiator-multiplier cascade, a multistage reconstruction system that recovers the uniform samples from the nonuniform samples. Rather than using optimally designed reconstruction filters, the system improves the reconstruction performance by cascading stages of linear-phase finite impulse response (FIR) filters and time-varying multipliers. Because the FIR filters are designed as differentiators, the system works for the general nonuniform sampling case and is not limited to periodic nonuniform sampling. To evaluate the reconstruction performance for a sinusoidal input signal, we derive the signal-to-noise-ratio at the output of each stage for the two-periodic and the general nonuniform sampling case. The main advantage of the system is that once the differentiators have been designed, they are implemented with fixed multipliers, and only some general multipliers have to be adapted when the sampling pattern changes; this reduces implementation costs substantially, especially in an application like time-interleaved analog-to-digital converters (TI-ADCs) where the timing mismatches among the ADCs may change during operation.
Increased Sympathetic Activation in Idiopathic Orthostatic Intolerance: Role of Systemic Adrenoreceptor Sensitivity

Idiopathic orthostatic intolerance (OI) is characterized by adrenergic symptoms with standing. Changes in central sympathetic tone or in adrenoreceptor sensitivity could contribute to this syndrome. In OI patients and control subjects, we determined heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) changes after incremental bolus doses of isoproterenol and phenylephrine before and during ganglionic blockade with trimethaphan. SBP decreased by 17±1.6 mm Hg in patients and 3.9±3.8 mm Hg in control subjects (P <0.01) with trimethaphan. Patients with a larger decrease (28±3.8 mm Hg, n=7) in SBP with trimethaphan had greater supine SBP and supine and upright plasma norepinephrine levels than did patients with a lesser decrease (3.0±3.0 mm Hg, n=7) in SBP. Supine and orthostatic HRs were similar for the groups. The majority of patients had a normal HR response to isoproterenol before and during ganglionic blockade. Phenylephrine increased SBP similarly in patients and control subjects before and during blockade. Sympathetic support is increased in a subgroup of OI patients. Hyperadrenergic and nonhyperadrenergic subgroups have similar degrees of orthostatic tachycardia. Our findings suggest that the hyperadrenergic features of OI cannot be completely explained by systemic hypersensitivity of postsynaptic &agr;1- and &bgr;-adrenoreceptors but rather originates in enhanced sympathetic activation.
Operational data augmentation in classifying single aerial images of animals

In deep learning, data augmentation is important to increase the amount of training images to obtain higher classification accuracies. Most data-augmentation methods adopt the use of the following techniques: cropping, mirroring, color casting, scaling and rotation for creating additional training images. In this paper, we propose a novel data-augmentation method that transforms an image into a new image containing multiple rotated copies of the original image in the operational classification stage. The proposed method creates a grid of n×n cells, in which each cell contains a different randomly rotated image and introduces a natural background in the newly created image. This algorithm is used for creating new training and testing images, and enhances the amount of information in an image. For the experiments, we created a novel dataset with aerial images of cows and natural scene backgrounds using an unmanned aerial vehicle, resulting in a binary classification problem. To classify the images, we used a convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture and compared two loss functions (Hinge loss and cross-entropy loss). Additionally, we compare the CNN to classical feature-based techniques combined with a k-nearest neighbor classifier or a support vector machine. The results show that the pre-trained CNN with our proposed data-augmentation technique yields significantly higher accuracies than all other approaches.
A review of phytotherapy of Acne vulgaris

Acne vulgaris (acne) is a cutaneous pleomorphic disorder of the pilosebaceous unit involving abnormalities in sebum production and is characterized by both inflammatory (papules, pustules and nodules) and non-inflammatory (comedones, open and closed) lesions. Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis are common pus-forming microbes responsible for the development of various forms of acne. This disease remains a common condition in industrialized societies, with many mainstream treatment options available. There are many acne products on the market, and making an appropriate selection can be daunting. Common therapies that are used for the treatment of acne include topical, systemic, hormonal, herbal and combination therapy. Topically used agents are benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics and retinoid. Systemically used agents are antibiotics and isotretinoin. However, all such treatments carry risks and none is completely satisfactory. Natural alternatives are gaining greater research support, and have much to offer clinically in this disorder. This review focuses primarily on herbal treatments for acne that show scientific evidence of clinical efficacy, as well as the more common herbs shown to be useful in the treatment of this dermatologic disorder.
Evaluating the Cognitive Impact of Search User Interface Design Decisions

The design of search user interfaces has developed dramatically over the years, from simple keyword search systems to complex combinations of faceted filters and sorting mechanisms. These complicated interactions can provide the searcher with a lot of power and control, but at what cost? Our own work has seen users experience a sharp learning curve with faceted browsers, even before they begin interacting. This paper describes a forthcoming period of work that intends to investigate the cognitive impact of incrementally adding features to search user interfaces. We intend to produce search user interface design recommendations to help designers maximize support for searchers while minimizing cognitive impact.
The Seizure, Not Electricity, Is Essential in Convulsive Therapy: The Flurothyl Experience

Background For more than 50 years, research in convulsive therapy has been focused on the impact of electricity and seizures on memory and not on brain chemistry or neurophysiology. Brief pulse and ultrabrief pulse currents replaced sinusoidal currents. Electrode placements were varied, energy dosing was altered, and electricity was replaced by magnetic currents. Method The published experiences and archival records of seizures induced by camphor, pentylenetetrazol, and flurothyl are reviewed and compared with the changes induced by electricity. Findings The clinical efficacy of chemically induced seizures is equal to that of electrical inductions. Seizure durations are longer, and impairment of cognition and memory is less. Electroconvulsive therapy replaced chemical treatments for ease of use, not for greater efficacy or safety. Conclusions The brain seizure, not the method of induction, is the essential element in the efficacy of convulsive therapy. Seizure induction with chemicals avoids the direct effects of electricity on brain functions with lesser effects on cognition. Reexamination of chemical inductions of seizures as replacements for electricity is encouraged.
Mindfulness and Fear Conditioning

During mindfulness-based interventions participants can be invited to bring aversive stimuli to mind while practicing mindfulness. This is thought to help the stimuli become less aversive. However, the mechanisms underlying this process are not fully understood. In this study we explored these by examining the effects of mindfulness practice and stimulus visualization on stimuli associated with electric shocks. Participants were trained on a discrimination between two visual stimuli using a standard electrodermal conditioning procedure, in which one stimulus (CS+) was paired with shock and the other (CS-) was not. They then visualized either the CS+ or CS-, while practicing mindfulness or performing a control activity. Following a number of extinction trials, the impact of these manipulations was assessed during a reacquisition test-phase. Both mindfulness and visualization of the CS+ led to slower reacquisition of the CS+/shock association, when measured physiologically, and their effects were additive. Moreover, these effects dissociated from participants’ expectancy of shock. If confirmed in future work, these findings may have implications for the treatment of stimulus-specific anxiety.
Coronary artery bypass grafting vs percutaneous coronary intervention and long-term mortality and morbidity in multivessel disease: meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials of the arterial grafting and stenting era.

IMPORTANCE Recent trials of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) vs coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for multivessel disease were not designed to detect a difference in mortality and therefore were underpowered for this outcome. Consequently, the comparative effects of these 2 revascularization methods on long-term mortality are still unclear. In the absence of solid evidence for mortality difference, PCI is oftentimes preferred over CABG in these patients, given its less invasive nature. OBJECTIVES To determine the comparative effects of CABG vs PCI on long-term mortality and morbidity by performing a meta-analysis of all randomized clinical trials of the current era that compared the 2 treatment techniques in patients with multivessel disease. DATA SOURCES A systematic literature search was conducted for all randomized clinical trials directly comparing CABG with PCI. STUDY SELECTION To reflect current practice, we included randomized trials with 1 or more arterial grafts used in at least 90%, and 1 or more stents used in at least 70% of the cases that reported outcomes in patients with multivessel disease. DATA EXTRACTION Numbers of events at the longest possible follow-up and sample sizes were extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS A total of 6 randomized trials enrolling a total of 6055 patients were included, with a weighted average follow-up of 4.1 years. There was a significant reduction in total mortality with CABG compared with PCI (I2 = 0%; risk ratio [RR], 0.73 [95% CI, 0.62-0.86]) (P < .001). There were also significant reductions in myocardial infarction (I2 = 8.02%; RR, 0.58 [95% CI, 0.48-0.72]) (P < .001) and repeat revascularization (I2 = 75.6%; RR, 0.29 [95% CI, 0.21-0.41]) (P < .001) with CABG. There was a trend toward excess strokes with CABG (I2 = 24.9%; RR, 1.36 [95% CI, 0.99-1.86]), but this was not statistically significant (P = .06). For reduction in total mortality, there was no heterogeneity between trials that were limited to and not limited to patients with diabetes or whether stents were drug eluting or not. Owing to lack of individual patient-level data, additional subgroup analyses could not be performed. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In patients with multivessel coronary disease, compared with PCI, CABG leads to an unequivocal reduction in long-term mortality and myocardial infarctions and to reductions in repeat revascularizations, regardless of whether patients are diabetic or not. These findings have implications for management of such patients.
Sliding mode control based on singular perturbation theory for position tracking of permanent magnet stepper motors

In this paper, we propose sliding mode control (SMC) based on singular perturbation theory (SPT) for position tracking of permanent magnet stepper motors (PMSMs). Separate time scale is a characteristic of the singular perturbation method. Therefore, singular perturbation theory can be applied to the position tracking control of PMSMs because the dynamics of PMSMs is separated into slow and fast dynamics. The proposed method consists of torque modulation, commutation scheme, and SMC. Torque modulation was developed to generate the desire currents. For position control, the SMC was proposed only position feedback without any other observer. The simulation results validate the performance of the proposed method.
On an Extended Fisher Criterion for Feature Selection

This correspondence considers the extraction of features as a task of linear transformation of an initial pattern space into a new space, optimal with respect to discriminating the data. A solution of the feature extraction problem is given for two multivariate normal distributed pattern classes using an extended Fisher criterion as the distance measure. The introduced distance measure consists of two terms. The first term estimates the distance between classes upon the difference of mean vectors of classes and the second one upon the difference of class covariance matrices. The proposed method is compared to some of the more popular alternative methods: Fukunaga-Koontz method and Foley-Sammon method.
Good answers from bad data : a data management strategy

Data error is an obstacle to effective application, integration, and sharing of data. Error reduction, although desirable, is not always necessary or feasible. Error measurement is a natural alternative. In this paper, we outline an error propagation calculus which models the propagation of an error representation through queries. A closed set of three error types is defined: attribute value inaccuracy (and nulls), object mismembership in a class, and class incompleteness. Error measures are probability distributions over these error types. Given measures of error in query inputs, the calculus both computes and "explains" error in query outputs, so that users and administrators better understand data error. Error propagation is non-trivial as error may be amplified or diminished through query partitions and aggregations. As a theoretical foundation, this work suggests managing error in practice by instituting measurement of persistent tables and extending database output to include a quantitative error term, akin to the confidence interval of a statistical estimate. Two theorems assert the completeness of our error representation.
Development of the human spinal cord : an interpretation based on experimental studies in animals

This work begins with a review of our understanding of the organization of the spinal cord. Following a detailed experiment-based account of spinal cord development in the rat, the development of the human spinal cord is described in separate chapters during the embryonic period, the foetal period, and infancy. Special attention is paid to neurogenesis in the spinal cord, the maturation of its different classes of its neurons, and the growth and myelination of its ascending and descending fiber tracts. The volume ends with a correlation of motor development with different stages in the morphological development of the human spinal chord from the embryonic period to infancy.