Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asymptotic optimality and asymptotic equipartition properties of log-optimum investment

We ask how an investor (with knowledge of the past) should distribute his funds over various investment opportunities to maximize the growth rate of his compounded capital. Breiman (1961) answered this question when the stock returns for successive periods are independent, identically distributed random vectors. We prove that maximizing conditionally expected log return given currently available information at each stage is asymptotically optimum, with no restrictions on the distribution of the market process.If the market is stationary ergodic, then the maximum capital growth rate is shown to be a constant almost surely equal to the maximum expected log return given the infinite past. Indeed, log-optimum investment policies that at time n look at the n-past are sandwiched in asymptotic growth rate between policies that look at only the k-past and those that look at the infinite past, and the sandwich closes as k → ∞.
Sensory-spatial transformations in the left posterior parietal cortex may contribute to reach timing.

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) contains viewer-centered spatial maps important for reaching movements. It is known that spatial reaching deficits emerge when this region is damaged, yet less is known about temporal deficits that may also emerge because of a failure in sensory-spatial transformations. This work introduces a new geometric measure to quantify multimodal sensory transformation and integration deficits affecting the tempo of reaching trajectories that are induced by injury to the left PPC. Erratic rates of positional change involving faulty maps from rotational angular displacements to translational linear displacements contributed to temporal abnormalities in the reach. Such disruptions were quantified with a time-invariant geometric measure. This measure, paired with an experimental paradigm that manipulated the source of visual guidance for reaches, was used to compare the performance of normal controls to those from a patient (T.R.) who had a lesion in his left-PPC. For controls, the source of visual guidance significantly scaled the tempo of target-directed reaches but did not change the geometric measure. This was not the case in patient T.R. , who altered this measure. With continuous, extrapersonal visual feedback of the target, however, these abnormalities improved. Vision of the target rather than vision of his moving hand also improved his arm-joint rotations for posture control. These results show that the left PPC is critically important for visuo-motor transformations that specifically rely on extrapersonal cues to align rotational-arm and linear-hand displacements and to continuously integrate their rates of change. The intactness of this system contributes to the fluidity of the reach's tempo.
Performance evaluation of distributed video coding schemes

Distributed video coding (DVC) has recently been proposed for emerging scenarios, where sources of correlated video do not communicate, as in some video-surveillance applications, or to simplify the coder for video equipment with power consumption constraints. In this paper we propose and compare different DVC schemes. In particular, we propose the use of the wavelet transform and analyze the performance of encoders based on turbo-codes and on a novel modulo-reduction procedure. The proposed schemes do not need feedback from the receiver and use statistical models for the estimation of the required bit-rate. Experimental results show that the proposed schemes have good performance when compared with similar asymmetric video compression schemes, and that DVC can be an interesting option in appropriate scenarios.
Creation of 3D scene from raw text

Task of 3D scene generation has been focused in many systems but without processing its input query. Such system automatically generates 3D equivalent of text input by identifying explicit and implicit constraints. However, if input query is refined, generation of more relevant scene will be easy. Our proposed system takes raw text as input identifies misspelled, incomplete and non visualizable words and suggests correction for such words to improve scene generation process. This system generates 3D scene for the corrected input by identifying various scene parameters and also provides user interaction to render exact scene of user's choice.
Automated Reconstruction of Three-Dimensional Fish Motion, Forces, and Torques

Fish can move freely through the water column and make complex three-dimensional motions to explore their environment, escape or feed. Nevertheless, the majority of swimming studies is currently limited to two-dimensional analyses. Accurate experimental quantification of changes in body shape, position and orientation (swimming kinematics) in three dimensions is therefore essential to advance biomechanical research of fish swimming. Here, we present a validated method that automatically tracks a swimming fish in three dimensions from multi-camera high-speed video. We use an optimisation procedure to fit a parameterised, morphology-based fish model to each set of video images. This results in a time sequence of position, orientation and body curvature. We post-process this data to derive additional kinematic parameters (e.g. velocities, accelerations) and propose an inverse-dynamics method to compute the resultant forces and torques during swimming. The presented method for quantifying 3D fish motion paves the way for future analyses of swimming biomechanics.
Developmental local government: the second wave of post-apartheid urban reconstruction

"Developmental local government" as an official policy objective and broad strategic framework represents the first sign that the second wave of postapartheid reconstruction is beginning. The first wave was characterised by various attempts that, with hindsight, represent a rather clumsy understanding of how to institutionalise development policy. Initial urban reconstruction goals and strategies were either too vague, or promised too much. Not least of the problems was that policy objectives, like providing houses for all, had to be radically trimmed to match the emerging fiscal orientation and priorities of the Department of Finance. The second phase of urban reconstruction is significantly more grounded in experience: there is now a consciousness of various constraints and the need to avoid duplication. The new vision is explicitly geared to build on what has gone before. A more pragmatic approach will ideally effect synergies between sectors, issues and institutional processes across line ministries, with the intention of maximising impact on local communities. Within this revised schema for building equitable cities the developmental role of local government is central.
Performance Evaluation of Localization Algorithms with Measurement Errors in WSNs

Node localization is an important area in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Because there are unavoidable measurement errors by the popular distance measurement techniques such as RSSI and TOA, the localization precision is the main evaluation criteria for localization algorithms. In this paper, we compare the performances of localization algorithms in different error models by simulation and show that some algorithms are more sensitive to measurement errors than others. The localization errors are more serious when measurement error models are different for distance from various beacon nodes. We give a nonlinear optimal model for this case and employ the Newton Iteration algorithm to solve this problem. Simulation shows it is better when give different weights to different error models can give a better measurement precision.
*-Continuous Kleene $\omega$-Algebras

We define and study basic properties of *-continuous Kleene $\omega$-algebras that involve a *-continuous Kleene algebra with a *-continuous action on a semimodule and an infinite product operation that is also *-continuous. We show that *-continuous Kleene $\omega$-algebras give rise to iteration semiring-semimodule pairs. We show how our work can be applied to solve certain energy problems for hybrid systems.
A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUDGET DEFICITS AND THE REAL EXCHANGE RATE

Public sector debt in the industrialized world has increased dramatically over the last 15 years. From 1980 to 1994, government debt rose from 37 percent of GDP to 63 percent in the United States, and from 41 percent to 70 percent in the major industrialized countries. At the June 1996 Economic Summit in Lyon, France, leaders of the seven major industrialized democracies discussed the problems posed by large budget deficits and debt, as well as the potential benefits of regaining fiscal balance. The G-7 leaders agreed that while economic fundamentals in their countries are sound, investment growth, income growth, and job creation all depend on enacting credible fiscal consolidation programs and successful anti-inflationary policies.
Multi-Robot Cooperated Sensor Networks Hierarchical Expanding Deployment and Perception Architecture

As complex and powerful systems, mobile robots can be used to cooperate with WSNs, whose nodes have restricted resource. Considering the vulnerability of traditional architecture for robot cooperated sensor networks deployment and perception with respect to adaptability and expandability, an original concept of HEDPA, which means hierarchical expanding deployment and perception architecture, is proposed. HEDPA is fulfilled with three-level structure, including mother robots, child robots, and sensor nodes. The basic concept, the graphical description scheme and the task classification under HEDPA are provided. Some key issues of HEDPA, including basic hardware platform, robot path planning optimal model and optimizing procedure are discussed. Using Player/Stage and NS2, simulation studies are fulfilled. The primary application verifies that HEDPA has the predominance of context-aware progressive expandability, and can supplement mutually with traditional architecture to solve more extensive deployment and perception issues. Some future works are proposed at the end of the paper.
Extending ACT-R ’ s Memory Capabilities

To resolve several problems of ACT-R’s declarative memory (DM), Schultheis, Barkowsky, and Bertel (2006) developed a new long-term memory (LTM) component, called LTM . In this paper we present two ACT-R interfaces which integrate LTM into ACT-R. Such integrating LTM makes it easily accessible to ACT-R modelers and allows more thoroughly evaluating it in its interplay with other components of a cognitive architecture. By considering four different memory phenomena we show that ACT-R with LTM is superior to ACT-R employing only DM and, thus, (a) LTM ’s benefits are not impaired when integrating it into a cognitive architecture and (b) using the newly developed interfaces improves ACT-R. In particular, integrating LTM into ACT-R allows computationally exploring memory conceptions which cannot be modeled with ACT-R utilizing only DM.
Naloxone acts as an antagonist of estrogen receptor activity in MCF-7 cells

Estrogen promotes the growth of breast cancer via estrogen receptors (ER). Earlier studies showed that the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone inhibits MCF-7 breast cancer growth in mice. We examined the cellular and molecular mechanism of naloxone antagonism of ERα activity in human MCF-7 cells. Naloxone (100 nmol/L) inhibited 17β-estradiol (E2)–induced (10 nmol/L) MCF-7 cell proliferation by 65% and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation. Naloxone blocked the E2-induced activation of ERα, with 85% inhibition after 5 minutes and 100% recovery after 60 minutes. This assay is based on quantitation of E2-activated nuclear ERα binding to the immobilized coactivator peptide. A significant decrease in E2-induced ERα transactivation was observed in the presence of naloxone in the estrogen response element-luciferase reporter assay (P < 0.05, E2 versus E2 + naloxone). Naloxone also blocked E2-induced down-regulation of ERα mRNA at 30 minutes and 6 hours. Although naloxone inhibits ERα activity directly, it also induces a cross-talk between μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and ERα. Immunoprecipitates with anti-MOR antibody showed the presence of ERα in cells incubated with E2 in the presence of naloxone but not in cells incubated with E2 or naloxone alone. Higher amounts of ERα associated with MOR after 60 minutes compared with 10 minutes of incubation. Naloxone inhibited E2-bovine serum albumin-FITC binding to plasma membrane–associated ERα and also inhibited the direct binding of [3H]E2 to ERα. Thus, naloxone modulates ERα activity directly as well as indirectly via MOR. This study suggests that naloxone-like compounds can be developed as novel therapeutic molecules for breast cancer therapy. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(3):611–20]
Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Kidney Regeneration in Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a source of growth factors may induce tissue repairing and improve fibrosis. This study aimed to assess the effects of PRP on kidney regeneration and fibrosis in gentamicin (GM)-induced nephrotoxicity rat model by stereological study. Thirty-two male rats were selected. Nephrotoxicity was induced in animals by administration of GM (80 mg/kg/daily, intraperitoneally [IP], 8 day) and animals were treated by PRP (100 µL, intra-cortical injection using surgical microscopy, single dose). Blood samples were collected for determine blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) before and after PRP therapy. At the end of experiment, right kidneys were sectioned by Isotropic Uniform Random (IUR) method and stained with H & E and Masson’s Trichrome. The stereological methods were used for estimating the changes in different structures of kidney. PRP increased the number of epithelial cells in convoluted tubules, and decreased the volume of connective tissue, renal corpuscles and glomeruli in GM-treated animals (P < 0.05). Our findings indicate that PRP had beneficial effects on proliferation of epithelial cells in convoluted tubules and ameliorated GM-induced fibrosis.
Influence of Ionic Liquid 1- butyl-3-methylimidazolium Chloride on the Soil Micro-Ecological System

In order to evaluate the influence of ionic liquid 1- butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ((Bmim)Cl) on the soil micro-ecological system, the toxicity of (Bmim)Cl to soil microorganisms and its impact on soil physico-chemical properties were investigated. Three soil samples, which were taken from the rape land, nursery land and the broad bean land respectively, were used for this study. The toxicity test results show that the (Bmim)Cl inhibited the growth of soil microorganisms including bacteria and actinomycetes. This inhibition became stronger with the (Bmim)Cl concentration increasing. The EC50 of soil bacteria was close to that of the Vibrio fischeri, and the EC50 of soil actinomycetes was near to that of the Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. The soil physico-chemical properties test results indicate that the organic mass and the soluble salts in soil increased with the increase of the (Bmim)Cl concentration. The (Bmim)Cl also caused the pH change in the soil micro-ecological system. It suggests that the ionic liquid (Bmim)Cl would influence the soil mi- cro-ecological system by inhibiting the growth of soil microorganisms and altering the soil physico-chemical properties when it contaminated the soil system.
Design e tecnologias digitais: Facebook como ambientes potencialmente colaborativos

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo discutir as possibilidades interativas nos ambientes colaborativos da Web, caracteristicas das tecnologias digitais, como propostas de reconfiguracao da relacao entre conteudo e forma no design. Neste cenario as atividades existentes dependem, em sua maioria, dos interatores e da dinâmica relacao entre membros dessas comunidades; os usuarios podem experimentar, customizar, reconfigurar as interfaces graficas, alem de produzir e distribuir todo o tipo de conteudo. A cultura remix e a dinâmica colaboracao da comunicacao do software livre apresentam-se como conceitos norteados da articulacao das linguagens digitais. Analisamos ambientes colaborativos com caracteristicas diversas, bem como o site de redes sociais on-line Facebook, sua estrutura e as possibilidades de interacao com aplicativos atraves dos mashups
We're the Same… but Different: Addressing Academic Divides in the Study of Brain and Behavior

How the brain mediates behavior is a question relevant to a broad range of disciplines including evolutionary biology, basic neuroscience, psychiatry, and population health. Experiments in animals have traditionally used two distinct approaches to explore brain–behavior relationships; one uses naturally existing behavioral models while the other focuses on the creation and investigation of medically oriented models using existing laboratory-amenable organisms. Scientists using the first approach are often referred to and self identify as “neuroethologists,” while the second category spans a variety of other sub-disciplines but is often referred to broadly as “behavioral neuroscience. ” Despite an overall common scientific goal – the elucidation of the neural basis of behavior – members of these two groups often come from different scientific lineages, seek different sources of funding, and make their homes in different departments or colleges. The separation of these groups is also fostered by their attendance at different scientific conferences and publication records that reflect different journal preferences. Bridging this divide represents an opportunity to explore previously unanswerable questions and foster rapid scientific advances. This article explores the reasons for this divide and proposes measures that could help increase technology transfer and communication between these groups, potentially overcoming both physical and ideological gaps.
Proportional-Integral Active Queue Management with an Anti-Windup Compensator

In this paper, we apply an anti-windup scheme for improving the performance of a conventional Proportional- Integral (PI) controller for Active Queue Management (AQM) supporting TCP flows. When a PI controller is used for AQM, the "windup" phenomenon of the integral action can cause per- formance degradation because the packet drop probability is lim- ited between 0 and 1. Therefore we model TCP/AQM as a system with a saturator and apply an anti-windup method to the con- ventional PI AQM scheme. We compare the performance of the proposed controller with the conventional PI controller through ns simulations. The simulation results show that our proposed control scheme outperforms the conventional PI controller when the traffic load is varying, which is always the case in the real network environment.
Development of rules and strategies: balancing the old and the new.

The experiments described in the lead articles replicate findings from previous studies of development of knowledge about balance scales, add several new findings, and raise four key questions: (a) How can rule use best be assessed? (b) How can we reconcile systematic use of rules with variable use of strategies? (c) When do children begin to use rules? and (d) How do children generate new rules? In this Reflection, we summarize current understanding of development of knowledge about balance scales and consider each of the four questions.
Global considerations on the Kuramoto model of sinusoidally coupled oscillators

In this article we study global stability properties of the Kuramoto model of sinusoidally coupled oscillators. We base our analysis on previous results by the control community that analyze local properties of the consensus point of different kinds of Kuramoto models. We prove that for the complete symmetric case, the consensus point is almost globally stable, that is, the set of trajectories that do not converge to it has zero measure. We present a counter-example of that when the completeness hypothesis is removed. We also show that the general non-symmetric case is more complex and we analyze the particular case of oscillators coupled in a ring structure, where we can establish some global stability properties.
Mergers , Restructuring and the Boundaries of the Firm

Mergers and acquisitions are a fast way for a firm to acquire assets. Using plant-level data, we examine how firms redraw their boundaries after acquisitions. We find that there is a surprisingly substantial amount of restructuring in a short period after mergers are consummated. Acquirers sell 27% and close 19% of acquired plants within three years after completing an acquisition. Plants that belong to the target’s peripheral divisions, especially in industries in which asset values are increasing and in industries in which the acquirer does not have a comparative advantage, are more likely to be sold by the purchasing firm. Acquirers who exhibit skill in running their peripheral businesses tend to retain acquired plants. Plants retained by acquirers increase in productivity whereas sold plants do not. The extent of post-merger restructuring activities and their crosssectional variation do not support an empire building explanation for mergers. Acquirers readjust their firm boundaries in ways that are consistent with the exploitation of their comparative advantage across industries.
Cognitive errors detected in anaesthesiology: a literature review and pilot study.

BACKGROUND Cognitive errors are thought-process errors, or thinking mistakes, which lead to incorrect diagnoses, treatments, or both. This psychology of decision-making has received little formal attention in anaesthesiology literature, although it is widely appreciated in other safety cultures, such as aviation, and other medical specialities. We sought to identify which types of cognitive errors are most important in anaesthesiology. METHODS This study consisted of two parts. First, we created a cognitive error catalogue specific to anaesthesiology practice using a literature review, modified Delphi method with experts, and a survey of academic faculty. In the second part, we observed for those cognitive errors during resident physician management of simulated anaesthesiology emergencies. RESULTS Of >30 described cognitive errors, the modified Delphi method yielded 14 key items experts felt were most important and prevalent in anaesthesiology practice (Table 1). Faculty survey responses narrowed this to a 'top 10' catalogue consisting of anchoring, availability bias, premature closure, feedback bias, framing effect, confirmation bias, omission bias, commission bias, overconfidence, and sunk costs (Table 2). Nine types of cognitive errors were selected for observation during simulated emergency management. Seven of those nine types of cognitive errors occurred in >50% of observed emergencies (Table 3). CONCLUSIONS Cognitive errors are thought to contribute significantly to medical mishaps. We identified cognitive errors specific to anaesthesiology practice. Understanding the key types of cognitive errors specific to anaesthesiology is the first step towards training in metacognition and de-biasing strategies, which may improve patient safety.