Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Equalized Heteroscedastic Linear Discriminant Analysis Algorithm

Heteroscedastic linear discriminant analysis (HLDA) is a widely used feature extraction algorithm. This method, however, suffers from unbalanced training data in some cases. In this letter, we equalize the objective function and statistics of HLDA and present an equalized HLDA algorithm, which balances the training data according to the class prior probability. Simulations as well as experimental results for the task of language identification are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Genetic Variations Leading to Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a major cause of death worldwide. Based on pathohistological abnormalities and clinical manifestation, cardiomyopathies are categorized into several groups: hypertrophic, dilated, restricted, arrhythmogenic right ventricular, and unclassified. Dilated cardiomyopathy, which is characterized by dilation of the left ventricle and systolic dysfunction, is the most severe and prevalent form of cardiomyopathy and usually requires heart transplantation. Its etiology remains unclear. Recent genetic studies of single gene mutations have provided significant insights into the complex processes of cardiac dysfunction. To date, over 40 genes have been demonstrated to contribute to dilated cardiomyopathy. With advances in genetic screening techniques, novel genes associated with this disease are continuously being identified. The respective gene products can be classified into several functional groups such as sarcomere proteins, structural proteins, ion channels, and nuclear envelope proteins. Nuclear envelope proteins are emerging as potential molecular targets in dilated cardiomyopathy. Because they are not directly associated with contractile force generation and transmission, the molecular pathways through which these proteins cause cardiac muscle disorder remain unclear. However, nuclear envelope proteins are involved in many essential cellular processes. Therefore, integrating apparently distinct cellular processes is of great interest in elucidating the etiology of dilated cardiomyopathy. In this mini review, we summarize the genetic factors associated with dilated cardiomyopathy and discuss their cellular functions.
Adaptive attitude dead-reckoning by cumulative polynomial extrapolation of quaternions

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new attitude dead reckoning paradigm in collaborative virtual environment (CVE). We derive a general polynomial construction scheme of attitude trajectory that uses a number of previous packets in order to extrapolate the future trajectory of objects by quaternion representation. The scheme allows consecutive attitudes received from the network to propagate in a smooth manner. This cumulative trajectory construction scheme helps developing our adaptive prediction and convergence mechanism of the overall estimation paradigm. In contrast with the traditional dead reckoning, our approach can produce more pleasant shape of trajectory in many cases meanwhile eliminate the network transmission of derivative information. The proposed approach provides a robust dynamic management of shared attitude of objects and camera views while at the same time reduce the bandwidth consumption and ameliorate the network lag. Experiments are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm.
Video Frames CNN Low-level Encoder ( Bi-LSTM ) High-level Encoder ( LSTM ) Worker Manager Internal Critic Environment segment signal goal state reward action HRL Agent context context

Video captioning is the task of automatically generating a textual description of the actions in a video. Although previous work (e.g. sequence-to-sequence model) has shown promising results in abstracting a coarse description of a short video, it is still very challenging to caption a video containing multiple fine-grained actions with a detailed description. This paper aims to address the challenge by proposing a novel hierarchical reinforcement learning framework for video captioning, where a highlevel Manager module learns to design sub-goals and a low-level Worker module recognizes the primitive actions to fulfill the sub-goal. With this compositional framework to reinforce video captioning at different levels, our approach significantly outperforms all the baseline methods on a newly introduced large-scale dataset for fine-grained video captioning. Furthermore, our non-ensemble model has already achieved the state-of-the-art results on the widelyused MSR-VTT dataset.
Space-frequency filtering for multicarrier CDMA systems

In this paper, we consider blind signal detection in a multicarrier direct-sequence code-division multiple- access system using an antenna array. A space-frequency filtering approach is proposed to coherently combine the desired signal contribution from all the space-frequency branches. Under the assumption of ideal knowledge of the channel and direction of arrival parameters, it is shown that the proposed space-frequency matched filtering approach provides the same performance as that of beamforming with maximum ratio combining. When blind detection is considered, however, the proposed approach exhibits superior performance to the latter. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed blind detection approach.
A Modified Vitamin Regimen for Vitamin B2, A, and E Administration in Very-Low–Birth-Weight Infants

Introduction: Very-low–birth-weight (VLBW; birth weight, <1,500 g) infants receive preterm infant formulas and parenteral multivitamin preparations that provide more riboflavin (vitamin B2) than does human milk and more than that recommended by the American Society of Clinical Nutrition. VLBW infants who are not breast-fed may have plasma riboflavin concentrations up to 50 times higher than those in cord blood. The authors examined a vitamin regimen designed to reduce daily riboflavin intake, with the hypothesis that this new regimen would result in lower plasma riboflavin concentrations while maintaining lipid-soluble vitamin levels. Methods: Preterm infants with birth weight ≤1,000 g received either standard preterm infant nutrition providing 0.42 to 0.75 mg riboflavin/kg/day (standard group), or a modified regimen providing 0.19 to 0.35 mg/kg/day (modified group). The modified group parenteral vitamin infusion was premixed in Intralipid®. Enteral feedings were selected to meet daily riboflavin administration guidelines. Plasma riboflavin, vitamin A, and vitamin E concentrations were measured weekly by high-performance liquid chromatography. Data were analyzed with the independent t test, χ2, and analysis of variance. Results: The 36 infants (17 standard group, 19 modified group) had birth weight and gestational age of 779 ± 29 g and 25.5 ± 0.3 weeks (mean ± SEM) with no differences between groups. Modified group infants received 38% less riboflavin (0.281 ± 0.009 mg/kg/day), 35% more vitamin A (318.3 ± 11.4 μg/kg/day), and 14% more vitamin E (3.17 ± 0.14 mg/kg/day) than standard group infants. Plasma riboflavin rose from baseline in both groups but was 37% lower in the modified group during the first postnatal month (133.3 ± 9.9 ng/mL). Riboflavin intake and plasma riboflavin concentrations were directly correlated. Plasma vitamin A (0.222 ± 0.022 μg/mL) and vitamin E (22.26 ± 1.61 /mL) concentrations were greater in the modified group. Conclusions: The modified vitamin regimen resulted in reduced riboflavin intake and plasma riboflavin concentration, suggesting plasma riboflavin concentration is partially dose dependent during the first postnatal month in VLBW infants. Modified group plasma vitamin A and vitamin E concentrations were greater during the first month, possibly because the vitamins were premixed with parenteral lipid emulsion. Because of the complexity of this protocol, the authors suggest that a parenteral multivitamin product designed for VLBW infants which uses weight-based dosing should be developed.
THE DETERMINANTS OF THE INFLATIONARY PROCESS IN ZAMBIA ( 1973-1993 )

C H A P T E f t l . INTRODUCTION . 1.1 Economic Structure and Reforms. 1.2 Macroeconomic Performance . 1.3 Statement of the Problem. 1.4 Objectives of the S tu d y /. 1.5 Rationale of the Study'". 1.6 Scope of the S tu d y . C H A P T E R 2 . REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 2.1 Theoretical L iterature. 2.1.1 The Monetarist Perception of Inflation . * 2.1.2 The Structuralist Perception on In fla tio n . 2.1.3 The Cost-Push View of Inflation . 2.2 Empirical Literature . 2.3 Overview of the Literature . C H A P T E R 3 . METHODOLOGY. 3.1 Econometric Model Specification. 3.Z Estimation Procedure. 3.3 Data: Types and S ou rce s . C H A P T E R 4 . ANALYSIS OF EMPIRICAL RESULTS. C H A P T E R 5 . SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS . 5.1 Limitations of the Study and Suggestions for Further Research BIBLIOGRAPHY .
Genetic effects on promoter usage are highly 1 context-specific and contribute to complex traits 2 3

19 Genetic variants regulating RNA splicing and transcript usage have been implicated in both 20 common and rare diseases. Although transcript usage quantitative trait loci (tuQTLs) have been 21 mapped across multiple cell types and contexts, it is challenging to distinguish between the 22 main molecular mechanisms controlling transcript usage: promoter choice, splicing and 3ʹ end 23 choice. Here, we analysed RNA-seq data from human macrophages exposed to three 24 inflammatory and one metabolic stimulus. In addition to conventional gene-level and transcript25 level analyses, we also directly quantified promoter usage, splicing and 3ʹ end usage. We found 26 that promoters, splicing and 3ʹ ends were predominantly controlled by independent genetic 27 variants enriched in distinct genomic features. Promoter usage QTLs were also 50% more likely 28 to be context-specific than other tuQTLs and constituted 25% of the transcript-level 29 colocalisations with complex traits. Thus, promoter usage might be an underappreciated 30 molecular mechanism mediating complex trait associations in a context-specific manner. 31
Actions driving and legitimizing radical innovations in a large firm

In a longitudinal real time case study over 14 months, we follow the process of radical innovation in an incumbent Swedish firm. Applying institutional theory and the concept of legitimacy, we try to shed new light on the firm process of developing and implementing radical ideas. We deconstruct the black box of individual actions undertaken in the process and trace the effect of these actions on the development and legitimacy for the radical idea. We find that when an idea lack top management support and the process of innovation are interrupted, lower level employees' action can have a defining impact of the survival. In the literature there is a perceived need for a consistent view on how to organize the bottom up processes of innovation within a firm. Emerging from the qualitative grounded analysis we thus formalize these actions undertaken in a radical innovation process.
A System for Database Visual Querying and Query Visualization: Complementing Text and Graphics to Increase Expressiveness

In this paper we present a system intended for both visual specification of relational database queries and visual description of "ordinary" (textual) SQL queries. Through the GraphSQL visual language, SQI statements can be expressed graphically, which may be useful to help inexperienced users learn the principles at the basis of the interaction with relational databases, as well as to allow expert users to better express non-trivial queries. On the other hand, through the automatic translation functionality of our system, textual SQI statements can be turned into GraphSQI graphical representations, thus highlighting the parts of which they are composed and their interrelations.
Assessing Measures of Order Flow Toxicity via Perfect Trade Classification

The VPIN, or Volume-synchronized Probability of INformed trading, metric is introduced by Easley, Lopez de Prado and O'Hara (ELO) as a real-time indicator of order flow toxicity. They find the measure useful in predicting return volatility and conclude it may help signal impending market turmoil. The VPIN metric involves decomposing volume into active buys and sells. We use the best-bid-offer (BBO) files from the CME Group to construct (near) perfect trade classification measures for the E-mini S&P 500 futures contract. We investigate the accuracy of the ELO Bulk Volume Classification (BVC) scheme and find it inferior to a standard tick rule based on individual transactions. Moreover, when VPIN is constructed from accurate classification, it behaves in a diametrically opposite way to BVC-VPIN. We also find the latter to have forecast power for short-term volatility solely because it generates systematic classification errors that are correlated with trading volume and return volatility. When controlling for trading intensity and volatility, the BVC-VPIN measure has no incremental predictive power for future volatility. We conclude that VPIN is not suitable for measuring order flow imbalances.
Transition from semiorder to disorder in the aggregation of dense colloidal solutions.

By using low-angle static light scattering we study the aggregation of dense colloidal solutions under diffusion limited (DLCA) and reaction limited cluster aggregation (RLCA) conditions. While it has been recently shown that DLCA surprisingly leads to a semiordered state, we show here that any order is lost under RLCA conditions. While in the first case a scattering peak at finite wave vector q is observed, in the second the scattered peak always occurs at q=0
Timing and Risk Factors for a Positive Fecal Immunochemical Test in Subsequent Screening for Colorectal Neoplasms

Background Following a negative test, the performance of fecal immunochemical testing in the subsequent screening round is rarely reported. It is crucial to allocate resources to participants who are more likely to test positive subsequently following an initial negative result. Objective To identify risk factors associated with a positive result in subsequent screening. Methods Dataset was composed of consecutive participants who voluntarily underwent fecal tests and colonoscopy in a routine medical examination at the National Taiwan University Hospital between January 2007 and December 2011. Risk factor assessment of positive fecal test in subsequent screening was performed by using the Cox proportional hazards models. Results Our cohort consisted of 3783 participants during a 5-year period. In three rounds of subsequent testing, 3783, 1537, and 624 participants underwent fecal tests, respectively; 5.7%, 5.1%, and 3.9% tested positive, respectively, and the positive predictive values were 40.2%, 20.3%, and 20.8%, respectively. Age ≥60 years (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.21–1.93) and male gender (1.32, 95% CI: 1.02–1.69) were risk factors; however, an interaction between age and gender was noted. Men had higher risk than women when they were <60 years of age (p = 0.002), while this difference was no longer observed when ≥60 years of age (p = 0.74). The optimal interval of screening timing for participant with baseline negative fecal test was 2 years. Conclusions Following a negative test, older age and male gender are risk factors for a positive result in the subsequent rounds while the gender difference diminishes with age. Biennial screening is sufficient following a negative fecal test.
PAtient Safety System (SURPASS) checklist Development and validation of the SURgical

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The harmonized effects of generic strategies and business capabilities on business performance

Abstract Resource‐based view and the positioning theory are the two main approaches which are considered as contrary to each other in order to achieve competitive advantage and superior business performance. In this study, the main subject is to harmonize these two theories with a research model which is based on the assumption that business strategy is more effective when pursued with related capabilities. To perform the study, we conducted a questionnaire survey with 445 owners/executives of manufacturing firms. We measured business capabilities in terms of management, production, marketing‐sales, information system, logistics and external relationship dimensions. Component factors and key variables for the constructs, which are identified through a literature review, are confirmed using AMOS 16.0. Then data have been analyzed to test the hypothesis by using SPSS 15.0. As a result, separate and harmonized effects of business capabilities (BC) and generic strategies (GS) on business performance have been.
Diagonal tuple space search

The introduction of quality of service (QoS), policy based routing and security to the Internet implies the need to classify IP packets based on multiple protocol fields. Theory has proved that any general multidimensional look-up algorithm is either time or storage hungry. However, it has been anticipated that more feasible algorithms could be obtained for conflict-free classifiers. The paper studies the implications of the conflict-free constraint for a well-known field in packet classification - the algorithms which derive from the tuple space paradigm. Also, a heuristic packet classification algorithm that makes use of the conflict-free constraint in multidimensional tuple space is introduced.
Cooperative Access Schemes for Efficient SWIPT Transmissions in Cognitive Radio Networks

We investigate joint information and energy cooperative schemes in a slotted-time cognitive radio network with a primary transmitter-receiver pair and a set of secondary transmitter-receiver pairs. The primary transmitter is assumed to be an energy-harvesting node. We propose a three-stage cooperative transmission protocol. During the first stage, the primary user releases a portion of its time slot to the secondary nodes to send their data and to power the energy-harvesting primary transmitter from the secondary radio-frequency signals. During the second stage, the primary transmitter sends its data to its destination and to the secondary nodes. During the third stage, the secondary nodes amplify and forward the primary data. We propose five different schemes for secondary access and powering the primary transmitter. We derive closed-form expressions for the primary and secondary rates for all the proposed schemes. Two of the proposed schemes use distributed beamforming to power the primary transmitter. We design a sparsity-aware relay-selection scheme based on the compressive sensing principles. Our numerical results demonstrate the gains of our proposed schemes for both the primary and secondary systems.
The cellular roles of Ccr4-NOT in model and pathogenic fungi—implications for fungal virulence

The fungal Ccr4-NOT complex has been implicated in orchestrating gene expression networks that impact on pathways key for virulence in pathogenic species. The activity of Ccr4-NOT regulates cell wall integrity, antifungal drug susceptibility, adaptation to host temperature, and the developmental switches that enable the formation of pathogenic structures, such as filamentous hyphae. Moreover, Ccr4-NOT impacts on DNA repair pathways and genome stability, opening the possibility that this gene regulator could control adaptive responses in pathogens that are driven by chromosomal alterations. Here we provide a synthesis of the cellular roles of the fungal Ccr4-NOT, focusing on pathways important for virulence toward animals. Our review is based on studies in models yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and two species that cause serious human infections, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. We hypothesize that the activity of Ccr4-NOT could be targeted for future antifungal drug discovery, a proposition supported by the fact that inactivation of the genes encoding subunits of Ccr4-NOT in C. albicans and C. neoformans reduces virulence in the mouse infection model. We performed bioinformatics analysis to identify similarities and differences between Ccr4-NOT subunits in fungi and animals, and discuss this knowledge in the context of future antifungal strategies.
Gaze-Based Proactive User Interface for Pen-Based Systems

In typical human-computer interaction, users convey their intentions through traditional input devices (e.g. keyboards, mice, joysticks) coupled with standard graphical user interface elements. Recently, pen-based interaction has emerged as a more intuitive alternative to these traditional means. However, existing pen-based systems are limited by the fact that they rely heavily on auxiliary mode switching mechanisms during interaction (e.g. hard or soft modifier keys, buttons, menus). In this paper, I describe the roadmap for my PhD research which aims at using eye gaze movements that naturally occur during pen-based interaction to reduce dependency on explicit mode selection mechanisms in pen-based systems.
Linear plasmid vector for cloning of repetitive or unstable sequences in Escherichia coli

Despite recent advances in sequencing, complete finishing of large genomes and analysis of novel proteins they encode typically require cloning of specific regions. However, many of these fragments are extremely difficult to clone in current vectors. Superhelical stress in circular plasmids can generate secondary structures that are substrates for deletion, particularly in regions that contain numerous tandem or inverted repeats. Common vectors also induce transcription and translation of inserted fragments, which can select against recombinant clones containing open reading frames or repetitive DNA. Conversely, transcription from cloned promoters can interfere with plasmid stability. We have therefore developed a novel Escherichia coli cloning vector (termed ‘pJAZZ’ vector) that is maintained as a linear plasmid. Further, it contains transcriptional terminators on both sides of the cloning site to minimize transcriptional interference between vector and insert. We show that this vector stably maintains a variety of inserts that were unclonable in conventional plasmids. These targets include short nucleotide repeats, such as those of the expanded Fragile X locus, and large AT—rich inserts, such as 20-kb segments of genomic DNA from Pneumocystis, Plasmodium, Oxytricha or Tetrahymena. The pJAZZ vector shows decreased size bias in cloning, allowing more uniform representation of larger fragments in libraries.