Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Micro-implications of a disintegrating social contract : public pension funds and community investing in New York City

Public pension funds are increasingly investing in cities. On the one hand, this appears as a positive development, as an organization traditionally based on exclusionary membership shares its benefits with the larger society. On the other hand, that this is occurring in the context of a disintegrating social contract could be a troubling feature, where private citizens are subsidizing their communities in the absence of state support. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "social contract" as "an actual or hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society. that defines and limits the rights and duties of each. " The past thirty years in U.S. history have seen a drastic deterioration in the tacit social contract binding the State, Capital and Labor. Transformations affecting these three actors have re-shaped their interactions and bargaining power. Through a discussion of the Varieties of Capitalism and Institutional Change literatures, the first objective of this paper is to make the case that community investing by pension funds is an institution (broadly defined) that has emerged in part because of the historiceconomic forces driving the disintegration of the social contract: fmancialization, neoliberalism, and the decline of the labor movement. The second objective of this paper is to address the following research questions at the city level: What is the relationship between community investing by pension funds and the changing roles of Capital, Labor, and the State? How, in turn, does the design and organization of these institutions impact their ability to influence this relationship? This research finds that pension fund capitalism in New York City may both blunt and obscure the impacts of the weakened social contract. The pension funds could possibly strengthen the position of labor and increase benefits to communities if they incorporated opportunities for learning and capacity building into their programs. Thesis Supervisor: J. Phillip Thompson Title: Associate Professor of Urban Politics
An unified approach for blind source separation using sparsity and decorrelation

Independent component analysis (ICA) has been a major tool for blind source separation (BSS). Both theoretical and practical evaluations showed that the hypothesis of independence suits well for audio signals. In the last few years, optimization approach based on sparsity has emerged as another efficient implement for BSS. This paper starts from introducing some new BSS methods that take advantages of both decorrelation (which is a direct consequence of independence) and sparsity using overcomplete Gabor representation. It is shown that the proposed methods work in both under-determined and over-determined cases. Experimental results illustrate the good performances of these approaches for audio mixtures.
Development Projects for the Causality Workbench

The Causality Workbench project provides an environment to test causal discovery algorithms. Via a web portal (http: //clopinet.com/causality), we provide a number of resources, including a repository of datasets, models, and software packages, and a virtual laboratory allowing users to benchmark causal discovery algorithms by performing virtual experiments to study artificial causal systems. We regularly organize competitions. In this paper, we explore the opportunities offered by development applications.
Annual Progress Review 2006 Slow and Fast Light Using Multiple Cascaded Quantum-well Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers ... 21 Passive Rational Fitting of a Network Transfer Function from Its Real Chapter 3. Publications List and Seminar Series....................................39 Chapter 1 General I

We demonstrate slow and fast light at room temperature using multiple cascaded quantum-well semiconductor optical amplifiers. Controllable delay is achieved both electrically and optically, or by varying the number of amplifiers or amplifier-toamplifier attenuation. Our theoretical results agree very well with experimental data for up to four cascaded devices.
Invasive Alien Species in an Era of Globalization

Globalization facilitates the spread of invasive alien species (IAS) as international commerce develops new trade routes, markets, and products. New technologies increase the pace at which humans and commodities can move around the world. Recent research on IAS at the global scale has examined commerce and travel in order to inform predictions, risk analyses, and policy. Due to limited data, regional-scale studies have primarily focused on invasion patterns rather than impacts. Local-scale experimental research can identify mechanisms and impacts of biological invasions, but the results may not be applicable at larger spatial scales. However, the number of information networks devoted to IAS is increasing globally and may help integrate IAS research at all scales, particularly if data sharing and compatibility can be improved. Integrating ecological and economic factors with trade analysis to explore the effectiveness of different approaches for preventing invasions is a promising approach at the global s.
Image Compression and Watermarking scheme using Scalar Quantization

This paper presents a new compression technique and image watermarking algorithm based on Contourlet Transform (CT). For image compression, an energy based quantization is used. Scalar quantization is explored for image watermarking. Double filter bank structure is used in CT. The Laplacian Pyramid (LP) is used to capture the point discontinuities, and then followed by a Directional Filter Bank (DFB) to link point discontinuities. The coefficients of down sampled low pass version of LP decomposed image are re-ordered in a pre-determined manner and prediction algorithm is used to reduce entropy (bits/pixel). In addition, the coefficients of CT are quantized based on the energy in the particular band. The superiority of proposed algorithm to JPEG is observed in terms of reduced blocking artifacts. The results are also compared with wavelet transform (WT). Superiority of CT to WT is observed when the image contains more contours. The watermark image is embedded in the low pass image of contourlet decomposition. The watermark can be extracted with minimum error. In terms of PSNR, the visual quality of the watermarked image is exceptional. The proposed algorithm is robust to many image attacks and suitable for copyright protection applications.
Efficient implementation of the 2-D Capon spectral estimator

We present a computationally efficient algorithm for computing the 2-D Capon spectral estimator. The implementation is based on the fact that the 2-D data covariance matrix will have a Toeplitz-Block-Toeplitz structure, with the result that the inverse covariance matrix can be expressed in closed form by using a special case of the Gohberg-Heinig formula that is a function of strictly the forward 2-D prediction matrix polynomials. Numerical simulations illustrate the clear computational gain in comparison to both the well-known classical implementation and the method recently published by Liu et al. (see IEEE Trans. Aerosp. Electron. Syst., vol.34, no.4, p.1314-19, October 1998).
Efficacy and safety of on demand tadalafil in the treatment of East and Southeast Asian men with erectile dysfunction: a randomized double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled clinical study.

AIM To assess the efficacy and safety of tadalafil in comparison to a placebo, when taken on demand for 12 weeks by East/Southeast Asian men with erectile dysfunction (ED). METHODS This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled study was conducted at 17 centers across East and Southeast Asia between August 2002 and February 2003. Men more than 18 years of age with mild to severe ED of various etiologies were randomized to receive a placebo or 20 mg of tadalafil taken as needed (maximum once daily). Efficacy assessments included the International Index of Erectile Function, the Sexual Encounter Profile diary and Global Assessment Questions. RESULTS Tadalafil significantly improved erectile function as compared to the placebo (P < 0.001). At the endpoint, the patients receiving 20 mg of tadalafil reported a greater mean per patient percentage of successful intercourse attempts (Sexual Encounter Profile question 3: 70.9% compared to 33.5% in the placebo) and a greater proportion of improved erections (Global Assessment Question: 86.2% compared to 30.1%). Most (= or < 3%) treatment emergent adverse events were mild or moderate. The most common treatment emergent adverse events were headache, back pain, dizziness and dyspepsia. CONCLUSION Tadalafil was an effective and well-tolerated treatment for ED in East and Southeast Asian men.
A New Adaptive Power Spectral Density Estimation Method Based on Projection of the Cross Spectral Metric Technique into the Amplitude and Phase Estimation ( APES ) Technique

Pulsed wave Doppler ultrasound has been used for estimation of blood velocity in human body as an implicit result of being non-invasive method. In this research, to compensate the drawbacks such as long observation window of prevalent methods in the Doppler ultrasound, we proposed a new adaptive method based on projection of the cross spectral metric technique into the amplitude and phase estimation (APES) technique.
Estimation of Direction-of-Arrival by an Active Array

Recently, MIMO techniques have been using in active radars,and become a hot topic in radar field, where they improve the performance of detection and parameters estimation greatly. On estimates of direction-of-arrival (DOA) in active radars, generally elements of the receive array were closely spaced to enable direction finding measurements. However, in order to obtain angular diversity, all elements of active radars need to be sufficiently separated, and so targets are in the near field of the array. Therefore, estimates of DOA in the active radars are near-field problems in fact. This paper tries to study direction finding of active radars from near-field principle, and establishes near-field estimates of DOA model of active array systems. The near-field model needs only 1-D searches, and decreases the burden of calculation in comparison with the traditional near-field estimates of DOA, which generally need 2-D searches. From the Cramer Rao bound (CRB) analysis, we find that there is great improvement on the performance of DOA estimates.
Supermotifs enable natural invariant chain-derived peptides to interact with many major histocompatibility complex-class II molecules

Class II-associated invariant chain peptides (CLIPs) compete with natural allele-specific ligands for binding to several purified HLA-DR molecules. Truncation and substitution analysis showed that a minimal sequence of 13 amino acids is sufficient for excellent binding to DR17 and DR1. Hydrophobic residues at relative positions 1 and 9 (P1 and P9) which are shared among these DR-ligands, and are found to be anchored in complementary pockets by x-ray crystallography allow specific binding. Two flanking residues at either end next to the specific contact sites Met107 and Met115 contribute to binding irrespective of their side chains, suggesting H-bonds to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule. Thus, CLIPs behave like conventional ligands, however, lack their allele-specific contact sites. Introduction of the DR17-specific contact site aspartate at P4 dramatically improves invariant chain-peptide binding to DR17, but reduces DR1 binding. By contrast, binding to DR1, but not DR17 is strongly improved after introduction of the DR1-specific contact site alanine at P6. In addition, analyzing the fine specificity of the hydrophobic contact sites at P1 and P9, CLIP variants reflected the allele-specific preferences of DR17- or DR1-ligands, respectively, for aliphatic or aromatic residues. Alignment studies suggest that CLIPs are designed for promiscuous binding in the groove of many MHC class II molecules by taking advantage of one or more supermotifs. One such supermotif, for example, does not include the DR17-specific contact site aspartate at P4, which in conventional natural ligands like Apolipoprotein (2877-94) is necessary to confer a stable conformation. Introduction of aspartate at P4 generates a CLIP variant that is stable in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, such as allele-specific ligands. Studying the stability of class II-CLIP complexes at pH 5, we found that CLIPs, similar to anchor-amputated ligands, can be released from class II molecules, in contrast to conventional natural ligands, which were irreversibly bound. Taken together, our data provide compelling evidence that CLIP peptides bind into the class II groove.
Approximate robust Optimal Experiment Design in dynamic bioprocess models

In dynamic bioprocess models parameters often appear in a nonlinear way. When designing optimal experiments to calibrate these models, the Fisher Information Matrix explicitly depends on the current parameter estimates. Hence, it is advisable to take this parametric uncertainty into account in the design procedure in order to obtain an experiment which is robust with respect to changes in the parameters. The current paper applies computationally efficient approximate robustification strategies based on a worst case scenario. Both methods exploit linearisation techniques to avoid the hard to solve max-min optimisation problems. The methods will be illustrated on a predictive microbiology case study.
The S100B/RAGE Axis in Alzheimer's Disease

Increasing evidence suggests that the small EF-hand calcium-binding protein S100B plays an important role in Alzheimer's disease. Among other evidences are the increased levels of both S100B and its receptor, the Receptor for Advanced Glycation Endproducts (RAGEs) in the AD diseased brain. The regulation of RAGE signaling by S100B is complex and probably involves other ligands including the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ), the Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs), or transtheyretin. In this paper we discuss the current literature regarding the role of S100B/RAGE activation in Alzheimer's disease.
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( DT-MRI ) : Method and Application

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI): Method and Application Lan Lin Abstract Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) is a recently developed MRI technique that provides the quantitative information about the integrity and orientation of the random motion of hydrogen atoms within water molecules in all three dimensions. It is a unique method of assessing the importance of tract disruption in disease states. The most advanced application is that of fiber tracking in the brain. DT-MRI also promises to further our understanding of abnormalities in a variety of diseases such as stroke, tumors, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. In this article, the aim is to review the method and to present the application of DT-MRI.
Home literacy activities in Latino immigrant families: Contributions to toddlers' expressive and receptive language skills

Title of Dissertation: HOME LITERACY ACTIVITIES IN LATINO IMMIGRANT FAMILIES: CONTRIBUTIONS TO TODDLERS’ EXPRESSIVE AND RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE SKILLS Jenessa Laura Malin, Doctor of Philosophy, 2016 Dissertation directed by: Professor Natasha Cabrera, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology The development of language is a critical component of early childhood, enabling children to communicate their wishes and desires, share thoughts, and build meaning through linguistic interactions with others. A wealth of research has highlighted the importance of children’s early home experiences in fostering language development. This literature emphasizes the importance of a stimulating and supportive home environment in which children are engaged in literacy activities such as reading, telling stories, or singing songs with their parents. This study examined the association between low-income Latino immigrant mothers’ and fathers’ home literacy activities and their children’s receptive and expressive language skills. It also examined the moderating influence of maternal (i.e., reading quality and language quality) and child (engagement during reading, interest in literacy activities) characteristics on this association. This study included observational mother-child reading interactions, child expressive and receptive language assessments, and motherand father-reported survey data. Controlling for parental education, multiple regression analyses revealed a positive association between home literacy activities and children’s receptive and expressive language skills. The findings also revealed that mothers’ reading quality and children’s engagement during reading (for expressive language skills only) moderated this association. Findings from this study will help inform new interventions, programs, and policies that build on Latino families’ strengths. HOME LITERACY ACTIVITIES IN LATINO IMMIGRANT FAMILIES: CONTRIBUTIONS TO TODDLERS’ EXPRESSIVE AND RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE SKILLS
A Novel K means Clustering Algorithm for Large Datasets Based on Divide and Conquer Technique

In this paper we propose an efficient algorithm that is based on divide and conquers technique for clustering the large datasets. In our research work we have applied divide and conquer technique on partitions of the large datasets and we have used squared Euclidean distance for measuring the similarity between data points. The partitioning of datasets is done according to the number of clusters desired. Finally clusters are obtained from each partition of the dataset and we merge those clusters to get more precise clusters. Our proposed technique uses two phases with seven steps for clustering the large datasets. The advantage of using divide and conquer technique is that the large datasets which require a large amount of physical memory to load into the system can also be clustered using our proposed algorithm as it requires a small amount of physical memory because the clustering is done on parts of the dataset. Finally we have used three performance measures namely Fmeasure, purity and entropy to compare our results from the existing algorithms. The results have shown that our approach is much better than existing algorithms.
QoS-driven multipath routing for on-demand video streaming in a Publish-Subscribe Internet

Aiming to improve the performance of on-demand video streaming services in an Information-Centric Network, we propose a mechanism for selecting multiple delivery paths, satisfying bandwidth, error rate and number-of-paths constraints. Our scheme is developed in the context of the Publish-Subscribe Internet architecture and is shown to outperform state-of-the-art multi-constrained multipath selection mechanisms by up to 7%, and single-path or single-constrained multipath selection schemes by up to 17%, in terms of feasible path discovery, while at the same time improving on bandwidth aggregation. Also, it is suitable for supporting resource-demanding high-definition scalable video streaming services, offering Quality-of-Experience gains.
Error resilient technique for SPIHT coded color images

The Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT) based color image coder, commonly referred as Color SPIHT (CSPIHT) are developed to quantize and encode wavelet coefficients and have excellent rate distortion characteristic in the noise free environments. However in presence of noise they are extremely sensitive to the bit errors. It was observed that bits have different degree of vulnerability of errors. The error in some of the bits (critical bits) causes the severe degradation while errors in other bits (non-critical bits) have negligible effect in the reconstructed images. In this paper, we propose an unequal error protection (UEP) scheme, in which within each bits plane, the bits are reorganized according to their sensitivity of errors and then critical bits are protected unequally using Rate Compatible Puncturing Convolutional (RCPC) codes. The protection is reduced for higher bit-planes, by changing the puncturing rate. The simulation results show an improvement of 5–15 dB in the quality of reproduced images, as compared to the equal error protection (EEP) and unprotected CSPIHT bit-stream.
A radicular syndrome from developmental narrowing of the lumbar vertebral canal.

1. A clinical condition is described in which there are symptoms of compression of the caudal nerve roots on standing or walking, but not at rest. Seven cases are reported. 2. Myelography showed a block in the lumbar region in every case. 3. At operation narrowing of the spinal canal in part of its lumbar course was found. 4. The nature of the abnormality is discussed. It is suggested that the narrowing is due to encroachment on the spinal canal by the articular processes.
Continuous Monitoring of Essential Tremor Using a Portable System Based on Smartwatch

Introduction Essential tremor (ET) shows amplitude fluctuations throughout the day, presenting challenges in both clinical and treatment monitoring. Tremor severity is currently evaluated by validated rating scales, which only provide a timely and subjective assessment during a clinical visit. Motor sensors have shown favorable performances in quantifying tremor objectively. Methods A new highly portable system was used to monitor tremor continuously during daily lives. It consists of a smartwatch with a triaxial accelerometer, a smartphone, and a remote server. An experiment was conducted involving eight ET patients. The average effective data collection time per patient was 26 (±6.05) hours. Fahn–Tolosa–Marin Tremor Rating Scale (FTMTRS) was adopted as the gold standard to classify tremor and to validate the performance of the system. Quantitative analysis of tremor severity on different time scales is validated. Results Significant correlations were observed between neurologist’s FTMTRS and patient’s FTMTRS auto-assessment scores (r = 0.84; p = 0.009), between the device quantitative measures and the scores from the standardized assessments of neurologists (r = 0.80; p = 0.005) and patient’s auto-evaluation (r = 0.97; p = 0.032), and between patient’s FTMTRS auto-assessment scores day-to-day (r = 0.87; p < 0.001). A graphical representation of four patients with different degrees of tremor was presented, and a representative system is proposed to summarize the tremor scoring at different time scales. Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of prolonged and continuous monitoring of tremor severity during daily activities by a highly portable non-restrictive system, a useful tool to analyze efficacy and effectiveness of treatment.
Historicité des études typologiques en alcoologie

Differentes manieres de boire l’alcool sont perceptibles et differentes manieres de concevoir la consommation d’alcool le sont egalement. Afin de « departager » ou « distinguer » les individus et groupes sociaux selon leur pratique de boire, differentes approches conceptuelles ont ete utilisees a travers les epoques, proposant des classifications des buveurs et buveuses en grands types. Un « type » est une conception abstraite qui regroupe et distingue les sujets ou les objets a partir de traits qu’ils ont en commun. En alcoologie, certaines typologies visent precisement a distinguer les buveurs problematiques ou pathologiques des buveurs non problematiques ou non pathologiques. D’autres typologies visent plutot a distinguer les societes en fonction des pratiques de boire dominantes dans la population. Afin de souligner la contribution de chercheurs d’horizons d’etudes divers au developpement de typologies en alcoologie et d’exposer l’historicite d’un domaine de recherche multidisciplinaire, ce texte fait etat des connaissances des recherches typologiques du XXe et XXIe siecle des approches pathologiques et socioculturelles afin d’ouvrir la discussion sur les defis futurs en alcoologie des populations.