Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gathering Datasets for Activity Identification

The area of activity identification is maturing well in the HCI and ubiquitous computing fields. However, although algorithm development is proceedings well, without publicly available datasets on which to compare results it is difficult to consolidate the disparate work being done. This problem exists because realistic datasets describing human activity are difficult and expensive to gather and because there are significant barriers to releasing the data once gathered. We review positive recent development with the release of two high-quality datasets. From our experiences using these datasets we list some recommendations for the gathering and release of future datasets. Finally, we propose a strategy of our own for gathering a new dataset from these recommendations.
Does active learning help automatic dialog act tagging in meeting data?

Knowledge of Dialog Acts (DAs) is important for the automatic understanding and summarization of meetings. Current approaches rely on a lot of hand labeled data to train automatic taggers. One approach that has been successful in reducing the amount of training data in other areas of NLP is active learning. We ask if active learning with lexical cues can help for this task and this domain. To better address this question, we explore active learning for two different types of DA models – hidden Markov models (HMMs) and maximum entropy (maxent).
The Nature of Domestic Violence against of Children in Saudi Arabia Systematic Literature Review

Until recently, the subject of child abuse in Saudi Arabia received very little attention. It was only in the 1990s that cases of child abuse and neglect began to be reported by the Saudi medical profession. A comprehensive, systematic review of the published literature available since that time is presented here. The paucity of research conducted to date is reflected in the fact that only nine articles were found that satisfied the selection criteria, plus four others identified through a search of grey literature. An appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of these studies. The relevant work that has been published indicates that child abuse, of various types, exists within Saudi Arabia but the research does not provide sufficient statistical evidence to be able to determine the extent of the problem. However, there are indications in the published literature of some of the factors that may contribute to child abuse in the Kingdom. These include cultural and societal attitudes, and income and educational levels of parents. Another contributing influence on child abuse in Saudi Arabia appears to be the lack of legislation or legal clarity to protect the rights of minors. Although the review found that there are some government and private initiatives aimed at addressing the issue, these remain inadequate because no formal unifying organization yet exists. A summary of the findings and their implications is followed by a discussion of where further research is needed to fill the gaps in present knowledge of the child abuse problem in Saudi Arabia. Recommendations for future work are made in the hope that this will lead to increased awareness of this important and long-neglected issue among professionals and public alike.
Improving Students’ Academic Performance in Nigerian Schools: the Role of Teachers

The thrust of the study was to examine the extent to which the involvement of teachers in the outcome ofacademic performance of students in schools could be held accountable for virile students’ performance in all subjects, generally in Nigerian schools. While lamenting on the shameful articulation of students’ academic performance in public examinations; it was obviously discussed that students' academic performance without sustained consideration on teachers’ involvement in the teaching and learning processes may not lead to meaningful improvement. It was observed that teachers’ self-efficacy and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) are very important for the teachers to be effective and to be able to improve students’ academic learning. As part of the recommendations it was suggested that short and long term in-service training from developed countries is needed for teachers of all categories in Nigeria.
On Survivable Set Connectivity

In the Set Connectivity problem, we are given an n-node edge-weighted undirected graph and a collection of h set pairs (Si, Ti), where Si and Ti are subsets of nodes. The goal is to compute a min-cost subgraph H so that, for each set pair (Si, Ti), there exists at least one path in H between some node in Si and some node in Ti. In this paper, we initiate the study of the Survivable Set Connectivity problem (SSC), i.e., the generalization of Set Connectivity where we are additionally given an integer requirement ki ≥ 1 for each set pair (Si, Ti), and we want to find a min-cost subgraph H so that there are at least ki edge-disjoint paths in H between Si and Ti. We achieve the following main results: • We show that there is no poly-logarithmic approximation for SSC unless NP has a quasi-polynomial time algorithm. This result is based on a reduction from the Minimum Label Cover problem, and the result holds even for the special case where Si = {r} for all i, i.e., for the high-connectivity variant of the classical Group Steiner Tree problem. More precisely, we prove an approximability lower bound of 2log1−e n for SSC, for any constant e > 0, which is almost polynomial on n. A technical novelty of our proof is the first use of a padding scheme technique for an edge-connectivity problem on undirected graphs. (Prior to our results, the applications of this technique only pertain to either node-connectivity problems or problems on directed graphs). • We present a bicriteria approximation algorithm for SSC that computes a solution H of cost at most poly-logarithmically larger than the optimal cost and provides a connectivity at least Ω(ki/log n) for each set pair (Si, Ti). The main algorithmic idea is to solve a standard LP relaxation to the problem, and then embed the resulting fractional capacities into a tree via Racke's cut-based tree embeddings. Based on that, we generate a random collection of Group Steiner Tree-like fractional solutions, which can then be handled by the rounding scheme of [Garg, Konjevod and Ravi -- SODA'98]. The prior work on Set Connectivity and Group Steiner Tree used Bartal's distance-based tree embeddings which do not seem to generalize to the k-connectivity versions of these problems. Finally, we remark an interesting contrast demonstrated by our results: While our hardness result almost rules out "polynomial" approximation ratios, relaxing connectivity constraints allows us to obtain "poly-logarithmic" bounds. This naturally suggests that relaxing connectivity requirements might be a proper way in getting big improvements, even beyond (non-bicriteria) lower bounds, for other connectivity problems, especially those whose approximability lower bounds are derived from Minimum Label Cover.
An Empirical Study of Different Types of Changes in the Eclipse Project

This paper studied the distribution of different types of changes in the various contexts of the system and the relationship between artifact (file and module) size and different changes. We used the change data in the open source Eclipse Project through its decade-long evolution history. The latest release has 220 modules, 33904 files, 3780201 lines of code, and 49853 changes (accumulatively). This study focused on two levels of software artifacts: module and file; and four contexts of changes: all changes, error changes, non-error changes, and 19 change categories. At the module level, we found that the power-law distribution was a common phenomenon for three contexts of changes at both the module and file levels: it existed in all changes, in error changes, and in non-error changes. When we analyzed the 19 change categories, the files and modules exhibited different behavior: the power-law distribution existed in all but one category at the module level, but, about two third of the change categories did not show the power-law distribution at the file level. On the relationship between artifact size and changes, we found, at the module level, a few modules that had the majority of changes accounted for the majority of the code size; however, this phenomenon disappeared when we separated the er- ror from non-error changes. At the file level, this phenomenon did not exist at all. We did not find any correlation between artifact size and changes at either the module or file level.
The Induction and Persistence of T Cell IFN-γ Responses after Vaccination or Natural Exposure Is Suppressed by Plasmodium falciparum1

Epidemiological observations suggest that T cell immunity may be suppressed in malaria-endemic areas. In vitro studies, animal models, and limited data in humans link immunosuppression with malaria, malnutrition, and other parasitic infections. However, there are no data to determine whether malaria-induced immunosuppression is significant in the long-term, or relative data comparing it with other factors in malaria-endemic areas, so as to measure the impact of malaria, other parasitic disease, nutritional status, age. and location on the acquisition and longevity of IFN-γ responses in children in Kenya. We studied these factors in two cohorts of 1- to 6-year-old children in a malaria-endemic area. T cell responses were induced by vaccination in one cohort, and acquired as a result of natural exposure in a second cohort. Serial ELISPOT assays conducted over a 1-year period measured the induction and kinetics of IFN-γ production in response to the malaria Ag thrombospondin-related adhesion protein. Induced responses in both cohorts and the longevity of response in the vaccinated cohort were fitted to potential explanatory variables. Parasitemia was prospectively associated with reduced IFN-γ-producing T cells in both cohorts (by 15–25%), and both parasitemia and episodes of febrile malaria were associated with 19 and 31% greater attrition of T cell responses, respectively. Malaria may reduce the efficacy vaccinations such as bacillus Calmette-Guérin and investigational T cell-inducing vaccines, and may delay the acquisition of immunity following natural exposure to malaria and other pathogens.
OFDM and MC-CDMA for Broadband Multi-User Communications, WLANs and Broadcasting

From the Publisher: Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a method of digital modulation in which a signal is split into several narrowband channels at different frequencies. CDMA is a form of multiplexing, which allows numerous signals to occupy a single transmission channel, optimising the use of available bandwidth. Multiplexing is sending multiple signals or streams of information on a carrier at the same time in the form of a single, complex signal and then recovering the separate signals at the receiving end. Multi-Carrier (MC) CDMA is a combined technique of Direct Sequence (DS) CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and OFDM techniques. It applies spreading sequences in the frequency domain. Wireless communications has witnessed a tremendous growth during the past decade and further spectacular enabling technology advances are expected in an effort to render ubiquitous wireless connectivity a reality. This technical in-depth book is unique in its detailed exposure of OFDM, MIMO-OFDM and MC-CDMA. A further attraction of the joint treatment of these topics is that it allows the reader to view their design trade-offs in a comparative context. Divided into three main parts: Part I provides a detailed exposure of OFDM designed for employment in various applications Part II is another design alternative applicable in the context of OFDM systems where the channel quality fluctuations observed are averaged out with the aid of frequency-domain spreading codes, which leads to the concept of MC-CDMA Part III discusses how to employ multiple antennas at the base station for the sake of supporting multiple users in the uplink Portrays theentire body of knowledge currently available on OFDMProvides the first complete treatment of OFDM, MIMO(Multiple Input Multiple Output)-OFDM and MC-CDMAConsiders the benefits of channel coding and space time coding in the context of various application examples and features numerous complete system design examplesConverts the lessons of Shannon's information theory into design principles applicable to practical wireless systemsCombines the benefits of a textbook with a research monograph where the depth of discussions progressively increase throughout the book This all-encompassing self-contained treatment will appeal to researchers, postgraduate students and academics, practising research and development engineers working for wireless communications and computer networking companies and senior undergraduate students and technical managers.
Symmetry groups of non-simply-connected four-manifolds

Let $M$ be a closed, connected, orientable topological four-manifold with $H_1(M)$ nontrivial and free abelian, $b_2(M)\ne 0, 2$, and $\chi(M)\ne 0$. We show that if $G$ is a finite group of 2-rank $\le 1$ which admits a homologically trivial, locally linear, effective action on $M$, then $G$ must be cyclic. With additional assumptions to ensure orientability of some components of the singular set (e.g. if $G$ acts by symplectic symmetries, or preserving a spin structure), we also rule out $C_2 \times C_2$ actions. The proofs use equivariant cohomology, localization, and a careful study of the first cohomology groups of the (potential) singular set.
Identification of both NK1 and NK2 receptors in guinea‐pig airways

1 NK1 and NK2 receptors have been characterized in guinea‐pig lung membrane preparations by use of [125I‐Tyr8]‐substance P and [125I]‐neurokinin A binding assays in conjunction with tachykinin‐receptor selective agonists ([Sar9Met(O2)11]substance P for NK1 and [βAla8]neurokinin A (4–10) for NK2) and antagonists (CP‐99,994 for NK1 and SR48968 for NK2). 2 The presence of high affinity, G‐protein‐coupled NK1 receptors in guinea‐pig lung parenchymal membranes has been confirmed. The rank order of affinity for competing tachykinins was as predicted for an NK1 receptor: substance P = [Sar9Met(O2)11]substance P > substance P‐methyl ester = physalaemin > neurokinin A = neurokinin B >> [βAla8]neurokinin A (4–10). The novel NK1 antagonist CP‐99,994 has a Ki of 0.4 nm at this NK1 site. 3 In order to characterize [125I]‐neurokinin A binding to guinea‐pig lung, the number of [125I]‐neurokinin A specific binding sites was increased 3–4 fold by purification of the parenchymal membranes over discontinuous sucrose gradients. The rank order of affinity determined for NK1‐ and NK2‐receptor agonists and antagonists in competition for these sites showed that the majority (80%) of [125I]‐neurokinin A specific binding was also to the NK1 receptor. 4 Under conditions where the guinea‐pig lung parenchymal NK1 receptor was fully occupied by a saturating concentration of either [Sar9Met(O2)11]substance P (1 μm) or CP‐99,994 (2.7 μm), residual [125I]‐neurokinin A specific binding was inhibited in a concentration‐dependent manner by both [βAla8]neurokinin A and SR48968. This result shows that the NK2 receptor is also present in these preparations. 5 Similar studies using guinea‐pig tracheal membranes demonstrated that [125I]‐neurokinin A specific binding was composed of a NK1‐receptor component (60%), inhibited by both [Sar9Met(O2)11]substance P and CP‐99,994, and a significant NK2‐receptor component, inhibited by both [βAla8]neurokinin A and SR48968. 6 In summary, these data demonstrate that guinea‐pig lung parenchyma and guinea‐pig trachea express both NK1 and NK2 receptors.
A dynamic model selection algorithm for mixtures of Gaussian processes

The mixture of Gaussian processes (MGP) is a powerful and widely used model in machine learning. However, it remains a challenging problem to determine the actual number of GP components in the mixture, i.e., the model selection problem. Synchronously Balancing Criterion (SBC) has been recently proposed and shown to be effective for the model selection of MGPs, but it is rather time consuming to use SBC directly since we need to repeat the conventional learning process on a large number of candidate models. In this paper, based on the convexity of the negative SB Criterion objective function, we propose a dynamic model selection algorithm under the framework of the hard-cut EM algorithm with the GP number dynamically changed step by step according to the increase of SBC. It is demonstrated by the experiments on some typical synthetic datasets and an artificial toy dataset that our proposed algorithm is not only much more efficient on implementation time, but also more effective on model selection, in comparison with the conventional SBC based model selection method.
Real-world efficacy of daclatasvir and asunaprevir with respect to resistance-associated substitutions

AIM To investigate daclatasvir (DCV) and asunaprevir (ASV) efficacy in hepatitis C (HCV) patients, with respect to resistance-associated substitutions (RASs). METHODS A total of 392 HCV-infected patients from multiple centers were included in this study. We evaluated their clinical courses and sustained virologic responses (SVR) according to pretreatment factors (gender, age, history of interferon-based regimens, platelet counts, level of viremia, pretreatment NA5A:L31, and Y93 substitutions). We also analyzed the pretreatment and post-treatment major RASs of NS3:D168, NS5A:L31 and Y93 substitutions using a direct-sequencing method in 17 patients who were unable to achieve SVR at 12 wk after treatment completion (SVR12). RESULTS The overall SVR12 rate was 88.3%. Thirty-one patients discontinued treatment before 24 wk because of adverse events, 23 of whom achieved SVR12. There were no significant differences in SVR12 rates with respect to gender, age, history of interferon-based regimens, and platelet counts. The SVR12 rate in patients with viral loads of ≥ 6.0 log IU/mL was significantly lower than those with viral loads of < 6.0 log IU/mL (P < 0.001). The SVR12 rate in patients with Y93 substitution-positive was significantly lower than those with Y93 substitution-negative (P < 0.001). The L31 substitution-positive group showed a lower SVR12 rate than the L31 substitution-negative group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Seventeen patients who did not achieve SVR12 and had available pretreatment and post-treatment sera had additional RASs in NS3:D168, NS5:L31, and Y93 substitution at treatment failure. CONCLUSION Combination of DCV and ASV is associated with a high SVR rate. Baseline RASs should be thoroughly assessed to avoid additional RASs after treatment failure.
Androgen Receptor (AR), E-Cadherin, and Ki-67 as Emerging Targets and Novel Prognostic Markers in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Patients

Background TNBC is an aggressive subset of breast cancer (BC) without specific target therapy. Methods This observational, retrospective study included 45 cases of TNBC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of the AR, E-cadherin and Ki-67 in relation to histological type, time to relapse and overall survival (OS). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was carried out on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples obtained from patients defined TNBC. Results The AR was positive (IHC >10%) in 26.6%. E-cadherin (CDH1) expression was considered positive if the score was ≥ 2. This expression was negative in 53.3% cases. The Ki-67 index was ≥ 20% in 37.7%. Univariate analyses showed that AR, CDH1 and Ki-67 are significantly associated with OS. Multivariate analysis showed that AR and Ki-67 expression are independent variables associated with OS. The statistical analysis showed that patients with AR negative and Ki-67 positive expression have a significant correlation with poor outcome. Conclusions Our data suggest that the combination of AR and E-cadherin expression as well as Ki-67 status might be useful prognostic markers in TNBC. Hence, these molecular determinants could play an interesting role to classify subgroups of TNBC.
On the Guignard constraint qualification for mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints

We recapitulate the well-known fact that most of the standard constraint qualifications are violated for mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPECs). We go on to show that the Abadie constraint qualification is only satisfied in fairly restrictive circumstances. In order to avoid this problem, we fall back on the Guignard constraint qualification (GCQ). We examine its general properties and clarify the position it occupies in the context of MPECs. We show that strong stationarity is a necessary optimality condition under GCQ. Also, we present several sufficient conditions for GCQ, showing that it is usually satisfied for MPECs.
Towards an optimal weighting of context words based on distance

Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) often relies on a context model or vector constructed from the words that co-occur with the target word within the same text windows. In most cases, a fixed-sized window is used, which is determined by trial and error. In addition, words within the same window are weighted uniformly regardless to their distance to the target word. Intuitively, it seems more reasonable to assign a stronger weight to context words closer to the target word. However, it is difficult to manually define the optimal weighting function based on distance. In this paper, we propose a unsupervised method for determining the optimal weights for context words according to their distance. The general idea is that the optimal weights should maximize the similarity of two context models of the target word generated from two random samples. This principle is applied to both English and Japanese. The context models using the resulting weights are used in WSD tasks on Semeval data. Our experimental results showed that substantial improvements in WSD accuracy can be obtained using the automatically defined weighting schema.
Physical Activity of German Children and Adolescents 2003–2012: The MoMo-Study

Organized and unorganized physical activity (PA) hold an important role in the daily life of children and adolescents. Regular representative tracking of PA in different settings is important to evaluate social trends and implemented interventions. In this paper, representative PA data of German children and adolescents from the MoMo Baseline-Study (2004, n = 4528) are compared to those of Wave 1 (2010, n = 3994). Participants aged 4–17 were drawn out of 167 sample points in Germany and the data was weighted to ensure representativeness. PA was measured via questionnaire and was differentiated between organized (sports clubs and schools) and unorganized (unorganized sports and playing outside). Organized PA in extracurricular activities and sports clubs increased by eight percent, while unorganized PA decreased by seven percent. In addition to sports clubs, schools became a more prevalent setting for participation in physical activity in Germany.
A New Quadrature LC-Oscillator

A new circuit topology for quadrature signal generation is presented. In the proposed circuit two identical negative-resistance oscillators are coupled to each other via capacitors in such a way that quadrature signals are generated. An analysis of the linearized model of the circuit is presented. Since capacitors are used as coupling devices, the proposed circuit has the advantage that no extra noise sources and power consumption are introduced to the circuit in the coupling process. Simulation results are presented for the circuits designed with both CMOS and BJT technologies.