Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Minimally Supervised Feature Selection for Classification (Master's Thesis, University Politehnica of Bucharest)

In the context of the highly increasing number of features that are available nowadays we design a robust and fast method for feature selection. The method tries to select the most representative features that are independent from each other, but are strong together. We propose an algorithm that requires very limited labeled data (as few as one labeled frame per class) and can accommodate as many unlabeled samples. We also present here the supervised approach from which we started. We compare our two formulations with established methods like AdaBoost, SVM, Lasso, Elastic Net and FoBa and show that our method is much faster and it has constant training time. Moreover, the unsupervised approach outperforms all the methods with which we compared and the difference might be quite prominent. The supervised approach is in most cases better than the other methods, especially when the number of training shots is very limited. All that the algorithm needs is to choose from a pool of positively correlated features. The methods are evaluated on the Youtube-Objects dataset of videos and on MNIST digits dataset, while at training time we also used features obtained on CIFAR10 dataset and others pre-trained on ImageNet dataset. Thereby, we also proved that transfer learning is useful, even though the datasets differ very much: from low-resolution centered images from 10 classes, to high-resolution images with objects from 1000 classes occurring in different regions of the images or to very difficult videos with very high intraclass variance. 7
The New Safety Net? Supplemental Security Income after Welfare Reform

Over the past twenty years, the Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI), which provides federally-funded income support for disabled individuals, has become one of the most important means-tested cash aid programs in the United States. This growth has been accompanied by growing concerns about the nature of the program and its role as a "new safety net. " In this paper, I use state panel data, exploiting variation both across states and over time, to examine the relationship between welfare reform and SSI disabled caseloads for both adults and children. I also examine whether the relationship between SSI participation and other factors (economic, health-related, and political) has been fundamentally altered in the aftermath of welfare reform. Results suggest that welfare reform significantly increased SSI participation, and changed the relationship between other conditions and SSI participation. Notably, the SSI program has become more responsive to business cycles for women and children since welfare reform.
New IP QoS Architecture for Voice and Data Convergence over DSL Lines

Digital subscriber lines (DSL) offer the possibility to deliver broadband services over the existing telephone network. Before deploying DSL, the subscriber loops must be tested to see whether they can support high-speed data services, and at what rate. With regards to Voice over IP, VoIP converts analog voice signals into IP packets and distributes them across a WAN. VoIP is a delay-sensitive application. For POTS-quality voice, the network must be fine tuned end-to-end before implementing VoIP. This fine-tuning should incorporate a series of optimization techniques in order to improve the overall quality of service (QoS). Furthermore traffic shaping must be used to ensure VoIP reliability. There are two essential requirements to ensure VoIP quality: minimization of end-to-end delay and jitter. In this paper, the performance of QoS architecture was analyzed. The basic metrics that were evaluated are the end-to-end delay of voice packets across the access network and the bandwidth consumed by a voice call.
A Sensing Chair design for home based physiological signs monitoring

The current work aims to construct a reliable system for health status monitoring, in particular for old people and chronic cardiovascular patients away from clinical professionals. We developed an adaptive home-based platform that integrates multifarious sensors and telecommunication services to cover the needs of both users and healthcare professionals. For home use, sensors and measuring apparatus are embedded in a chair, which is named as Sensing Chair. It is able to acquire vital signals from human bodies, while users sit in the chair, free from being constrained by electrodes. The possible obtained signs are electrocardiogram, body weight and pulse wave etc. The complete system also includes a wireless gateway for signal collection/transmission and a server that integrates database, web interface and decision support system.
Investigating the Implementation of New Public Management in Lebanon Ideas and Realities

This paper is an exploratory study that investigates the status of new public management (NPM) and the obstacles to its implementation within the Republic of Lebanon. The study employs a qualitative approach that examines two complementary data sources. The first data source is obtained from an extensive review of documents related to NPM that are available in the public domain such as policy initiatives and governmental projects. The second data source is obtained from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 40 stakeholders. Data is analyzed, using an iterative thematic content analysis. The findings suggest that the main obstacles that have inhibited the implementation of NPM in most public agencies in Lebanon include: the politicization of administration in the public sector, the lack of stability in the country, the non-targeted inconsistent and insufficient training, several institutional dysfunctions and organizational challenges, the absence of a country-specific applicable model of public management and the unsystematic and non-institutionalized link between concerned international organizations and the Lebanese public agencies. This research is significant as it provides a foundation for institutional practices to improve the design and implementation of NPM in the country. It also contributes to the relevant academic literature and fills a gap in the research on NPM in Lebanon. The paper provides policy recommendations needed to respond to the recurrent calls for administrative reforms in the Arab world especially in the aftermath of the popular uprisings in many of its countries.
SLC4A7 sodium bicarbonate co-transporter controls mitochondrial apoptosis in ischaemic coronary endothelial cells.

AIMS Bicarbonate transport has been shown to participate in apoptosis under ischaemic stress. However, the precise transporting mechanisms involved in ischaemic apoptosis are unknown and were thus the aim of the present study. METHODS AND RESULTS Rat coronary endothelial cells (EC) were exposed to simulated in vitro ischaemia for 2 h, and apoptosis was subsequently determined by chromatin staining and caspase-3 activity analysis. By examining the expression of bicarbonate transporters (BT) in EC by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, a marked expression of the electroneutral sodium bicarbonate co-transporter (SLC4A7) was defined. To analyse the potential role of this transporter during apoptosis, a selective inhibitor (S0859, Sanofi-Aventis) was applied. Treatment with S0859 significantly increased caspase-3 activity and elevated the number of apoptotic EC. These results were comparable with an unselective inhibition of all BT due to withdrawal of bicarbonate in the anoxic medium. Knockdown of SLC4A7 in EC by transfecting appropriate siRNA similarly increased apoptosis of EC under simulated ischaemia. The initial characterization of the participating mechanisms of SLC4A7-dependent apoptosis revealed an activation of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, i.e. cleavage of caspase-9 and binding of Bax to mitochondria. In contrast, no activation of the endoplasmic reticulum-dependent pathway (caspase-12 cleavage) or the extrinsic apoptotic pathway (caspase-8 cleavage) was found. Finally, a mitochondrial localization of SLC4A7 was demonstrated. CONCLUSION The electroneutral sodium bicarbonate co-transporter SLC4A7 localizes in mitochondria and suppresses the ischaemia-induced activation of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in coronary EC.
In press: In J. Schulkin (ed.), Action, Perception and the Brain. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave-Macmillan. Neo-pragmatism and enactive intentionality

Enactive approaches in cognitive science propose that perception, and more generally cognitive experience, are strongly mediated by embodied (sensory-motor) processes, and that our primary experience of the world is action-oriented or pragmatic (Noë 2004; Thompson 2007; Varela et al. 1991). Extended mind theorists propose that cognition supervenes on embodied and environmental processes such as gestures and the use of various technologies (Clark 2008; Clark and Chalmers 1998; Menary 2010). Both enactive and extended conceptions of cognition suggest that the mind is not “in the head” – that cognitive processes are distributed over brain, body and environment – but they also differ on a number of issues. Extended mind theorists defend a functionalist account of cognition and downplay the role of the body (e.g., Clark 2008), and they argue that cognition and action can involve mental representations (e.g., Clark 1997; Clark and Grush 1999; Rowlands 2006; Wheeler 2005). In contrast, enactive theorists argue for radical embodiment (e.g., Thompson and Varela 2001) and defend an antirepresentationlist view (e.g., Gallagher 2008b; Hutto, in press; Thompson 2007). There are also debates about how to define the boundaries, or lack of boundaries, involved in cognitive processes (e.g., Di Paolo 2009; Wheeler 2008). In this chapter we do not propose to resolve all of these issues. Rather, we intend to address the following question: Can enactive and extended conceptions of the mind agree on a model of intentionality? We explore several conceptions of intentionality in order to ask which conception of intentionality best supports the new concept of mind implied by both the enactive and the extended views. We argue (1) that although both enactive and extended views champion a non-Cartesian, non-internalist conception of mind, we only start to see what this conception of mind is when we adopt an enactivist conception of intentionality; (2) only by adopting this model of intentionality will the
Targeting Fungal Genes by Diced siRNAs: A Rapid Tool to Decipher Gene Function in Aspergillus nidulans

Background Gene silencing triggered by chemically synthesized small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) has become a powerful tool for deciphering gene function in many eukaryotes. However, prediction and validation of a single siRNA duplex specific to a target gene is often ineffective. RNA interference (RNAi) with synthetic siRNA suffers from lower silencing efficacy, off-target effects and is cost-intensive, especially for functional genomic studies. With the explosion of fungal genomic information, there is an increasing need to analyze gene function in a rapid manner. Therefore, studies were performed in order to investigate the efficacy of gene silencing induced by RNase III-diced-siRNAs (d-siRNA) in model filamentous fungus, Aspergillus nidulans. Methodology/Principal Findings Stable expression of heterologous reporter gene in A. nidulans eases the examination of a new RNAi-induction route. Hence, we have optimized Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (AMT) of A. nidulans for stable expression of sGFP gene. This study demonstrates that the reporter GFP gene stably introduced into A. nidulans can be effectively silenced by treatment of GFP-d-siRNAs. We have shown the down-regulation of two endogenous genes, AnrasA and AnrasB of A. nidulans by d-siRNAs. We have also elucidated the function of an uncharacterized Ras homolog, rasB gene, which was found to be involved in hyphal growth and development. Further, silencing potency of d-siRNA was higher as compared to synthetic siRNA duplex, targeting AnrasA. Silencing was shown to be sequence-specific, since expression profiles of other closely related Ras family genes in d-siRNA treated AnrasA and AnrasB silenced lines exhibited no change in gene expression. Conclusions/Significance We have developed and applied a fast, specific and efficient gene silencing approach for elucidating gene function in A. nidulans using d-siRNAs. We have also optimized an efficient AMT in A. nidulans, which is useful for stable integration of transgenes.
Lifetime Optimization of Wireless Multi-hop Networks based on Network coding

N etwork lifetime often needs to be prolonged in wireless networks with the limited energy. Mainly aiming at network lifetime optimization problem, we comprehensively consider the application scene with no network coding, bidirectional network coding, or interception network coding in random topology environments. The performance of network coding is researched on a random topology network. Combining with the power control model, the number of data stream, the distribution of business requirement and the initial energy of each node, and the interior point method are adopted to evaluate and optimize the network lifetime in these scenes. Simulation results demonstrate that the network coding can improve the gain of network lifetime in the case of weak control. The gain and the computation overhead will increase with the increase of the number of data stream, but the influence of the distribution of business requirement and the initial energy of each node on the network lifetime performance can be neglected. In addition, it also shows that the improvement performance of bidirectional network coding on the network lifetime is similar to that of the interception network coding, but it has lower computation overhead.
Tax Structure and Government Behavior: Implications for Tax Policy

Changes in tax policy can affect all aspects of the economy. Not only do firms and individuals change behavior, creating efficiency costs, but government expenditure choices can also change. Unless these expenditure choices had been optimal' previously, changes in response to a tax reform affect welfare and should be taken into account when designing tax policy. This paper develops a specific model of government behavior and then explores the implications of government, as well as private, behavioral responses for tax policy. In particular, we assume that government officials favor expenditure (or regulatory) choices that increase the government's budget. As a result, higher tax rates on a particular activity encourage government behavior that aids the growth of this activity. This response enables tax policy to redirect government activity in desirable directions, but it also makes Pigovian taxes on negative externalities less effective.
Structural Stability: Meaning, Scope and Use in an African Context

This article inquires into the potential meaning of a technical term originally used in natural sciences and introduced by the OECD DAC and the European Commission into the rhetoric of development co-operation in the face of growing violent conflicts in Africa. The need to clarify the scope of the leitmotif leads to a balanced interpretation of slightly differing official definitions. This exercise shows that there are political, economic, ecological and social ingredients of Structural Stability - (with clear emphasis on political goals) - that, in the end, all serve the capacity of individuals, groups and institutions to manage change without resorting to violent conflict. What matters most here is the assumption that all these elements (7) are explicitly interlinked and mutually reinforcing. The article confronts this new leitmotif with prior reflections on a complex "peace system" in the framework of the "civilisational hexagon" (Senghaas). It gives indications how the concept could be turned operational and addresses a number of open questions (state-centrism, priorities and sequencing, etc.).
Blood Rheology in Marine Mammals

The field of blood oxygen transport and delivery to tissues has been studied by comparative physiologists for many decades. Within this general area, the particular differences in oxygen delivery between marine and terrestrial mammals has focused mainly on oxygen supply differences and delivery to the tissues under low blood flow diving conditions. Yet, the study of the inherent flow properties of the blood itself (hemorheology) is rarely discussed when addressing diving. However, hemorheology is important to the study of marine mammals because of the critical nature of the oxygen stores that are carried in the blood during diving periods. This review focuses on the essential elements of hemorheology, how they are defined and on fundamental rheological applications to marine mammals. While the comparative rationale used throughout the review is much broader than the particular problems associated with diving, the basic concepts focus on how changes in the flow properties of whole blood would be critical to oxygen delivery during diving. This review introduces the reader to most of the major rheological concepts that are relevant to the unique and unusual aspects of the diving physiology of marine mammals.
A review of enterprise content management (ECM): Growth and maturation of ECM from the year 2001 to 2011

Managing information and content in organisations can be a challenging task hence the implementation of the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems. ECM can be classified as integrated approach to information management. The ECM concept has received much attention from the practitioners and vendors perspective but ECM research is still an emerging field in Information Systems (IS) research. ECM research is approximately more than one decade but it only received little consideration from scholars and a lot of attention from industries. This paper will provide an in-depth review of the ECM literature mainly its implementation and the benefits associated with it. When looking at the four ECM dimensions, research indicates that the majority of the literature focuses on content mainly on the information and system views. However, ECM research still lacks consistency and well accepted definitions as it is a concept that is still evolving. Most of the literature consists of case studies and most frequent contribution in field studies with a promising trend towards contributing theory. This is a comprehensive analysis of the ECM literature across a number of sources and offers an important insight about the directions of the ECM research.
Sequence – Structure Relation in Proteins through a “ Hybrid Protein Model ”

Prediction of protein three-dimensional structures constitutes a major scientific stake. However, it remains difficult even though it is established that the information needed to specify the complex 3D structure of a protein is contained in its amino acid sequence. Our goal is to analyze protein structures at a local level since protein local structural information is encoded to an extent in local amino acid sequences. In our study, we used an unsupervised clustering method called “Hybrid Protein Model” (HPM) to perform the compression of a nonredundant protein structure databank into a library of overlapping 3D structural fragments [1]. The library obtained is composed of a limited number of structural classes grouping together fragments sharing similar local structures. These classes are characterized by average structural prototypes and are representative of all local folds observed in the protein structure databank. From this library, we analyzed the relation between amino acid sequence and local structure. We characterized for each structural prototype the amino acid specificities and preferences.
Multiple protein sequence alignment from tertiary structure comparison: Assignment of global and residue confidence levels

An algorithm is presented for the accurate and rapid generation of multiple protein sequence alignments from tertiary structure comparisons. A preliminary multiple sequence alignment is performed using sequence information, which then determines an initial superposition of the structures. A structure comparison algorithm is applied to all pairs of proteins in the superimposed set and a similarity tree calculated. Multiple sequence alignments are then generated by following the tree from the branches to the root. At each branchpoint of the tree, a structure‐based sequence alignment and coordinate transformations are output, with the multiple alignment of all structures output at the root The algorithm encoded in STAMP (Structural Alignment of Multiple Proteins) is shown to give alignments in good agreement with published structural accounts within the dehydrogenase fold domains, globins, and serine proteinases.
A Product Design-Driven Approach to Managing Rapid Sequential Innovation

Global competition and major technological advances cause substantial performance improvements in many product categories including consumer electronics, computers and software. Rapid sequential innovation refers to the situation when firms launch a sequence of products in time whose performance quality improves not only in absolute terms but also in discounted terms from the perspective of customers. Managing such innovation presents certain unique challenges to profit-maximizing firms designing such products because the seller’s choices make buyers reconsider their purchase timing, with some customers possibly regretting their purchase timing decisions at a later time. Prior work has shown that firms planning to launch rapidly improving products without causing customer regret must either restrain their rate of innovation or forego their degrees of freedom in pricing their product upgrades. In this paper, we examine if product design can help firms manage rapid sequential innovation without constraints on the rate of innovation or upgrade pricing. In a two-period setting, we find that by following a product architectural approach called Modular Upgradability and by localizing performance improvements a firm can maximize its profits without causing customer regret. Two approaches to modular upgradability are considered that differ in the degree to which industry standard components are used with different implications for prices and profits. We derive conditions under which the modular upgradability approaches dominate other pricing-based approaches to this problem. Our key contribution in this paper is the identification, formalization, and analysis of a product design based approach to intertemporal price discrimination and sequential introduction of rapidly improving products. (
A Multivariate GARCH Model with Aggregate Threshold Dynamics

This paper proposes a threshold multivariate GARCH model (Threshold MGARCH) which integrates threshold nonlinearity, mean and volatility asymmetries and time-varying correlation in financial markets. The main feature of this model is that the threshold variables are formulated as average or aggregate previous returns. Estimation is performed using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Forecasts of volatility and value at risk can be generated from the predictive distributions. The proposed methodology is illustrated using both simulated and real market data.