Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk Aversion, Diminishing Marginal Utility, and Expected-Utility Theory: A Calibration Theorem

Within the expected-utility framework, the only explanation for risk aversion is that the utility function for wealth is concave: A person has lower marginal utility for additional wealth when she is wealthy than when she is poor. This paper provides a theorem showing that expected-utility theory is an utterly implausible explanation for appreciable risk aversion over modest stakes: Within expected-utility theory, for any concave utility function, even very little risk aversion over modest stakes implies an absurd degree of risk aversion over large stakes. Illustrative calibrations are provided.
A new method for detection of optical disc and macula for diabetic retinopathy

In recent years, the rapid growth of the silent killer, Diabetes, is a major reason of concern for health and also started a buzz among our society. On the same time, World Health Organization (WHO) is a dedicated health organization from United Nations quotes, “By 2030 diabetes will be one of the seventh leading causes of death, whereas, the global prevalence of diabetes was estimated to be about 9% among adults aged above 18 (measured in 2014)”. Though, diabetes is not completely curable but early stage detection can helps in controlling the degree of severity of this silent killer. One of the controlling factors, which could help in early detection, is the retina of the eye, a light sensitive metabolically active region on which noninvasive observation can possible. As eye is a metabolically active organ, it gets affected at the earliest stage for the people suffering from Diabetes. Thereafter, analyzing the symptoms of retina, like, miroaneurysms, exudates, and edemas can predict the degree of severity. Since, a plan is required towards the studying these symptoms on digital image, the fundus image of the retina, and the detection of attributes, like, miroaneurysms, exudates and edemas. Before carrying out the analysis, it is very essential to properly locate the optic disc and macula which are geometrically important for the detection of Diabetic Retinopathy on digital images. In this paper, we propose intensity based preprocessing algorithm which is suitable for the detection of optic disc (OD) and Macula before the analysis of Diabetic Retinopathy.
Nested contour dynamics models for axisymmetric vortex rings and vortex wakes

Abstract Inviscid models for vortex rings and dipoles are constructed using nested patches of vorticity. These models constitute more realistic approximations to experimental vortex rings and dipoles than the single-contour models of Norbury and Pierrehumbert, and nested contour dynamics algorithms allow their simulation with low computational cost. In two dimensions, nested-contour models for the analytical Lamb dipole are constructed. In the axisymmetric case, a family of models for vortex rings generated by a piston–cylinder apparatus at different stroke ratios is constructed from experimental data. The perturbation response of this family is considered by the introduction of a small region of vorticity at the rear of the vortex, which mimics the addition of circulation to a growing vortex ring by a feeding shear layer. Model vortex rings are found to either accept the additional circulation or shed vorticity into a tail, depending on the perturbation size. A change in the behaviour of the model vortex rings is identified at a stroke ratio of three, when it is found that the maximum relative perturbation size vortex rings can accept becomes approximately constant. We hypothesise that this change in response is related to pinch-off, and that pinch-off might be understood and predicted based on the perturbation responses of model vortex rings. In particular, we suggest that a perturbation response-based framework can be useful in understanding vortex formation in biological flows.
L'institut National Des Sciences Appliquees De Lyon Le Grade De Docteur Computation Experimental Dic Hybrid Strategy for Robust 3d Ductile Plastic Law Identification

iii Acknowledgements I am sincerely and heartily grateful to my director Dr.Alain Combescure and my co-directors Dr.Julien Réthoré & Dr.Thomas Elguedj for their support during my PhD. This thesis would not have been possible without their guidance. This work was performed by the funding of INSA Lyon. I am also thankful to Mr.Philippe Chaudet and Mr.Paul Valverde for helping me out during experiments. I spent great time with my colleagues at LaMCoS. Miss.Isabelle Comby helped me with administrative matters. Thanks all of you. I am indebted to my father Mr.Salimullah & my mother Mrs. Nasreen Ara for providing me with everything that I ever wished for. I am grateful to my elder brother Mr.Asadullah & my sweet sisters for their encouragement. Many thanks to you all. Finally, I like to thank God for such a wonderful life. " Happy is the time of the man; who spends it in adoring thee. " – Sa'di. Abstract The objective of the thesis is to formulate a strategy that gives a robust identification of constitutive law from full-field measurements taking into account 3D effects. Model validation from global response of samples or structures has shortcomings that can be overcome by the use of full-field measurement techniques. Full-field measurement techniques offer the opportunity to acquire large amount of experimental data that might be useful in the context of identification of constitutive law parameters. Among the full field measurement techniques the most popular is digital and stereo image correlation. The existing strategies to make use of full-field data like the Virtual Field Method, the Equilibrium Gap Method, the Constitutive Equation Gap Method and the Reciprocity Method were limited to 2D applications. However, for a specimen with finite thickness 3D effects must be included. Most importantly, for the case of plasticity, stress triaxiality plays an important role. Its effect must therefore be accounted for in the modelling of the constitutive behaviour of the material. Thus in this thesis we propose a method to identify the parameters of an elasto-plastic constitutive law in which the mechanical model can have 3D kinematics. The strategy has been shown to be noise robust, almost independent of initial parameter guess and mesh refinement and allows differentiating between constitutive models with same global response on the basis of mean correlation error. The identification is shown to be good for both single and multiple cameras. The strategy validation is done for stainless steel. …
Effects of renal denervation on vascular remodelling in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction: A randomised control trial

Objective To assess the effect of renal denervation (RDT) on micro- and macro-vascular function in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Design A prospective, randomised, open-controlled trial with blinded end-point analysis. Setting A single-centre London teaching hospital. Participants Twenty-five patients with HFpEF who were recruited into the RDT-PEF trial. Main outcome measures Macro-vascular: 24-h ambulatory pulse pressure, aorta distensibilty (from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), aorta pulse wave velocity (CMR), augmentation index (peripheral tonometry) and renal artery blood flow indices (renal MR). Micro-vascular: endothelial function (peripheral tonometry) and urine microalbuminuria. Results At baseline, 15 patients were normotensive, 9 were hypertensive and 1 was hypotensive. RDT did not lower any of the blood pressure indices. Though there was evidence of abnormal vascular function at rest, RDT did not affect these at 3 or 12 months follow-up. Conclusions RDT did not improve markers of macro- and micro-vascular function.
Crowded-Field Astrometry with SIM PlanetQuest. I. Estimating the Single-Measurement Astrometric Bias Arising from Confusion

The accuracy of position measurements of stellar targets with the future Space Interferometry Mission PlanetQuest (SIM) will be limited not only by photon noise and by the properties of the instrument (design, stability, etc.) and the overall measurement program (observing strategy, reduction methods, etc.), but also by the presence of other “confusing” stars in the field of view (FOV). We use a simple phasor model as an aid to understanding the main effects of this confusion bias in single observations with SIM. This analytic model has been implemented numerically in computer code and applied to a selection of typical SIM target fields drawn from some of the key projects already accepted for the mission. We expect that less than 1% of all SIM targets will be vulnerable to confusion bias; we show that for the present SIM design, confusion may be a concern if the surface density of field stars exceeds 0.4 star arcsec-2. We have developed a software tool as an aid to ascertaining the possible presence of confusion bias in single observations of any arbitrary field. Some a priori knowledge of the locations and spectral energy distributions of the few brightest stars in the FOV is helpful in establishing the possible presence of confusion bias, but the information is in general not likely to be available with sufficient accuracy to permit its removal. We discuss several ways of reducing the likelihood of confusion bias in crowded fields. Finally, several limitations of the present semianalytic approach are reviewed, and their effects on the present results are estimated. The simple model presented here provides a good physical understanding of how confusion arises in a single SIM observation, and has sufficient precision to establish the likelihood of a bias in most cases. We close this paper with a list of suggestions for future work on this subject.
Pleistocene Mitochondrial Genomes Suggest a Single Major Dispersal of Non-Africans and a Late Glacial Population Turnover in Europe Highlights

Cosimo Posth,* Gabriel Renaud, Alissa Mittnik, Dorothée G. Drucker, Hélène Rougier, Christophe Cupillard, Frédérique Valentin, Corinne Thevenet, Anja Furtwängler, Christoph Wißing, Michael Francken, Maria Malina, Michael Bolus, Martina Lari, Elena Gigli, Giulia Capecchi, Isabelle Crevecoeur, Cédric Beauval, Damien Flas, Mietje Germonpré, Johannes van der Plicht, Richard Cottiaux, Bernard Gély, Annamaria Ronchitelli, Kurt Wehrberger, Dan Grigorescu, Ji rı́ Svoboda, Patrick Semal, David Caramelli, Hervé Bocherens, Katerina Harvati, Nicholas J. Conard, Wolfgang Haak, Adam Powell,* and Johannes Krause* *Correspondence: posth@shh.mpg. de (C.P.), powell@shh.mpg. de (A.P.), krause@shh.mpg. de (J.K.) http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.cub. 2016.02. 022
Excess Smoothness and Durable Goods: Evidence from Subjective Expectations Data

This paper derives and estimates a model where durable and non-durable consumption are allowed to be non-separable in utility and individuals face a convex adjustment cost whenever they want to purchase a new durable good. Subjective expectations data allow to identify and estimate the marginal propensity to consume out of permanent shocks, which is a key parameter for the understanding of the excess smoothness puzzle and for policy purposes.
Consensus Based Overlapping Decentralized Estimator

In this technical note a new algorithm for state estimation is proposed in the form of a multi-agent network based on a synergy between local Kalman filters and a dynamic consensus strategy between the agents. It is shown that it is possible, under general conditions concerning local resources and the network topology, to achieve asymptotic stability of the whole estimation algorithm by a proper choice of the consensus gains. It is demonstrated that the consensus gains can be obtained by minimizing the total mean-square estimation error. Capabilities of the network to achieve reduction of the measurement noise influence are also discussed.
Parallel Processing Architecture for ECG Signal Analysis

—Research in detecting QRS peaks in ECG signals has progressed to an acceptable extent and hence has gained adequate confidence with respect to the validity of the outputs produced. In view of the dynamics associated with ECG signals, their variants among subjects owing to varied types of problems encountered; it has become essential to, continuously, expand the scope of analysis to provide more and useful information from the ECG data. This warrants for a flexible architecture for ECG signal analysis. This paper presents one such flexible architecture. The authors are working towards identification of appropriate interfaces and their definitions.
The Fisher Model And Financial Markets

This monograph represents a unified coherent perspective of financial markets and the theory of corporate finance. The Fisher model is used in corporate finance texts to note the foundations of the net present value rule, but has not been developed further in textbooks as a perspective for students of the finance discipline. This book articulates corporate finance from a common perspective and model: by generalizing the Fisher model to include risks, it is possible to exposit and prove the classic corporate finance theorems and to establish a common foundation for the discipline. The classic theorems of corporate finance are collected, stated, and some are proved. The reader is challenged to prove corollaries and theorems to see how the model provides the fundamental building blocks for the discipline.
Reading and understanding: on some differences between Wittgenstein and 4E cognitive science

Along some striking and real convergences, are there also relevant differences between Wittgenstein and 4E cognitive science? This paper answers positively to that question, by focusing upon the cognitive or psychological status of reading and understanding in Wittgenstein’s philosophy of psychology and in enactivism. The main difference deals with the posited relations between reading, understanding, and material processes. Despite its anti-representationalist, externalist and anti-intellectualist core, enactivism continues to conceive cognition as supervenient on processes, whereas for Wittgenstein, the relations between psychological phenomena and concomitant processes are mediated by psychological concepts, behavioural criteria and normative practices.
Frontotemporal Dementia, Manifested as Schizophrenia, with Decreased Heterochromatin on Chromosome 1

Introduction. Frontotemporal dementia is a disorder of complex etiology, with genetic components contributing to the disease. The aim of this report is to describe a young patient suffering from frontotemporal dementia, misdiagnosed as schizophrenia, related to a genetic defect on chromosome 1. Case Presentation. A 29-year-old female patient, previously diagnosed as having schizophrenia, was hospitalized with severe behavioural disturbances. She demonstrated severe sexual disinhibition, hyperphagia, lack of motivation, apathy, psychotic symptoms, suicidal thoughts, and cognitive deterioration. Focal atrophy of frontal and anterior temporal structures bilaterally was found on brain MRI, as well as bifrontal hypo perfusion of the brain on SPECT scan. The diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia was made clinically, according to Lund and Manchester groups and Neary diagnostic criteria. Chromosomal analysis was conducted and revealed decrease in length of heterochromatin on the long arm of chromosome 1 (46, XX, 1qh-). Parental karyotypes were normal. Discussion. Frontotemporal dementia, and particularly early-onset cases, can be often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia, with negative impact on case management. Genetic testing could be an aid to the correct diagnosis, which is crucial for optimal patient care.
Research and Application of an Online Real time Hurst Parameter Measure Algorithm

Several methods used for measure network traffic are introduced in this paper. Hurst parameter and Characteristic of R/S algorithm are analyzed in details. An online real-time Hurst parameter measure algorithm based on R/S algorithm is proposed, and algorithm steps are demonstrated by using emulation experiment. The experiment result shows that the online real -time Hurst parameter detection algorithm can compute accurately Hurst parameter of network traffic. The network traffic measure system can dynamically adjust the sampling interval with the change of the Hurst Parameter. So, the proposed algorithm provides a basis for traffic data storing and handling.
How to build collaborative advantage

For many years, multinational corporations could compete successfully by exploiting scale and scope economies or by taking advantage of imperfections in the world's goods, labor and capital markets. But these ways of competing are no longer as profitable as they once were. In most industries, multinationals no longer compete primarily with companies whose boundaries are confined to a single nation. Rather, they go head-to-head with a handful of other giants. Against such global competitors, it is hard to sustain an advantage based on traditional economies of scale and scope. MNCs must seek new sources of competitive advantage.While multinationals in the past realized economies of scope principally by utilizing physical assets and exploiting a companywide brand, the new economies of scope are based on the ability of business units, subsidiaries and functional departments within the company to collaborate successfully by sharing knowledge and jointly developing new products and services. Collaboration can be an MNC's source of competitive advantage because it does not occur automatically ? far from it. Indeed, several barriers impede collaboration within complex multiunit organizations. And in order to overcome those barriers, companies will have to develop distinct organizing capabilities that cannot be easily imitated. The authors develop a framework that links managerial action, barriers to interunit collaboration and value creation in MNCs to help managers understand how collaborative advantage can work. The framework conceptualizes collaboration as a set of management levers that reduce four specific barriers to collaboration, leading in turn to several types of value creation. They draw on BP's experience to illustrate the effectiveness of a collaborative approach.
BM‐Map: Bayesian Mapping of Multireads for Next‐Generation Sequencing Data

Summary Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) technology generates millions of short reads, which provide valuable information for various aspects of cellular activities and biological functions. A key step in NGS applications (e.g., RNA‐Seq) is to map short reads to correct genomic locations within the source genome. While most reads are mapped to a unique location, a significant proportion of reads align to multiple genomic locations with equal or similar numbers of mismatches; these are called multireads. The ambiguity in mapping the multireads may lead to bias in downstream analyses. Currently, most practitioners discard the multireads in their analysis, resulting in a loss of valuable information, especially for the genes with similar sequences. To refine the read mapping, we develop a Bayesian model that computes the posterior probability of mapping a multiread to each competing location. The probabilities are used for downstream analyses, such as the quantification of gene expression. We show through simulation studies and RNA‐Seq analysis of real life data that the Bayesian method yields better mapping than the current leading methods. We provide a C++ program for downloading that is being packaged into a user‐friendly software.
The Role of the Amygdala in Atypical Gaze on Emotional Faces in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Reduced focus toward the eyes is a characteristic of atypical gaze on emotional faces in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Along with the atypical gaze, aberrant amygdala activity during face processing compared with neurotypically developed (NT) participants has been repeatedly reported in ASD. It remains unclear whether the previously reported dysfunctional amygdalar response patterns in ASD support an active avoidance of direct eye contact or rather a lack of social attention. Using a recently introduced emotion classification task, we investigated eye movements and changes in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the amygdala with a 3T MRI scanner in 16 autistic and 17 control adult human participants. By modulating the initial fixation position on faces, we investigated changes triggered by the eyes compared with the mouth. Between-group interaction effects revealed different patterns of gaze and amygdalar BOLD changes in ASD and NT: Individuals with ASD gazed more often away from than toward the eyes, compared with the NT group, which showed the reversed tendency. An interaction contrast of group and initial fixation position further yielded a significant cluster of amygdala activity. Extracted parameter estimates showed greater response to eyes fixation in ASD, whereas the NT group showed an increase for mouth fixation. The differing patterns of amygdala activity in combination with differing patterns of gaze behavior between groups triggered by direct eye contact and mouth fixation, suggest a dysfunctional profile of the amygdala in ASD involving an interplay of both eye-avoidance processing and reduced orientation.
Age Trends in Children ' s Timesharing Performance Leann Lipps Birch Univeristy of Michigan Running Head : Children ' s Timesharing 2

To investigate developmental differences in timesharing performance, 60 boys, 20 in each of three age groups (7-,10and 13-year-olds) performed an auditory matching task and a tracking task alone and concurrently, the latter under two sets of instructions. Decrements produced by concurrent performance were compared for the three age groups. When the timeshared tasks were presented as equally important, timesharing produced significantly greater proportional decrements in the tracking performance of the younger children and for all age groups tracking task decrements were directly related to matching task difficulty. Subsequently, the children were instructed that one or the other of the tasks was more important and that they were to improve their performance on that task. All three age groups showed a significant improvement on the task emphasized by instructions. The relationship of the results to two models of information processing is discussed.
Gateway Diversity for a Future High Throughput Satellite System

The continuous increase of traffic demands for satellite networks motivates the evolution of the telecommunication satellite technology towards wider channels and multiple beam operation with frequency re-use across the coverage. This is made possible by the use of higher frequency bands. Recent research projects 1,2 have investigated multi-beam coverages with more than 200 user beams operated in Ka band, to offer very large data throughputs over Europe. Since 2012, the European Commission project Broadband Access via integrated Terrestrial and Satellite systems (BATS) has explored a similar concept based on a dual satellite solution offering around 302 user beams over EU27 and Turkey, targeting 2020 timeframe, see Figure 1. In all these systems, so as to maximize the user link capacity, the whole civil band allocated to Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) in Ka band (20/30 GHz) is dedicated to the user links. The feeder links thus have to be operated in another band. An attractive option is to rely on Q/V bands (30/40 GHz) to provide the gateway-to-satellite links. Despite the large available bandwidths in Q/V band (5 GHz in each direction), the very large user aggregated bandwidths are required to implement several tens of gateways to provide the necessary capacity.