Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consistent Preordering with an Estimated Criterion Function, with an Application to the Evaluation and Comparison of Volatility Models

It is well known that the use of different criteria for estimation and evaluation can affect the ranking of models. This paper uncovers a different problem – and inconsistency – that can arise when alternatives are compared using an estimated criterion function. Our results are relevant for empirical studies where evaluation is based on estimated criteria functions, such as utility functions of heterogeneous individuals and forecast evaluation in a situation where the realized values of the target are observed with noise. We consider a general framework where stochastic sequences are ranked according to expected loss, using a parametric loss function. Besides the true preordering an empirical preordering and its asymptotic limit are of interest. We show that these preorderings are not equivalent in general and provide conditions that ensure the equivalence. We apply the framework to out-of-sample comparisons of ARCH-type models, where the need to substitute a proxy for the unobserved conditional variance, σ t , t = 1, 2, . can induce an inconsistency in the ranking of models. The reason is that the measurement error of σ t can distort the ranking – even as the sample size increases. The practical relevance of our theoretical results is accentuated by the empirical findings and a simulation study. In the context of volatility models, our results provide an additional argument for using intra-day data to approximate σ t , such as realized volatility. JEL Classification: C22; C52; C53; D0;
Stability & feasibility of constrained receding horizon control

In this paper we present an approach to test stability and feasibility of discrete-time LTI systems subject to constrained optimal control. The analysis is based on the feedback solution of the constrained optimal control problem formulated in a Receding Horizon fashion. The validation procedure consists of two independent parts. For stability, a piecewise quadratic Lyapunov function is computed by solving LMIs. Sufficient conditions for the existence of such functions are given. To guarantee feasibility, an efficient algorithm for computing invariant subsets of piecewise affine systems is presented. Finally, we demonstrate how this method may serve to obtain controllers of low complexity.
Can evidence-based medicine and clinical quality improvement learn from each other?

The considerable gap between what we know from research and what is done in clinical practice is well known. Proposed responses include the Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and Clinical Quality Improvement. EBM has focused more on ‘doing the right things’—based on external research evidence—whereas Quality Improvement (QI) has focused more on ‘doing things right’—based on local processes. However, these are complementary and in combination direct us how to ‘do the right things right’. This article examines the differences and similarities in the two approaches and proposes that by integrating the bedside application, the methodological development and the training of these complementary disciplines both would gain.
Farmers' Attitudes, Objectives, Behaviors, and Personality Traits: The Edinburgh Study of Decision Making on Farms.

Abstract The Edinburgh Study of Decision Making on Farms comprises a multidisciplinary group of researchers including psychologists, agricultural scientists, business management specialists, and mathematicians. The aim of the study is to construct multivariate models of important farming behaviors, such as environmentally oriented farming, production behavior, and stress. Although many variables to be included in the models, such as personality, cognitive ability, and coping skills, could be assessed using currently available instruments, there were no readily available measures relevant to farming. Therefore, the present report describes the domains of farmers' attitudes, goals, and behaviors, and provides scales for their measurement. In addition to providing taxonomies of important areas of farmers' vocational behaviors, the report describes the correlations of farmers' attitudes, goals, and behaviors with measures of personality traits.
The Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib with chemoimmunotherapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The safety and efficacy of ibrutinib, an oral inhibitor of Bruton tyrosine kinase, were evaluated with chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) in a multicenter phase 1b study. Patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia received bendamustine and rituximab (BR) or fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) for up to 6 cycles with daily ibrutinib (420 mg) until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity. Enrollment to FCR-ibrutinib closed early due to a lack of fludarabine-naïve previously treated patients. No patients treated with BR-ibrutinib (n = 30) or FCR-ibrutinib (n = 3) experienced prolonged hematologic toxicity in cycle 1 (primary end point). Tolerability was as expected with either CIT or single-agent ibrutinib. The overall response rate (ORR) with BR-ibrutinib was 93.3%, including 16.7% complete responses (CRs) initially, which increased to 40% with the extension period. Including 1 patient with partial response with lymphocytosis, the best ORR was 96.7%. Sixteen of 21 patients with baseline cytopenias had sustained hematologic improvement. At 12 and 36 months, 86.3% and 70.3% remained progression-free, respectively. All 3 patients treated with ibrutinib-FCR achieved CR. Ibrutinib may enhance CIT efficacy without additive toxicities, providing the rationale for studying this combination in an ongoing phase 3 trial. The study is registered to www.clinicaltrials. gov as #NCT01292135.
Customalloc: Efficient synthesized memory allocators

The allocation and disposal of memory is a ubiquitous operation in most programs. Rarely do programmers concern themselves with details of memory allocators; most assume that memory allocators provided by the system perform well. Yet, in some applications, programmers use domain‐specific knowledge in an attempt to improve the speed or memory utilization of memory allocators.
Alcohol Abuse in Clients Presenting With Marital Problems

Eighty-four women and 56 men seeking marital therapy were assessed for alcohol abuse, current marital disagreements about alcohol abuse, and reported interspousal aggression. More than one third of the men in the sample met the criterion for alcoholism on a standard alcoholism screening interview, one fifth of the men self-reported drinking at unsafe levels, and more than four fifths of the Ss reported marital disagreements about alcohol abuse at least "frequently. " Sixty-nine percent of respondents reported the occurrence of physical aggression in their relationship. Reported alcohol problems were associated with more severe marital distress, more steps being taken toward divorce, and greater male aggression. The results suggest that routine screening of marital therapy clients for alcohol abuse is needed.
Gaussian processes for magnetic map-based localization in large-scale indoor environments

The magnetic field that exists in an indoor environment includes rich magnetic fluctuations because buildings contain many magnetized materials (e.g., steel frames). These fluctuations can be used as landmarks, the use of which requires the creation of a magnetic map representing the distribution of the magnetic field. It is, however, difficult to build a large-scale magnetic map because of the narrow measurement range of a magnetic sensor. This paper proposes an efficient method for collecting magnetic data using a mobile robot and a method for building a magnetic map using Gaussian processes. The use of these methods make it possible to build a large-scale magnetic map efficiently. Moreover, this paper presents a particle filter-based localization method based on the magnetic map. The presented system enables a robot to identify its own position in large-scale buildings. Experiments are used to demonstrate the performance and usefulness of the presented system.
Socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers’ ratings of plain and branded cigarette packaging: an experimental study

Objectives This study aimed to test the potential impact of plain packaging for cigarettes on brand appeal among highly socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers using the new design for cigarettes implemented in Australia, which combines plain packaging with larger health warning labels. Design A 2×2 factorial design trial embedded within a cross-sectional computer touchscreen survey. Data were collected between March and December 2012. Setting Socially disadvantaged welfare aid recipients were recruited through a large Social and Community Service Organisation in New South Wales, Australia. Participants N=354 smokers. The majority of the sample had not completed high school (64%), earned less than $A300/week (55%) and received their income from Government payments (95%). Interventions Participants were randomised to one of the four different pack conditions determined by brand name: Winfield versus Benson & Hedges, and packaging type: branded versus plain. Participants were required to rate their assigned pack on measures of brand appeal and purchase intentions. Results Plain packaging was associated with significantly reduced smoker ratings of ‘positive pack characteristics’ (p<0.001), ‘positive smoker characteristics’ (p=0.003) and ‘positive taste characteristics’ (p=0.033) in the Winfield brand name condition only. Across the four pack conditions, no main differences were found for ‘negative smoker characteristics’ (p=0.427) or ‘negative harm characteristics’ (p=0.411). In comparison to plain packaging, the presentation of branded packaging was associated with higher odds of smokers’ purchase intentions (OR=2.18, 95% CI 1.34 to 3.54; p=0.002). Conclusions Plain packs stripped of branding elements, featuring larger health warning labels, were associated with reduced positive cigarette brand image and purchase intentions among highly socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers.
Coordinated Motion Planning: Reconfiguring a Swarm of Labeled Robots with Bounded Stretch

We present a number of breakthroughs for coordinated motion planning, in which the objective is to reconfigure a swarm of labeled convex objects by a combination of parallel, continuous, collision-free translations into a given target arrangement. Problems of this type can be traced back to the classic work of Schwartz and Sharir (1983), who gave a method for deciding the existence of a coordinated motion for a set of disks between obstacles; their approach is polynomial in the complexity of the obstacles, but exponential in the number of disks. Other previous work has largely focused on {\em sequential} schedules, in which one robot moves at a time. We provide constant-factor approximation algorithms for minimizing the execution time of a coordinated, {\em parallel} motion plan for a swarm of robots in the absence of obstacles, provided some amount of separability. Our algorithm achieves {\em constant stretch factor}: If all robots are at most $d$ units from their respective starting positions, the total duration of the overall schedule is $O(d)$. Extensions include unlabeled robots and different classes of robots. We also prove that finding a plan with minimal execution time is NP-hard, even for a grid arrangement without any stationary obstacles. On the other hand, we show that for densely packed disks that cannot be well separated, a stretch factor $\Omega(N^{1/4})$ may be required. On the positive side, we establish a stretch factor of $O(N^{1/2})$ even in this case.
A consensus value approach for influence maximization in social networks

Information diffusion has been a crucial issue in social network research. The influence maximization problem asks for ways to identify nodes that are able to maximally diffuse information through a network. Recently, game-theoretical methods emerged that partitions a network into coalitions, and facilitate influence maximization. A notable example is a method based on Shapley value [13]. A major disadvantage with this approach is the lack of consideration of externality on coalition formation. In this paper, we propose consensus value for influence maximization (CVIM) to overcome this limitation. After forming coalitions using consensus value, the method selects initial coalitions based on the gain of each coalition, and finally chooses seed nodes in the selected coalitions. Empirical evidence over several real-world networks demonstrates that CVIM produces better results of influence maximization while significantly reducing the running time as compared to existing approaches.
An application layer multicast routing algorithm based on genetic algorithms

The application layer multicast routing problem is a multi-objective optimization problem. Most existing protocols are based on simple geographical rules and focus on either tree cost or application load balance performance. Little attention is pay to the lower level performance. The paper analyzes the constraints on multicast routing, then formalizes three functions to evaluate an application layer multicast tree on three indexes, cost, application layer load balance and network layer load balance, then generates one fitness function to describe the tree's overall performance. Then the paper proposes the ALMR-GA algorithm, a novel application layer multicast routing approach based on genetic algorithms. Numerical simulations show that, compared with existing routing algorithms, the proposed algorithm reduces the tree's cost while satisfying the load balance constraints
Text Simplification Tools for Spanish

In this paper we describe the development of a text simplification system for Spanish. Text simplification is the adaptation of a text to the special needs of certain groups of readers, such as language learners, people with cognitive difficulties and elderly people, among others. There is a clear need for simplified texts, but manual production and adaptation of existing texts is labour intensive and costly. Automatic simplification is a field which attracts growing attention in Natural Language Processing, but, to the best of our knowledge, there are no simplification tools for Spanish. We present a prototype for automatic simplification, which shows that the most important structural simplification operations can be successfully treated with an approach based on rules which can potentially be improved by statistical methods. For the development of this prototype we carried out a corpus study which aims at identifying the operations a text simplification system needs to carry out in order to produce an output similar to what human editors produce when they simplify texts.
Increased Incidence of Oviduct Pathology in the Guinea Pig After Repeat Vaginal Inoculation With the Chlamydial Agent of Guinea Pig Inclusion Conjunctivitis

Background and Objectives Although it has been hypothesized that repeated infections with Chlamydia trachomatis result in an increased potential for the development of infertility, it is not known whether repeated chlamydial infection by the vaginal route will result in an increased incidence of upper tract pathology or enhanced pathology. Goal of This Study To determine whether guinea pigs given two infections with the chlamydial agent of guinea pig inclusion conjunctivitis would experience an increased incidence of pathologic changes compared with animals having only a single infection. Study Design Guinea pigs previously infected with guinea pig inclusion conjunctivitis were challenged with a fresh intravaginal inoculum 73–77 days after the primary infection. Oviducts were examined either nine or 30 to 37 days after the challenge infection for pathologic changes and compared with control unchallenged animals 75 to 85 days after a primary infection. Results A significant increase in the number of animals with oviducts demonstrating marked tubal dilatation was observed in the challenged animals 30 to 37 days after the challenge infection. There was no association of increased antibody titer and chlamydial Hsp60 with the presence of tubal dilatation. Conclusion These data strongly indicate that repeated infection via the natural vaginal route does increase the risk of tubal damage.
Quarterly advancing science and promoting understanding of traumatic stress Group Treatment for PTSD

Despite the rich history of group treatments for PTSD, there is a surprising lack of methodologically rigorous studies in this domain. We know that at one point, “rap groups” were seen to be the treatment of choice for Vietnam Veterans (Foy et al., 2000) and support groups still play a significant role in many agencies that serve trauma survivors, including Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) settings (Hundt, Robinson, Arney, Stanley, & Cully, 2015). Despite the popularity of support groups for trauma survivors, the group treatment research literature is characterized by open trial (e.g., Ready et al., 2008) or non-randomized designs (e.g., Resick & Schnicke, 1992), which are helpful in the beginning stages of treatment development. However, the number of randomized clinical trials (RCT) is limited. Consequently, there are currently no group treatments for PTSD recognized as evidencebased (e.g., VA & Department of Defense [DoD], 2010). In this article, we will summarize the current knowledge about group treatments for PTSD and highlight areas that deserve greater empirical focus.
Hybrid Parallel Computing Strategies for Scientific Computing Applications

Multi-core, multi-processor, and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) computer architectures pose significant challenges with respect to the efficient exploitation of parallelism for large-scale, scientific computing simulations. For example, a simulation of the human tonsil at the cellular level involves the computation of the motion and interaction of millions of cells over extended periods of time. Also, the simulation of Radiative Heat Transfer (RHT) effects by the Photon Monte Carlo (PMC) method is an extremely computationally demanding problem. The PMC method is example of the Monte Carlo simulation method⎯an approach extensively used in wide of application areas. Although the basic algorithmic framework of these Monte Carlo methods is simple, they can be extremely computationally intensive. Therefore, an efficient parallel realization of these simulations depends on a careful analysis of the nature these problems and the development of an appropriate software framework. The overarching goal of this dissertation is develop and understand what the appropriate parallel programming model should be to exploit these disparate architectures, both from the metric of efficiency, as well as from a software engineering perspective. In this dissertation we examine these issues through a performance study of PathSim2, a software framework for the simulation of large-scale biological systems, using two iii different parallel architectures⎯distributed and shared memory. First, a message-passing implementation of a multiple germinal center simulation by PathSim2 is developed and analyzed for distributed memory architectures. Second, a germinal center simulation is implemented on shared memory architecture with two parallelization strategies based on Pthreads and OpenMP. Finally, we present work targeting a complete hybrid, parallel computing architecture. With this work we develop and analyze a software framework for generic Monte Carlo simulations implemented on multiple, distributed memory nodes consisting of a multi-core architecture with attached GPUs. This simulation framework is divided into two asynchronous parts: (a) a threaded, GPU-accelerated pseudo-random number generator (or producer), and (b) a multi-threaded Monte Carlo application (or consumer). The advantage of this approach is that this software framework can be directly used within any Monte Carlo application code, without requiring application-specific programming of the GPU. We examine this approach through a performance study of the simulation of RHT effects by the PMC method on a hybrid computing architecture. We present a theoretical analysis of our proposed approach, discuss methods to optimize performance based on this analysis, and compare this analysis to experimental results obtained from simulations run on two different hybrid, parallel computing …
“How are you vulnerable?”: Using participation for vulnerability analysis in emergency planning

Scientists in many fields of research have developed models, theories, and concepts attempting to grasp and manage dangers that are often difficult to imagine. Among the different perspectives, the science and technology studies (STS) vulnerability approach seems very promising. Relying on a constructivist paradigm, it is based on an inductive collection and analysis of a wide range of factors, with a particular focus on cultural factors and actual day-to-day practices. In this paper, we present the roots of this approach and we display findings based on three case studies exploring emergency planning in three different contexts (a city near a SEVESO plant, a school near a nuclear plant, and a city confronted to multiple catastrophic scenarios). The cases studies were realized by conducting three Focus Groups with different types of stakeholders (citizens, teachers, firemen, decision-makers, etc.). After presenting the results of the case studies, we discuss how stakeholders’ participation can inform such type of vulnerability analysis in the context of emergency planning. We argue that participation fosters a deep understanding of actual safety governance practices which allows innovative results to emerge as well as it initiates a learning process among the participants. It contributes to questioning the relations between decision-makers, experts, and citizens. It has the potential of bypassing the positivist and quantitative rationale of safety, and thus, of redefining the vulnerability governance. As a conclusion, we question the role of such STS vulnerability approach within the actual vulnerability governance.
Performance Appraisal: An Obstacle to Training and Development?.

Describes research conducted into some of the potential inhibitors which can reduce the effectiveness of a hospital performance appraisal system in relation to training and development plans. Takes as its perspective the views of the appraisees which counter the more usual overview provided by managers and other commentators. Relates these findings to literature on the subject and concludes that in spite of its limitations the performance appraisal process is likely to remain. Finally, makes a number of recommendations to improve the process and make it more supportive of training and development interventions.