Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maximally Correlated Principal Component Analysis

In the era of big data, reducing data dimensionality is critical in many areas of science. Widely used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) addresses this problem by computing a low dimensional data embedding that maximally explain variance of the data. However, PCA has two major weaknesses. Firstly, it only considers linear correlations among variables (features), and secondly it is not suitable for categorical data. We resolve these issues by proposing Maximally Correlated Principal Component Analysis (MCPCA). MCPCA computes transformations of variables whose covariance matrix has the largest Ky Fan norm. Variable transformations are unknown, can be nonlinear and are computed in an optimization. MCPCA can also be viewed as a multivariate extension of Maximal Correlation. For jointly Gaussian variables we show that the covariance matrix corresponding to the identity (or the negative of the identity) transformations majorizes covariance matrices of non-identity functions. Using this result we characterize global MCPCA optimizers for nonlinear functions of jointly Gaussian variables for every rank constraint. For categorical variables we characterize global MCPCA optimizers for the rank one constraint based on the leading eigenvector of a matrix computed using pairwise joint distributions. For a general rank constraint we propose a block coordinate descend algorithm and show its convergence to stationary points of the MCPCA optimization. We compare MCPCA with PCA and other state-of-the-art dimensionality reduction methods including Isomap, LLE, multilayer autoencoders (neural networks), kernel PCA, probabilistic PCA and diffusion maps on several synthetic and real datasets. We show that MCPCA consistently provides improved performance compared to other methods.
An Empirical Analysis of Interpersonal Styles with Special Reference to Employees in Public Sector Banks

The study is an attempt from the behavioral perspective of individuals to understand the predominant interpersonal style of 116 middle level officers in public sector banking firms and also to analyze whether the transactional styles are same or different for male and female officers. The study takes into account factors like Transactional analysis, Ego states and the 12 different Interpersonal Styles. It deals with assuming the level of OK styles displayed in the organization and to develop strategies to improve the OK styles and reduce the NotOK styles so that the interpersonal behavior is optimized which will lead to organizational effectiveness. The study revealed that the operating effectiveness quotient of the officers could be generalized to be average. Also there is need for training in creative child and regulating parent Ego states. The study also revealed that there is significant difference between the transactional styles of male and female officers.
Hybrid EEG-EOG brain-computer interface system for practical machine control

Practical issues such as accuracy with various subjects, number of sensors, and time for training are important problems of existing brain-computer interface (BCI) systems. In this paper, we propose a hybrid framework for the BCI system that can make machine control more practical. The electrooculogram (EOG) is employed to control the machine in the left and right directions while the electroencephalogram (EEG) is employed to control the forword, no action, and complete stop motions of the machine. By using only 2-channel biosignals, the average classification accuracy of more than 95% can be achieved.
Transformation of temporal discharge patterns in a ventral cochlear nucleus stellate cell model: implications for physiological mechanisms.

1. We have stimulated responses of stellate cells in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) to single-formant stimuli (SFSs) with the use of recorded auditory-nerve fiber (ANF) responses as inputs. In particular, two important features of temporal discharge patterns, the phase locking to best frequency (BF) tones and to stimulus envelopes, were examined in the model output. Our earlier experimental studies with SFSs found an enhancement of the envelope modulation in AVCN chopper units, presumably recorded from stellate cells, as compared with that of ANFs. 2. We simulated in the model three mechanisms for the enhancement in envelope modulation proposed earlier by us, namely, convergence of ANFs, temporal summation and inhibitory input. It was found that the convergence of multiple ANFs alone did not always lead to an enhancement in modulation depth, but was necessary for the model to produce other physiologically plausible envelope features; the temporal summation of subthreshold events can lead to an increase in modulation depth; and the somatic inhibition effectively reduced the envelope minimum and, as a result, increased the modulation depth. In addition, we found that, given the same input configuration, the closer the inputs were located to the soma, the greater modulation depth they produced at the model output. 3. Different types of convergence of ANF inputs were tested in our model. It was found that the convergence of both low and high spontaneous rate (SR) ANFs resulted in an enhancement in modulation depth over a wider range of sound level than that due to the convergence of ANFs from the same SR group. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Translating and Optimizing SQL Queries Having Aggregates

is at least ae powerful as SQL. Two well known relational query languages that have a sound theoretical foundation are relational algebra and relational calculus. As SQL is more closely related to relational calculus, we define the semantics of SQL by translation into calculus. However, relational calculus has to be extended in order to deal with aggregate functions and null values. The op timiation of SQL queries is thus reduced to the optimiaation of relational calculus queries, which makes the following results also applicable to other query languages based on relational calculus (e.g. QUEL). In this paper, we give a precise definition of the semantics of SQL queries having aggregate functions, identify the problems associated with the optimisation of such queries and give some solutions. The semantics of SQL queries is defined by translating them into expressions of an extended relational calculus (extensions are necessary for a correct treatment of aggregate functions and null values). The discussion of the optimization problems is based on a new transformation of a relational calculus expression into relational algebra. By investigating the transformation of aggregate functions we are able to identify two major problems: correct integration of the values of aggregate functions applied to empty relations and unnecessary computation of unneeded function values. To solve these problems we propose to interpret an aggregate function applied to a calculus expression with some free variables as a function on the attributes of these variables that are referenced in the expression. Doing so, we are able to develop several new processing strategies that should be considered by an optimiser.
[Gestational weight gain and its relationship with the birthweight of offspring].

OBJECTIVE To explore the appropriate weight gain during pregnancy and its relationship with the birthweight of offspring. METHODS A total of 16 460 healthy pregnant women who delivered in Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and Haidian Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in 2010 were recruited. All are singleton pregnancies. Conditions of babies and mothers were recorded, including maternal age, height, prepregnant weight, pregnant weight, gestational weeks on delivery, delivery mode and newborn birthweight. All the pregnant women were divided into underweight, normal weight and overweight group according to their prepregnant body mass index and the criteria of overweight and obesity for Chinese adults.Birthweight between 2500 g and 4000 g was defined as normal birthweight, and 2900 g to 3499 g was defined as appropriate birthweight.Logistic regression model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to explore the recommended gestational weight gain (GWG). RESULTS (1) The average GWG of the 16 460 women was (17.1 ± 4.9) kg, and the average birthweight of the babies was (3406 ± 400) g. Prevalence of low birthweight and macrosomia was 0.92% (152/16 460) and 7.55% (1 242/16 460), respectively.GWG of underweight (n = 3089), normal weight (n = 11 478) and overweight group (n = 1893) was (17.4 ± 4.6) kg, (17.3 ± 4.8) kg and (15.6 ± 5.3) kg, respectively. And GWG was positively related with the birthweight of offspring (P < 0.01). The differences of GWG, neonatal birthweight and macrosomia prevalence among the three groups are statistically significant (P < 0.01). (2) There are 8449 appropriate birthweight babies in the three groups.For their mothers in the underweight, normal weight and overweight group, the recommended range of GWG were 14.0-19.5 kg, 13.5-19.5 kg and 11.0-18.0 kg, respectively.The recommended GWG for all women was 16.0 kg. (3) According to the recommended GWG, low GWG will increase the risk of low birthweight (OR = 1.589, 95% CI: 1.085-2.326) and reduce the risk of macrosomia (OR = 0.500, 95% CI: 0.401-0.624). Excessive GWG will increase the risk of macrosomia (OR = 2.031, 95% CI:1.789-2.306), but will not lower the risk of low birthweight (OR = 1.168, 95% CI:0.774-1.764). (4) For the underweight, normal weight and overweight group, the range of GWG obtained by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were 16.3-16.7 kg, 15.6-17.8 kg and 14.6-15.1 kg.For all the three groups, the range was 15.6-16.7 kg.The ranges obtained by the ROC curve analysis were all within the recommended range. CONCLUSION The GWG was positively associated with the birthweight of offspring, and the appropriate GWG was around 16.0 kg.
Real-time physiological and facial monitoring for safe driving

This work is to develop an intelligent driver-assistance system which can perceive the physiological state of a driver to avoid fatigue driving. The proposed system includes a camera, a wireless ElectroCardioGram (ECG) sensor patch, and a computation platform. The camera in front of a driver is to catch a face image which is processed to obtain features of a mouth for identifying a yawn. The sensor patch records ECG signals which are computed to yield six Heart Rate Variability (HRV) parameters. Seven healthy subjects of 6 males and 1 female had individually driven a car, which was embedded with our system, for 3 hours at a well-known route, mostly in a freeway road. Based on the captured video and measured ECG signals, the correlations between the yawning frequency and six HRV parameters are investigated by using the regression method to discover that the ratio (LF/HF) of Low-Frequency (LF) spectrum power over High-Frequency (HF) spectrum power yields the relatively highest correlation. In order to effectively identity driver's fatigue, the variations of differential LF/HF are further characterized to attain two thresholds which are accompanied with yawning frequencies to build a fair detection mechanism. The practical road tests demonstrate that the proposed system is very feasible and easily adapted to different drivers.
Case Study: Debugging a Discovered Specification for java.util.ArrayList by Using Algebraic Interpretation ; CU-CS-970-04

We use our specification discovery tool [1] to discover the specification for java.util. ArrayList. Given the discovered specification, our algebraic specification interpreter [2] provides a rapid prototype of the java.util. ArrayList class. We debug the prototype (and therefore the specification) by using it within a BibTeX parser; this involves completing the discovered specification by addressing the warning messages printed by the specification interpreter. We report on the incremental changes made to the discovered specification. We also discuss how our specification discovery tool can be improved to increase its effectiveness in providing a good starting point for a complete and correct specification.
Coaching political leaders: Can coaching be used to improve the quality of executive‐level government?

In the corporate world, leadership development programs are standard fare. Such programs often include well-defined competencies and performance metrics, as well as regularly scheduled feedback and mentoring sessions, especially for those employees designated “high potential” performers. Not so in the public sphere. There are no defined career paths or standardized training curricula for heads of state. There are, however, requisite competencies for effective public sector leadership. As Gardner (1990) observed, “Leadership is not a mysterious activity. It is possible to describe the tasks that leaders perform. [But] we have barely scratched the surface in our efforts toward leadership development” (p. xix). The learning curve is steep for a newly elected leader, and fraught with potential landmines. Speaking with the candor of someone no longer seeking public office, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said recently, “When I came to office, prime minister was the only job I'd ever held; I'd never been a government minister before.The business of running a government is like anything else: You get better the longer you do it. And there are lessons out there that, had they come to me in an identifiable form, would have been useful to know” (talk given on December 16, 2010b). Both Gardner and Blair are emphatic that leadership is not something one is born with but something learned over time. And as Blair (2010a) put it, “Government is a race between expectations and capability. ” In the essays that follow, several leadership coaches discuss the unique challenges and effective approaches they are using to help government leaders build the competencies that will enable them to govern effectively—and win that race between their constituents's expectations and their own capabilities.
Intoxicated Witnesses: Testing the Validity of the Alcohol Myopia Theory

In an assessment of the Alcohol Myopia Theory, the effects of alcohol on an eyewitness’s recall of high and low salience details were investigated. In laboratory study 1, participants watched a staged videoed theft whilst either sober (control or placebo), above (MBAC=0.09%) or below (MBAC=0.06%) the UK drink-drive limit. A week later a free-recall and recognition test were completed. Intoxication was not found to reduce recall accuracy using either recall task. In Study 2, while on a night out participants watched the videoed theft with high (MBAC=0.14%) or low (MBAC=0.05%) BAC’s. A week later the free-recall and recognition test were attempted. High BAC’s were seen to impair recall when memory was assessed through free-recall but not with the recognition test. Neither study found the attention narrowing predicted by AMT using either recall technique, although poor recall for low salience details in all groups may have contributed to this result.
Virologic and Immunologic Response to cART by HIV-1 Subtype in the CASCADE Collaboration

Background We aimed to compare rates of virologic response and CD4 changes after combination antiretroviral (cART) initiation in individuals infected with B and specific non-B HIV subtypes. Methods Using CASCADE data we analyzed HIV-RNA and CD4 counts for persons infected ≥1996, ≥15 years of age. We used survival and longitudinal modeling to estimate probabilities of virologic response (confirmed HIV-RNA <500 c/ml), and failure (HIV-RNA>500 c/ml at 6 months or ≥1000 c/ml following response) and CD4 increase after cART initiation. Results 2003 (1706 B, 142 CRF02_AG, 55 A, 53 C, 47 CRF01_AE) seroconverters were included in analysis. There was no evidence of subtype effect overall for response or failure (p = 0.075 and 0.317, respectively) although there was a suggestion that those infected with subtypes CRF01_AE and A responded sooner than those with subtype B infection [HR (95% CI):1.37 (1.01–1.86) and 1.29 (0.96–1.72), respectively]. Rates of CD4 increase were similar in all subtypes except subtype A, which tended to have lower initial, but faster long-term, increases. Conclusions Virologic and immunologic response to cART was similar across all studied subtypes but statistical power was limited by the rarity of some non-B subtypes. Current antiretroviral agents seem to have similar efficacy in subtype B and most widely encountered non-B infections in high-income countries.
Minimal access surgery in children – 5 years institutional experience

Context: Minimal access surgery (MAS) in children are common place and performed worldwide with gratifying results as the learning curve of the surgeon attains plateau. We share our experience of this technically evolving modality of surgery, performed at our setup over a period of 5 years. We also review and individually compare the data for commonly performed procedures with other available series. Author also briefly discuss potential advantages of MAS in certain debatable conditions performed quickly and with cosmesis as open procedure. Materials and methods: We performed 677 MAS in children aged between 7 days and 12 years. Five hundred and sixty-eight of these were Laparoscopic procedures and 109 were Video assisted thoracoscopic surgeries (VATS). In all laparoscopic procedures, the primary port placement was by the Hasson's open technique. We have used 5, 3 and 2 mm instruments. Our study include 259 inguinal hernia, 161 Appendectomies, 95 VATS for empyema, 51 orchiopexies, 49 diagnostic laparoscopy, 29 cholecystectomies, 22 adhesionlysis and other uncommonly performed procedures. Results: The ultimate outcome of all the performed procedures showed gratifying trend, the data of which are discussed in detail in the article. Conclusion: As we gained experience the operating time showed a decreasing trend, the complication rates and conversion rate also reduced. The advantages we came across were better postoperative appearances, less pain and early return to unrestricted activities.
Relation of Platelet Abnormalities to Thrombosis and Hemorrhage in Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders

The chronic myeloproliferative disorders (MPD), predominantly polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia, are characterized by a high incidence of thromboembolic and, to a lesser degree, hemorrhagic complications. The disease process in chronic MPD affects a pluripotent progenitor cell and results in trilineage hematopoietic proliferation. Clonal involvement of megakaryocytopoiesis is regarded as the main origin of thromboembolism in MPD and results in abnormal platelet production. These platelets show increased size heterogeneity and ultrastructural abnormalities, and their function in vitro is in many ways impaired with a high degree of individual variability. Elevated levels of platelet-specific proteins, increased thromboxane generation, and expression of activation-dependent epitopes on the platelet surface are common on chronic MPD, and may reflect an inappropriate state of platelet activation. Although a variety of platelet receptor deficiencies and some defects of intracellular signaling pathways have been identified, the different platelet defects in MPD could not be traced back to an underlying general pathogenetic mechanism. On progression of chronic MPD to more advanced stages of the disease, the number of platelet abnormalities tend to increase. Cytoreductive drugs may partly improve platelet dysfunction, and platelet inhibitory agents reduce symptoms of platelet activation. However, neither of these therapeutic principles is able to normalize platelet function in MPD. As an alternative to conventional treatment, specific suppression of clonal megakaryocyte growth and recovery of polyclonal hematopoiesis may be achieved by biologic agents such as interferon alpha. Such treatment strategies may prevent thromboembolic complications together with hematologic symptoms and progression of the disease and should be further evaluated in prospective studies.
Robust sound localization for various platform of robots using TDOA map adaptation

In realistic environments, mismatches between the calculated angle-TDOA map with its real exact values are the major reason of performance degradation in sound localization. Usually, those mismatches come from some certain configuration errors or deviations caused by the change of environments. To reduce those mismatches, in this paper we proposed an angle-TDOA map adaptation method which can achieve the robust sound localization in various robot platforms (i.e., various types of microphone array configuration). Especially, the proposed method can be easily applied to the sound localization system by using only several sound sources which generated from some known directions. As a result, the proposed method not only showed a good localization performance, but also saved processing time.
PALSAR CALVAL summary and update 2007

This paper summarizes the geometric and radiometric calibration results of the PALSAR achieved during the ALOS initial calibration phase, which covers five months between May 16 2006 and October 23, 2006, and the half-year of the operational phase. All the PALSAR modes, FBS (fine beam single), FBD (Fine beam dual), SCANSAR, DSN (band limited SAR), and POL (Full polarimetry) were calibrated and validated using in-total 500 calibration points collected world widely and distributed target data from the Amazon. Through the characterization of the PALSAR, antenna pattern determination, and polarimetric calibration, we performed the adjustments of the PALSAR radiometric and geometric model installed on the SAR processor (SIGMA-SAR). Using the reference points, we finally confirmed that the geometric accuracy of the FBS, FBD, DSN, and POL modes is 9.3 m, that of SCANSAR is 70 m, and radiometric accuracy is 0.64 dB. Polarimetric calibration was successful that amplitude balance of VV/HH is 0.025 dB and the phase balance is 0.32 degrees.
The Theory Of General Economic Equilibrium

Andreu Mas-Colell has been doing pioneering work using differential topology in the analysis of general equilibrium. This work is regarded as outstanding and one of the major contributions to the development of rigorous economic theory in the last twenty years. The articles he has written have been difficult and technically demanding. In this book he brings this work together to show its scope and its power. He presents the analysis in a way which makes it accessible to the broader range of economic theorists and advanced students. This book has been long awaited as a seminal contribution to the subject.
Trichotillomania in Children and Adolescents

Abstract Trichotillomania (TTM), or hair pulling, in children and adolescents is a heterogeneous disorder requiring a sophisticated approach to each patient. Hair pulling in a young, preschool child may have a different etiology and prognosis than hair pulling in an adolescent. Treatment providers must have a clear understanding of an individual's hair-pulling history, family interactions, and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. Behavioral strategies are the primary treatment for most children and adolescents, although there may be indications for pharmacotherapy in some individuals. While research in adult TTM has been increasing in recent years, fewer studies have investigated childhood hair pulling. This article will discuss aspects of TTM unique to children and adolescents and will provide a clinical description of childhood hair pullers and treatment strategies.
Fuzzy modeling and expert optimization control for industrial processes

This paper presents the development of a real-time fuzzy expert optimization control system for industrial processes. The focus of this study is the application of fuzzy optimization control to a fluidized catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) in an oil refinery to optimize the cracking product distribution under a variable production environment. The system has been successfully implemented in a large production scale FCCU and the application results show significant benefits through fuzzy optimization control.