Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supervised learning of fuzzy ARTMAP neural networks through particle swarm optimization

In this paper, the impact on fuzzy ARTMAP performance of decisions taken for batch supervised learning is assessed through computer simulation. By learning different realworld and synthetic data, using different learning strategies, training set sizes, and hyperparameter values, the generalization error and resources requirements of this neural network are compared. In particular, the degradation of fuzzy ARTMAP performance due to overtraining is shown to depend on factors such as the training set size and the number of training epochs, and occur for pattern recognition problems in which class distributions overlap. Although the hold-out learning strategy is commonly employed to avoid overtraining, results indicate that it is not necessarily justified. As an alternative, a new Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) learning strategy, based on the concept of neural network evolution, has been introduced. It co-jointly determines the weights, architecture and hyper-parameters such that generalization error is minimized. Through a comprehensive set of simulations, it has been shown that when fuzzy ARTMAP uses this strategy, it produces a significantly lower generalization error, and mitigates the degradation of error due to overtraining. Overall, the results reveal the importance of optimizing all fuzzy ARTMAP parameters for a given problem, using a consistent objective function.
Positive Youth Development, Participation in Community Youth Development Programs, and Community Contributions of Fifth-Grade Adolescents

The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), a longitudinal investigation of a diverse sample of 1,700 fifth graders and 1,117 of their parents, tests developmental contextual ideas linking PYD, youth contributions, and participation in community youth development (YD) programs, representing a key ecological asset. Using data from Wave 1 of the study, structural equation modeling procedures provided evidence for five firstorder latent factors representing the “Five Cs” of PYD (competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring) and for their convergence on a second-order PYD latent construct. A theoretical construct, youth contribution, was also created and examined. Both PYD and YD program participation independently related to contribution. The importance of longitudinal analyses for extending the present results is discussed.
FORMALIZATION AS A WAY OF COORDINATION AND CONTROL IN A CONSTRUCTION FIRM

The Construction Industry is characterized by intensive use of labour, low use of technology, many disciplines and participants involved; all these factors make the environment very uncertain. Uncertainty increases the amount of information to be processed and, in many occasions, overwhelms the firm’s capacity to process information. A way to reduce the amount of information to be processed is Formalization that represents the rules in the organization to obtain standardized behaviour. Our study on this paper is focused in the importance of formalization. This is a characteristic of the organizational structure of a firm, and can be used as a way of controlling and managing information. We stand that organizational design is a determining factor in the success of the implementation of new management philosophies. In particular, we study the case of a Large Peruvian Construction Firm, GyM, which is seen as a local benchmark of productivity and quality, being that in the last decade lean concepts have been implemented in its projects.
Phenolics and Polyphenolics from Melastomataceae Species

The Melastomataceae family, the seventh largest flowering plants, has been studied in several fronts of natural product chemistry, including terpenoids, simple phenolics, flavonoids, quinones, lignans and their glycosides, as well as a vast range of tannins or polyphenols. This review concerns the phenolic and polyphenolic metabolites described in the literature for several genera of this family, the mode of isolation and purification, and the structure elucidation of these new natural products that has been achieved by extensive spectral analyses, including ESI-MS, 1H-, 13C-NMR spectra and two-dimensional experiments, COSY, TOCSY, J-resolved, NOESY, HMQC, DEPT, and HMBC, as well as chemical and enzymatic degradations and the chemotaxonomic meaning. Finally, a general biogenetic pathway map for ellagitannins is proposed on the bases of the most plausible free radical C-O oxidative coupling.
Baseline Estimation in Arabic Handwritten Text-Line - Evaluation on AHTID/MW Database

Baseline extraction is one of the most important phases for handwriting recognition. Due to the complexity of the Arabic scripts, baseline detection of Arabic handwritten text-lines is a difficult task compared to other languages. In this work, a method which combines some baseline extraction techniques used in literature was presented to provide a fine estimation of baseline in Arabic handwritten text-lines. For evaluation purpose, the AHTID/MW database was extended by a baseline ground truth annotation. The database is freely available for researchers worldwide which enable other researchers to test their baseline detection systems.
Development of adult‐type inhibitory glycine receptors in the central auditory system of rats

Inhibitory synaptic activity is crucial for many aspects of acoustic information processing and mainly mediated by glycine and γ‐aminobutyric acid, the two principal inhibitory neurotransmitters in the auditory system. Glycine exerts its inhibitory action via binding to postsynaptic receptors existing in various isoforms. Here we have investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of adult‐type, strychnine‐sensitive glycine receptors (GlyRs) in the rat auditory system by using a specific antibody against the ligand‐binding α1 GlyR subunit. In adults, α1 GlyRs were found at all relay stations of the auditory pathway except for the medial geniculate body and the auditory cortex. In most brainstem nuclei, labeling was characterized by dense clusters of heavily immunoreactive puncta outlining the somata and proximal dendrites, indicative of a powerful glycinergic inhibition. No α1 immunoreactivity was seen in the auditory system of fetal rats, consistent with results obtained by others in the spinal cord. At birth, labeling was weak and restricted to defined nuclei of the cochlear nuclear complex and the superior olivary complex. By postnatal day 8, labeling was seen in all brainstem nuclei. At the first appearance of immunoreactivity, α1 GlyRs were diffusely distributed on the neuronal surface, yet they became clustered with age, finally densely incrusting the somata and proximal dendrites between the 3rd and 4th postnatal week, when the mature pattern of immunoreactivity was established. We never observed an overexpression of α1 GlyRs or a transient appearance in areas that are devoid of the receptor in adults. The late formation of glycinergic synapses harboring the adult‐type GlyRs in the auditory system, at a time when internuclear connections have already formed, indicates that α1 GlyRs do not participate in early synaptogenesis. J. Comp. Neurol. 385:117–134, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ENERGY AND MATERIAL FLOW THROUGH THE URBAN ECOSYSTEM

▪ Abstract This paper reviews the available data and models on energy and material flows through the world's 25 largest cities. Throughput is categorized as stored, transformed, or passive for the major flow modes. The aggregate, fuel, food, water, and air cycles are all examined. Emphasis is placed on atmospheric pathways because the data are abundant. Relevant models of urban energy and material flows, demography, and atmospheric chemistry are discussed. Earth system–level loops from cities to neighboring ecosystems are identified. Megacities are somewhat independent of their immediate environment for food, fuel, and aggregate inputs, but all are constrained by their regional environment for supplying water and absorbing wastes. We elaborate on analogies with biological metabolism and ecosystem succession as useful conceptual frameworks for addressing urban ecological problems. We conclude that whereas data are numerous for some individual cities, cross-cutting compilations are lacking in biogeochemical.
Disruption of the COP9 Signalosome Csn2 Subunit in Mice Causes Deficient Cell Proliferation, Accumulation of p53 and Cyclin E, and Early Embryonic Death

ABSTRACT Csn2 (Trip15/Cops2/Alien) encodes the second subunit of the COP9 signalosome (CSN), an eight-subunit heteromeric complex homologous to the lid subcomplex of the 26S proteasome. CSN is a regulator of SCF (Skp1-cullin-F-box protein)ubiquitin ligases, mostly through the enzymatic activity that deconjugates the ubiquitin-like protein Nedd8 from the SCF Cul1 component. In addition, CSN associates with protein kinase activities targeting p53, c-Jun, and IκB for phosphorylation. Csn2 also interacts with and regulates a subset of nuclear hormone receptors and is considered a novel corepressor. We report that targeted disruption of Csn2 in mice caused arrest of embryo development at the peri-implantation stage. Csn2−/− blastocysts failed to outgrow in culture and exhibited a cell proliferation defect in inner cell mass, accompanied by a slight decrease in Oct4. In addition, lack of Csn2 disrupted the CSN complex and resulted in a drastic increase in cyclin E, supporting a role for CSN in cooperating with the SCF-ubiquitin-proteasome system to regulate protein turnover. Furthermore, Csn2−/− embryos contained elevated levels of p53 and p21, which may contribute to premature cell cycle arrest of the mutant.
Design and control of a wearable robot

The concept of wearability will be recognized very important in future robotics as in computer science. There is a strong possibility that wearable robots suggest a new direction for human-robot interaction. We propose RoboWear, a robot that an operator wears on his arm. It can be used to amplify human power, to control a remote robot dexterously, to interact with humans in virtual environment. It has 7 DOF. Based on the anatomical analysis of a human arm and the distribution of multiple DOF over the space, authors designed a wearable robot with a hybrid structure consisting of two parallel manipulators and three separate joints. An operator wearing the robot arm can move around freely, because this robot is designed to have its base supported at the shoulder part of the operator. The total weight of the proposed robot arm is approximately 4 kg. Pneumatic actuators are used to reduce the total weight of the robot to improve compliance with human motion and to generate high reactive forces. The feasibility of the wearable robot is demonstrated by examining the control performance and by incorporating the wearable robot with virtual environment.
Factoring as a Financing Option: Evidence from the UK

This paper develops and tests hypotheses that explain the choice of factoring as a financing source and the type of businesses using it in the UK. The tests focus on establishing a profile of borrowers, based on firm's demographic characteristics such as age, turnover, industry, and type of legal ownership. In addition to that we extend the analysis to test whether there exist any association between the use of factoring and the availability of credit to firms, the collateral requirements by banks and its value, the value of the firm's debt, and also whether the business is experiencing financial difficulties. The analysis refers to a survey of 3805 companies of which 212 were using factoring services. We find evidence that each is an important determinant in firms' choice of factoring as a source of finance for working capital and an instrument to cash flow improvement but it is a financial option that is not universally available. Key words: Factoring, Invoice financing, Working capital, Finance gaps
On seismic interferometry, the generalized optical theorem, and the scattering matrix of a point scatterer

We have analyzed the far-field approximation of the Green's function representation for seismic interferometry. By writing each of the Green's functions involved in the correlation process as a superposition of a direct wave and a scattered wave, the Green's function representation is rewritten as a superposition of four terms. When the scattered waves are modeled with the Born approximation, it appears that a three-term approximation of the Green's function representation (omitting the term containing the crosscorrelation of the scattered waves) yields a nearly exact retrieval, whereas the full four-term expression leads to a significant nonphysical event. This is because the Born approximation does not conserve energy and therefore is an insufficient model to explain all aspects of seismic interferometry. We use the full four-term expression of the Green's function representation to derive the generalized optical theorem. Unlike other recent derivations, which use stationary phase analysis, our derivation uses reciprocity theory. From the generalized optical theorem, we derive the nonlinear scattering matrix of a point scatterer. This nonlinear model accounts for primary and multiple scattering at the point scatterer and conforms with well-established scattering theory of classical waves. The model is essential to explain fully the results of seismic interferometry, even when it is applied to the response of a single point scatterer. The nonlinear scattering matrix also has implications for modeling, inversion, and migration.
What Influences User Satisfaction in Virtual Learning Communities? The China Experience

Wuhan University of Science and Technology Wuhan, China denghong@wust.edu. cn Abstract—Virtual Learning Communities(VLCs) are increasingly being used in lifelong learning, however, little is known about what factors affect user satisfaction in VLCs in China. This study analyzes user satisfaction of the VLCs, represented by ZhiHu, Wiki, Guokr and MOOC etc, by analyzing the data of 1140 valid questionnaires collected from universities and colleges. The aims of this study are twofold: (1) to investigate what a cohesive set of factors influence the satisfaction of VLCs, and (2) to discuss the implications for theory and practice, as well as suggestions for future research. The results show that learning outcome expectation, flow of experience, sense of belong, perceived usefulness, perceived interaction and perceived openness all have significant positive impacts on user satisfaction.
Anticancer Activity of Marine Sponge Hyrtios sp. Extract in Human Colorectal Carcinoma RKO Cells with Different p53 Status

Drug development using marine bioresources is limited even though the ocean occupies about 70% of the earth and contains a large number of biological materials. From the screening test of the marine sponge extracts, we found Hyrtios sp. sponge collected from Chuuk island, Micronesia. In this study, the Hyrtios sp. extract was examined for anticancer activity against human colorectal carcinoma RKO cells that are wildtype for p53 and RKO-E6 that are p53 defective. The Hyrtios sp. extract dose-dependently inhibited viability in both cell lines. Multinucleation as an indication of mitotic catastrophe was also observed. Cytotoxicity tests gave significantly different results for RKO and RKO-E6 cells after 48 h exposure to Hyrtios sp. extract. In RKO cells treated with Hyrtios sp. extract, cell death occurred by induction of p53 and p21 proteins. In p53-defective RKO-E6 cells, Hyrtios sp. extract decreased expression of JNK protein and increased p21 protein. These results indicate that Hyrtios sp. extract induced apoptosis via different pathways depending on p53 status and could be a good natural product for developing new anticancer drugs.
Color Image Compression Using Wavelet and Ridgelet Transform

Image Compression is a widely explored research area. Many compression standards are existing. But still there is a scope for higher compression with quality reconstruction. The introduction of wavelets gave a different dimension to the compression. This paper aims at exploration of use of Ridgelet Transform and Wavelet Transform for color images. The Ridgelet Transform gives better PSNR performance over a wider range of percentage of retained coefficients. By selecting proper thresholding method, better results for PSNR have been obtained. Color images in the YCbCr color model are used. Extensive analysis has been carried out to arrive at the conclusion.
Precise Simultaneous Estimation of Image Deformation Parameters

This paper presents a new method to obtain simultaneously precise N parameters of image deformation with non-iterative calculation by extending area-based matching and sub-pixel estimation. Although area-based matching and similarity interpolation for sub-pixel displacement estimation are commonly used in many areas as a fundamental procedure, they are bound to simple translation. The proposed method is based on a practical similarity model in N-dimensional parameter space. Using similarity measures obtained at discrete positions in the parameter space, our method provides a highly accurate maximum position of similarity in sub-sampling resolution; that position corresponds to image deformation parameters. Experimental results using both synthetic and real images demonstrate that our method can estimate parameters more accurately than previous methods.
Creating Semantic Data from Relational Database

The semantic web technology contributes to finding accurate information on the basis of the meaning of words or improving access capabilities to information through inference between meanings. However, the reason that the semantic service is not spreading is that the semantic technology is not yet settled for practical use. Another reason is that it is not easy to build ontology which is used as a knowledge representation model for providing the semantic service. Previous studies have concentrated on the process of automatically creating ontology in a RDB (Relational Database), or automatically converting it to instances. This study focuses on allocating a unique identifier to the existing DB data through entity identification to enable more accurate services to be provided in the process of converting the RDBMS data to ontology instances. Besides, this study extracts triple data including important entities and their relationships from unstructured texts stored in BLOB (Binary Large Object) format by using text mining technology, and makes them ontology instances. The DB-to-OWL converting system (Onto URI) uses a mapping rule between the DB schema and the ontology schema, an identification rule for identifying entities, text mining for extracting semantic triple, and the authority data in order to effectively support automatic creation of ontology instances with DB data. As a result, the proposed system contributes to creating semantic data automatically from relational database through URI allocation and identification.
driven Modeling of Acoustical Instruments

We present a framework for the analysis and synthesis of acoustical in struments based on data driven probabilistic inference modeling Audio time series and boundary conditions of a played instrument are recorded and the non linear mapping from the control data into the audio space is inferred using the general inference framework of Cluster Weighted Modeling The resulting model is used for real time synthesis of audio sequences from new input data
Neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants

Purpose of reviewPreterm birth is emerging as a major public health problem in the USA. Improvements in preterm birth and survival rates translate to increasing numbers of preterm survivors, and many develop motor, cognitive and sensory impairments. Recent findingsThe review discusses the recently reported prevalence of neurodevelopmental disabilities in preterm survivors, in addition to studies of factors associated with neurodevelopmental outcome. SummaryA 2007 report from the Institute of Medicine emphasizes preterm birth as an increasingly common complex condition with multiple risk factors resulting from multiple gene–environmental interactions, leading to birth before 37 weeks gestation, neonatal complications and a disproportionately high contribution to neurodevelopmental disability rates. The increased risk of cerebral palsy with decreasing gestational age categories is well documented, but recent studies highlight the range and severity of cognitive, sensory, language, visual-perceptual, attention and learning deficits in very preterm children. Combined with increasingly sophisticated neuroimaging studies to identify perinatal risk factors, neurodevelopmental follow-up of neonatal intensive care unit trials offers the potential to really improve our understanding of how the preterm brain develops, is injured and recovers from injuries. Knowledge of what influences neurodevelopmental outcomes is key to developing better treatment strategies.
Cloud removal for optical images using SAR structure data

Cloud cover impacts the quality of optical remote sensing images. Generally, temporal methods and inpainting methods are used to remove the clouds. The temporal methods reconstruct cloudy areas via a series of multi-temporal images, thus suffer from the assumption that the landscape does not change over a period of time. The inpainting methods fill the areas via image patches from the image itself. Lacking prior information of the cloudy areas, these methods are limited in reconstructing accuracy, especially when clouds lie on the boundaries of two types of landscapes. We propose a new method based on the inpanting method which take the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) images as a prior structure information of contaminated. Using information from two kinds of images acquired at the same time, the proposed method also avoids inaccuracy caused by land changes in temporal methods. This idea has been demonstrated by experiments carried out on Theme Mapper data and Sentinel-1A data. In terms of RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), the proposed method is evaluated and compared with several other cloud removal algorithm.