Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linear discriminant feature extraction using weighted classification confusion information

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) can be viewed as a twostage procedure geometrically. The first stage conducts an orthogonal and whitening transformation of the variables. The second stage involves a principal component analysis (PCA) on the transformed class means, which is intended to maximize the class separability along the principal axes. In this paper, we demonstrate that the second stage does not necessarily guarantee better classification accuracy. Furthermore, we propose a generalization of LDA, weighted LDA (WLDA), by integrating the empirical classification confusion information between each class pair, such that the separability and the classification error rate can be taken into consideration simultaneously. WLDA can be efficiently solved by a lightweight eigen-decomposition and easily combined with other modifications to the LDA criterion. The experiment results show that WLDA can yield an relative character error reduction of 4.6% over LDA on the Mandarin LVCSR task.
Reduced hypoglycemia risk with insulin glargine: a meta-analysis comparing insulin glargine with human NPH insulin in type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Insulin glargine (LANTUS) is a once-daily basal insulin analog with a smooth 24-h time-action profile that provides effective glycemic control with reduced hypoglycemia risk (particularly nocturnal) compared with NPH insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes. A recent "treat-to-target" study has shown that more patients on insulin glargine reached HbA(1c) levels < or =7.0% without confirmed nocturnal hypoglycemia compared with NPH insulin. We further assessed the risk for hypoglycemia in a meta-analysis of controlled trials of a similar design for insulin glargine versus once- or twice-daily NPH insulin in adults with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS All studies were 24-28 weeks long, except one 52-week study, for which interim 20-week data were used. RESULTS Patient demographics were similar between the insulin glargine (n = 1,142) and NPH insulin (n = 1,162) groups. The proportion of patients achieving target HbA(1c) (< or =7.0%) was similar between insulin glargine-and NPH insulin-treated patients (30.8 and 32.1%, respectively). There was a consistent significant reduction of hypoglycemia risk associated with insulin glargine, compared with NPH insulin, in terms of overall symptomatic (11%; P = 0.0006) and nocturnal (26%; P < 0.0001) hypoglycemia. Most notably, the risk of severe hypoglycemia and severe nocturnal hypoglycemia were reduced with insulin glargine by 46% (P = 0.0442) and 59% (P = 0.0231), respectively. CONCLUSIONS These results confirmed that insulin glargine given once daily reduces the risk of hypoglycemia compared with NPH insulin, which can facilitate more aggressive insulin treatment to a HbA(1c) target of < or =7.0% in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Stimulation of denervated rat soleus muscle with fast and slow activity patterns induces different expression of acetylcholinesterase molecular forms

The relative amount and distribution of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) molecular forms were studied in slow soleus and (less extensively) in fast extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of the rat before and after denervation and direct stimulation. Normal EDL muscles showed higher total and specific AChE activity than normal soleus muscles and contained essentially three different molecular AChE forms (G1, G4, and A12) as opposed to six forms (G1, G2, G4, A4, A8, and A12) in the soleus. Denervation reduced AChE activity in both muscles. In the soleus direct stimulation starting 2 to 3 weeks after denervation increased the specific AChE activity markedly. The increase started 12 to 24 hr after the onset of stimulation, reached 3 to 5 times normal values after 2 to 7 days, and then declined gradually toward normal values over the next 2 weeks. Furthermore, the effect on the different molecular forms depended strongly on the stimulus pattern. Thus, intermittent 100 Hz stimulation (fast pattern) induced essentially the three forms typical of the normal EDL, whereas continuous 10 Hz stimulation induced the six forms characteristic of normal soleus muscles but with some differences in their relative proportions. In the EDL, 2 days of continuous 10 Hz stimulation (the only duration and pattern examined) failed to induce a similar increase in AChE activity.
Enhancing Iterative Non-Parametric Algorithm for Calculating Missing Values of Heterogeneous Datasets by Clustering SUJATHA

Machine learning and data mining retort heavily on a large amount of data to build learning models and make predictions. There is a need for quality of data, thus the quality of data is ultimately important. Many of the industrial and research databases are plagued by the problem of missing values. A variety of methods have been developed with great success on dealing with missing values in data sets with uniform attributes. But in real life dataset contains heterogeneous attributes. In this paper, apart from the overview of imputation, then discussing about the proposed work i . e a new setting of handling missing data imputation (that is imputing missing data in data sets with mixed attributes and also in clustered data sets only with continuous attributes) in non-parametric mixture kernel based.
A Practical and Controllable Hair and Fur Model for Production Path Tracing

We present an energy‐conserving fiber shading model for hair and fur that is efficient enough for path tracing. Our model adopts a near‐field formulation to avoid the expensive integral across the fiber, accounts for all high order internal reflection events with a single lobe, and proposes a novel, closed‐form distribution for azimuthal roughness based on the logistic distribution. Additionally, we derive, through simulation, a parameterization that relates intuitive user controls such as multiple‐scattering albedo and isotropic cylinder roughness to the underlying physical parameters.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF SYMPLECTIC 4-MANIFOLDS WITH DIVISIBLE CANONICAL CLASS

We consider a version of the geography question for simply connected symplectic 4-manifolds that takes as an additional parameter the divisibility of the canonical class. We also find new examples of 4-manifolds admitting several symplectic structures that are inequivalent under deformation and self-diffeomorphisms of the manifold.
Systematic Risk Factors at Oslo Stock Exchange

We construct five systematic risk factors for the Oslo Stock Exchange over the sample period of 1991 to 2010: an overall market factor, and factors related to firm size, book-tomarket equity, momentum, and leverage and margin constraints. We find evidence of a continuation of short-term returns and significant positive differential returns for book-tomarket equity. There appears to be no positive relationship between beta estimated and subsequent returns, which is contradictory to CAPM. Also, there is no indication of higher abnormal returns related to firm size. This paper provides new evidence related to leverage and margin constraints, which is found to not yield any positive risk-adjusted returns for the Norwegian stock market. The standard four-factor model containing the market factor, sizefactor, book-to-market factor, and a momentum factor provides a reasonable fit for the cross-section of Norwegian stock returns. Hogskolen i Oslo og Akershus, Fakultet for Samfunnsfag Oslo 2014 Systematic Risk Factors at Oslo Stock Exchange Fredrik Grande Korneliussen, Christer Rasmussen ∗
The Value Relevance of Brand Attitude in High-Technology Markets

The authors assess the extent to which brand attitude, a key component of brand equity, has value relevance—that is, helps predict future earnings and thus firm value—in high-technology markets. Using data for firms in the computer industries, the authors find that changes in brand attitude are associated contemporaneously with stock return and lead accounting financial performance. The study also provides insights into the drivers of brand attitude. The authors find that both product attributes and peripheral cues shape brand attitudes in high-technology markets.
Ethnic/Racial Differences in the Experience of Burden and Psychological Outcomes for Caregivers of Patients with Schizophrenia: the Influence of Family Cohesion and Interdependence

of a thesis at the University of Miami. Research has demonstrated that taking care of a patient with schizophrenia has serious mental health costs to caregivers including high levels of burden and poorer overall mental health. Research also indicates that caregivers from certain ethnic/racial groups may fare better in this process. Specifically, prior research indicates that African American and Hispanic caregivers often exhibit better mental health than their Caucasian counterparts. Using a sample of 176 caregivers of patients with schizophrenia, the present study was specifically aimed at examining whether three variables (caregiver burden, family cohesion and interdependence) may account for part of the formerly observed ethnic/racial differences in psychological outcomes. Study hypotheses pertaining to ethnicity/race and family cohesion were not supported. For the most part, minorities in this study did not demonstrate better mental health outcomes than Caucasians and family cohesion did not predict mental health outcomes. However, in line with study hypotheses, we did find that subjective burden mediated the relationship between objective burden and mental health. In other words, subjective appraisals of caregiving appear to partially underlie the association between concrete costs of caregiving and psychological outcomes in schizophrenia caregivers. Also as expected, we found that interdependence moderated the relationship between objective burden and subjective burden. This finding suggests that helping caregivers to value harmony and connection with others over individual self-interests may reduce the likelihood that objective stressors (which are often inevitable in schizophrenia) will result in subjective distress.
Limitations of the Analytic Hierarchy Process Technique with Respect to Geographically Distributed Stakeholders

The selection of appropriate requirements for product releases can make a big difference in a product success. The selection of requirements is done by different requirements prioritization techniques. These techniques are based on pre-defined and systematic steps to calculate the requirements relative weight. Prioritization is complicated by new development settings, shifting from traditional co-located development to geographically distributed development. Stakeholders, connected to a project, are distributed all over the world. These geographically distributions of stakeholders make it hard to prioritize requirements as each stakeholder have their own perception and expectations of the requirements in a software project. This paper discusses limitations of the Analytical Hierarchy Process with respect to geographically distributed stakeholders' (GDS) prioritization of requirements. This paper also provides a solution, in the form of a modified AHP, in order to prioritize requirements for GDS. We will conduct two experiments in this paper and will analyze the results in order to discuss AHP limitations with respect to GDS. The modified AHP variant is also validated in this paper.
Bubbles in House Prices and their Impact on Consumption: Evidence for the US

This paper provides evidence that some aggregate and regional U.S. real house price indices exhibited a bubble in the last few years according to the Phillips et al. (2007) unit root test. We subsequently investigate whether house price acceleration (deceleration) had a signi.cant impact on consumption in an error correction mechanism implied by a wide class of optimizing models. Our results support the argument that real house prices have their major effect on consumption only during the bubble period.
MOS-Based Multiuser Multiapplication Cross-Layer Optimization for Mobile Multimedia Communication

We propose a cross-layer optimization strategy that jointly optimizes the application layer, the data-link layer, and the physical layer of a wireless protocol stack using an application-oriented objective function. The cross-layer optimization framework provides efficient allocation of wireless network resources across multiple types of applications run by different users to maximize network resource usage and user perceived quality of service. We define a novel optimization scheme based on the mean opinion score (MOS) as the unifying metric over different application classes. Our experiments, applied to scenarios where users simultaneously run three types of applications, namely voice communication, streaming video and file download, confirm that MOS-based optimization leads to significant improvement in terms of user perceived quality when compared to conventional throughput-based optimization.
Optimal management of hyperphosphatemia in end-stage renal disease: an Indian perspective

There has been an exponential increase in the incidence of diabetes and hypertension in India in the last few decades, with a proportional increase in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Preventive health care and maintenance of asymptomatic chronic disease such as CKD are often neglected by patients until they become symptomatic with fluid retention and uremia. Management of hyperphosphatemia in CKD remains one of the challenges of nephrology in India for this reason, as it is almost completely asymptomatic but contributes to renal osteodystrophy, metastatic vascular calcification, and acceleration of cardiovascular disease. Lack of understanding of the dangers of asymptomatic hyperphosphatemia, the huge pill burden of phosphate binders, difficulty with dietary and dialysis compliance, and most importantly, the added expense of the drugs places additional road blocks in the treatment of hyperphosphatemia at a population level in developing countries like India. In this review we seek to address the contribution of hyperphosphatemia to adverse outcomes and discuss economic, cultural, and societal factors unique to the management of phosphate levels in Indian patients with advanced CKD.
Topographic patterns in the phylogenetic structure of temperate forests on steep mountainous terrain

In this study, we tested the topographic trends of measurements of phylogenetic community structure in a catchment covered by temperate forests with complex relief in Japan. We found that phylogenetic structure changed with increasing slope inclination, change of slope aspect from south to north, and decreasing soil depth. Our results suggested that environmental filtering caused by steep topography tended to restrict phylogenetic community composition at relatively stressful sites. On the other hand, species interaction functioned more strongly at relatively stress-free sites.
Meiotic Regulation of TPX2 Protein Levels Governs Cell Cycle Progression in Mouse Oocytes

Formation of female gametes requires acentriolar spindle assembly during meiosis. Mitotic spindles organize from centrosomes and via local activation of the RanGTPase on chromosomes. Vertebrate oocytes present a RanGTP gradient centred on chromatin at all stages of meiotic maturation. However, this gradient is dispensable for assembly of the first meiotic spindle. To understand this meiosis I peculiarity, we studied TPX2, a Ran target, in mouse oocytes. Strikingly, TPX2 activity is controlled at the protein level through its accumulation from meiosis I to II. By RNAi depletion and live imaging, we show that TPX2 is required for spindle assembly via two distinct functions. It controls microtubule assembly and spindle pole integrity via the phosphorylation of TACC3, a regulator of MTOCs activity. We show that meiotic spindle formation in vivo depends on the regulation of at least a target of Ran, TPX2, rather than on the regulation of the RanGTP gradient itself.
A Basic Protein Comparative Three-Dimensional Modeling Methodological Workflow Theory and Practice

When working with proteins and studying its properties, it is crucial to have access to the three-dimensional structure of the molecule. If experimentally solved structures are not available, comparative modeling techniques can be used to generate useful protein models to subsidize structure-based research projects. In recent years, with Bioinformatics becoming the basis for the study of protein structures, there is a crescent need for the exposure of details about the algorithms behind the softwares and servers, as well as a need for protocols to guide in silico predictive experiments. In this article, we explore different steps of the comparative modeling technique, such as template identification, sequence alignment, generation of candidate structures and quality assessment, its peculiarities and theoretical description. We then present a practical step-by-step workflow, to support the Biologist on the in silico generation of protein structures. Finally, we explore further steps on comparative modeling, presenting perspectives to the study of protein structures through Bioinformatics. We trust that this is a thorough guide for beginners that wish to work on the comparative modeling of proteins.
From store brands to store brandscapes: the emergence of a time and money saving heuristic

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the role of store brands as a time- and money-saving heuristic in the context of an omnipresent store brand hierarchy. Drawing on the work of Tversky and Kahneman (1982), it proposes that the store brand hierarchy is characterised by many of the traits of frequently used heuristics employed by grocery shoppers. Design/methodology/approach – Based on Chaiken’s (1980) model of information processing and Stigler’s (1961) perspective on the economics of information search, the study deductively establishes a model of store brand proneness to reveal the role of store brands as time- and money-saving heuristic. The model is tested on a sample of 535 US households using structural equation modelling and subsequent multigroup analysis based on two subsamples of households experiencing high financial pressure but who differ in terms of time pressure. Findings – The findings provide strong support for store brands as a time- and money-saving heuristic and as a substitute for.
Meta‐analysis of the association between a serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5‐HTTLPR) and anxiety‐related personality traits

Anxiety‐related personality traits, such as NEO neuroticism and TCI/TPQ harm avoidance, have been shown to have significant genetic components. To date, however, no specific genetic variants that contribute to these traits have been conclusively identified. At least 26 studies have investigated a putative association between a functional serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5‐HTTLPR) and anxiety‐related personality traits. The results of these studies have been inconsistent with some studies finding evidence for an association, and others not. We performed a meta‐analysis of all applicable studies investigating this association. In the overall analysis (N = 5,629 subjects), we found suggestive evidence for an association between the 5‐HTTLPR short allele (s) and increased anxiety‐related personality trait scores (P = 0.087). However, we also found strong evidence for heterogeneity. This heterogeneity is largely explained by substantial variation between the studies in the inventory used. When the analysis was stratified by inventory type, there was a significant association between 5‐HTTLPR and NEO neuroticism (P = 0.000016), a non‐significant association between 5‐HTTLPR and TCI/TPQ harm avoidance (P = 0.166), and no association between 5‐HTTLPR and other anxiety‐related personality traits (P = 0.944). There was no evidence that these results were either due to publication bias or accounted for by any one single study. We conclude that there is a strong association between the serotonin transporter promoter variant and neuroticism as measured in the NEO personality inventory and that non‐replications are largely due to small sample size and the use of different inventories. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acute in vivo studies on glucose absorption from the small intestine of lambs, sheep and rats

1. Rates of disappearance of glucose from ligated loops of small intestine in lambs, adult sheep and young rats were studied. The concentration of glucose in the lumen decreased exponentially with time, suggesting that within a range of concentrations of 166–277 m-moles/l glucose was absorbed mainly by passive diffusion. 2. The rate of absorption of glucose from a 166 mM-solution based on either zero or first order kinetics and expressed as m-moles/m small intestine per h decreased along the intestine from the duodenum to the ileum in lambs and rats. The decrease was slight in adult sheep. 3. The total absorptive capacity of the small intestine of adult grazing sheep for glucose from 166 mM-solutions (06 m-moles/kg body-weight per h) was approximately 25% of that for lambs less than 1 week of age. 4. Young rats had a greater absorptive capacity of the small intestine (12.9m-moles/kg body-weight per h) than adult sheep of about 40 kg body-weight (0.6 m-moles/kg body-weight per h) and this largely reflected a longer small intestine per unit body-weight. 5. The absorptive capacity of lambs for glucose was greater when the level of voluntary lactose intake was increased before an experiment. The absorptive capacity of the ileum of adult sheep given wheat was greater than that of grazing adult sheep. 6. Developmental changes in glucose absorption are discussed in relation to normal changes in diet and to changes in the morphology of the small intestine with age.
Chaotic Synchronization by Non-uniformly Sampled Periodic Driving to Avoid Possible Parameter Estimation

Discrete or computerized chaotic systems are being extensively studied for various applications in cryptography. However, the security of them is not yet convincing to be used in real applications. This paper is proposing modifications to chaotic synchronization process, which have been studies a lot as a potential replacement to LFSR's. Here we are proposing a modification to the sampling rate to avoid two forms of parameter estimation attacks. We find that the modification is very effective in protecting from these attacks.
Monetary Policy, the Bond Market, and Changes in FOMC Communication Policy

Using high-frequency data in a Markov-switching framework, we identify states that imply different responses of the yield curve to unexpected changes in the federal funds target. Empirical estimates reveal a low-volatility state where long-term bonds respond significantly, and in a predictable manner, to unexpected changes in the federal funds target. An alternative state exists with higher volatility, where unexpected changes in the federal funds target raise the short-end of the yield curve, but have no significant effect on the long-end. The low-volatility state for long-term bonds occurs from September 1995 to May 1999 and again from March 2000 to January 2002. The timing of the switches between the two states for long-term bonds coincides with changes in FOMC communication policy - though not all changes in communications policy induce a switch.