Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Classification of Closely Related Sub-dialects of Arabic Using Support-Vector Machines

Colloquial dialects of Arabic can be roughly categorized into ﬁve groups based on relatedness and geographic location (Egyptian, North African/Maghrebi, Gulf, Iraqi, and Levantine), but given that all dialects utilize much of the same writing system and share overlapping features and vocabulary, dialect identiﬁcation and text classiﬁcation is no trivial task. Furthermore, text classiﬁcation by dialect is often performed at a coarse-grained level into these ﬁve groups or a subset thereof, and there is little work on sub-dialectal classiﬁcation. The current study utilizes an n-gram based SVM to classify on a ﬁne-grained sub-dialectal level, and compares it to methods used in dialect classiﬁcation such as vocabulary pruning of shared items across dialects. A test case of the dialect Levantine is presented here, and results of 65% accuracy on a four-way classiﬁcation experiment to sub-dialects of Levantine (Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian) are presented and discussed. This paper also examines the possibility of leveraging existing mixed-dialectal resources to determine their sub-dialectal makeup by automatic classiﬁcation.
Postural Sway Response to Local Vibratory Stimulation in Young, Middle-aged and Elderly People in Standing Position

We investigated the postural sway in response to local vibratory stimulation applied to young, middle-aged and elderly people in the standing position. For this purpose we developed a variable-frequency vibratory stimulation device and measured the postural sway using a gravicorder. As a result, when the vibratory stimulation was applied to the gastrocnemius muscles, the center of pressure moved backward in all subject groups. We found that elderly people with low back pain may perform balance control using their trunks more than their lower legs.
Network Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that currently has no known cure. The principles of the expanding field of network medicine (NM) have recently been applied to AD research. The main principle of NM proposes that diseases are much more complicated than one mutation in one gene, and incorporate different genes, connections between genes, and pathways that may include multiple diseases to create full scale disease networks. AD research findings as a result of the application of NM principles have suggested that functional network connectivity, myelination, myeloid cells, and genes and pathways may play an integral role in AD progression, and may be integral to the search for a cure. Different aspects of the AD pathology could be potential targets for drug therapy to slow down or stop the disease from advancing, but more research is needed to reach definitive conclusions. Additionally, the holistic approaches of network pharmacology in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research may be viable options for the AD treatment, and may lead to an effective cure for AD in the future.
The Scale Effect: A Comparative Industry-Level Analysis

We reassess, with industry-level data, the scale effect from trade protection, by means of a comprehensive fixed-cost variable, composing both technology coeficient and firms size, and a comparative (international) analysis. Evidence is based on Brazil’s manufacturing industries during its import-substitution industrialization, comparatively to the USA. The panel-data analysis clearly shows a correlation between comparative increases in the number of firms with average costs, corroborating the scale (entry) effect. See full paper See full paper
IWH Discussion Papers

Even though state aid in order to rescue or restructure ailing companies is regularly granted by European governments, it is often controversially discussed. The aims for rescuing companies are manifold and vary from social, industrial and even political considerations. Well-known examples are Austrian Airlines (Austria) or MG Rover (Great Britain). Yet, this study aims to answer the question whether state aid is used effectively and whether the initial aim why aid has been paid has been reached, i.e. the survival of the company. By using data on rescued companies in the EU and applying a survival analysis, this paper investigates the survival rates of these companies up to 15 years after the aid has been paid. In addition, the results are compared to the survival rates of non-rescued companies which have also been in difficulties. The results suggest that despite the financial support, business failure is often only post-poned; best survival rates have firms with long-term restructuring, enterprises in Eastern Europe, smaller firms and mature companies. However, non-funded companies have an even higher ratio to go bankrupt.
A Study on Perception of Trainers regarding Effectiveness of Training Programmes in Banking Sector

In the context of training in banking sector, the present study attempts to develop a reliable and valid scale to measure the trainer's perceptions towards training programmes conducted in the banking sector. The data collected from a sample of 125 trainers, on analysis, results in a 13-item scale with Cronbach's alpha value 0.86 and the reliability of subscales ranging from 0.86 to 0.64. The validated instrument, based on construct validity, comprises of five dimensions: behavioural aspect, interpersonal aspect, desired outcomes, daily jobs and related issues, and knowledge. Regression analysis shows the relative significance of various dimensions with behaviour aspect having the maximum significance. Finally, the paper discusses the applicability of the scale.
Integrating Face-ID into an Interactive Person-ID Learning System

Acquiring knowledge about persons is a key functionality for humanoid robots. By envisioning a robot that can provide personalized services the system needs to detect, recognize and memorize information about specific persons. To reach this goal we present an approach for extensible person identification based on visual processing, as one com- ponent of an interactive system able to interactively acquire information about persons. This paper describes an approach for face-ID recognition and identifica- tion over image sequences and its integration into the interactive system. We compare the approach of sequence hypotheses against results from single image hypotheses, and a standard approach and show improve- ments in both cases. We furthermore explore the usage of confidence scores to allow other system components to estimate the accuracy of face-ID hypotheses.
Elasticity of single‐crystal NAL phase at high pressure: A potential source of the seismic anisotropy in the lower mantle

The new hexagonal aluminous phase, named the NAL phase, is expected to be stable at depths of <1200 km in subducted slabs and believed to constitute 10~30 wt% of subducted mid‐ocean ridge basalt together with the CaFe2O4‐type aluminous phase. Here elasticity of the single‐crystal NAL phase is investigated using Brillouin light scattering coupled with diamond anvil cells up to 20 GPa at room temperature. Analysis of the results shows that the substitution of iron lowers the shear modulus of the NAL phase by ~5% (~6 GPa) but does not significantly affect the adiabatic bulk modulus. The NAL phase exhibits high‐velocity anisotropies with AVP = 14.7% and AVS = 15.12% for the Fe‐bearing phase at ambient conditions. The high AVS of the NAL phase mainly results from the high anisotropy of the faster VS1 (13.9~15.8%), while the slower VS2 appears almost isotropic (0.1~2.8%) at ambient and high pressures. The AVP and AVS of the NAL phase decrease with increasing pressure but still have large values with AVP = 11.4% and AVS = 14.12% for the Fe‐bearing sample at 20.4 GPa. The extrapolated AVP and AVS of the Fe‐free and Fe‐bearing NAL phases at 40 GPa are larger than those of bridgmanite at the same pressure. Together with its spin transition of iron and structural transition to the CF phase, the presence of the NAL phase with high‐velocity anisotropies may contribute to the observed seismic anisotropy around subducted slabs in the uppermost lower mantle.
The effect of parental resources on patterns of leaving home among young adults in the Netherlands

In this paper the process of leaving the parental home among young adults is studied. After a brief historical overview, three main reasons for leaving home are distinguished, viz. leaving home to complete an education, leaving home to start living with a partner, and leaving home to gain more autonomy and independence. Both the timing and the main reason for leaving the parental home is expected to depend on the resources of the young adults' parents. Four classes of parental resources are distinguished, viz. material and non-material resources that can be transferred to young adults, and material and non-material resources that cannot be transferred to young adults. It is hypothesized that high levels of transferable parental resources facilitate the process of leaving home, whereas high levels of non-transferable resources slow down this process. The hypotheses are tested using data from a survey among 583 young adults born in 1961 in the Netherlands. Discrete-time hazard models are used to test the effect of parental resources on the process of leaving home. Most hypotheses, though not all, are supported by the data. High levels of transferable parental resources speed up the process of leaving home for educational and independence reasons, though not for reasons of starting a partner relationship. High levels of non-transferable parental resources slow down the process of leaving home, though only with regard to leaving home in order to gain autonomy and independence.
Joint Azimuth, Elevation, and Delay Estimation for 3-D Indoor Localization

Accurate localization in harsh indoor environments has long been a challenging problem due to the presence of multipath. Since joint direction-of-arrival (DOA) and time delay (TD) estimation has the capability to separate the line-of-sight signal from multipath signals in the TD space, it has recently become a key technique for accurate indoor localization in next-generation WiFi and 5G networks. This paper addresses the problem of joint azimuth, elevation, and TD estimation of multiple reflections of a known signal. First, we propose an efficient approximate maximum likelihood algorithm for this problem, which updates the DOA and TD parameters alternatingly. This algorithm applies to arbitrarily distributed (planar or 3-D) arrays. Then, we present the closed-form Cramer–Rao bound for joint DOA and TD estimation, based on which we provide further analysis to show the benefit of joint DOA and TD estimation over DOA-only estimation. Although the benefit of joint estimation has been empirically shown long ago, our analysis is the first theoretical proof of it. Finally, simulation results have been provided to demonstrate the theoretical finding and the effectiveness of the new algorithm. Matlab code for the new algorithm is available at https://github.com/FWen/JADE.git.
Correction of profiles of in‐situ chlorophyll fluorometry for the contribution of fluorescence originating from non‐algal matter

In situ chlorophyll fluorometers have been widely employed for more than half a century, and to date, it still remains the most used instrument to estimate chlorophyll‐a concentration in the field, especially for measurements onboard autonomous observation platforms, e.g., Bio‐Argo floats and gliders. However, in deep waters (> 300 m) of some specific regions, e.g., subtropical gyres and the Black Sea, the chlorophyll fluorescence profiles frequently reveal “deep sea red fluorescence” features. In line with previous studies and through the analysis of a large data set (cruise transect in the South East Pacific and data acquired by 82 Bio‐Argo floats), we show that the fluorescence signal measured by a humic‐like DOM fluorometer is highly correlated to the “deep sea red fluorescence. ” Both fluorescence signals are indeed linearly related in deep waters. To remove the contribution of non‐algal organic matter from chlorophyll fluorescence profiles, we introduce a new correction. Rather that removing a constant value (generally the deepest chlorophyll a fluorescence value from the profile, i.e., so‐called “deep‐offset correction”), we propose a correction method which relies on DOM fluorometry and on its variation with depth. This new method is validated with chlorophyll concentration extracted from water samples and further applied on the Bio‐Argo float data set. More generally, we discuss the potential of the proposed method to become a standard and routine procedure in quality‐control and correction of chlorophyll a fluorescence originating from Bio‐Argo network.
Testosterone, Cortisol and Financial Risk-Taking

Both testosterone and cortisol have major actions on financial decision-making closely related to their primary biological functions, reproductive success and response to stress, respectively. Financial risk-taking represents a particular example of strategic decisions made in the context of choice under conditions of uncertainty. Such decisions have multiple components, and this article considers how much we know of how either hormone affects risk-appetite, reward value, information processing and estimation of the costs and benefits of potential success or failure, both personal and social. It also considers how far we can map these actions on neural mechanisms underlying risk appetite and decision-making, with particular reference to areas of the brain concerned in either cognitive or emotional functions.
Robust vessel segmentation

In the context of cardiac applications, the primary goal of coronary vessel analysis often consists in supporting the diagnosis of vessel wall anomalies, such as coronary plaque and stenosis. Therefore, a fast and robust segmentation of the coronary tree is a very important but challenging task. We propose a new approach for coronary artery segmentation. Our method is based on an earlier proposed progressive region growing. A new growth front monitoring technique controls the segmentation and corrects local leakage by retrospective detection and removal of leakage artifacts. While progressively reducing the region growing threshold for the whole image, the growing process is locally analyzed using criteria based on the assumption of tubular, gradually narrowing vessels. If a voxel volume limit or a certain shape constraint is exceeded, the growing process is interrupted. Voxels affected by a failed segmentation are detected and deleted from the result. To avoid further processing at these positions, a large neighborhood is blocked for growing. Compared to a global region growing without local correction, our new local growth control and the adapted correction can deal with contrast decrease even in very small coronary arteries. Furthermore, our algorithm can efficiently handle noise artifacts and partial volume effects near the myocardium. The enhanced segmentation of more distal vessel parts was tested on 150 CT datasets. Furthermore, a comparison between the pure progressive region growing and our new approach was conducted.
Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University: A University President's Perspective

After decades of domination on campus, college sports' supremacy has begun to weaken. "Enough, already! " detractors cry. College is about learning, not chasing a ball around to the whir of TV cameras.In Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University James Duderstadt agrees, taking the view that the increased commercialization of intercollegiate athletics endangers our universities and their primary goal, academics. Calling it a "corrosive example of entertainment culture" during an interview with ESPN's Bob Ley, Duderstadt suggested that college basketball, for example, "imposes on the university an alien set of values, a culture that really is not conducive to the educational mission of university. "Duderstadt is part of a growing controversy. Recently, as reported in "The New York Times," an alliance between university professors and college boards of trustees formed in reaction to the growth of college sports; it's the first organization with enough clout to challenge the culture of big-time university athletics.This book is certainly part of that challenge, and is sure to influence this debate today and in the years to come.James J. Duderstadt is President Emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering, University of Michigan.
Biodegradation of Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate by Rhodococcus ruber YC-YT1 in Contaminated Water and Soil

Di-(2-ethylehxyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most broadly representative phthalic acid esters (PAEs) used as a plasticizer in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production, and is considered to be an endocrine-disrupting chemical. DEHP and its monoester metabolites are responsible for adverse effects on human health. An efficient DEHP-degrading bacterial strain Rhodococcus ruber YC-YT1, with super salt tolerance (0–12% NaCl), is the first DEHP-degrader isolated from marine plastic debris found in coastal saline seawater. Strain YC-YT1 completely degraded 100 mg/L DEHP within three days (pH 7.0, 30 °C). According to high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis, DEHP was transformed by strain YC-YT1 into phthalate (PA) via mono (2-ethylehxyl) phthalate (MEHP), then PA was used for cell growth. Furthermore, YC-YT1 metabolized initial concentrations of DEHP ranging from 0.5 to 1000 mg/L. Especially, YC-YT1 degraded up to 60% of the 0.5 mg/L initial DEHP concentration. Moreover, compared with previous reports, strain YC-YT1 had the largest substrate spectrum, degrading up to 13 kinds of PAEs as well as diphenyl, p-nitrophenol, PA, benzoic acid, phenol, protocatechuic acid, salicylic acid, catechol, and 1,2,3,3-tetrachlorobenzene. The excellent environmental adaptability of strain YC-YT1 contributed to its ability to adjust its cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) so that 79.7–95.9% of DEHP-contaminated agricultural soil, river water, coastal sediment, and coastal seawater were remedied. These results demonstrate that R. ruber YC-YT1 has vast potential to bioremediate various DEHP-contaminated environments, especially in saline environments.
Sailing to Komodo: Contradictions of Tourism and Development in Eastern Indonesia

Tourism is often pinpointed as a sector of growth for countries in the developing world, and this perspective has been readily accepted in Indonesia. Government officials in poorer sections of the country, such as Nusa Tenggara Timur province (NTT) in eastern Indonesia, have high hopes for the role that tourism can play in developing these poorer regions. This is not surprising, given the increasing renown of the Komodo National Park, just west of the island of Flores, where the world famous Komodo dragons reside. However, how exactly tourism is supposed to raise the standard of living and aid in development in NTT province is often unclear. In this paper I want to critically look at ideas about tourism and development in NTT, by focusing on the ‘Sail Komodo’ yacht rally, a major tourism event that took place from August to September 2013. Sail Komodo was as a marine tourism event expected to boost tourist numbers, lift the standard of living of people in this province and lower poverty levels. I critically analyze this event within the context of a ‘mega event’, and show how the contradictory ideas about how the event was meant to lead to prosperity for the poor can indicate the sometimes misguided relationship posited between tourism and development.
MVD: A Model for the Detection of Variability in Hospital Processes Using Process Mining

Health information systems have a large amount of data, but they lack of mechanisms to analyze the execution of their processes. Process mining techniques analyze the real data of computer systems and are useful for the detection of variability in the execution of business processes. The present research is oriented to the development of a model for the detection of variability in hospital processes, providing the necessary elements to support the hospital management from its information systems. The two components of the Model for Variability Detection (MVD) are the generation of event logs and a set of process mining techniques. Was developed a procedure to guide the process of detection and analysis of variability. The model was successfully implemented in the XAVIA HIS system developed by the University of Informatics Sciences, where process mining techniques were adapted and integrated; Thus, the MVD model contributes to the process of health informatization in Cuba. In order to corroborate the pertinence, scientific value and its ability to detect variability, a set of scientific techniques and methods were applied.
Statistical primer: sample size and power calculations—why, when and how?

Abstract When designing a clinical study, a fundamental aspect is the sample size. In this article, we describe the rationale for sample size calculations, when it should be calculated and describe the components necessary to calculate it. For simple studies, standard formulae can be used; however, for more advanced studies, it is generally necessary to use specialized statistical software programs and consult a biostatistician. Sample size calculations for non-randomized studies are also discussed and two clinical examples are used for illustration.
Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of a novel PDRG1 gene from black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon)

Abstract P53 And DNA Damage-Regulated Gene 1 (PDRG1) is a novel gene which plays an important role in chaperone-mediated protein folding. In the present study, the full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of the PDRG1 gene from Penaeus monodon (PmPDRG1) was cloned by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) method. The cDNA of PmPDRG1 spans 1,613 bp, interrupted by only one short intron, and encodes a protein of 136 amino acids with calculated molecular weight of 15.49 kDa. The temporal expression profile of PmPDRG1 in different tissues and in different developmental stages of the ovary was investigated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). An RNA interference (RNAi) experiment was performed to study the relationship between P. monodon p53 (Pmp53) and PmPDRG1, and the results showed that the relative expression level of PmPDRG1 mRNA was notably up-regulated from 12 h to 96 h after Pmp53 was silenced both in ovary and hepatopancreas. To further explore the role of PmPDRG1 in ovarian development, dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-injected shrimps were analyzed by RT-qPCR, indicating that PmPDRG1 may be involved in the regulation of ovarian development of P. monodon.
The Prevalence of HIV Load Suppression and Related Factors Among Patients on ART at Phedisong 4 Clinic, Pretoria, South Africa

Received: December 28, 2017 Revised: April 5, 2018 Accepted: April 9, 2018 Abstract: Background: Globally, the benefits of viral load suppression in improving the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS have been established. In 2010, the South African Government decentralised ART to the primary care level. This study intended to determine the effect of this decentralisation in achieving viral load suppression among patients.
A double negative metamaterial antenna for WiMAX application

A compact Double Negative (DNG) metamaterial antenna is presented in this research. The antenna has a volume of 0. 33λ<inf>0</inf> × 0. 27λ<inf>0</inf> × 0. 01λ<inf>0</inf> at lower resonance of 3.3 GHz. The extraction method of permeability and permittivity of the metamaterial circular split ring resonator (SRR) through waveguide medium is discussed in detail. The antenna operates at 3.3 GHz with S<inf>11</inf> < −10 dB bandwidth of about 5.45 % (3.21–3.39 GHz). Stable radiation characteristics, good impedance matching and VSWR < 2 is obtained for the proposed design. The proposed metamaterial antenna is intended for the use of WiMAX application (3.3 GHz).