Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An incremental interval Type-2 neural fuzzy Classifier

Most real world classification problems involve a high degree of uncertainty, unsolved by a traditional type-1 fuzzy classifier. In this paper, a novel interval type-2 classifier, namely Evolving Type-2 Classifier (eT2Class), is proposed. The eT2Class features a flexible working principle built upon a fully sequential and local working principle. This learning notion allows eT2Class to automatically grow, adapt, prune, recall its knowledge from data streams in the single-pass learning fashion, while employing loosely coupled fuzzy sub-models. In addition, eT2Class introduces a generalized interval type-2 fuzzy neural network architecture, where a multivariate Gaussian function with uncertain non-diagonal covariance matrixes constructs the rule premise, while the rule consequent is crafted by a local non-linear Chebyshev polynomial. The efficacy of eT2Class is numerically validated by numerical studies with four data streams characterizing non-stationary behaviors, where eT2Class demonstrates the most encouraging learning performance in achieving a tradeoff between accuracy and complexity.
Global financial crisis and southeast Asian trade performance: Empirical evidence

The literature on the recent Global Financial Crisis (GFC) focuses on the decimation of Western economies; however, the impact of the crisis on Asian economies has remained largely unexplored. Using the classic dependency approach of the “core‐periphery” framework, this paper investigates the trade performance of Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) members during (2008–2009) and after (2010–2012) the GFC and analyses the transmission of shocks to these countries from the Western core. A modified gravity model of trade flows is estimated for a panel of five leading ASEAN economies and their trading partners for the period 2002–2012. The empirical results show a decline in ASEAN trade during the financial crisis that becomes stronger during the post‐crisis period. The decline in trade exceeds that associated with changing gross domestic product at home and abroad, suggesting the crisis and its aftermath have been particularly disadvantageous for ASEAN trade.
CSI-based autoencoder classification for Wi-Fi indoor localization

Recently, indoor localization problem has drawn a wide range of attention. However, there are few researches that can keep balance between accuracy and expense, and few plans can achieve both device-free and accuracy. To solve this problem, the scheme of CSI-based autoencoder classification for Wi-Fi indoor localization is proposed. Only one wireless router and one computer are placed as signal emitter and receiver respectively. With so few ordinary devices, expenses have been decreased to a large extent. Device-free is achieved by performing localization based on Wi-Fi signal. Channel State Information (CSI) is measured and calculated to decrease the multipath effect, which reaches a higher accuracy. With the use of CSI, a mass of data are obtained. Machine learning including autoencoder and BP network are utilized owing to their advantage of processing mass data. In our experiment, this plan achieves 2-dim localizing with an accuracy of 50 cm.
Adaptive (T and B Cells) Immunity and Control by Dendritic Cells in Atherosclerosis

Chronic inflammation in response to lipoprotein accumulation in the arterial wall is central in the development of atherosclerosis. Both innate and adaptive immunity are involved in this process. Adaptive immune responses develop against an array of potential antigens presented to effector T lymphocytes by antigen-presenting cells, especially dendritic cells. Functional analysis of the role of different T-cell subsets identified the Th1 responses as proatherogenic, whereas regulatory T-cell responses exert antiatherogenic activities. The effect of Th2 and Th17 responses is still debated. Atherosclerosis is also associated with B-cell activation. Recent evidence established that conventional B-2 cells promote atherosclerosis. In contrast, innate B-1 B cells offer protection through secretion of natural IgM antibodies. This review discusses the recent development in our understanding of the role of T- and B-cell subsets in atherosclerosis and addresses the role of dendritic cell subpopulations in the control of adaptive immunity.
The ‘risk inventory for persons with spinal cord injury’: Development and preliminary validation of a risk assessment tool for spinal cord injury

Purpose. To present a new short instrument to measure perceived risks of common everyday activities engaged in by persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), and to provide preliminary data on its psychometric properties. Method. Community-dwelling men and women with SCI (N = 139) in metropolitan Detroit completed the risk inventory for persons with spinal cord injury (RISCI). They also answered a risk-taking identity question (‘Are you a risk-taker’? ) and completed the risk orientation questionnaire (ROQ) (Rohrmann, http://www.rohrmannresearch.net/, 2008), a risk propensity measure. Results. All items of the RISCI correlated positively with each other and the total score; internal reliability as measured by Cronbach's α was 0.86. Principal components factor analysis confirmed a one-factor structure which explained 41% of the variance. A three-factor solution with readily interpretable factors explained 64% of the variance. Content validity was established through extensive consultations with persons with SCI in the development of the measure. Discriminant validity was supported by the ability of the RISCI to distinguish between subsamples (for example, between men and women, those with paraplegia and tetraplegia) for whom differences in risk assessment might be expected. Criterion validity was supported by significant relationships in the expected directions between the RISCI and risk-taking identity and between the RISCI and the ROQ. Conclusions. Findings suggest that the RISCI is a brief, easy to administer and psychometrically sound measure of perceived risk of activities common in daily life for use with persons with SCI.
Tax on Large Fortunes: the recent international debate and the situation in Brazil

"Many discussions have taken place in Brazil about legislation pertaining to subparagraph VII of article 153 of the 1988 Federal Constitution? the regulation, through a Complementary Law, of the Tax on Large Fortunes (Imposto sobre Grandes Fortunas? IGF). In the current scenario, with the country facing a second consecutive annual decrease in tax revenue, the subject of the implementation of the IGF is gaining some traction, with its proponents vehemently arguing that it can represent a balancing mechanism for a possible increase in the tax burden, so that this increased burden would not fall exclusively on the poorest population through indirect taxes. The economic crisis, together with the political crisis, has reactivated the debate on tax reform, especially regarding demands for a less regressive and more efficient system". (.)
Interface effects on the quantum well states of Pb thin films

Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we have studied the interface effect on quantum well states of Pb thin films grown on various metal-terminated (Pb, Ag, and Au) n-type Si(111) surfaces and on two different p-type Si(111) surfaces. The dispersion relation E(k) of the electrons of the Pb film and the phase shift at the substrate interface were determined by applying the quantization rule to the measured energy positions of the quantum well states. Characteristic features in the phase shift versus energy curves were identified and were correlated to the directional conduction band of the silicon substrate and to the Schottky barrier formed between the metal film and the semiconductor. A model involving the band structure of the substrate, the Schottky barrier, and the effective thickness of the interface was introduced to qualitatively but comprehensively explain all the observed features of the phase shift at the substrate interface. Our physical understanding of the phase shift is critically important for using interface modification to control the quantum well states.
Skills heterogeneity and immigrant-native wage gap in the European countries

The paper analyses individual human capital, measured by the education, literacy and numeracy skills, and explores to what extent immigrants employ their cognitive skills at work. Based on the Program of International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data for 15 European countries, we document that, on average, foreign-born respondents achieve substantially worse scores in literacy and numeracy test domains in majority of analysed countries. Only immigrants in the Nordic countries reveal skill improvement over immigration tenure. Once we account for both skill levels and use of skills at work in wage regressions, no statistically significant gap in earnings across immigrants and natives remains. Although, once immigrants attain comparable to natives’ skill use frequency, their pay disadvantage turns statistically insignificant in all countries, except Estonia and Ireland. The results are leading us to the conclusion that potential for development and utilization of immigrants’ skills in the European labour markets is still underused. Immigrants are not yet sufficiently well integrated in labour markets in most of the European countries.
Oxidized LDL binds to CD36 on human monocyte-derived macrophages and transfected cell lines. Evidence implicating the lipid moiety of the lipoprotein as the binding site.

Accumulating evidence strongly implicates oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Several receptors have been identified that bind and internalize Ox-LDL, but their relative importance in vivo is unclear. CD36 is an 88-kD transmembrane glycoprotein expressed on monocytes/macrophages, platelets, and microvascular endothelium that has been implicated as a putative receptor for Ox-LDL. We demonstrate that an anti-CD36 monoclonal antibody inhibited 50% of the specific binding and 26% of the specific degradation of Ox-LDL by human monocyte-derived macrophages. To characterize more completely this binding we evaluated interactions between CD36 and Ox-LDL in murine NIH-3T3 cells stably transfected with human CD36 cDNA. Ox-LDL bound to CD36-transfected 3T3 cells in a saturable manner. Specific binding, internalization, and degradation of Ox-LDL were increased fourfold in CD36-transfected cell lines compared with 3T3 cells transfected with vector alone. Binding of Ox-LDL to CD36-transfected 3T3 cells was inhibited by a panel of anti-CD36 antibodies and by soluble CD36 but not by thrombospondin. Specificity of binding was demonstrated by the equivalent binding of LDL and acetylated LDL to control and CD36-transfected 3T3 cells. The epitope or epitopes on Ox-LDL recognized by CD36 are undefined. Two observations suggest that CD36 recognizes a lipid moiety or that the lipid portion of the lipoprotein is essential for apoprotein recognition. The first is that the increased binding of Ox-LDL to CD36-transfected 3T3 cells is abrogated by delipidation of the lipoprotein, and the second is that oleic acid competes for the binding of Ox-LDL to CD36-transfected 3T3 cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Detection of secondary predation by PCR analyses of the gut contents of invertebrate generalist predators

Predation by generalist predators is difficult to study in the field because of the complex effects of positive and negative interactions within and between predator species and guilds. Predation can be monitored by molecular means, through identification of prey DNA within predators. However, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of prey DNA from predators cannot discriminate between primary and secondary predation (hyperpredation), in which one predator feeds on another that has recently eaten the target prey. Here we quantify, for the first time, the potential error caused by detection of prey DNA following secondary predation, using an aphid–spider–carabid model. First, the aphid Sitobion avenae was fed to the spider Tenuiphantes tenuis and the carabid Pterostichus melanarius, and the postconsumption detection periods, for prey DNA within predators, were calculated. Aphids were then fed to spiders and the spiders to carabids. Aphid DNA was detected in the predators using primers that amplified 245‐ and 110‐bp fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene. Fragment size and predator sex had no significant effect on detection periods. Secondary predation could be detected for up to 8 h, when carabids fed on spiders immediately after the latter had consumed aphids. Beetles tested positive up to 4 h after eating spiders that had digested their aphid prey for 4 h. Clearly, the extreme sensitivity of PCR makes detection of secondary predation more likely, and the only reliable answer in future may be to use PCR to identify, in parallel, instances of intraguild predation.
In vivo Electrophysiological Characterization of TASK-1 Deficient Mice

Background/Aims: TASK-1 is a potassium channel predominantly expressed in heart and brain. We have previously shown that anesthetized TASK-1-/-mice have prolonged QT intervals in surface electrocardiograms (ECGs). In addition, heart rate variability quantified by time and frequency domain parameters was significantly altered in TASK-1-/-mice with a sympathetic preponderance. Aims of the present study were the analysis of QT intervals by telemetric ECGs, to determine potential influences of anesthesia and β-adrenergic stimulation on repolarization in surface ECGs, to investigate in vivo electrophysiological parameters by intracardiac electrical stimulation and to quantify heart rate turbulence after ischemia/reperfusion or ventricular pacing in TASK-1+/+ and TASK-1-/-mice. Methods: Rate corrected QT intervals (QTc) were recorded in conscious mice by telemetry and in surface ECGs following administration of various anesthetics (tribromoethanol (Avertin®), pentobarbital and isoflurane). TASK-1+/+ and TASK-1-/mice were characterized by programmed electrical stimulation using an intracardiac octapolar catheter. The baroreceptor reflex was analyzed by heart rate turbulence (turbulence onset and slope) after ischemia/reperfusion and by stimulated premature ventricular contractions. Results: Telemetric and surface ECGs in mice sedated with Avertin®and pentobarbital, showed a significantly lengthened rate corrected QT interval in TASK-1-/-mice (telemetry: TASK-1+/+ 43±3ms vs. TASK-1-/-49±5ms, n=6, p<0.05; Avertin®: TASK-1+/+ 36±8ms vs. TASK-1-/-48±4ms, n=13/16, p<0.0001). The prolongation of the QT interval was most pronounced at lower heart rates. Isoflurane, known for its stimulatory effects on the TASK channel family, attenuated the rate corrected QT interval prolongation in TASK-1-/-mice. Intracardiac electrical stimulation revealed normal values for electrical conduction and refractoriness. No significant arrhythmias after atrial and ventricular burst stimulation were induced before and after adrenergic challenge in both genotypes. Turbulence onset after premature ventricular contraction was significantly altered in TASK-1-/-mice. Conclusion: TASK-1-/-mice exhibit a phenotype of QT prolongation, which distinct relation to heart rate. TASK-1 deficiency does neither alter key electrophysiological parameters nor increases atrial/ventricular vulnerability after electrical stimulation. The heart rate response after premature ventricular contractions is significantly abolished indicating a diminished baroreceptor reflex in TASK-1-/-mice.
Cholinergic Neurotransmission from Mechanosensory Afferents to Giant Interneurons in the Terminal Abdominal Ganglion of the Cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

Abstract Crickets respond to air currents with quick avoidance behavior. The terminal abdominal ganglion (TAG) has a neuronal circuit for a wind-detection system to elicit this behavior. We investigated neuronal transmission from cercal sensory afferent neurons to ascending giant interneurons (GIs). Pharmacological treatment with 500 μM acetylcholine (ACh) increased neuronal activities of ascending interneurons with cell bodies located in the TAG. The effects of ACh antagonists on the activities of identified GIs were examined. The muscarinic ACh antagonist atropine at 3-mM concentration had no obvious effect on the activities of GIs 10-3, 10-2, or 9-3. On the other hand, a 3-mM concentration of the nicotinic ACh antagonist mecamylamine decreased spike firing of these interneurons. Immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal anti-conjugated acetylcholine antibody revealed the distribution of cholinergic neurons in the TAG. The cercal sensory afferent neurons running through the cercal nerve root showed cholinergic immunoreactivity, and the cholinergic immunoreactive region in the neuropil overlapped with the terminal arborizations of the cercal sensory afferent neurons. Cell bodies in the median region of the TAG also showed cholinergic immunoreactivity. This indicates that not only sensory afferent neurons but also other neurons that have cell bodies in the TAG could use ACh as a neurotransmitter.
Projections to the Preoptic Area from the Paraventricular Nucleus, Arcuate Nucleus and the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Are Unlikely to Be Involved in Stress-Induced Suppression of GnRH Secretion in Sheep

Stress compromises reproductive function and the major physiological system activated during stress is the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Corticotrophin-releasing hormone and arginine vasopressin (AVP), which are produced in neurones of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), drive the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and are also implicated in the suppression of the reproductive axis. We used retrograde tracing and Fos labelling to map the projections from the PVN to the preoptic area (POA) where most gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurones are found. Fluorogold (FG) injections were made into the POA of gonadectomised male and female sheep (n = 5/sex), the animals were stressed and the brains recovered for histochemistry. All animals responded to stress with an increase in the number of Fos-labelled nuclei in the PVN. Few retrogradely labelled cells of the PVN were activated by stress. Dual labelling showed that very few FG-labelled cells also stained for corticotrophin-releasing hormone, none for AVP or enkephalin. Dual labelling for FG and Fos in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the arcuate nucleus showed that no FG-labelled cells in the BNST and only few in the ARC were activated by stress. No sex differences were observed in the activation of FG-labelled cells in any of the nuclei examined. We conclude that, although cells of the PVN, BNST and/or arcuate nucleus may affect reproduction via the GnRH cells of the POA, this is unlikely to involve direct input to the POA. If cells of these regions are involved in GnRH suppression during stress, this may occur via interneuronal pathways.
Fine Structure in Solar Flares

We present observations of several large two-ribbon flares observed with both the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) and the soft X-ray telescope on Yohkoh. The high spatial resolution TRACE observations show that solar flare plasma is generally not confined to a single loop or even a few isolated loops but to a multitude of fine coronal structures. These observations also suggest that the high-temperature flare plasma generally appears diffuse while the cooler (≲2 MK) postflare plasma is looplike. We conjecture that the diffuse appearance of the high-temperature flare emission seen with TRACE is due to a combination of the emission measure structure of these flares and the instrumental temperature response and does not reflect fundamental differences in plasma morphology at the different temperatures.
Top metal layer electro plating edge bevel removal improvement study

Copper has been recognized as a more suitable interconnects material than aluminum because of its low electrical resistivity and excellent electromigration resistance. Nowadays, inter connect copper is realized by electroplating (ECP), and the ECP process consists of three steps: copper plating, edge bevel removal (EBR) and copper anneal. EBR is a process that using sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to remove the edge and back side metal layer. In the 55nm tech node, EBR width in top metal layer ECP is key to the chip manufacturing, since wider EBR may not only affect the yield of chips located in wafer edge, but also lead to wafer ID miss-auto read issue. Generally, EBR consists of two steps of acid clean, the effectiveness is determined by the step 1 etchant volume, etchant flow rate, wafer rotating speed and the step 2 etchant volume, etchant flow rate, wafer rotating speed. In this paper, we studied the relationship of the mean value, standard deviation (STD) of EBR width and the parameters mentioned above. By modifying the etchant volume, etchant flow rate, wafer rotating speed of the two steps, there are total 16 split conditions in this paper. From the study, we get the conclusion that increasing step 1 and step 2 wafer rotating speeds will decrease the EBR width, which could protect wafer ID from damaging by EBR and improve wafer edge chip yield, thus improve the process reliability of top metal layer ECP.
Treatment of Juvenile Parkinson Disease and the Recurrent Emergence of Pathologic Gambling

ObjectiveTo describe the recurrent emergence of pathologic gambling (PG) during the sequential treatment of a patient with Juvenile Parkinson disease (PD) with different dopamine agonists. MethodSingle case report. ResultsA patient with Juvenile PD developed PG soon after beginning treatment with pergolide, a mixed D1/D2 dopamine agonist that is also supposed to exhibit D3 activity. This behavior remitted upon the discontinuation of the drug. A subsequent therapeutic trial with pramipexole, a dopamine agonist with preferential D3 dopamine receptor activity, resulted in the recurrence of PG. Remarkably, previous treatment with levodopa was not associated with this side effect. ConclusionsThese findings seem to confirm previous suggestions that dopaminergic hyperactivity plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PG. They further indicate that patients with PD may develop PG as a side effect of more than one dopamine agonist. There is still no consensus regarding the best strategy to deal with this potentially disturbing phenomenon.
How is development economics taught in developing countries?

ABSTRACT A survey of instructors and data collected from course syllabi and examinations are used to examine how the subject of development economics is taught at the undergraduate and master's levels in developing countries, compared to undergraduate classes in the United States. Topic coverage, teaching approach, and means of assessment all differ from that in leading U.S. economics departments. Development economics is taught largely as a theoretical subject coupled with case studies in developing countries, with few courses emphasizing use of data or empirical methods. Limited financial resources, the educational level of students, and low involvement of instructors in research are considered as explanations for the way the subject is taught in developing countries. The authors conclude with suggestions for improving teaching of development economics.