Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asymptotically Efficient Multi-Unit Auctions via Posted Prices

We study the asymptotic average-case efficiency of static and anonymous posted prices for $n$ agents and $m(n)$ multiple identical items with $m(n)=o\left(\frac{n}{\log n}\right)$. When valuations are drawn i.i. d from some fixed continuous distribution (each valuation is a vector in $\Re_+^m$ and independence is assumed only across agents) we show: (a) for any "upper mass" distribution there exist posted prices such that the expected revenue and welfare of the auction approaches the optimal expected welfare as $n$ goes to infinity; specifically, the ratio between the expected revenue of our posted prices auction and the expected optimal social welfare is $1-O\left(\frac{m(n)\log n}{n}\right)$, and (b) there do not exist posted prices that asymptotically obtain full efficiency for most of the distributions that do not satisfy the upper mass condition. When valuations are complete-information and only the arrival order is adversarial, we provide a "tiefree" condition that is sufficient and necessary for the existence of posted prices that obtain the maximal welfare. This condition is generically satisfied, i.e., it is satisfied with probability $1$ if the valuations are i.i. d. ~from some continuous distribution.
Parameterization of Sequence of MFCCs for DNN-based voice disorder detection

In this article a DNN-based system for detection of three common voice disorders (vocal nodules, polyps and cysts; laryngeal neoplasm; unilateral vocal paralysis) is presented. The input to the algorithm is (at least 3-second long) audio recording of sustained vowel sound /a:/. The algorithm was developed as part of the "2018 FEMH Voice Data Challenge" organized by Far Eastern Memorial Hospital and obtained score value (defined in the challenge specification) of 77.44. This was the second best result before final submission. Final challenge results are not yet known during writing of this document. The document also reports changes that were made for the final submission which improved the score value in cross-validation by 0.6% points.
Opposing forces on acoustic duration

The present paper investigates the influence of opposing lexical forces on speech production using the duration of the stem vowel of regular and irregular verbs as attested in the Buckeye corpus of conversational North-American English. We compared two sets of predictors, reflecting two different approaches to speechproduction, one based on competition between word forms, the other based on principles of discrimination learning. Classical measures in word form competition theories such as word frequency, lexical density, and gang size (types of vocalic alternation) were predictive of stem vowel duration. However, more precise predic-tions were obtained using measures derived from a two-layer network model trained on the Buckeye corpus. Measures representing strong bottom-up support predicted longer vowel durations. Conversely, measures reflecting uncertainty predicted shorter vowel durations, including a measure of the verb’s semantic density. The learning-based model also suggests that it is not a verb’s frequency as such that gives rise to shorter vowel duration, but rather a verb’s collocational diversity. Results are discussed with reference to the Smooth Signal Redundancy Hypothesis and the Paradigmatic Signal Enhancement Hypothesis.
ANALYZING COSMIC WEBS USING GEOMETRIC APPROACHES

s, p. 47 c © 2018 VTeX, Vilnius ANALYZING COSMIC WEBS USING GEOMETRIC APPROACHES YEN-CHI CHEN University of Washington, Seattle, USA e-mail: yenchic@uw.edu Matter in our Universe tends to aggregate around lower-dimension structures, weaving our Universe into a web-like structure known as the cosmic web [6]. The cosmic web consists of several distinct substructures such as galaxy clusters, filaments, walls/sheets, and voids. The existence of the cosmic web has been observed in realistic sky surveys and computer simulations [4]. Astrophysical theories have predicted the effect of the cosmic web on its nearby celestial bodies [5]. However, testing these astrophysical theories is a non-trivial problem for several reasons. First, the precise definition of the cosmic web remains unclear – we only know a few characteristics of these structures but there is no consensus on where the cosmic web starts and ends. Second, the effect of cosmic web is often a complex process and so the quantification of its effect is very difficult [2]. In this talk, we will present some geometric approaches in statistics [1] that show great potential in capturing the cosmic web and may be used to test the related astrophysical theories.
Legal Ontology for Modelling GDPR Concepts and Norms

This paper introduces PrOnto, the privacy ontology that models the GDPR main conceptual cores: data types and documents, agents and roles, processing purposes, legal bases, processing operations, and deontic operations for modelling rights and duties. The explicit goal of PrOnto is to support legal reasoning and compliance checking by employing defeasible logic theory (i.e., the LegalRuleML standard and the SPINDle engine).
Towards Explainable Semantic Text Matching

The growing amount of textual data in the legal domain leads to a demand for better text analysis tools adapted to legal domain specific use cases. Semantic Text Matching (STM) is the general problem of linking text fragments of one or more document types. The STM problem is present in many legal document analysis tasks, such as argumentation mining. A common solution approach to the STM problem is to use text similarity measures to identify matching text fragments. In this paper, we recapitulate the STM problem and a use case in German tenancy law, where we match tenancy contract clauses and legal comment chapters. We propose an approach similar to local interpretable model-agnostic explanations (LIME) to better understand the behavior of text similarity measures like TFIDF and word embeddings. We call this approach eXplainable Semantic Text Matching (XSTM).
Astrocyte-Mediated Neuromodulatory Regulation in Preclinical ALS: A Metadata Analysis

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive degradation of motoneurons in the central nervous system (CNS). Astrocytes are key regulators for inflammation and neuromodulatory signaling, both of which contribute to ALS. The study goal was to ascertain potential temporal changes in astrocyte-mediated neuromodulatory regulation with transgenic ALS model progression: glutamate, GTL-1, GluR1, GluR2, GABA, ChAT activity, VGF, TNFα, aspartate, and IGF-1. We examine neuromodulatory changes in data aggregates from 42 peer-reviewed studies derived from transgenic ALS mixed cell cultures (neurons + astrocytes). For each corresponding experimental time point, the ratio of transgenic to wild type (WT) was found for each compound. ANOVA and a student's t-test were performed to compare disease stages (early, post-onset, and end stage). Glutamate in transgenic SOD1-G93A mixed cell cultures does not change over time (p > 0.05). GLT-1 levels were found to be decreased 23% over WT but only at end-stage (p < 0.05). Glutamate receptors (GluR1, GluR2) in SOD1-G93A were not substantially different from WT, although SOD1-G93A GluR1 decreased by 21% from post-onset to end-stage (p < 0.05). ChAT activity was insignificantly decreased. VGF is decreased throughout ALS (p < 0.05). Aspartate is elevated by 25% in SOD1-G93A but only during end-stage (p < 0.05). TNFα is increased by a dramatic 362% (p < 0.05). Furthermore, principal component analysis identified TNFα as contributing to 55% of the data variance in the first component. Thus, TNFα, which modulates astrocyte regulation via multiple pathways, could be a strategic treatment target. Overall results suggest changes in neuromodulator levels are subtle in SOD1-G93A ALS mixed cell cultures. If excitotoxicity is present as is often presumed, it could be due to ALS cells being more sensitive to small changes in neuromodulation. Hence, seemingly unsubstantial or oscillatory changes in neuromodulators could wreak havoc in ALS cells, resulting in failed microenvironment homeostasis whereby both hyperexcitability and hypoexcitability can coexist. Future work is needed to examine local, spatiotemporal neuromodulatory homeostasis and assess its functional impact in ALS.
Tobacco Exposure Enhances Human Papillomavirus 16 Oncogene Expression via EGFR/PI3K/Akt/c-Jun Signaling Pathway in Cervical Cancer Cells

High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is not a sufficient condition for cervical cancer development because most infections are benign and naturally cleared. Epidemiological studies revealed that tobacco smoking is a cofactor with HR-HPV for cervical cancer initiation and progression, even though the mechanism by which tobacco smoke cooperates with HR-HPV in this malignancy is poorly understood. As HR-HPV E6/E7 oncoproteins overexpressed in cervical carcinomas colocalize with cigarette smoke components (CSC), in this study we addressed the signaling pathways involved in a potential interaction between both carcinogenic agents. Cervical cancer-derived cell lines, CaSki (HPV16; 500 copies per cell) and SiHa (HPV16; 2 copies per cell), were acutely exposed to CSC at various non-toxic concentrations and we found that E6 and E7 levels were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. Using a reporter construct containing the luciferase gene under the control of the full HPV16 long control region (LCR), we also found that p97 promoter activity is dependent on CSC. Non-synonymous mutations in the LCR-resident TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate)-response elements (TRE) had significantly decreased p97 promoter activation. Phosphoproteomic arrays and specific inhibitors revealed that CSC-mediated E6/E7 overexpression is at least in part reliant on EGFR phosphorylation. In addition, we showed that the PI3K/Akt pathway is crucial for CSC-induced E6/E7 overexpression. Finally, we demonstrated that HPV16 E6/E7 overexpression is mediated by JUN. overexpression, c-Jun phosphorylation and recruitment of this transcription factor to TRE sites in the HPV16 LCR. We conclude that acute exposure to tobacco smoke activates the transcription of HPV16 E6 and E7 oncogenes through p97 promoter activation, which involves the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/C-Jun signaling pathway activation in cervical cancer cells.
Impaired Efficiency and Resilience of Structural Network in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3

Background: Recent studies have shown that the patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) may not only have disease involvement in the cerebellum and brainstem but also in the cerebral regions. However, the relations between the widespread degenerated brain regions remains incompletely explored. Methods: In the present study, we investigate the topological properties of the brain networks of SCA3 patients (n = 40) constructed based on the correlation of three-dimensional fractal dimension values. Random and targeted attacks were applied to measure the network resilience of normal and SCA3 groups. Results: The SCA3 networks had significantly smaller clustering coefficients (P < 0.05) and global efficiency (P < 0.05) but larger characteristic path length (P < 0.05) than the normal controls networks, implying loss of small-world features. Furthermore, the SCA3 patients were associated with reduced nodal betweenness (P < 0.001) in the left supplementary motor area, bilateral paracentral lobules, and right thalamus, indicating that the motor control circuit might be compromised. Conclusions: The SCA3 networks were more vulnerable to targeted attacks than the normal controls networks because of the effects of pathological topological organization. The SCA3 revealed a more sparsity and disrupted structural network with decreased values in the largest component size, mean degree, mean density, clustering coefficient, and global efficiency and increased value in characteristic path length. The cortico-cerebral circuits in SCA3 were disrupted and segregated into occipital-parietal (visual-spatial cognition) and frontal-pre-frontal (motor control) clusters. The cerebellum of SCA3 were segregated from cerebellum-temporal-frontal circuits and clustered into a frontal-temporal cluster (cognitive control). Therefore, the disrupted structural network presented in this study might reflect the clinical characteristics of SCA3.
The Structure and Variants of a Preschooler's Narrative Play

The paper discusses the concept of children's play in a broad and narrow sense. In a broad sense, play is viewed as a free, emotionally-charged ac- tivity without enforcement that includes spontaneous testing of oneself and play content. A more accurate scientific definition of play was suggested by D. B. Elkonin who regarded the action role play as the highest and most de- veloped play form which reproduces social relationships among people. The authors believe that the latter does not cover many widespread kinds of nar- rative (action) play where the children do not simulate the actions of adults. Therefore, following L. S. Vygotsky, the divergence between the imaginary and real situations is considered to be the main criterion of narrative play as the leading activity of a preschooler. The structure of narrative play is believed to include additional components: objects (toys), time and space of the play, interaction with the partner and the position of the player. Based on different player's positions, a typology of narrative plays is proposed. It in- cludes seven variants: traditional role play, role play via a toy, individual role play, directed individual and directed joint plays, procedural play, and event- driven play where the child is acting from a real position. Recognition of the imaginary situation as the main criteria of play makes it possible to consider those play types as independent forms of a preschooler's leading activity.
Assessment of Prescribing Trend of Drugs at Out Patient’s Chest Ward of Government Tertiary Care Hospital Situated in Karachi

In this present study prescription patterns were assessed at outpatient chest departments in a tertiary care Government hospital. A prospective study was conducted at outpatient’s chest department of a tertiary care Government hospital in Karachi. The study was conducted from November 2013 to February 2014. The study sampled the prescriptions randomly. Inclusive criteria were based on those patients suffering from respiratory diseases were included in the study and treatment at outpatient chest department, whereas exclusive criteria were based on patients with other than respiratory diseases were not included in the study. Data was obtained from the prescription of the outpatients and these prescriptions were obtained from the pharmacy of the outpatient pharmacy. Data was analysed statistically by using SPSS version 20. In the present study total 241 patients were included in the study and their prescription containing at least one antibiotics were analysed. About 140 (58.09%) patients were females and 101(41.91%) were males. Out of 600 prescribed drugs, 169 were antibiotics in which mostly prescribed antibiotics group was 84(14% B-Lactam), 135(22.5%) bronchodilator, 89(14.8%) anti-allergy, 115(19.2%) analgesic and 48(8%) were antiulcerant. The drug utilization studies are important tool to sensitize and increases awareness among physicians, which ultimately improves rational prescribing and patient care.
The ef fi cacy of daily snack replacement with oligofructose-enriched granola bars in overweight and obese adults : a 12-week randomised controlled trial

Oligofructose is a prebiotic dietary fibre obtained from chicory root inulin. Oligofructose supplementation may affect satiety, food intake, body weight and/or body composition. The aim was to examine the efficacy of oligofructose-supplemented granola bars on the following weight management outcomes: satiety, energy intake, body weight and body composition in overweight or obese adults. In all, fifty-five adults with overweight or obesity (thirty-six females/nineteen males; age: 41 (SD 12) years; 90·6 (SD 11·8) kg; BMI: 29·4 (SD 2·6) kg/m) participated in a parallel, triple-blind, placebo-controlled intervention. A total of twenty-nine subjects replaced their snacks twice a day with an equienergetic granola bar supplemented with 8 g of oligofructose (OF-Bar). Subjects in the control group (n 26) replaced their snack with a control granola bar without added oligofructose (Co-Bar). Satiety, 24-h energy intake, body weight and body composition (fat mass and waist circumference) were measured at baseline, weeks 6 and 12. In addition, weekly appetite and gastrointestinal side effects were measured. During the intervention, energy intake, body weight and fat mass remained similar in the Co-Bar and OF-Bar groups (all P> 0·05). Both groups lost 0·3 (SD 1·2) kg lean mass (P< 0·01) and reduced their waist circumference with −2·2 (SD 3·6) cm (P< 0·0001) after 12 weeks. The OF-Bar group reported decreased hunger in later weeks of the intervention (P= 0·04), less prospective food consumption (P= 0·03) and less thirst (P= 0·003). To conclude, replacing daily snacks for 12 weeks with oligofructose-supplemented granola bars does not differentially affect energy intake, body weight and body composition compared with a control bar. However, there was an indication that appetite was lower after oligofructose bar consumption.
Phytochemical and acute toxicity of ethanolic extract from leaves of Annona muricata (L.) from Benin in experimental albino rats

The aims of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical composition and acute toxicity of ethanolic extract from leaves of Annona muricata (L.) from Benin. The results of phytochemical analysis indicated that tanins gallics, tanins catechics, flavonoids, leuco-anthocyans and mucilages are presents in leaves of Annona muricata. However, quinonics and cyanogenics derivatives as well as saponosides are not detected. The results of acute oral toxicity of ethanolic extract from leaves of Annona muricata indicated that the LD50 value of the ethanolic extract from leaves of Annona muricata was 3750 mg.kg, corresponding to the low class toxicity substance.
Assessing Relations Between Changes in Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Lightning Patterns Using GIS Based Methods

1. Background Forecasting the path and intensity of tropical cyclones (TCs) continues to perplex scientists and forecasters alike. Although track forecasts have improved considerably in recent decades, there has been little improvement in intensity forecasts. Previous research has suggested that lightning activity is related to storm intensity. Some studies have indicated that lightning bursts in a TC’s inner core may be a precursor to storm intensification (e.g., Lyons and Keen 1994) while others found that lightning is more common during or after rapid intensification (Molinari et al. 1994, 1999; Squires and Businger 2007). Still others have shown that lightning bursts can occur before, during, and after intensity change (Samsury et al. 1994). Most previous efforts have focused on a relatively small number of storms in near-coastal areas using data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN). Vaisala’s recently developed Long Range Lightning Detection Network (LLDN) now allows us to examine lightning in storms that are well offshore. Our use of LLDN is important since Khain et al. (2009) hypothesized that increased lightning in tropical cyclones may be related to aerosol intrusion from nearby landmasses. Our TC sample includes twenty-one tropical storms and hurricanes that encompass a variety of intensities. Tools such as the Earth Systems Research Institute’s ArcGIS software allow us to visually observe and analyze lightning data in non-conventional ways. This paper discusses our methods as well as preliminary findings regarding inner core lightning in tropical cyclones and its potential role in storm intensity. 2. Methods Storm sample LLDN data were gathered for each storm in our sample. The LLDN consists of sensors from the NLDN, the Canadian Lightning Detection Network (CLDN) and long-range sensors in the North Pacific and Caribbean (Demetriades and Holle 2008). We limited our study to the years 2004 and after due to an NLDN system upgrade during the 2002 and 2003 hurricane seasons. Demetriades and Holle (2008) used LLDN data during 2004 through 2007 in some of their research. Twenty-one Atlantic Basin storms were chosen from 2004 through 2008, including tropical storms as well as weak and intense hurricanes. We emphasized storms that impacted North America and/or spent much of their time over the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea where LLDN detection efficiencies are relatively large.
1 Volume 12 ( 1 ) , 2010 Breastfeeding Practices in Rural Kanpur – A Cross-sectional Study

Objective: To assess the breast feeding practices among mothers in rural Kanpur and to identify the factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study conducted at the Primary Health Centre at block Patara in Kanpur district. Material and Methods: Mothers of all children 6 to 24 months of age, attending the OPD of the Primary Health Centre at block Patara in Kanpur district from April 2008 to June 2008 were included in the study. Information was elicited using a pre-structured questionnaire. Statistical Analysis: The statistical tools used for analysis were percentages and Pearson’s Chi-square test. Results: About 22.2% infants were initiated on breast feeding within 1 hour of birth. Mothers of 51.0% of infants exclusively breast fed their babies for 6 months. Approximately 72.7% infants were given pre-lacteals. Birth interval more than or equal to 3, male child and institutional delivery were factors leading to early initiation of breast feeding.
Quercetin improves survival rate of cisplatin-induced acute nephrotoxicity : A renal clearance and histopathological study

The protective effects of quercetin in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxic rats were investigated. Renal functions using clearance techniques, histopathological analysis, and the oxidative status were determined on days 3, 7, and 14 after a cisplatin (7.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) injection. In cisplatin-treated rats, the survival rate decreased to 59% and 50% on days 7 and 14, respectively. Survived rats had a significant reduction in glomerular filtration rate and an increase in urinary Na and K excretion. Histopathological scoring revealed both glomerular and severe tubular damage along with a significant increase in renal malondialdehyde (MDA) and a reduction in catalase activity. Oral administration of quercetin (50 mg/kg, twice at 24 h and 10 min before cisplatin injection) not only increased the survival rate to 75% but also suppressed the elevation of renal MDA and improved both glomerular and tubular function. The responsible mechanism of the renal protection by quercetin may be via its antioxidant properties.
BI-DIRECTIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF FIRMS LISTED ON THE NAIROBI SECURITIES EXCHANGE

Capital structure decisions are common across firms, yet capital structure theories lack a consensus on how much of debt capital firms should use to finance their operations. The main objective of this study was to investigate the bi-directional relationship between capital structure and financial performance of firms listed on the NSE. The study used canonical correlation technique to determine the bidirectional relationship between capital structure and performance. The result revealed that dominant capital structure indicator to be used in an analysis to predict performance is the total debt to the total asset ratio. In the case of performance, the two variables that relate to capital structure are book value to market value ratio and asset turnover ratio. The results support the conclusion that a bidirectional relationship exists between capital structure and debt capital.