Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Role of Seed Lexicons in Learning Bilingual Word Embeddings

A shared bilingual word embedding space (SBWES) is an indispensable resource in a variety of cross-language NLP and IR tasks. A common approach to the SB-WES induction is to learn a mapping function between monolingual semantic spaces, where the mapping critically relies on a seed word lexicon used in the learning process. In this work, we analyze the importance and properties of seed lexicons for the SBWES induction across different dimensions (i.e., lexicon source, lexicon size, translation method, translation pair reliability). On the basis of our analysis, we propose a simple but effective hybrid bilingual word embedding (BWE) model. This model (HYBWE) learns the mapping be-tween two monolingual embedding spaces using only highly reliable symmetric translation pairs from a seed document-level embedding space. We perform bilingual lexicon learning (BLL) with 3 language pairs and show that by carefully selecting reliable translation pairs our new HYBWE model outperforms benchmarking BWE learning models, all of which use more expensive bilingual signals. Effectively, we demonstrate that a SBWES may be induced by leveraging only a very weak bilingual signal (document alignments) along with monolingual data.
Examining the relationship between the literacy coach's support to teachers in the ways of learning to teach reading

Examining the Relationship between the Literacy Coach’s Support to Teachers in the Ways of Learning to Teach Reading. Mohlanhledi Makumbila The purpose of this study was to examine how an elementary literacy coach supported teachers learning to teach reading in ways that meet the needs of their students. Second, I determined how the coaching influenced the ways in which a classroom teacher plans for and carries out reading instruction. Finally, I understood how the educational context influences the nature of the coaching and how classroom teachers learned to teach reading. The literature review suggests that “when schools function in a way in which staff members have opportunities to interact and talk collegially about issues related to their own, as well as student learning, and are supported by administrators who recognize the importance of collaboration, the school will have quality teaching and learning in both teachers and students involved” (Bean and Swan Dagen, 2012, p. xii). I conducted two interviews per participant and have a total of six interviews. Content analysis was used to analyze the data because it helped in the classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns of the data. The findings of this study are presented through the literacy coach and teachers interview’s responses; participants’ descriptions of literacy coach supporting teacher learning, and descriptions of teacher learning through the support of literacy coach. My analysis indicated that teachers acknowledged the support provided by the literacy coach on the process of teaching reading. It was also found that the literacy coach used teachers’ needs to provide support and planning her professional development. Analysis of the data revealed that teachers learned through the following support (a) the literacy coach came into teachers’ classroom, and co-taught with them, (b) she modeled lessons while teachers watching the styles of practices, (c) she provided them with the opportunities to practice instruction while they have been observed and got feedback immediately, (d) she helped them to practice new things like the Daily 5 approach, running records, and Being-A-Writer, (e) she provided professional development, (f) she researched relevant literacy resources required by teachers to promote students’ reading achievement, (g) she encouraged them to learn from other teachers during the weekly small grade-level groups of professional learning communities, and (h) she influenced them to learn planning instruction through the use of the students’ interest. Because of the limitations of this study, the results would not be generalized but the results of the study should be helpful in both literatures because the voices teachers raised will be heard in the discussions of literacy coaches. The perceptions of the literacy coach can also provide insight on the basics of literacy coach discussions that would be most effective in the development of teacher learning and support on their instruction and on students’ achievement.
A Novel Membrane Protein-Specific Serine/Threonine Kinase: Tissue Distribution and Role in Sperm Maturation

Our recent studies have described for the first time the purification of an ectoprotein kinase to apparent homogeneity using caprine sperm as the model. Purified ectokinase (CIK) is a novel membrane protein-specific kinase that phosphorylates serine and threonine residues of ectophosphoproteins. This study, using ELISA based on ecto-CIK antibody demonstrates that ecto-CIK level is remarkably higher in the sperm membrane than in the cytosol. The epididymal sperm maturational event as well as sperm vertical velocity is associated with a significant increase in the ecto-CIK level. Ecto-CIK, the membrane protein-specific kinase, is also present in all the tissues tested and is predominantly localized in the cell membrane. Ubiquitous localization of the novel kinase on the mammalian cell membrane suggests that the kinase may play pivotal role in gamete as well as somatic cell regulation by modulating membrane biology through serine/threonine phosphorylation of specific membrane proteins located in the ectodomains.
Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Gram-Negative Pathogenic Bacteria Species Isolated from Periplaneta americana and Blattella germanica in Varanasi, India

Background Cockroaches are among the medically important pests found within the human habitations that cause serious public health problems. They may harbor a number of pathogenic bacteria on the external surface with antibiotic resistance. Hence, they are regarded as major microbial vectors. This study investigates the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria species isolated from Periplaneta americana and Blattella germanica in Varanasi, India. Methods: Totally, 203 adult cockroaches were collected form 44 households and 52 food-handling establishments by trapping. Bacteriological examination of external surfaces of Pe. americana and Bl. germanica were carried out using standard method and antibiotics susceptibility profiles of the isolates were determined using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion methods. Results: Among the places, we found that 54% had cockroache infestation in households and 77% in food- handling establishments. There was no significant different between the overall bacteria load of the external surface in Pe. americana (64.04%) and Bl. germanica (35.96%). However the predominant bacteria on cockroaches were Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, Kl. pneumoniae and Ps. aeruginosa were the most prevalent, drug-resistant strains were isolated from the cockroaches with 100% resistance to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and ampicillin. For individual strains of bacteria, Escherichia coli was found to have multi-resistance to four antibiotic tested, Citrobacter freundii four, Enterobacter aerogenes and Proteus mirabilis to three. Conclusion: Cockroaches are uniformly distributed in domestic environment, which can be a possible vector for transmission of drug-resistant bacteria and food-borne diseases.
Sharp genetic breaks among populations of Haptosquilla pulchella (Stomatopoda) indicate limits to larval transport: patterns, causes, and consequences

To help stem the precipitous decline of coral reef ecosystems world‐wide, conservation efforts are focused on establishing interconnected reserve networks to protect threatened populations. Because many coral reef organisms have a planktonic or pelagic larval dispersal phase, it is critical to understand the patterns of ecological connectivity between reserve populations that result from larval dispersal. We used genetics to infer dispersal patterns among 24 Indo‐West Pacific populations of the mantis shrimp, Haptosquilla pulchella. Contrary to predictions of high dispersal facilitated by the strong currents of the Indonesian throughflow, mitochondrial DNA sequences from 393 individuals displayed striking patterns of regional genetic differentiation concordant with ocean basins isolated during periods of lowered sea level. Patterns of genetic structuring indicate that although dispersal within geographical regions with semicontiguous coastlines spanning thousands of kilometres may be common, ecologically meaningful connections can be rare among populations separated by as little as 300 km of open ocean. Strong genetic mosaics in a species with high dispersal potential highlight the utility of genetics for identifying regional patterns of genetic connectivity between marine populations and show that the assumption that ocean currents will provide ecological connectivity among marine populations must be empirically tested in the design of marine reserve networks.
Hierarchical block boundary-element method (HBBEM): a fast field solver for 3-D capacitance extraction

As feature size decrease, fast and accurate parasitic capacitance extraction has become increasingly critical for verification and analysis in very large scale integration design. In this paper, a fast hierarchical-block boundary-element method based on the boundary-element method (BEM) is presented for three-dimensional (3-D) capacitance extraction, which can give out the global capacitance matrix directly. It assigns the global computation of 3-D domain into local computation in BEM blocks by hierarchical partition 3-D structure. The boundary capacitance matrix (BCM) is computed in the BEM block using all the known conditions. Reuse technology can decrease the running time. After merging the BCMs of all BEM blocks, the global capacitance matrix for a given set of conductors can be computed. Numerical results show that this global hierarchical approach can get very high speed in 3-D computation with equal accuracy as the 3-D field solver.
Extending the UML Metamodel to Provide Support for Crosscutting Concerns

Aspect-orientation is a term used to describe approaches that explicitly capture, model and implement crosscutting concerns (or aspects). There is currently a number of new programming languages as well as extensions to current programming languages, the design dimensions of most of which have been influenced by the AspectJ language through three concepts and their respective constructs, namely join points, point cuts and advice which can support two principles recognized as being key concepts of aspect-oriented programming (AOP): quantification and obliviousness. At the modeling level, the reception of AOP has long been focused on the modeling of AspectJ programs, and there exists no model that is generic enough to capture non-AspectJ aspects either as a source language during forward engineering or as a target language during reverse engineering. In this paper, we present an extension to the UML metamodel to explicitly capture crosscutting concerns. The model is independent from any programming language and abstracted away from platform specific details. An instantiation of the newly created metamodel can be represented in standard XMI format, which enables current CASE tools to read and to visualize the instance models in UML. This language-independent aspectual description can support model transformations vital to software development and maintenance, such as forward engineering, reverse engineering, and reengineering.
GENETIC PARAMETERS FOR GESTATIOB LENGTH, BIRTH DATE AND TIME TO FIRST OBSERVED ESTRUS IB BEEF CATTLE

SUHMARY Genetic and evironmental variability in gestation length (GL), birth date (BD), and time from first day of breeding season to first observed estrus (FE) were analyzed ·using twelve years of breeding and calving records on cows, sired by Simmental, Maine-Anjou, Limous,in and Gelbvieh bulls. All cows were artificially inseminated. Statistical analyses were performed separately on first, second and last parity records. Paternal half-sib estimates of heritability for GL as a trait of the calf were between . 36 and . 45 while the estimates for BD were between . 09 and . 24. The estimates of heritability for FE, treated as a trait of the cow, were less than . 10. Heritabilities for maternal additive effects were small for GL and BD. The correlation between direct and maternal additive eUects were negative for GL and BD in parity 1 and for GL in parity 2. The expected annua I responses to selection on an index that maximizes the sum of the direct and maternal breeding values were . 76 d and 1.03 d for BD and GL, respectively .
Sparse Demixing of Hyperspectral Images

In the LMM for hyperspectral images, all the image spectra lie on a high-dimensional simplex with corners called endmembers. Given a set of endmembers, the standard calculation of fractional abundances with constrained least squares typically identifies the spectra as combinations of most, if not all, endmembers. We assume instead that pixels are combinations of only a few endmembers, yielding abundance vectors that are sparse. We introduce sparse demixing (SD), which is a method that is similar to orthogonal matching pursuit, for calculating these sparse abundances. We demonstrate that SD outperforms an existing L1 demixing algorithm, which we prove to depend adversely on the angles between endmembers. We combine SD with dictionary learning methods to calculate automatically endmembers for a provided set of spectra. Applying it to an airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer image of Cuprite, NV, yields endmembers that compare favorably with signatures from the USGS spectral library.
Characterization and Functional Analysis of the Potato Pollen-Specific Microtubule-Associated Protein SBgLR in Tobacco

Microtubule-associated proteins play a crucial role in the regulation of microtubule dynamics, and are very important for plant cell and organ development. SBgLR is a potato pollen-specific protein, with five imperfect V-V-E-K-K-N/E-E repetitive motifs that are responsible for microtubule binding activity. In present study, SBgLR showed typical microtubule-associated protein characteristics; it bound tubulin and microtubules, and colocalized with microtubules in vitro. We also found that SBgLR could form oligomers, and that both the SBgLR monomers and oligomers bundle microtubules in vitro. Constitutive expression of SBgLR in tobacco caused curving and right-handed twisting root growth, abnormal directional cell expansion and cell layer arrangement, and pollen abortion. Immunofluorescence staining assays revealed that microtubule organization is altered in root epidermal cells in SBgLR-overexpressing lines. These suggest that SBgLR functions as a microtubule-associated protein in pollen development. Our results indicate that normal organization of MTs may be crucial for pollen development.
Cash Holdings Among Small Businesses

I examine the frictions of financial distress, information asymmetry, agency costs, and taxes and the effects they have on observed cash positions of small firms. Firms with higher costs of financial distress, as measured by the amount of research and development conducted by the firm, hold more cash. Firms with greater leverage tend to hold more cash for preventative purposes. Firms perceiving greater information asymmetries when they need money in the future hold more cash relative to firms perceiving a lesser degree of information asymmetry. This is in contrast to firms that have had difficulty in the past raising capital who have lower cash holdings, suggesting that these firms may be operating below their optimal cash position. Older firms carry more cash, even though they should have better access to capital in the future. Cash holdings decrease with size, suggesting economies of scale in the benefits of cash. I also find support for managerial ownership having an effect on cash holdings, but that taxes have no impact.
A spiking neural network model of self-organized pattern recognition in the early mammalian olfactory system

Olfactory sensory information passes through several processing stages before an odor percept emerges. The question how the olfactory system learns to create odor representations linking those different levels and how it learns to connect and discriminate between them is largely unresolved. We present a large-scale network model with single and multi-compartmental Hodgkin–Huxley type model neurons representing olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in the epithelium, periglomerular cells, mitral/tufted cells and granule cells in the olfactory bulb (OB), and three types of cortical cells in the piriform cortex (PC). Odor patterns are calculated based on affinities between ORNs and odor stimuli derived from physico-chemical descriptors of behaviorally relevant real-world odorants. The properties of ORNs were tuned to show saturated response curves with increasing concentration as seen in experiments. On the level of the OB we explored the possibility of using a fuzzy concentration interval code, which was implemented through dendro-dendritic inhibition leading to winner-take-all like dynamics between mitral/tufted cells belonging to the same glomerulus. The connectivity from mitral/tufted cells to PC neurons was self-organized from a mutual information measure and by using a competitive Hebbian–Bayesian learning algorithm based on the response patterns of mitral/tufted cells to different odors yielding a distributed feed-forward projection to the PC. The PC was implemented as a modular attractor network with a recurrent connectivity that was likewise organized through Hebbian–Bayesian learning. We demonstrate the functionality of the model in a one-sniff-learning and recognition task on a set of 50 odorants. Furthermore, we study its robustness against noise on the receptor level and its ability to perform concentration invariant odor recognition. Moreover, we investigate the pattern completion capabilities of the system and rivalry dynamics for odor mixtures.
Surveys of IT in the Construction Industry and Experience of the IT Barometer in Scandinavia

With many surveys being carried out on the use of IT, it is important to ensure that their results can be compared and that they can be repeated to gain a picture of the growth of IT use and of particular successes. The IT barometer survey summarised in this paper compares results from Denmark, Finland and Sweden on the use of computer hardware, software and communications. It is complementary to other surveys looking at the strategic use of IT within companies. Microsoft products dominate both operating systems and office applications in all these countries but there is greater useWindows NT and UNIX in Finland. CAD is used in almost all design offices in Sweden, with Autocad as the dominant product, but Microstation is now more widely used by architects in Denmark. CAD data structures are becoming more advanced with objects being used by more firms in Finland and Sweden, but structured 2D data dominates in Denmark. Communications networks are used in about 90% of Swedish firms but only in about 60% in Denmark. Danish property managers make greater use of computers. Further analysis is needed of the data from Finland, and comparable surveys are being carried out in other countries. The comparison of these is being coordinated by the CIB W78 group which plans to repeat the surveys, using similar questions, in 2000. This will help to measure the increase in awareness and use of IT resulting from national IT development projects which have started in Finland and Sweden. A network linking national IT centres is planned to exchange experience and coordinate this work, so that there can be greater integration of systems between different types of firm in construction, and within international projects.
Fiscal Transparency, Gubernatorial Approval, and the Scale of Government: Evidence from the States

We explore the effect of the transparency of fiscal institutions in government on the scale of government and gubernatorial approval using a formal model of accountability. We construct an index of fiscal transparency for the American states from detailed budgetary information. With cross-sectional data for 1986–95, we find that—on average and controlling for other factors—fiscal transparency increases both the scale of government and gubernatorial approval. Our results imply that more transparent fiscal institutions induce greater effort by politicians, to whom voters give higher job approval, on average. Voters also respond by entrusting greater resources to politicians where fiscal institutions are more transparent, leading to larger government.
Strong horizontal photospheric magnetic field in a surface dynamo simulation

Context. Observations with the Hinode spectro-polarimeter have revealed strong horizontal internetwork magnetic fields in the quiet solar photosphere. Aims. We aim to interpret the observations with results from numerical simulations. Methods. Radiative MHD simulations of dynamo action by near-surface convection are analyzed with respect to the relation between vertical and horizontal magnetic field components. Results. The dynamo-generated fields show a clear dominance of the horizontal field in the height range where the spectral lines used for the Hinode observations are formed. The ratio between the averaged horizontal and vertical field components is consistent with the values derived from the observations. This behavior results from the intermittent nature of the dynamo field with polarity mixing on small scales in the surface layers. Conclusions. Our results provide further evidence that local near-surface dynamo action contributes significantly to the solar internetwork fields.
How teachers perceive differentiation of education among the gifted and talented

AbstractThis paper reports a study of how Finnish elementary and secondary teachers perceive the need to differentiate education for gifted and talented youth. Conducted in 1989, this survey involved 393 teachers. The motivation for this study arises from current discussion on the development of gifted education in Finland. The official educational policy in Finland has acknowledged the need to create special programs for gifted students. This study attempts to give some general guidelines from the teachers’ points of view in differentiating education for the gifted in different grade levels. The results show that elementary and secondary teachers differ in their opinions and that the methods of differentiation emphasized in elementary and secondary levels are different.
Microbiological Safety of Kitchen Sponges Used in Food Establishments

Kitchen sponges are among the possible sources of contaminants in food establishments. The main purpose of the current study was, therefore, to assess the microbiological safety of sponges as it has been used in selected food establishments of Jimma town. Accordingly, the microbiological safety of a total of 201 kitchen sponges randomly collected from food establishments was evaluated against the total counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and yeast and molds. The mean counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria ranged from 7.43 to 12.44 log CFU/mm3. The isolated genera were dominated by Pseudomonas (16.9%), Bacillus (11.1%), Micrococcus (10.6%), Streptococcus (7.8%), and Lactobacillus (6%) excluding the unidentified Gram positive rods (4.9%) and Gram negative rods (9.9%). The high microbial counts (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, and yeast and molds) reveal the existence of poor kitchen sponge sanitization practice. Awareness creation training on basic hygienic practices to food handlers and periodic change of kitchen sponges are recommended.