Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatically Producing Plot Unit Representations for Narrative Text

In the 1980s, plot units were proposed as a conceptual knowledge structure for representing and summarizing narrative stories. Our research explores whether current NLP technology can be used to automatically produce plot unit representations for narrative text. We create a system called AESOP that exploits a variety of existing resources to identify affect states and applies "projection rules" to map the affect states onto the characters in a story. We also use corpus-based techniques to generate a new type of affect knowledge base: verbs that impart positive or negative states onto their patients (e.g., being eaten is an undesirable state, but being fed is a desirable state). We harvest these "patient polarity verbs" from a Web corpus using two techniques: co-occurrence with Evil/Kind Agent patterns, and bootstrapping over conjunctions of verbs. We evaluate the plot unit representations produced by our system on a small collection of Aesop's fables.
Extractive Text Summarization using Neural Networks

Text Summarization has been an extensively studied problem. Traditional approaches to text summarization rely heavily on feature engineering. In contrast to this, we propose a fully data-driven approach using feedforward neural networks for single document summarization. We train and evaluate the model on standard DUC 2002 dataset which shows results comparable to the state of the art models. The proposed model is scalable and is able to produce the summary of arbitrarily sized documents by breaking the original document into fixed sized parts and then feeding it recursively to the network.
Refining Boosting Effects of Cellulase and Xylanase on P-RC APMP Pulp of Fast-growing Poplar Lop Wood

Refining boosting effect of cellulase and xylanase on P-RC APMP pulp of fast-growing poplar lop wood were studied.The results showed that the refining condition and quality of P-RC APMP pulp were improved.The beating degree of treated pulp increased in range from 3°SR to 11°SR,and refining energy decreased obviously.The optimal dosages of cellulase and xylanase were 25 IU·g~(-1). Compared with unpretreated pulp,the breaking length,tearing index,bursting index,folding endurance and brightness of the pretreated pulp by cellulose were improved respectively 12%,13%,14%,250%and 1.2%ISO,and that of the pretreated pulp by xylanase were improved respectively 2%,15%,12%,75%and 1.9%ISO. The PC value of the pretreated pulp by cellulase and xylanas decreased.It was found that pretreatment effect of cellulase was better than that of xylanase.
The unexpected diversity of dwarf galaxy rotation curves

We examine the circular velocity profiles of galaxies in A cold dark matter (CDM) cosmological hydrodynamical simulations from the EAGLE and LOCAL GROUPS projects and compare them with a compilation of observed rotation curves of galaxies spanning a wide range in mass. The shape of the circular velocity profiles of simulated galaxies varies systematically as a function of galaxy mass, but shows remarkably little variation at fixed maximum circular velocity. This is especially true for low-mass dark-matter-dominated systems, reflecting the expected similarity of the underlying CDM haloes. This is at odds with observed dwarf galaxies, which show a large diversity of rotation curve shapes, even at fixed maximum rotation speed. Some dwarfs have rotation curves that agree well with simulations, others do not. The latter are systems where the inferred mass enclosed in the inner regions is much lower than expected for CDM haloes and include many galaxies where previous work claims the presence of a constant density 'core'. The 'cusp versus core' issue is thus better characterized as an 'inner mass deficit' problem than as a density slope mismatch. For several galaxies, the magnitude of this inner mass deficit is well in excess of that reported in recent simulations where cores result from baryon-induced fluctuations in the gravitational potential. We conclude that one or more of the following statements must be true: (i) the dark matter is more complex than envisaged by any current model; (ii) current simulations fail to reproduce the diversity in the effects of baryons on the inner regions of dwarf galaxies; and/or (iii) the mass profiles of 'inner mass deficit' galaxies inferred from kinematic data are incorrect.
Structure of the scarab beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in forest remnants of western Puerto Rico

Martinez NJ, Franz NM, Acosta JA. 2009. Structure of the scarab beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in forest remnants of western Puerto Rico. Entomotropica 24(1): 1-9. We studied the richness and abundance of scarab beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in two successional forest fragments located on the campus of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM), western Puerto Rico. The sampling period extended from April to December, 2005, and included nine monthly repetitions of quantitative captures using necrophilous, pitfall, and light traps. A total of 2399 individuals pertaining to 14 species, or 36% of the Island’s total scarab diversity, were caught. The spatial variation in diversity and abundance was low among sites. However, there was a significant shift in community structure between the drier season (April to June) and rainy season (September to December). The following four species constituted 92% of all captured individuals: Canthochilum andyi Chapin, C. borinquensis Matthews, C. taino Matthews, and Phyllophaga vandinei Smyth. The results underscore the important role that western Puerto Rican forest fragments play in maintaining regional scarab beetle communities, and provide a baseline for developing ecological assessment tools for these habitats.
Measuring the Success of Context-Aware Security Behaviour Surveys

Background: We reflect on a methodology for developing scenario-based security behaviour surveys that evolved through deployment in two large partner organisations (A & B). In each organisation, scenarios are grounded in workplace tensions between security and employees’ productive tasks. These tensions are drawn from prior interviews in the organisation, rather than using established but generic questionnaires. Survey responses allow clustering of participants according to predefined groups. Aim: We aim to establish the usefulness of framing survey questions around active security controls and problems experienced by employees, by assessing the validity of the clustering. We introduce measures for the appropriateness of the survey scenarios for each organisation and the quality of candidate answer options. We use these scores to articulate the methodological improvements between the two surveys. Method: We develop a methodology to verify the clustering of participants, where 516 (A) and 195 (B) free-text responses are coded by two annotators. Inter-annotator metrics are adopted to identify agreement. Further, we analyse 5196 (A) and 1824 (B) appropriateness and severity scores to measure the appropriateness and quality of the questions. Results: Participants rank questions in B as more appropriate than in A, although the variations in the severity of the answer options available to participants is higher in B than in A. We find that the scenarios presented in B are more recognisable to the participants, suggesting that the survey design has indeed improved. The annotators mostly agree strongly on their codings with Krippendorff’s α\textgreater0.7. A number of clusterings should be questioned, although α improves for reliable questionsby 0.15 from A to B. Conclusions: To be able to draw valid conclusions from survey responses, the train of analysis needs to be verifiable. Our approach allows us to further validate the clustering of responses by utilising free-text responses. Further, we establish the relevance and appropriateness of the scenarios for individual organisations. While much prior research draws on survey instruments from research before it, this is then often applied in a different context; in these cases adding metrics of appropriateness and severity to the survey design can ensure that results relate to the security experiences of employees.
CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated knockout of Lim‐domain only four retards organ of Corti cell growth

Lim‐domain only 4 (LMO4) plays a critical role in mediating the ototoxic side‐effects of cisplatin, a highly effective anti‐cancer drug. However, the signaling mechanism by which cochlear LMO4 mediates otopathology is yet to be fully understood. Knockout cell culture models are useful tools for investigating the functional roles of novel genes and delineating associated signaling pathways. Therefore, LMO4 knockout organ of Corti cells were generated by using the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats)/Cas9 (CRISPR‐associated protein 9) system. Successful knockout of LMO4 in UB/OC1 cells was verified by the absence of LMO4 protein bands in immunoblots. Though the Knockout of LMO4 retarded the growth rate and the migratory potential of the cells it did not inhibit their long‐term viability as the LMO4 knockout UB/OC1 cells were able to survive, proliferate, and form colonies. In addition, the knockout of LMO4 did not alter the expression of myosin VIIa, a biomarker of hair cells, suggesting that the knockout cells retain important characteristic features of cochlear sensory receptor cells. Thus, the findings of this study indicate that CRISPR/Cas9 system is a simple and versatile method for knocking out genes of interest in organ of Corti cells and that LMO4 knockout UB/OC1 cells are viable experimental models for studying the functional role of LMO4 in ototoxicity.
Sliding mode control of a magnetic levitation system

Sliding mode control schemes of the static and dynamic types are proposed for the control of a magnetic levitation system. The proposed controllers guarantee the asymptotic regulation of the statesof the system to their desired values. Simulation results of the proposed controllers are given to illustrate the effectiveness of them. Robustness of the control schemes to changes in the parameters of the system is also investigated.
Anomaly detection by combining decision trees and parametric densities

In this paper a modified decision tree algorithm for anomaly detection is presented. During the tree building process, densities for the outlier class are used directly in the split point determination algorithm. No artificial counter-examples have to be sampled from the unknown class, which yields to more precise decision boundaries and a deterministic classification result. Furthermore, the prior of the outlier class can be used to adjust the sensitivity of the anomaly detector. The proposed method combines the advantages of classification trees with the benefit of a more accurate representation of the outliers. For evaluation, we compare our approach with other state-of-the-art anomaly detection algorithms on four standard data sets including the KDD-Cup 99. The results show that the proposed method performs as well as more complex approaches and is even superior on three out of four data sets.
Fluctuation – a common but neglected pattern of physical activity behaviour: An exploratory review of studies in recent 20 years

Abstract Background: Regular physical activity (PA) is beneficial for physical and psychological well-being, yet many people do not achieve these health benefits due to irregular PA participation which is also known as fluctuation. Limited attention has been given to the phenomenon of fluctuation in the PA behaviour literature. Objective: The aim of this review was to explore and to map definitions, measurements, behavioural evidence, and factors related to PA fluctuation. Methods: Eligible studies were initially identified by a systematic search of articles conducted in four databases: Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus between January 1996 and March 2016. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set to check the eligibility of all articles. Additional articles were included by manual searching and expert recommendation. Results: Fifteen articles were finally included. Definitions of fluctuation are understood from two perspectives, either as a stage in the process of behaviour change, or as a particular PA phenomenon consisting of lapse and readoption. Common features were extracted: behavioural irregularity, high risk of drop-out, intention and readiness for PA, low automaticity, and limited self-regulation. Furthermore, fluctuation identification was summarised in three approaches such as stage algorithm, self-identified PA lapse and readoption, and prospective within-person variation in meeting the PA guidelines. Regarding the empirical evidence, this review found that people in PA fluctuation were significantly distinct from those in preparation and maintenance of PA behavioural performance, as well as distinct in psychosocial features. Conclusions: Notwithstanding the limitations, this review has provided valuable insight into the phenomenon of PA fluctuation.
Phantom PAINS: Problems with the Utility of Alerts for Pan-Assay INterference CompoundS

The use of substructural alerts to identify Pan-Assay INterference compoundS (PAINS) has become a common component of the triage process in biological screening campaigns. These alerts, however, were originally derived from a proprietary library tested in just six assays measuring protein–protein interaction (PPI) inhibition using the AlphaScreen detection technology only; moreover, 68% (328 out of the 480 alerts) were derived from four or fewer compounds. In an effort to assess the reliability of these alerts as indicators of pan-assay interference, we performed a large-scale analysis of the impact of PAINS alerts on compound promiscuity in bioassays using publicly available data in PubChem. We found that the majority (97%) of all compounds containing PAINS alerts were actually infrequent hitters in AlphaScreen assays measuring PPI inhibition. We also found that the presence of PAINS alerts, contrary to expectations, did not reflect any heightened assay activity trends across all assays in PubChem including AlphaScreen, luciferase, beta-lactamase, or fluorescence-based assays. In addition, 109 PAINS alerts were present in 3570 extensively assayed, but consistently inactive compounds called Dark Chemical Matter. Finally, we observed that 87 small molecule FDA-approved drugs contained PAINS alerts and profiled their bioassay activity. Based on this detailed analysis of PAINS alerts in nonproprietary compound libraries, we caution against the blind use of PAINS filters to detect and triage compounds with possible PAINS liabilities and recommend that such conclusions should be drawn only by conducting orthogonal experiments.
Reduced Levels of mGlu2 Receptors within the Prelimbic Cortex Are Not Associated with Elevated Glutamate Transmission or High Alcohol Drinking

BACKGROUND A Grm2 cys407* stop codon mutation, which results in a loss of the metabotropic glutamate 2 (mGlu2) receptor protein, was identified as being associated with high alcohol drinking by alcohol-preferring (P) rats. The objectives of the current study were to characterize the effects of reduced levels of mGlu2 receptors on glutamate transmission and alcohol drinking. METHODS Quantitative no-net-flux microdialysis was used to test the hypothesis that basal extracellular glutamate levels in the prelimbic (PL) cortex and nucleus accumbens shell (NACsh) will be higher in P than Wistar rats. A lentiviral-delivered short-hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown was used to test the hypothesis that reduced levels of mGlu2 receptors within the PL cortex will increase voluntary alcohol drinking by Wistar rats. A linear regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis that there will be a significant correlation between the Grm2 cys407* mutation and level of alcohol intake. RESULTS Extracellular glutamate concentrations within the PL cortex (3.6 ± 0.6 vs. 6.4 ± 0.6 μM) and NACsh (3.2 ± 0.4 vs. 6.6 ± 0.6 μM) were significantly lower in female P than female Wistar rats. Western blot detected the presence of mGlu2 receptors in these regions of female Wistar rats, but not female P rats. Micro-infusion of shRNAs into the PL cortex significantly reduced local mGlu2 receptor levels (by 40%), but did not alter voluntary alcohol drinking in male Wistar rats. In addition, there was no significant correlation between the Grm2 mutation and alcohol intake in 36 rodent lines (r = 0.29, p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these results suggest a lack of association between the loss of mGlu2 receptors and glutamate transmission in the NACsh and PL cortex of female P rats, and between the level of mGlu2 receptors in the PL cortex and alcohol drinking of male Wistar rats.
Passion Play: The Relationship between Passion and Motivation in On-Line Gaming

The study examined the relationship between massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) users’ motivations for playing and obsessive and harmonious passion. In the current study, data was gathered from 136 participants using the Passion Scale and the Users’ Experience Measurement in MMORPGs Questionnaire. Results showed that obsessive passion had a positive correlation with role play, challenge, competition, and fantasy. Further, harmonious passion was found to have significant positive relationships with all motivation factors except for competition. Clinical implications of the study may indicate that in dealing with patients who suffer from compulsive gaming, focusing on ways to meet psychological needs in the real world instead of through on-line gaming, via emphasis on need satisfaction may provide a helpful intervention method.
Prospective association of depression and phobic anxiety with changes in telomere lengths over 11 years

Although depression and anxiety have been associated with shorter telomeres in cross‐sectional studies, the data regarding the prospective relations of depression and anxiety to accelerated telomere length shortening are limited and findings are mixed. We prospectively examined relations of baseline depression and phobic anxiety to subsequent 11‐year change in relative leukocyte telomere lengths (LTLs).
Health Literacy Assessment in an Otolaryngology Clinic Population

Objective To assess health literacy in an adult tertiary care otolaryngology clinic population and to explore potential determinants of inadequate health literacy. Study Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Tertiary care otolaryngology clinic. Subjects and Methods The study population included all adult patients treated at 3 of Stanford University’s adult otolaryngology clinic sites between March 1 and 11, 2016. Data were collected via an anonymous questionnaire. Health literacy was assessed with the Brief Health Literacy Screen. Results Ten percent of patients had inadequate health literacy. White race (odds ratio [OR], 0.23) and having English as the primary language (OR, 0.12) were associated with adequate health literacy, while high school or lower level of education (OR, 3.2) was associated with inadequate health literacy. Age, sex, and Hispanic ethnicity were not associated with health literacy. Conclusion Our study highlights the need for health literacy screening in the otolaryngology clinic setting and identifies sociodemographic risk factors for inadequate health literacy. Further studies are needed to assess the impact of health literacy on patient outcomes and to test specific interventions to address health literacy and health outcomes.
Platelet-localized FXI promotes a vascular coagulation-inflammatory circuit in arterial hypertension

Blockade of an inflammatory, thrombin-activated feedback loop on platelets controls high blood pressure. Spotlight on factor XI Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and vascular inflammation are inextricably linked, often co-occurring. Kossmann et al. have now discovered a regulatory pathway linking these pathologies that could be inhibited to allow the control of treatment-resistant high blood pressure. In rats and mice with hypertension, the authors found that vascular disease is driven by an overactive thrombin-driven factor XI feedback loop on platelets. Inhibition of this feedback loop with an antisense molecule against factor XI reduced both the vascular pathology and hypertension. The authors show that this factor XI–dependent feedback loop also operates in patients with uncontrolled hypertension, raising the possibility that factor XI inhibition may prove a useful addition to our armamentarium for treating high blood pressure. Multicellular interactions of platelets, leukocytes, and the blood vessel wall support coagulation and precipitate arterial and venous thrombosis. High levels of angiotensin II cause arterial hypertension by a complex vascular inflammatory pathway that requires leukocyte recruitment and reactive oxygen species production and is followed by vascular dysfunction. We delineate a previously undescribed, proinflammatory coagulation-vascular circuit that is a major regulator of vascular tone, blood pressure, and endothelial function. In mice with angiotensin II–induced hypertension, tissue factor was up-regulated, as was thrombin-dependent endothelial cell vascular cellular adhesion molecule 1 expression and integrin αMβ2– and platelet-dependent leukocyte adhesion to arterial vessels. The resulting vascular inflammation and dysfunction was mediated by activation of thrombin-driven factor XI (FXI) feedback, independent of factor XII. The FXI receptor glycoprotein Ibα on platelets was required for this thrombin feedback activation in angiotensin II–infused mice. Inhibition of FXI synthesis with an antisense oligonucleotide was sufficient to prevent thrombin propagation on platelets, vascular leukocyte infiltration, angiotensin II–induced endothelial dysfunction, and arterial hypertension in mice and rats. Antisense oligonucleotide against FXI also reduced the increased blood pressure and attenuated vascular and kidney dysfunction in rats with established arterial hypertension. Further, platelet-localized thrombin generation was amplified in an FXI-dependent manner in patients with uncontrolled arterial hypertension, suggesting that platelet-localized thrombin generation may serve as an inflammatory marker of high blood pressure. Our results outline a coagulation-inflammation circuit that promotes vascular dysfunction, and highlight the possible utility of FXI-targeted anticoagulants in treating hypertension, beyond their application as antithrombotic agents in cardiovascular disease.
Inhibition of the potassium channel Kv1.3 reduces infarction and inflammation in ischemic stroke

Inhibitors of the voltage‐gated K+ channel Kv1.3 are currently in development as immunomodulators for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. As Kv1.3 is also expressed on microglia and has been shown to be specifically up‐regulated on “M1‐like” microglia, we here tested the therapeutic hypothesis that the brain‐penetrant small‐molecule Kv1.3‐inhibitor PAP‐1 reduces secondary inflammatory damage after ischemia/reperfusion.
Adaptive Integration of the Compressed Algorithm of CS and NPC for the ECG Signal Compressed Algorithm in VLSI Implementation

Compressed sensing (CS) is a promising approach to the compression and reconstruction of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. It has been shown that following reconstruction, most of the changes between the original and reconstructed signals are distributed in the Q, R, and S waves (QRS) region. Furthermore, any increase in the compression ratio tends to increase the magnitude of the change. This paper presents a novel approach integrating the near-precise compressed (NPC) and CS algorithms. The simulation results presented notable improvements in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and compression ratio (CR). The efficacy of this approach was verified by fabricating a highly efficient low-cost chip using the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) 0.18-μm Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The proposed core has an operating frequency of 60 MHz and gate counts of 2.69 K.