Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Embedding Words and Senses Together via Joint Knowledge-Enhanced Training

Word embeddings are widely used in Natural Language Processing, mainly due to their success in capturing semantic information from massive corpora. However, their creation process does not allow the different meanings of a word to be automatically separated, as it conflates them into a single vector. We address this issue by proposing a new model which learns word and sense embeddings jointly. Our model exploits large corpora and knowledge from semantic networks in order to produce a unified vector space of word and sense embeddings. We evaluate the main features of our approach both qualitatively and quantitatively in a variety of tasks, highlighting the advantages of the proposed method in comparison to state-of-the-art word- and sense-based models.
Hoxa2 Inhibits Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling during Osteogenic Differentiation of the Palatal Mesenchyme

Cleft palate is one of the most common congenital birth defects worldwide. The homeobox (Hox) family of genes are key regulators of embryogenesis, with Hoxa2 having a direct role in secondary palate development. Hoxa2−/− mice exhibit cleft palate; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to cleft palate in Hoxa2−/− mice is largely unknown. Addressing this issue, we found that Hoxa2 regulates spatial and temporal programs of osteogenic differentiation in the developing palate by inhibiting bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling dependent osteoblast markers. Expression of osteoblast markers, including Runx2, Sp7, and AlpI were increased in Hoxa2−/− palatal shelves at embryonic day (E) 13.5 and E15.5. Hoxa2−/− mouse embryonic palatal mesenchyme (MEPM) cells exhibited increased bone matrix deposition and mineralization in vitro. Moreover, loss of Hoxa2 resulted in increased osteoprogenitor cell proliferation and osteogenic commitment during early stages of palate development at E13.5. Consistent with upregulation of osteoblast markers, Hoxa2−/− palatal shelves displayed higher expression of canonical BMP signaling in vivo. Blocking BMP signaling in Hoxa2−/− primary MEPM cells using dorsomorphin restored cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation to wild-type levels. Collectively, these data demonstrate for the first time that Hoxa2 may regulate palate development by inhibiting osteogenic differentiation of palatal mesenchyme via modulating BMP signaling.
The Role of Non-Financial Factors on Internal Credit Ratings

Internal credit ratings are expected to gain in importance because of their potential use for determining regulatory capital adequacy and banks' increasing focus on the risk-return profile in commercial lending. Therefore, the components of internal credit ratings merit not only a qualitative but also a quantitative analysis. Whereas the eligibility of financial factors as inputs for credit ratings is widely accepted, the role of non-financial factors remains ambiguous. Analysing credit file data from four major German banks we find evidence that the combined use of financial and non-financial factors leads to a more accurate prediction of current and future default events than the single use of each of these factors respectively.
Tie-breaking can maximize fairness without sacrificing throughput in D2D-assisted networks

Opportunistic schedulers such as MaxRate and Proportional Fair are known for trading off between throughput and fairness of users in cellular networks. In this paper, we propose a novel solution that integrates opportunistic scheduling design principles and cooperative D2D communication capabilities in order to maximize fairness without sacrificing throughput. Specifically, we develop a mathematical approach and design a smart tie-breaking scheme which maximizes the fairness achieved by the MaxRate scheduler. However, our approach could be applied to improve fairness of any scheduler. In addition, we show that users that cooperatively form D2D clusters benefit from both higher throughput and fairness. Our scheduling scheme is simple to implement, scales linearly with the number of clusters, and is able to double the throughput of Equal Time schedulers and to outperform by 20% or more Proportional Fair schedulers, while providing a user fairness index comparable to or better than Proportional Fair.
Constitutive modeling of SMA SMP multifunctional high performance smart adaptive shape memory composite

Materials design involving the thermomechanical constitutive modeling of shape memory alloy (SMA) and shape memory polymer (SMP) composites is a key topic in the development of smart adaptive shape memory composites (SASMC). In this work, a constitutive model for SASMC is developed. First, a one-dimensional SMA model, which can simulate the pseudoelastic (PE) and shape memory effects (SME) is presented. Subsequently, a one-dimensional SMP model able to reproduce the SME is addressed. Both SMA and SMP models are based on a single internal state variable, namely the martensite fraction and the frozen fraction, which can be expressed as a function of temperature. A consistent form of the analytical solution for the SMP model is obtained using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method. Finally, the SASMC constitutive model is proposed, following two analytical homogenization approaches. One approach is based on an equivalent inclusion method and the other approach is the rule of mixtures. The SMA and SMP constitutive models are validated independently with experimental results. However, the validation of the composite model is performed using the two homogenization approaches and a close agreement in results is observed. Results regarding the isothermal and thermomechanical stress–strain responses are analyzed as a function of SMA volume fraction. Further, it is concluded that the proposed composite model is able to reproduce consistently the overall composite response by taking into consideration not only the phase transformations, variable modulus and transformation stresses in SMA but also the variable modulus, the evolution of stored strain and thermal strain in the SMP.
Polymorphisms in genes encoding drugs and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, DNA repair enzymes, and response to treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

PURPOSE The most common childhood malignancy, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in children because of resistant cases in which underlying predisposing factors are poorly understood. The interindividual variation in the activity of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes that modify individual somatic mutation burden in the context of environmental exposure was shown to modify susceptibility to childhood ALL. Variable DNA repair capacity may further modulate induced DNA lesions. Similarly, differential capacity of ALL patients to process carcinogens and chemotherapeutic drugs could both modify an individual's risk of recurrent malignancy and response to therapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We investigated the relationship between the risk of relapse in ALL patients and functional polymorphisms in genes encoding carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, including CYP1A1, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, MPO, GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1, NAT1, NAT2, NQO1, as well as DNA-repair enzymes hMLH1, hMSH3, XRCC1, XPF, and APE. Our study included 320 children with ALL, of which 68 relapsed or died because of this disease within 5 years of follow-up. RESULTS Among children of the latter group, we found that carriers of CYP1A1*2A and NQO1*2 variants had worse disease prognosis according to Kaplan-Meier (P = 0.003) and Cox regression (P <or= 0.03) analyses. hMLH1 Ile219 contributed to the increased risk of relapse when combined with the CYP1A1*2A variant. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that determining individual genotypes can become important in predicting disease outcome. Genotyping could also guide the therapeutic protocol.
Relative Quality and Popularity Evaluation of Multilingual Wikipedia Articles

Despite the fact that Wikipedia is often criticized for its poor quality, it continues to be one of the most popular knowledge bases in the world. Articles in this free encyclopedia on various topics can be created and edited in about 300 different language versions independently. Our research has showed that in language sensitive topics, the quality of information can be relatively better in the relevant language versions. However, in most cases, it is difficult for the Wikipedia readers to determine the language affiliation of the described subject. Additionally, each language edition of Wikipedia can have own rules in the manual assessing of the content’s quality. There are also differences in grading schemes between language versions: some use a 6–8 grade system to assess articles, and some are limited to 2–3. This makes automatic quality comparison of articles between various languages a challenging task, particularly if we take into account a large number of unassessed articles; some of the Wikipedia language editions have over 99% of articles without a quality grade. The paper presents the results of a relative quality and popularity assessment of over 28 million articles in 44 selected language versions. Comparative analysis of the quality and the popularity of articles in popular topics was also conducted. Additionally, the correlation between quality and popularity of Wikipedia articles of selected topics in various languages was investigated. The proposed method allows us to find articles with information of better quality that can be used to automatically enrich other language editions of Wikipedia.
A framework for evaluating ERP projects

The objective of this paper is to propose a methodological framework for dealing with the complex problem of evaluating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects. The competitive pressure unleashed by the process of globalization is driving implementation of ERP projects in increasingly large numbers. They occupy a dominant space in today's rapidly increasing IT investments. Paradoxically, researchers have noted a deteriorating trend of evaluation of these investments. Considering huge organizational stakes coupled with a high risk of failure associated with the ERP projects, it is imperative that they are properly evaluated. Conventional methodology, which reckoned cost displacement as the only benefit, has proved inadequate for modern IT projects that have decreasing scope for cost displacement and an increasing focus on effectiveness objectives. Effectiveness is a multi-dimensional attribute and is not amenable to easy quantification. ERP projects need multi-dimensional evaluation criteria and a methodology that extends into the implementation phase as their profile really shapes up in the latter. A solution, in the form of a process framework that incorporates participatory learning and decision-making processes based on Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and the evaluation methodology adopting the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), is proposed. A case example is given to illustrate its applicability in practice.
Hysteresis Modeling of SMA Actuators for Control Applications

Active material actuators, sometimes referred to as "smart" actuators, are gaining widespread use for control actuation. Many of these actuators exhibit hysteresis to some degree between their input and output response. There exists an extensive body of research concerning the modeling of hysteresis for the linearization, or compensation, of these hysteresis nonlinearities. However, the models have typically been identified off-line and mainly used in open-loop compensation. When the identified models do not exactly match the actuator nonlinearities, the compensation can create an error between the desired and actual control output. The hysteresis for several of these actuators has been shown to evolve over time, and can render a fixed hysteresis model inadequate to linearize the hysteretic nonlinearities. This paper presents an adaptive hysteresis model for on-line identification and closed-loop compensation. Laboratory experiments with a shape memory alloy wire actuator provide evidence of the success of the adaptive identification and compensation. In addition, the means of determining the saturation of the SMA using updated information from the adaptive hysteresis model is provided.
A blue Monday? Try walking on a yellow path

This paper presents a preliminary study we have conducted to understand to which extent colors can influence the way we choose urban walking paths beyond the need to move reasonably quick towards our destinations. Building on a mobile application we discuss ColorPath, an application allowing walkers to choose their daily walking routes as a combination of different urban elements to pass through (pleasurable landscapes, historical buildings and monuments, parks and gardens), each corresponding to a specific primary color. After an evaluation campaign with some few avid walkers, we shortly present here our initial findings, showing that emotions and the pleasure enjoyed while walking along particular routes may play a role which is not secondary with respect to the need for speed and accuracy. As our study is still at an initial stage, we took the decision to communicate our first intriguing results through a short paper.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Compressive power spectral density estimation

In this paper, we consider power spectral density estimation of bandlimited, wide-sense stationary signals from sub-Nyquist sampled data. This problem has recently received attention from within the emerging ﬁeld of cognitive radio for example, and solutions have been proposed that use ideas from compressed sensing and the theory of digital alias-free signal processing. Here we develop a compressed sensing based technique that employs multi-coset sampling and produces multi-resolution power spectral estimates at arbitrarily low average sampling rates. The technique applies to spectrally sparse and nonsparse signals alike, but we show that when the wide-sense stationary signal is spectrally sparse, compressed sensing is able to enhance the estimator. The estimator does not require signal reconstruction and can be directly obtained from a straightforward application of nonnegative least squares.
Postnatal support for mothers living in disadvantaged inner city areas: a randomised controlled trial

Study objective: To evaluate the effect of two forms of postnatal social support for disadvantaged inner city mothers on maternal and child health outcomes. Design: Randomised controlled trial with economic and process evaluations and follow up at 12 and 18 months. The two intervention groups received either the offer of a year of monthly supportive listening home visits by a support health visitor (SHV), or a year of support from community groups providing drop in sessions, home visiting and/or telephone support (CGS). Each was compared with a control group that received standard health visitor services. Setting: Two disadvantaged boroughs of London, United Kingdom. Participants: 731 women from culturally diverse backgrounds with infants. Main results: At 12 and 18 months, there was little impact for either intervention on the main outcomes: child injury (SHV: relative risk 0.99; 95% confidence intervals 0.68 to 1.45, CGS: 0.91; 0.61 to1.36), maternal smoking (SHV: 0.86; 0.62 to 1.19, CGS: 0.97; 0.72 to 1.33) or maternal depression (SHV: 0.86; 0.62 to1.19, CGS: 0.93; 0.69 to 1.27). SHV women had different patterns of health service use (with fewer taking their children to the GP) and had less anxious experiences of motherhood than control women. User satisfaction with the SHV intervention was high. Uptake of the CGS intervention was low: 19%, compared with 94% for the SHV intervention. Conclusions: There was no evidence of impact on the primary outcomes of either intervention among this culturally diverse population. The SHV intervention was associated with improvement in some of the secondary outcomes.
A Fast Summation Tree Code for Matérn Kernel

The Matern family of functions is a widely used covariance kernel in spatial statistics for Gaussian process modeling, which in many instances requires calculations with a covariance matrix. In this paper, we design a fast summation algorithm for the Matern kernel in order to efficiently perform matrix-vector multiplications. This algorithm is based on the Barnes-Hut tree code framework and addresses several practical issues: the anisotropy of the kernel, the nonuniform distribution of the point set, and a tight error estimate of the approximation. Even though the algorithmic details differ from the standard tree code in several aspects, empirically the computational cost of our algorithm scales as O(n log n )f orn points. Comprehensive numerical experiments are shown to demonstrate the practicality of the design.
Stress as a Potential Modifier of the Impact of Lead Levels on Blood Pressure: The Normative Aging Study

Background Lead exposure and psychological stress have been independently associated with hypertension in various populations, and animal studies suggest that when they co-occur, their effects may be exacerbated. Objectives We examined whether psychological stress modifies the impact of cumulative lead exposure (measured as bone lead levels) on hypertension and blood pressure in Boston-area community–exposed men participating in the Normative Aging Study. Methods We evaluated the modifying effect of stress on lead exposure on baseline hypertension status (513 participants) and on blood pressure in those without hypertension (237 participants), cross-sectionally. In baseline nonhypertensives, we examined the same risk factors in relation to prospective risk of developing hypertension. Results Cross-sectional analysis revealed a positive interaction between stress and tibia lead on systolic blood pressure, after adjusting for age, body mass index, family history of high blood pressure, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and nutritional factors. In prospective multivariate analyses, high stress also modified the effect of tibia lead and patella lead on the risk of developing hypertension. Those reporting high stress had 2.66 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.43–4.95] times the risk of developing hypertension per standard deviation increase in tibia lead and had 2.64 (95% CI, 1.42–4.92) times the risk per standard deviation increase in patella lead. Conclusion To our knowledge, these are the first analyses to look at interactive effects of stress and lead on hypertension in humans. These results suggest that the effect of lead on hypertension is most pronounced among highly stressed individuals, independent of demographic and behavioral risk factors.
Analysis of the Periodic Update Write Policy For Disk Cache

A disk cache is typically used in file systems to reduce average access time for data storage and retrieval. The 'periodic update' write policy, widely used in existing computer systems, is one in which dirty cache blocks are written to a disk on a periodic basis. The average response time for disk read requests when the periodic update write policy is used is determined. Read and write load, cache-hit ratio, and the disk scheduler's ability to reduce service time under load are incorporated in the analysis, leading to design criteria that can be used to decide among competing cache write policies. The main conclusion is that the bulk arrivals generated by the periodic update policy cause a traffic jam effect which results in severely degraded service. Effective use of the disk cache and disk scheduling can alleviate this problem, but only under a narrow range of operating conditions. Based on this conclusion, alternate write packages that retain the periodic update policy's advantages and provide uniformly better service are proposed. >
Beta-amyloidolysis and glutathione in Alzheimer’s disease

In this review, we hypothesized the importance of the interaction between the brain glutathione (GSH) system, the proteolytic tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA)/plasminogen/ plasmin system, regulated by plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), and neuroserpin in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. The histopathological characteristic hallmark that gives personality to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of neurofibroid tangles located intracellularly in the brain, such as the protein tau and extracellular senile plaques made primarily of amyloidal substance. These formations of complex etiology are intimately related to GSH, brain protective antioxidants, and the proteolytic system, in which t-PA plays a key role. There is scientific evidence that suggests a relationship between aging, a number of neurodegenerative disorders, and the excessive production of reactive oxygen species and accompanying decreased brain proteolysis. The plasminogen system in the brain is an essential proteolytic mechanism that effectively degrades amyloid peptides (“beta-amyloidolysis”) through action of the plasmin, and this physiologic process may be considered to be a means of prevention of neurodegenerative disorders. In parallel to the decrease in GSH levels seen in aging, there is also a decrease in plasmin brain activity and a progressive decrease of t-PA activity, caused by a decrease in the expression of the t-PA together with an increase of the PAI-1 levels, which rise to an increment in the production of amyloid peptides and a lesser clearance of them. Better knowledge of the GSH mechanism and cerebral proteolysis will allow us to hypothesize about therapeutic practices.