Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bag of Words Meets Bags of Popcorn

‘ This problem is selected from one of the Kaggle’s competitions [2]. In this problem, we dig a little ”deeper” into sentiment analysis. Word2Vec is a deep-learning inspired method that focuses on the meaning of words. Word2Vec [3] attempts to understand meaning and semantic relationships among words. It works in a way that is similar to deep approaches, such as recurrent neural nets or deep neural nets, but is computationally more efficient [3].
The Front Velocity approach in the modelling of Simulated Moving Bed process (SMB)

The Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) is a countercurrent and continuum process that presents a high separation efficiency. It has been extensively applied in the separation of the petrochemical compounds, in the enantiomeric separation of racemic drugs, and in other mixtures that are difficult to separate. Currently the models used to predict the mass transport along chromatographic columns consist of systems of partial differential equations that presents a high computational cost. To modeling SMB process the novel approach Front Velocity is presented. This consists of ordinary differential equations and do not utilize adsorption isotherms, and therefore it is not necessary to perform equilibrium experiments, which are common procedures in classical modeling. The first stage of the research work was to characterize the chromatographic column, where the Random constraint window (R2W) algorithm was employed associate to a kinetic mass transfer equation of the new approach in the solution of the inverse problem. With the parameters obtained in the characterization of the chromatographic column, the SMB process simulation was performed, obtaining the separation profiles of the studied compounds. To validate the model developed, the simulated results were compared with experimental data of enantiomeric separation of the Ketamine, also confronted with the simulations obtained from classical models. The results show that the Front Velocity model has a reasonable agreement with experimental data. Likewise showed similar results to those separation profiles obtained by classical modeling using partial differential equations, requiring computational cost about twenty times smaller.
More generality in efficient multiple kernel learning

Recent advances in Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) have positioned it as an attractive tool for tackling many supervised learning tasks. The development of efficient gradient descent based optimization schemes has made it possible to tackle large scale problems. Simultaneously, MKL based algorithms have achieved very good results on challenging real world applications. Yet, despite their successes, MKL approaches are limited in that they focus on learning a linear combination of given base kernels. In this paper, we observe that existing MKL formulations can be extended to learn general kernel combinations subject to general regularization. This can be achieved while retaining all the efficiency of existing large scale optimization algorithms. To highlight the advantages of generalized kernel learning, we tackle feature selection problems on benchmark vision and UCI databases. It is demonstrated that the proposed formulation can lead to better results not only as compared to traditional MKL but also as compared to state-of-the-art wrapper and filter methods for feature selection.
Co-Occurrence Feature Learning for Skeleton Based Action Recognition Using Regularized Deep LSTM Networks

Skeleton based action recognition distinguishes human actions using the trajectories of skeleton joints, which provide a very good representation for describing actions. Considering that recurrent neural networks (RNNs) with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) can learn feature representations and model long-term temporal dependencies automatically, we propose an end-to-end fully connected deep LSTM network for skeleton based action recognition. Inspired by the observation that the co-occurrences of the joints intrinsically characterize human actions, we take the skeleton as the input at each time slot and introduce a novel regularization scheme to learn the co-occurrence features of skeleton joints. To train the deep LSTM network effectively, we propose a new dropout algorithm which simultaneously operates on the gates, cells, and output responses of the LSTM neurons. Experimental results on three human action recognition datasets consistently demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Pedagogical Challenges Besetting Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools: A Botswana Perspective

Abstract This study sought to examine the pedagogical challenges faced by Business Studies teachers in Botswana’s junior secondary schools. Respondents’ views were recorded using structured interviews. The research revealed that Business Studies teachers in Botswana were facing certain challenges that can be grouped into three main categories: (1) challenges relating to teaching the subject matter and constraints in using ent repreneurial pedagogies and inadequacy of financial resources); (2) challenges relating to the students themselves (students’ lack of prior knowledge in the subject, scaffolding tasks in mixed ability classes, immaturity of students in relation to subject content and misconceptions by students that the subject is difficult); and (3) challenges relating to policy such as the inability to implement pedagogies prescribed in the syllabus. These challenges should not be regarded as unique to Business Studies. Collectively, however, they do bring to light some of the principles that could inform the development of a distinctive pedagogy for Business Studies
A Methodology for Mining Security Tactics from Security Patterns

Although many aids such as architectural styles and patterns are now available for software architects, making optimal design decisions on appropriate architectural structures still requires significant creativity. In an effort to introduce a more direct link between an architectural decision and its consequences, a finer grained architectural concept called a tactic has emerged. Since its introduction, many tactics have been identified and used in real- life applications. However, the number of tactics discovered is not sufficient to cover all the necessary aspects of architectural decision making. The tactics could be created from scratch, but it would be more efficient if tactics could be mined from a proven source. One possible source is any architectural pattern that consists of tactics. Therefore, in this paper we propose a novel way to retrieve tactics from well known patterns. Among the many different types of existing patterns, this paper focuses on security patterns.
Perimenstrual symptom prevalence rates: an Italian-American comparison.

The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of perimenstrual symptoms among a randomly selected group of Italian women by using a standardized menstrual symptom instrument and to compare them with those from a census-based sample of free-living American women in the study by Woods et al. (Am J Public Health 1982;72:1257-64). Italian menstrual symptom prevalence rates were obtained as part of a 1984 national health screening project using the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire translated into Italian. A total of 306 of the 426 randomly invited women between ages 20 and 49 years participated (71.8% participation rate). After determination of ineligible participants (those who were postmenopausal, posthysterectomy, and pregnant), a total of 239 subjects were interviewed. Italian women reported the highest prevalence of symptoms during the menstrual phase and the lowest prevalence during the remainder of the cycle. The cross-cultural comparison indicates that, overall, Italian women reported higher prevalence of symptoms across the three phases of the cycle than did the American women, even though this difference was the smallest during the premenstrual phase. Prevalence rates of a number of classic premenstrual symptoms (e.g., breast tenderness) and affective symptoms (e.g., tension and avoid social activities) were found to be similar for the Italian and American samples. This study, while it identifies a sociocultural component to symptom reporting, indicates the presence of premenstrual distress symptoms in diverse cultural settings, even in women who are generally unaware of premenstrual syndrome. These findings lend support to the validity of the premenstrual phase distress experience and suggest the existence of the premenstrual syndrome across diverse cultures.
Adoptive Transfer of Cloned Melanoma-Reactive T Lymphocytes for the Treatment of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma

This report describes a phase I study of the adoptive transfer of cloned melanoma antigen–specific T lymphocytes for therapy of patients with advanced melanoma. Clones were derived from peripheral blood lymphocytes or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes of patients who had received prior immunization with the melanoma-associated antigen, gp100. In response to its cognate antigen, each clone used for treatment secreted large amounts of interferon-&ggr; and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, lesser amounts of interleukin (IL)-2 and tumor necrosis factor-&agr;, and little or no IL-4 and IL-10. Clones also demonstrated recognition of human leukocyte antigen–matched melanomas using cytokine secretion and lysis assays. Twelve patients received 2 cycles of cells alone; 11 patients received additional cycles of cells and were randomized between two schedules of IL-2 (125,000 IU/kg subcutaneously daily for 12 days versus 720,000 IU/kg intravenously every 8 h for 4 days). A total of 51 cycles of cells were administered, with an average of 1 × 10 10 cells per cycle. Peripheral blood samples were analyzed for persistence of transferred cells by T-cell receptor–specific polymerase chain reaction. Transferred cells reached a maximum level at 1 h after transfer but rapidly declined to undetectable levels by 2 weeks. One minor response and one mixed response were observed (both in the high-dose IL-2 arm). This report demonstrates the safety and feasibility of cloned T-cell transfer as a therapy for patients with cancer. The lack of clinical effectiveness of this protocol suggests that transfer of different or additional cell types or that modulation of the recipient host environment is required for successful therapy.
Evaluation of peer-to-peer network content discovery techniques over mobile ad hoc networks

Both mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are decentralized and self-organizing networks with dynamic topology and are responsible for routing queries in a distributed environment. Because MANETs are composed of resource-constrained devices susceptible to faults, whereas P2P networks are fault-tolerant, P2P networks are the ideal data sharing system for MANETs. We have conducted an evaluation of two approaches for P2P content discovery running over a MANET. The first, based on unstructured P2P networks, relies on controlled flooding, while the second, based on structured P2P networks, uses distributed indexing to optimize searches. We use simulations to evaluate the effect of network size, mobility, channel error rates, network workload, and application dynamics in the performance of P2P protocols over MANETs. Results show that unstructured protocols are the most resilient, although at higher energy and delay costs. Structured protocols, conversely, consume less energy and are more appropriate for MANETs where topology is mostly static.
On slotted WDM switching in bufferless all-optical networks

The current /spl lambda/-switching technology requires each lightpath to occupy the full bandwidth of a wavelength throughout the bufferless all-optical domain. With such a constraint, the granularity of bandwidth is so coarse that the utilization of optical fibers is considerably low. To resolve the granularity problem, a simple way is to incorporate time division multiplexing (TDM) into wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) so as to divide the entire /spl lambda/-bandwidth into smaller base bandwidths. This approach is referred to as the slotted WDM (sWDM). In this paper, we define the slot labeling, mapping and assignment problems, and derive the necessary and sufficient condition that validates sWDM. We also provide simulation results of the call blocking rate of sWDM in comparison with /spl lambda/-switching.
CARMA observations of massive Planck-discovered cluster candidates at z ≳ 0.5 associated with WISE overdensities: breaking the size–flux degeneracy

We use a Bayesian software package to analyse CARMA-8 data towards 19 unconfirmed Planck Sunyaev–Zel'dovich-cluster candidates from Rodriguez-Gonzalvez et al. that are associated with significant overdensities in WISE. We use two cluster parameterizations, one based on a (fixed shape) generalized-NFW (gNFW) pressure profile and another on a β gas density profile (with varying shape parameters) to obtain parameter estimates from the CARMA-8 data for the nine CARMA-8-detected clusters. Results from the β model show that our cluster candidates exhibit a heterogeneous set of brightness–temperature profiles. Comparison of Planck and CARMA-8 measurements show good agreement in Y500 and an absence of obvious biases. Applying a Planck prior in Y500 to the CARMA-8 gNFW results reduces uncertainties in Y500 and Θ500 dramatically (by a factor >4), relative to the independent Planck or CARMA-8 measurements. From this combined analysis, we find that our sample is comprised of massive (Y500 ranging from 3.3^(+0.2)_(−0.2) to 10+1.1−1.5 × 10^(−4) arcmin^2, sd = 2.2 × 10^(−4)), relatively compact (θ500 ranging from 2.1^(+0.1)_(−0.3) to 5.5^(+0.2)_(−0.8) arcmin, sd = 1.0) systems. Spectroscopic Keck/MOSFIRE data confirmed a galaxy member of one of our cluster candidates at z = 0.565. At the preferred photometric redshift of 0.5, we estimate the cluster mass M500 ≈ 0.8 ± 0.2 × 10^(15) M_⊙. We here demonstrate a powerful technique to find massive clusters at intermediate (z ≳ 0.5) redshifts using a cross-correlation between Planck and WISE data, with high-resolution CARMA-8 follow-up. We also use the combined capabilities of Planck and CARMA-8 to obtain a dramatic reduction, by a factor of several, in parameter uncertainties.
Effect of accelerated aging on the color and opacity of resin cements.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The color stability of resin cements plays a major role in the esthetic performance of porcelain laminate veneers. Some dual-polymerizable resin cements used to bond porcelain laminates were shown to undergo color changes during service. Some recently produced cements are described as being color stable, but scientific data are not available. PURPOSE The current study evaluated the effect of accelerated aging on the color and opacity of resin cements. The hypothesis was that the auto-polymerizing cements would show less color and opacity stability. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty (0.7 x 18 mm) feldspathic porcelain disks were prepared and divided into four equal groups. The resin cements were bonded to the disks by application of an identical load of 2.5 kilograms, and they were polymerized according to the manufacturer's instructions. The groups were: Variolink Veneer (light-polymerizing), Variolink II (light-polymerizing), Variolink II (dual-polymerizing) and Multilink (auto-polymerizing). A spectrophotometer was used to measure the following color parameters in the CIE L*a*b* color space on a black and white background: deltaa*, deltab*, deltaL*, deltaC, deltaH, deltaE and deltaCR (contrast ratio). The measurements were performed before and after aging. Paired t- and one-way ANOVA tests were used to analyze the data (alpha = .05). RESULTS None of the groups showed significant differences in deltaE before and after aging (p > .05); deltaE remained in the range of clinical acceptance (deltaE < 3.3). All of the cements became more opaque, while deltaCR (difference in contrast ratio) was significantly different (p = .004). The auto-polymerized cement showed an increase in opacity. CONCLUSIONS The studied cements behaved acceptably according to deltaE, but they became more opaque after aging. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS The studied cements can ensure color stability when used to cement porcelain laminate veneers, but the change in opacity can affect clinical results. Auto polymerizing cements become more opaque with aging; therefore, porcelain restorations may lose their match with other teeth.
Desensitization of β‐Adrenergic Receptor‐Coupled Adenylate Cyclase in Cerebral Cortex After In Vivo Treatment of Rats with Desipramine

Abstract: Continuous treatment (1–10 days) of rats with desipramine (10 mg/kg, twice per day) caused desensitization of the β‐adrenergic receptor‐coupled adenylate cyclase system of cerebral cortical membranes. The decrease in the isoproterenol‐stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was more rapid and greater than the decrease in the number of β‐adrenergic receptors in membranes during treatment of the membrane donor rats with desipramine, indicating that the desensitization occurring at an early stage of the treatment was not accounted for solely by the decrease in the receptor number. Neither the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (N) nor the adenylate cyclase catalyst was impaired by the drug treatment, since there was no decrease in the cyclase activity measured in the presence or absence of GTP, guanyl‐5′‐yl‐β‐γ‐imidodiphosphate [Gpp(NH)p], NaF, or forskolin. Gpp(NH)p‐induced activation of membrane adenylate cyclase developed with a lag time of a few minutes in membranes from control or drug‐treated rats. The lag was shortened by the addition of isoproterenol, indicating that β–receptors were coupled to N in such a manner as to facilitate the exchange of added Gpp(NH)p with endogenous GDP on N. This effect of isoproterenol rapidly decreased during the drug treatment of rats. Thus, functional uncoupling of the N protein from receptors was responsible for early development of desensitization of β‐adrenergic receptor‐mediated adenylate cyclase in the cerebral cortex during desipramine therapy.
Does religiosity impact customer loyalty?—An exploratory research in China

As an important cultural factor, individual religious belief how to impact his/her psychology and behavior need more attention and researches, especially in such a complicated religious context of China. Based on related literatures and Chinese conditions, an exploratory research about the relationship between Chinese religiosity and their customer loyalty was carried out. At first the new theory of consumer religiosity including its definition, content and measurement was introduced and reviewed. Then a new scale to measure Chinese religiosity is established. With statistical analysis and survey data, the significant relationship between religiosity and customer loyalty was found and shown to be positive. This contributes a lot to the academic area of religion and consumer behavior, as well as corporates' loyalty programs and customer retention.
Transitions in a life-world: Looking backward and forward after forty-five years of social pedagogical research and teaching in Leuven

The paper presents the author’s reflection on research and teaching over a period of 45 years in a social pedagogy program in the Leuven University (Belgium). While the case is interesting in its own right, it holds broader significance for its contribution to understanding developments in education, adult and community education and social work both in disciplinary terms and regarding practice. It presents the theoretical sources of inspiration from diverse linguistic, cultural, policy and academic contexts. The chronology is organized in four periods marked by turning points that were influenced by internal and external events. The first phase is the pioneering phase. The second is the crisis and recovery phase. The third is the multiplicity phase, and the last phase is that of reinvention. The paper also reflects on some of the major themes and issues that have directed developments in social and cultural pedagogy (both old and recent) such as issues of language, the emergence of a lifelong learning discourse, and the notions of community, solidarity and criticality.
Effects of photocoagulation on ocular blood flow in patients with severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Purpose To investigate ocular blood flow and correlations between ocular blood flow and variables in patients with severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (S-NPDR) following panretinal photocoagulation (PRP). Methods In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, the blood flow on the optic nerve head (ONH) and choroid was assessed with laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) using the mean blur rate (MBR) in 76 eyes of 76 patients with S-NPDR who underwent PRP, 39 eyes of 39 patients with S-NPDR who did not undergo PRP, and 71 eyes of 71 normal subjects. The correlation between MBR and variables, including visual acuity (VA) and choroidal area determined by binarization method, was analyzed. Results The mean age was 62.9 ± 11.9 years in the S-NPDR with PRP eyes, 55.6 ± 11.4 years in the S-NPDR without PRP eyes, and 60.3 ± 11.1 years in the normal subject eyes. The ONH MBR in vessel and tissue areas and the choroidal MBR were significantly lower in the S-NDR with PRP group than in the other groups (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). The luminal and the stromal areas were significantly smaller in the S-NDR with PRP group than in the other groups (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). LogMAR best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) exhibited significant negative correlation with the ONH MBR in vessel (r = −0.386, p < 0.001), tissue (r = −0.348, p < 0.001), and the choroid MBR (r = −0.339, p = 0.002) in the S-NDR with PRP group. Stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated that BCVA was a common independent factor associated with the ONH MBR in vessel, tissue, and the choroidal MBR in the S-NDR with PRP group. Conclusions ONH and choroid MBR in addition to choroidal component, including the luminal area, were significantly lower in eyes of patients with S-NPDR after PRP compared with no PRP and normal subjects group. This could suggest that the significantly reduced ocular blood flow in PRP-treated S-NPDR eyes correlated with long-term decreased post-PRP luminal area and visual acuity.
High Kynurenine (a Tryptophan Metabolite) Predicts Remission in Patients with Major Depression to Add-on Treatment with Celecoxib

Background Signs of an inflammatory process have been described in major depression. Methods In a double-blind, randomized study of celecoxib or placebo add-on to reboxetine in 40 depressed patients, celecoxib treatment has beneficial effects. In order to evaluate the tryptophan/kynurenine metabolism and to identify predictors for remission, tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), kynurenic acid (KYNA), and quinolinic acid (QUIN) were estimated in the serum of 32 patients before and after treatment and in a group of 20 healthy controls. Results KYN levels were significantly lower in patients (p = 0.008), and the QUIN/KYN ratios were significantly higher (p = 0.028). At baseline, the higher KYN/TRP ratio was predictive for remission during celecoxib add-on treatment (p = 0.04) as well as for remission in the overall patient group (p = 0.01). In the placebo group, remitters showed a higher KYNA/QUIN ratio (p = 0.032). In the overall group, remitters showed lower KYNA/KYN (p = 0.035) and QUIN/KYN (p = 0.011) ratios. The lower the formation of downstream metabolites, especially QUIN, the better the treatment outcome. Conclusion The high KYN/TRP ratio predicted remission after treatment with celecoxib in this small sample of depressed patients. Eventually, the KYN/TRP ratio might be a marker for those patients, which benefit from an additional anti-inflammatory treatment.