Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Syntactic Scope Resolution in Uncertainty Analysis

We show how the use of syntactic structure enables the resolution of hedge scope in a hybrid, two-stage approach to uncertainty analysis. In the first stage, a Maximum Entropy classifier, combining surface-oriented and syntactic features, identifies cue words. With a small set of hand-crafted rules operating over dependency representations in stage two, we attain the best overall result (in terms of both combined ranks and average F1) in the 2010 CoNLL Shared Task.
ELHWT : Efficient Lowest to Highest Wavelet Tree for Image Processing and Compression

a new wavelet coding with ELHWT is presented. It is much more computationally efficient and uses much less internal memory than SPIHT. Image compression works on the problem of reducing the amount of data that is required to represent a digital image. This process removes redundant data from an image representation. The ELHWT algorithm is extended to the 3-D domain and a new 3-D wavelet tree based algorithm, which is much faster and uses less memory than previous 3-D wavelet tree based algorithms, is presented.
Extending CCGbank with Quotes and Multi-modal CCG

CCGbank is an automatic conversion of the Penn Treebank to Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG). We present two extensions to CCGbank which involve manipulating its derivation and category structure. We discuss approaches for the automatic re-insertion of removed quote symbols and evaluate their impact on the performance of the C&C CCG parser. We also analyse CCGbank to extract a multi-modal CCG lexicon, which will allow the removal of hardcoded language-specific constraints from the C&C parser, granting benefits to parsing speed and accuracy.
Production of Microalgae Biomass Using Vinasse as Cultivation Medium.

Microalgae are one of the potential food sources in the future. Many authors have investigated the potential of wastewater as cultivation medium for microalgae, but utilization of sugarcane digested vinasse as cultivation medium for algae has not yet been reported. The purpose of this study was to test the potential of vinasse as an alternative source of nutrients for culturing microalgae. One pure strain of a green alga (Chlorella vulgaris) and two pure strains of blue green algae (Spirulina platensis and Nostoc commune) were used for this purpose. The three microalgae were grown on six various concentrations of vinasse from 0.01% to 0.03 and from 0.1% to 0.3% for 21 and 35 days. The present investigation showed that digested vinasse contained ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO3), phosphate (PO4), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K) and high Electron Conductivity (EC). The highest productivity of biomass by Chlorella vulgaris (368 x 106 mg/L) was observed when using 0.3% vinasse medium, by Nostoc commune (1400 x 106/L mg/L) when using 0.01% medium and by Spirulina platensis (200 x 106 mg/L) when using 0.02% medium. The period of 35 days was better than 21 days for the growth of all examined species. No algal growth was observed when using higher concentrations of vinasse (from 1% to 6%). The present results show that it is possible to integrate the culturing of microalgae with the sugarcane industry product (vinasse) by means of anaerobic digestion.
Nonparametric Predictive Multiple Comparisons with Censored Data and Competing Risks

This paper provides an overview of nonparametric predictive inference for comparison of multiple groups of data including right-censored observations. Dierent right-censoring schemes discussed are early termination of an experiment, progressive censoring and competing risks. Theoretical results are briefly stated, detailed justifications are presented elsewhere. The methods are illustrated and discussed via examples with data from the literature.
Optimal energy control of induction motor standalone photovoltaic-battery pumping system

This paper focuses on a robust backstepping control of induction motor vector. The motor is coupled to a centrifugal pump as mechanical load, fed by a standalone photovoltaic generator, equipped by the lead acid battery storage system. Throughout this attempt, two main objectives have been achieved; firstly, assuring the continuity of electrical energy production. Secondly, operating the photovoltaic panels at maximum power point. The surplus power is stored in the battery bank in the goal to be exploited later, whenever, the solar power is insufficient. For a maximum exploitation photovoltaic power, a variable step-size of Perturb and Observe maximum power point tracking has been adopted. The proposed power management system aims to meet the required power, under variable weather conditions. The performance of the developed system has been analyzed through simulation by Matlab/Simulink and SimPowerSystems Blockset. The results obtained through the used approach averred a good improvement.
Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND The presence of measles virus (MV) RNA in bowel tissue from children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances was reported in 1998. Subsequent investigations found no associations between MV exposure and ASD but did not test for the presence of MV RNA in bowel or focus on children with ASD and GI disturbances. Failure to replicate the original study design may contribute to continued public concern with respect to the safety of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The objective of this case-control study was to determine whether children with GI disturbances and autism are more likely than children with GI disturbances alone to have MV RNA and/or inflammation in bowel tissues and if autism and/or GI episode onset relate temporally to receipt of MMR. The sample was an age-matched group of US children undergoing clinically-indicated ileocolonoscopy. Ileal and cecal tissues from 25 children with autism and GI disturbances and 13 children with GI disturbances alone (controls) were evaluated by real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR for presence of MV RNA in three laboratories blinded to diagnosis, including one wherein the original findings suggesting a link between MV and ASD were reported. The temporal order of onset of GI episodes and autism relative to timing of MMR administration was examined. We found no differences between case and control groups in the presence of MV RNA in ileum and cecum. Results were consistent across the three laboratory sites. GI symptom and autism onset were unrelated to MMR timing. Eighty-eight percent of ASD cases had behavioral regression. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE This study provides strong evidence against association of autism with persistent MV RNA in the GI tract or MMR exposure. Autism with GI disturbances is associated with elevated rates of regression in language or other skills and may represent an endophenotype distinct from other ASD.
Does behavioral biases matter in SMEs' borrowing decisions? Insights from Morocco

Bank financing decisions by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crucial to their growth and survival, particularly in emerging economies such as Morocco. This study aims to assess the impact of behavioral biases on these decisions, an area little explored in the existing financial literature. The main objective is to analyze how behavioral biases such as overconfidence, risk aversion, confirmation bias, anchoring, and managerial myopia biases influence bank financing decisions of Moroccan SMEs. The approach adopted is quantitative and uses robust least squares regression to analyze data collected from 167 Moroccan SMEs. The results reveal that overconfidence and anchoring have a significant positive impact on the propensity to take out bank loans, while risk aversion and confirmation bias have a negative effect. Managerial myopia had no significant influence. Control variables such as past financial performance, the length of the banking relationship, and lower risk also positively influence the financing decision.
Chloride regulation at low salinities by Nereis diversicolor (Annelida, Polychaeta). I. Uptake and exchanges of chloride.

1. N. diversicolor from estuarine conditions in north-eastern England can be adapted to a chloride concentration in a pond water (PW) medium at least as low as 0.9 mM/l, and shows a net uptake of chloride when returned to a medium 3-10 mM/l more concentrated. But in comparable transfers after adaptation at a chloride concentration of 10 mM/l, net uptake is not measurable. 2. Net uptake of chloride is demonstrable in the lowest salinities, where coelomic chloride concentration drops below the regulatory plateau. Net uptake reaches 3.5 µM/g wet weight/h. 3. Chloride loss is well correlated with weight loss after adaptation in 10 mM/l, but poorly so after adaptation in PW, suggesting that the urine is very hypotonic to body fluid in PW, and isotonic (or less hypotonic) at environmental chloride concentrations of 10 mM/l or higher. 4. Uptake of chloride occurs against both electrical and chemical-concentration gradients over the lower third of the environmental salinity range, which is the range in which hyperosmotic and hyperionic regulation are most pronounced. 5. The electrical potential across the body wall is maximal in PW (17 mV, inside-negative), and decreases to zero in 50 % SW. 6. Chloride influx (as measured with 36Cl) is highest in SW, and decreases in proportion to chloride concentration down to 50-25% SW, rises to a secondary maximum in 10% SW or less, and decreases as fresh water is approached. 7. Urinary chloride loss is low, and proportional to external chloride concentration in higher salinities, maximal in the c . 10% SW range of salinities, and apparently decreases to a minimum in FW. This may be in part the consequence of recovery of chloride from an hypotonic urine, in part the consequence of a reduction in urine volume. Evidence for these last two possibilities will be given in the papers which follow.
Examination of Soil Microbial Communities After Permafrost Thaw Subsequent to an Active Layer Detachment in the High Arctic

ABSTRACT Active layer detachments (ALDs) are permafrost disturbances associated with climate change and increased seasonal warming. Such perturbations result from thawing of the upper permafrost and downslope movement of the overlying thawed material, including the active layer. ALDs have the potential to impact soil microbial community composition and function in arctic soil ecosystems. Here we report an initial investigation of an ALD located at Cape Bounty on Melville Island in the Canadian High Arctic. We examined soil nutrient content as well as microbial community structure using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequencing. Soil from the disturbed site showed changes in microbial communities with strikingly different fungal community composition compared to soils from an adjacent undisturbed site. These community changes were correlated with enhanced levels of dissolved organic carbon, microbial carbon, total dissolved nitrogen, and microbial nitrogen. The Nitrososphaerales—an order of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea—were more abundant in the disturbed soil and may have been responsible for the altered nitrogen cycling that resulted in higher levels of total dissolved nitrogen there. The fungal communities at both sites were dominated by orders within the Ascomycota, a phylum of mainly hyphal fungi. Intriguingly however, they were more numerous in the undisturbed soil compared to the disturbed soil, suggesting that certain Ascomycota could not reestablish within six years of the ALD, and more generally that fungal hyphal networks may help to stabilize tundra surface soils against erosional losses.
Implication of Epstein‐Barr Virus Infection in Disease‐Specific Autoreactive B Cell Activation in Ectopic Lymphoid Structures of Sjögren's Syndrome

To examine whether the B cell tropic γ‐herpesvirus Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) is aberrantly expressed in its latent and lytic forms within ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) in the salivary glands of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and to investigate the relationship between EBV dysregulation, B cell activation, in situ differentiation of autoreactive plasma cells, disease‐specific autoantibody production, and cytotoxicity.
Fetal growth in early pregnancy and risk of delivering low birth weight infant: prospective cohort study

Objective To determine if first trimester fetal growth is associated with birth weight, duration of pregnancy, and the risk of delivering a small for gestational age infant. Design Prospective cohort study of 38 033 pregnancies between 1999 and 2003. Setting 15 centres representing major regions of the United States. Participants 976 women from the original cohort who conceived as the result of assisted reproductive technology, had a first trimester ultrasound measurement of fetal crown-rump length, and delivered live singleton infants without evidence of chromosomal or congenital abnormalities. First trimester growth was expressed as the difference between the observed and expected size of the fetus, expressed as equivalence to days of gestational age. Main outcome measures Birth weight, duration of pregnancy, and risk of delivering a small for gestational age infant. Results For each one day increase in the observed size of the fetus, birth weight increased by 28.2 (95% confidence interval 14.6 to 41.2) g. The association was substantially attenuated by adjustment for duration of pregnancy (adjusted coefficient 17.1 (6.6 to 27.5) g). Further adjustments for maternal characteristics and complications of pregnancy did not have a significant effect. The risk of delivering a small for gestational age infant decreased with increasing size in the first trimester (odds ratio for a one day increase 0.87, 0.81 to 0.94). The association was not materially affected by adjustment for maternal characteristics or complications of pregnancy. Conclusion Variation in birth weight may be determined, at least in part, by fetal growth in the first 12 weeks after conception through effects on timing of delivery and fetal growth velocity.
Final Report of the 2005 Language Engineering Workshop on Statistical Machine Translation by Parsing

Designers of SMT system have begun to experiment with tree-structured translation models. Unfortunately , SMT systems driven by such models are even more difficult to build than the already complicated WFST-based systems. The purpose of our workshop was to lower the barriers to entry into research involving such SMT systems. Our goals were inspired by the successful 1999 MT workshop, which had a similar purpose. Specifically, we wanted to follow that precedent to 1. build a publicly available toolkit for experimenting with tree-structured translation models; 2. build a tool for visualizing the predictions of such models; 3. demonstrate the feasibility of SMT with tree-structured models by running baseline experiments on large datasets; and 4. demonstrate that it is easy to retarget the toolkit to new language pairs. We also wanted to preemptively address some of the criticisms of the toolkit released in 1999 by 5. making our toolkit turn-key, i.e. not requiring any additional software for end-to-end operation ; 6. providing extensive documentation; and 7. providing integrated prototype systems, to save the toolkit's users most of the effort of system integration. We have largely achieved these goals. Our toolkit is downloadable from We also ran some pilot experiments. Based on these experiments, we can make the following claims: • Our models can handle language pairs with divergent syntax, such as English and Arabic. • It is straightforward to improve our joint translation models by using target language models, the same way it is done in the noisy-channel paradigm. • Our software scales to hundreds of thousands of sentence pairs, without much optimization, on commodity hardware. • A rudimentary system for SMT by Parsing can achieve the same level of accuracy as a rudimentary WFST-based system with the same target language model. • The GenPar toolkit makes it easy to run tightly controlled experiments, and to integrate additional external software.
Restoration of Aqua MODIS Band 6 Using Histogram Matching and Local Least Squares Fitting

The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) aboard Terra and Aqua platforms is performing well overall, except for Aqua MODIS band 6. Fifteen of the 20 detectors in Aqua MODIS band 6 are nonfunctional or noisy. Without correction, it will cause problems in the higher MODIS products. This paper develops a restoration algorithm to restore the missing data of Aqua MODIS band 6 by combining a histogram-matching algorithm with local least squares fitting. Histogram matching corrects detector-to-detector striping of the functional detectors. Local least squares fitting restores the missing data of the nonfunctional detector based on a cubic polynomial derived from the relationship between Aqua MODIS bands 6 and 7. The Aqua MODIS image data used in this research are in digital number format and are not georectified. The proposed restoring algorithm can be used on both 1000- and 500-m pixel resolutions. The algorithm was tested on both Terra and Aqua MODIS images. For Terra MODIS images, results of restoring the synthetic nonfunctional detectors of band 6 demonstrate that local least squares fitting can fill in the missing data with little distortion. For Aqua MODIS images, the results of the restoring algorithm with and without applying histogram matching were compared to evaluate the capability in removing detector-to-detector stripe noise. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out by visual inspection and quality index. For all the scenes used in this research, the correlation coefficients were near 0.99 and root mean square error between the original Terra band 6 and its simulated one was 2times10-5. The proposed algorithm can thus be used satisfactorily for restoring Aqua MODIS band 6.
Utilizing Machine Learning Techniques for Worst-Case Execution Time Estimation on GPU Architectures

The massive parallelism provided by Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to accelerate compute-intensive tasks makes it preferable for Real-Time Systems such as autonomous vehicles. Such systems require the execution of heavy Machine Learning (ML) and Computer Vision applications because of the computing power of GPUs. However, such systems need a guarantee of timing predictability. It means the Worst-Case Execution Time (WCET) of the application is estimated tightly and safely to schedule each application before its deadline to avoid catastrophic consequences. As more applications use GPUs, running many applications simultaneously on the same GPU becomes necessary. To provide predictable performance while the application is running in parallel, it must be WCET-aware, which GPUs do not fully support in a multitasking environment. Nvidia recently added a feature called the Multi-Process Service. It allows the different applications to run simultaneously in the same CUDA context by partitioning the compute resources of the GPU. Using this feature, we can measure the interference from co-running GPU applications to estimate WCET. In this paper, we propose a novel technique to estimate the WCET of the GPU kernel using an ML approach. Our approach is based on the application’s source, and the model is trained based on the large data set. The approach is flexible and can be applied to different GPU-sharing mechanisms. We allow the victim and enemy kernel of the GPU to execute in parallel to get the maximum interference from the enemy to estimate the WCET of the victim kernel. Enemy kernels are chosen to cause a higher slowdown by acquiring the resources of the victim kernel. We compare our implementation with state-of-the-art approaches to show its effectiveness. Our ML approach reduces the time by 99% in most cases because inferences take only seconds to predict WCET, and the resource consumption required to estimate WCET compared to traditional approaches is minimal because we don’t need to execute the application on GPU for hours. Although our approach does not offer safety guarantees because of its empirical nature, we observed that predicted WCETs are always higher than any observed execution times for all benchmarks, and the maximum overestimation factor observed is 11x.
Making sense of data structures exams

Is there consensus on what students should learn in CS2? Should they learn to use data structures, understand their specific implementation details, or both? Finally, has the computing education community's answer to the second question changed over time? In this paper, we begin to explore these questions based on an analysis of a key artifact instructors use to assess their students' performance: their final exams. Specifically, we look at two CS2 concepts as covered in those exams: stacks and hashtables. Our dataset includes 76 exams from 14 institutions around the world spanning 1973-2009 that were gathered as part of the DCER project, which is investigating the feasibility of a repository for computing education research data; to our knowledge this is a novel dataset in computing education. We begin by giving a general feel for this extensive dataset by describing the formats and difficulty level of the stack and hashtable questions and the computing skill students must possess to answer them. Next, we look at the questions' assessment of implementation knowledge versus interface or application knowledge. Despite a number of calls for modern CS2 to focus more on application than implementation, we found no evidence of such a trend. We note, however, that there are institutional differences in the data, and that there are alternative ways in which application may be assessed in a course.
Recruitment of the Arp2/3 complex to vinculin

Cell migration involves many steps, including membrane protrusion and the development of new adhesions. Here we have investigated whether there is a link between actin polymerization and integrin engagement. In response to signals that trigger membrane protrusion, the actin-related protein (Arp)2/3 complex transiently binds to vinculin, an integrin-associated protein. The interaction is regulated, requiring phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate and Rac1 activation, and is sufficient to recruit the Arp2/3 complex to new sites of integrin aggregation. Binding of the Arp2/3 complex to vinculin is direct and does not depend on the ability of vinculin to associate with actin. We have mapped the binding site for the Arp2/3 complex to the hinge region of vinculin, and a point mutation in this region selectively blocks binding to the Arp2/3 complex. Compared with WT vinculin, expression of this mutant in vinculin-null cells results in diminished lamellipodial protrusion and spreading on fibronectin. The recruitment of the Arp2/3 complex to vinculin may be one mechanism through which actin polymerization and membrane protrusion are coupled to integrin-mediated adhesion.