Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ACSys TREC-8 Experiments

Experiments relating to TREC-8 Ad Hoc, Web Track (Large and Small) and Query Track tasks are described and results reported. Due to time constraints, only minimal e(cid:11)ort was put into Ad Hoc and Query Track participation. In the Web Track, Google-style PageRanks were calculated for all 18.5 million pages in the VLC2 collection and for the 0.25 million pages in the WT2g collection. Various combinations of content score and PageRank produced no bene(cid:12)t for TREC style ad hoc retrieval. A major goal in the Web Track was to make engineering improvements to permit indexing of the 100 gigabyte collection and subsequent query processing using a single PC. A secondary goal was to achieve last year’s performance (obtained with eight DEC Alphas) with less recourse to e(cid:11)ectiveness-harming optimisations. The main goal was achieved and indexing times are comparable to last year’s. However, e(cid:11)ectiveness results were worse relative to last year and query processing times were approximately double.
Ultra‐fast alterations in mRNA levels uncover multiple players in light stress acclimation in plants

Summary The acclimation of plants to changes in light intensity requires rapid responses at several different levels. These include biochemical and biophysical responses as well as alterations in the steady‐state level of different transcripts and proteins. Recent studies utilizing promoter::reporter constructs suggested that transcriptional responses to changes in light intensity could occur within seconds, rates for which changes in mRNA expression are not routinely measured or functionally studied. To identify and characterize rapid changes in the steady‐state level of different transcripts in response to light stress we performed RNA sequencing analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana plants subjected to light stress. Here we report that mRNA accumulation of 731 transcripts occurs as early as 20–60 sec following light stress application, and that at least five of these early response transcripts play an important biological role in the acclimation of plants to light stress. More than 20% of transcripts accumulating in plants within 20–60 sec of initiation of light stress are H2O2‐ and ABA‐response transcripts, and the accumulation of several of these transcripts is inhibited by transcriptional inhibitors. In accordance with the association of rapid response transcripts with H2O2 and ABA signaling, a mutant impaired in ABA sensing (abi‐1) was found to be more tolerant to light stress, and the response of several of the rapid response transcripts was altered in mutants impaired in reactive oxygen metabolism. Our findings reveal that transcriptome reprogramming in plants could occur within seconds of initiation of abiotic stress and that this response could invoke known as well as unknown proteins and pathways.
Combined cooperative communication and multicast for minimum power cost in coded wireless sensor networks

This paper considers the problem of power allocation for cooperative communication with multicast in coded wireless sensor networks (WSNs). We formulate and solve the problem using a cross-layer optimization framework, in which a simplified cooperative communication scheme that does not require channel state information (CSI) is considered. When compared against conventional cooperative and non-cooperative communication schemes under the same packet error rate (PER) objectives, the performance analysis shows that the simplified cooperative communication scheme achieves the lowest power cost. We then combine the simplified cooperative communication scheme with multicast using a linear optimization model, and show that for a random network topology, up to 40% power saving is achieved under stringent PER objectives.
Is the Phillips Curve Alive and Well after All? Inflation Expectations and the Missing Disinflation

We evaluate explanations for the absence of disinflation during the Great Recession and find popular explanations to be insufficient. We propose a new explanation for this puzzle within the context of a standard Phillips curve. If firms' inflation expectations track those of households, then the missing disinflation can be explained by the rise in their inflation expectations between 2009 and 2011. We present new econometric and survey evidence consistent with firms having similar expectations as households. The rise in household inflation expectations from 2009 to 2011 can be explained by the increase in oil prices over this time period. (JEL D84, E24, E32, E52, E58, Q35)
Invited Paper Special Section on Recent Progress in Antennas and Propagation in Conjunction with Main Topics of Isap2010 Performance Analysis of Energy Pattern and Power Patterns for Uwb Antenna and Narrowband Antenna

SUMMARY Power patterns in the frequency domain are usually used to describe the antenna performance in narrowband communication systems ; however, they are not sufficient for ultra wideband (UWB) antennas in wideband communication systems. In this paper, energy pattern and energy gain are introduced to describe the performance of UWB antennas. Numerical simulations and measurements are used to demonstrate the difference between power patterns and energy patterns for narrowband Yagi-Uda antenna, UWB CPW–fed bow-tie slot antenna, and UWB comb taper slot antenna. The results of simulations and measurements are agreement not only in energy pattern, but also in received voltage at various observation angles. For narrowband antennas, the energy patterns are similar to that of the power patterns in the main beam region. However, there are quite differences between power pattern in frequency domain and energy pattern in time domain for UWB antennas.
Nerve Growth Factor Regulation of Cyclin D 1 in PC 12 Cells through a p 21 RAS Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase Pathway Requires Cooperative Interactions between Sp 1 and Nuclear Factor-B

The PC12 pheochromocytoma cell line responds to nerve growth factor (NGF) by exiting from the cell cycle and differentiating to induce extending neurites. Cyclin D1 is an important regulator of G1/S phase cell cycle progression, and it is known to play a role in myocyte differentiation in cultured cells. Herein, NGF induced cyclin D1 promoter, mRNA, and protein expression via the p21RAS pathway. Antisenseor small interfering RNA to cyclin D1 abolished NGFmediated neurite outgrowth, demonstrating the essential role of cyclin D1 in NGF-mediated differentiation. Expression vectors encoding mutants of the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, and chemical inhibitors, demonstrated NGF induction of cyclin D1 involved cooperative interactions of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathways downstream of p21RAS. NGF induced the cyclin D1 promoter via Sp1, nuclear factorB, and cAMP-response element/activated transcription factor sites. NGF induction via Sp1 involved the formation of a Sp1/p50/p107 complex. Cyclin D1 induction by NGF governs differentiation and neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells.
Expanding Business-to-Business Customer Relationships: Modeling the Customer's Upgrade Decision

This article develops a model of a business customer's decision to upgrade service contracts conditional on the decision to renew the contract. It proposes that the firm's upgrade decision is influenced by (1) decision-maker perceptions of the relationship with the supplier, (2) contract-level experiences, and (3) interactions between firm- and contract-level variables. The authors model the firm's decision as a binary logit model with random parameters for the contract-level variables and fixed parameters for the firm-level variables. They estimate the model with data describing more than 2000 service contracts and find that decision-maker satisfaction, service quality, and price have a significant effect on the decision to upgrade; price and satisfaction also moderate the effect of service quality on the decision. Simulations indicate that modest improvements in service quality for a focal contract can have a relatively large, positive effect on the likelihood that the firm will upgrade. The results suggest that suppliers need to manage their firm relationships at both the individual contract level and the overall firm level. In addition, the results suggest specific windows of opportunity for suppliers when firms may be more likely to upgrade to higher-level service contracts.
The Potential Benefits of Filtering Versus Hyper-Parameter Optimization

The quality of an induced model by a learning algorithm is dependent on the quality of the training data and the hyper-parameters supplied to the learning algorithm. Prior work has shown that improving the quality of the training data (i.e., by removing low quality instances) or tuning the learning algorithm hyper-parameters can significantly improve the quality of an induced model. A comparison of the two methods is lacking though. In this paper, we estimate and compare the potential benefits of filtering and hyper-parameter optimization. Estimating the potential benefit gives an overly optimistic estimate but also empirically demonstrates an approximation of the maximum potential benefit of each method. We find that, while both significantly improve the induced model, improving the quality of the training set has a greater potential effect than hyper-parameter optimization.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction among Emirati Muslim women

ABSTRACT Explorations of mindfulness-based psychotherapeutic approaches are relatively scarce outside of Europe and North America. This study examined the effectiveness and the religio-cultural appropriateness/acceptability of a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme among Muslim citizens of the United Arab Emirates. Emirati college women (N = 12) were enrolled in an eight-week, group-based, MBSR programme. After completing the programme, participants attended a focus group exploring their perceptions of MBSR, with a particular emphasis on exploring the cultural appropriateness of this approach. The MBSR programme was favourably evaluated, and not in any way deemed antithetical towards the participants' own theistic or cultural traditions. The results are discussed with reference to identifying bridging concepts to help better contextualise MBSR for people who spontaneously couch their experiences in religious themes, or who explicitly express a desire for faith-affiliated interventions.
Housing Externalities

Using data compiled from concentrated residential urban revitalization programs implemented in Richmond, Virginia, between 1999 and 2004, we study residential externalities. We estimate that housing externalities decrease by half approximately every 1,000 feet. On average, land prices in neighborhoods targeted for revitalization rose by 2–5 percent at an annual rate above those in a control neighborhood. These increases translate into land value gains of between $2 and $6 per dollar invested in the program over a 6‐year period. We provide a simple theory that helps us estimate and interpret these effects in terms of the parameters of the model.
In vitro susceptibility‐testing in Aspergillus species

Aspergillus species are the most common causes of invasive mould infections in immunocompromised patients. The introduction of new antifungal agents and recent reports of resistance emerging during treatment of Aspergillus infections have highlighted the need for in vitro susceptibility‐testing. Various testing procedures have been proposed, including macrodilution and microdilution, agar diffusion, disc diffusion and Etest. At present, one of the most widely used assays is the M38‐A reference method for filamentous fungi, published by the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute and the Etest. Recently, the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility‐testing (EUCAST) has charged its Antifungal Susceptibility‐testing Subcommittee (AFST‐EUCAST) with the preparation of new guidelines for in vitro susceptibility‐testing of antifungals against Aspergillus spp. (EUCAST‐AFST‐ASPERGILLUS) defining breakpoints. This paper reviews the available methods for antifungal susceptibility‐testing in Aspergillus spp. as well as the scant data regarding the clinical implications of in vitro testing.
Can we distinguish biological motions of virtual humans?: perceptual study with captured motions of weight lifting

Perception of biological motions is a key issue in order to evaluate the quality and the credibility of motions of virtual humans. This paper presents a perceptual study to evaluate if human beings are able to accurately distinguish differences in natural lifting motions with various masses in virtual environments (VE), which is not the case. However, they reached very close levels of accuracy when watching to computer animations compared to videos. Still, quotes of participants suggest that the discrimination process is easier in videos of real motions which included muscles contractions, more degrees of freedom, etc. These results can be used to help animators to design efficient physically-based animations.
Unified memory optimizing architecture: memory subsystem control with a unified predictor

Data prefetching, advanced cache replacement policy, and memory access scheduling are incorporated in modern processors. Typically, each technique holds recently accessed locations independently and controls the memory subsystem based on the prediction of future memory access. Unfortunately, these specific optimizations often increase the implementation cost, decrease the system performance, and reduce scalability of the processor chip. In this paper, we propose Unified Memory Optimizing (UMO) architecture to resolve these problems. The UMO architecture is a control architecture for the memory subsystem and takes a unified approach to data prefetching, cache management, and memory access scheduling. On this architecture, we propose a Map-based Unified Memory Subsystem Controller (MUMSC) that is composed of DRAM-Aware prefetching, Prefetch-Aware Cache Line Promotion, and lightweight memory controllers. MUMSC is implemented as the per-core resource to predict future memory access from the per-core memory access history. MUMSC realizes a scalable and high performance memory subsystem with a reasonable hardware cost. We evaluate MUMSC using a multi-core simulator with multi-programmed workloads of SPEC CPU2006. The results of the simulation show that the system throughput using MUMSC outperforms a combination of state-of-the-art enhancement techniques by 11.5% without increasing the hardware costs and the complexity of the design of the shared resources.
Post-Mortem Tissue Biopsies Obtained at Minimally Invasive Autopsy: An RNA-Quality Analysis

Introduction Bereaved relatives often refuse to give consent for post-mortem investigation of deceased cancer patients, mainly because of the mutilation due to conventional autopsy (CA). Minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) may be a more acceptable alternative and, if implemented in clinical practice, creates an opportunity to more often obtain post-mortem tissue samples of (recurred) primary tumors and metastases for molecular research. As a measure for tissue quality for molecular studies, we hereby present a feasibility study, comparing the RNA quality of MIA and CA samples, and fresh frozen samples as reference. Materials and methods Tissue samples of heart, liver and kidney were prospectively collected from 24 MIAs followed by CA, and compared to corresponding archival fresh frozen tissue. After RNA isolation and RT-qPCR, RNA integrity numbers (RIN) and GAPDH expression (six amplicon sizes ranging from 71 to 530 base pairs) were measured. RIN values and GAPDH Cq values were analyzed and compared between all sample groups and post-mortem intervals (PMI). Results RIN values in MIA samples were significantly higher than those in CA samples. GAPDH was expressed significantly higher in MIA samples than in CA samples and 530 bp PCR products could be measured in all cases. GAPDH expression was significantly lower in samples with PMI >15 hours. As expected, the samples of the fresh frozen reference standard performed best in all analyses. Conclusion MIA samples showed better RNA quality than CA samples, probably due to shorter PMI. Both had lower RNA quality and expression levels than fresh frozen tissue, however, remaining GAPDH RNA was still sufficiently intact. Therefore, other highly expressed genes are most likely also detectable. Gene array analysis should be performed to gain insight into the quality of entire post-mortem genomes. Reducing PMI will further improve the feasibility of demanding molecular research on post-mortem tissues, this is most likely more feasible with MIA than CA.
Exploiting software supply chain business architecture: a research agenda

This paper addresses economic and management issues in software engineering. It outlines a research agenda aimed at improving the economic return on software investments, based on a better understanding of the relationships between the costs, benefits and risks associated with system requirements and the way in which the software is designed, developed, acquired and delivered.
Primary Postnatal Dorsal Root Ganglion Culture from Conventionally Slaughtered Calves

Neurological disorders in ruminants have an important impact on veterinary health, but very few host-specific in vitro models have been established to study diseases affecting the nervous system. Here we describe a primary neuronal dorsal root ganglia (DRG) culture derived from calves after being conventionally slaughtered for food consumption. The study focuses on the in vitro characterization of bovine DRG cell populations by immunofluorescence analysis. The effects of various growth factors on neuron viability, neurite outgrowth and arborisation were evaluated by morphological analysis. Bovine DRG neurons are able to survive for more than 4 weeks in culture. GF supplementation is not required for neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth. However, exogenously added growth factors promote neurite outgrowth. DRG cultures from regularly slaughtered calves represent a promising and sustainable host specific model for the investigation of pain and neurological diseases in bovines.
Trainable COSFIRE Filters for Keypoint Detection and Pattern Recognition

Background: Keypoint detection is important for many computer vision applications. Existing methods suffer from insufficient selectivity regarding the shape properties of features and are vulnerable to contrast variations and to the presence of noise or texture. Methods: We propose a trainable filter which we call Combination Of Shifted FIlter REsponses (COSFIRE) and use for keypoint detection and pattern recognition. It is automatically configured to be selective for a local contour pattern specified by an example. The configuration comprises selecting given channels of a bank of Gabor filters and determining certain blur and shift parameters. A COSFIRE filter response is computed as the weighted geometric mean of the blurred and shifted responses of the selected Gabor filters. It shares similar properties with some shape-selective neurons in visual cortex, which provided inspiration for this work. Results: We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed filters in three applications: the detection of retinal vascular bifurcations (DRIVE dataset: 98.50 percent recall, 96.09 percent precision), the recognition of handwritten digits (MNIST dataset: 99.48 percent correct classification), and the detection and recognition of traffic signs in complex scenes (100 percent recall and precision). Conclusions: The proposed COSFIRE filters are conceptually simple and easy to implement. They are versatile keypoint detectors and are highly effective in practical computer vision applications.
Characteristics of the first H-mode discharges in KSTAR

Typical ELMy H-mode discharges have been obtained in the KSTAR tokamak with the combined auxiliary heating of neutral beam injection (NBI) and electron cyclotron resonant heating (ECRH). The minimum external heating power required for the L–H transition is about 0.9 MW for a line-averaged density of ∼2.0 × 1019 m−3. There is a clear indication of the increase in the L–H threshold power with decreasing density for densities lower than ∼2 × 1019 m−3. The L–H transitions typically occurred shortly after the beginning of plasma current flattop (Ip = 0.6 MA) period and after the fast shaping to a highly elongated double-null divertor configuration. The maximum heating power available was marginal for the L–H transition, which is also implied by the relatively slow transition time (>10 ms) and the synchronization of the transition with large sawtooth crashes. The initial analysis of thermal energy confinement time (τE) indicates that τE is higher than the prediction of multi-machine scaling laws by 10–20%. A clear increase in electron and ion temperature in the pedestal is observed in the H-mode phase but the core temperature does not change significantly. On the other hand, the toroidal rotation velocity increased over the whole radial range in the H-mode phase. The measured ELM frequency was around 10–30 Hz for the large ELM bursts and 50–100 Hz for the smaller ones. In addition, very small and high frequency (200–300 Hz) ELMs appeared between large ELM spikes when the ECRH is added to the NBI-heated H-mode plasmas. The drop of total stored energy during a large ELM is up to 5% in most cases.
Reduction of the depression caused by work stress for teachers: Subjective well-being as a mediator

The mental health of teachers had long been said to bring forth positive outcomes on students’ schooling. In the current study, our purpose was to build up a mediation model that could explain how the depression caused by perceived work stress (PWS) would be reduced by lowering subjective well-being (SWB). A total random sample of 1214 teachers was recruited and measured by Subjective Well-Being Scale, Taiwan Depression Scale, and perceived work stress from students, parents, and peers. The whole data were analyzed by ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and structure equation modeling (SEM). Results showed that 1) PWS differed by positions of teachers. 2) PWS from students, parents, and peers had significantly caused Depression. 3) SWB successfully mediated the effects of the PWS and Depression. The current results further provided an empirical proof of how PWS lower teachers' well-being in psychology, social, and emotion of SWB. Our hypothesis of an existed mediation effect had been supported. The current study hoped that the findings would be able to help educational administrators, policy makers, and researchers in protecting teachers’ mental health.
Trellis Computations

For a certain class of functions, the distribution of the function values can be calculated in the trellis or a sub-trellis. The forward/backward recursion known from th e BCJR algorithm [1] is generalized to compute the moments of these distributions. In analogy to the symbol probabilities, by introducing a constraint at a certain depth in the trellis we obtain symbol moments. These moments are required for an efficient implementation of the discriminated belief propagation al gorithm in [2], and can furthermore be utilized to compute conditional entropies in the trellis. The moment computation algorithm has the same asymptotic complexity as the BCJR algorithm. It is applicable to any commutative semi-ring, thus actually providing a generali zation of the Viterbi algorithm [3].