Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RMIT at the NTCIR-13 We Want Web Task

Furthering the state-of-the-art in adhoc web search is one of the underlying goals for the NTCIR-13 We Want Web (WWW) task. Adhoc search can be viewed as a bridge connecting many of the specialized sub-ﬁelds that are a result of the way people connect to and use information access systems. Since this is the ﬁrst year of the WWW task, and no training data was provided for the English subtask, we focused on classic techniques for improving effectiveness in lieu of modern techniques based on supervised learning. In particular, we explored the use of Markov Random Field Models (MRFs), static document features, ﬁeld-based weighting, and query expansion. This round we made extensive use of the Indri search system and the ﬂexible query language it provides to produce effective results.
Quantifying Motion in Dystonic Syndromes: The Bare Essentials

Quantifying movement disorders is becoming crucially important in neurosurgery units to evaluate the efficacy of new therapeutic interventions such as deep brain stimulation. Kinematic analysis, available for more than a century, may represent an adequate solution to this problem. However, quantifying movement disorders poses a number of technical problems. To help clinicians quantify movement disorders, the authors present data recorded in patients with dystonic syndromes and explore the question of movement “normality” in these patients when they receive deep brain stimulation of the internal globus pallidus. In particular, they show that when one control group (n = 11) and a group of dystonic patients (n = 11) are compared, it is possible to detect subtle changes in the performance of a double-handed finger to nose test. These differences persist in the absence of differences in the clinical evaluation of these patients. Suggestions regarding the compromises to make and pitfalls to avoid when quantifying movement disorders are discussed.
A Mathematical Model Relating Chromosome Aberrations to Cancer Progression

The main focus of this paper is to mathematically represent the dynamics of cancer evolution by studying patterns of chromosomal aberrations. A mathematical model for the progression and evolution of cancer in cultured fibroblast cells is proposed. Solution of the differential equations was performed for a continuous model by assuming variable genetic aberration pseudo reaction rate constants for each stage of cancer. Calculation of the genetic aberration pseudo reaction rate constants provides useful insight into the evolution of cancer as well as providing a tool which is possibly useful in evaluating the efficacy of various cancer treatment modalities. Lastly, this novel approach to quantifying and predicting the dynamics of cancer in an in vitro model may be extended to other forms of malignancies
The Prefiltering Techniques in Emotion Based Place Recommendation Derived by User Reviews

Context-aware recommendation systems attempt to address the challenge of identifying products or items that have the greatest chance of meeting user requirements by adapting to current contextual information. Many such systems have been developed in domains such as movies, books, and music, and emotion is a contextual parameter that has already been used in those fields. This paper focuses on the use of emotion as a contextual parameter in a tourist destination recommendation system. We developed a new corpus that incorporates the emotion parameter by employing semantic analysis techniques for destination recommendation. We review the effectiveness of incorporating emotion in a recommendation process using prefiltering techniques and show that the use of emotion as a contextual parameter for location recommendation in conjunction with collaborative filtering increases user satisfaction.
Bilingual Words and Phrase Mappings for Marathi and Hindi SMT

Lack of proper linguistic resources is the major challenges faced by the Machine Translation system developments when dealing with the resource poor languages. In this paper, we describe effective ways to utilize the lexical resources to improve the quality of statistical machine translation. Our research on the usage of lexical resources mainly focused on two ways, such as; augmenting the parallel corpus with more vocabulary and to provide various word forms. We have augmented the training corpus with various lexical resources such as lexical words, function words, kridanta pairs and verb phrases. We have described the case studies, evaluations and detailed error analysis for both Marathi to Hindi and Hindi to Marathi machine translation systems. From the evaluations we observed that, there is an incremental growth in the quality of machine translation as the usage of various lexical resources increases. Moreover, usage of various lexical resources helps to improve the coverage and quality of machine translation where limited parallel corpus is available.
Impact of Early Tirofiban Administration on Myocardial Salvage in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Infarct-Related Artery Stenting

Background/Aims: The timing of GpIIb/IIIa inhibitor administration may be important in achieving early epicardial and myocardial reperfusion. We evaluated the effect of early tirofiban on myocardial salvage and cardiovascular outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing infarct-related artery stenting. Methods: Patients (n = 66) with a first AMI presenting <6 h from onset of symptoms were randomized to either early administration of tirofiban in the emergency room (n = 32) or later administration in the catheterization laboratory (n = 34) (tirofiban bolus dose of 10 µg/kg, followed by 0.15 µg/kg for 24 h). The primary end-point was the degree of myocardial salvage, determined by means of serial scintigraphic studies with technetium-99m sestamibi. Thirty-day major adverse cardiac events were also assessed. Results: There were no significant differences in patient characteristics or in their presentation. The mean door-to-balloon time was similar in both groups (43 ± 12 and 53 ± 9 min, p = 0.08). The early and late treatment groups received tirofiban 18 ± 4 and 52 ± 10 min after admission, respectively. Angiographic analysis revealed a higher initial frequency of TIMI grade 3 flow in the early group (31% vs. 12%, p = 0.04). Procedural success was achieved in all patients. Myocardial risk area were comparable between early and late treatment groups (35.6 ± 12.2% vs. 39.3 ± 14.0%, p = 0.6). Scintigraphic outcomes demonstrated a significant reduction in the final infarction size (11.8 ± 5.2% vs. 22.4 ± 6.2%, p = 0.01), and improvement in salvage index (0.68 ± 0.22 vs. 0.44 ± 0.18, p = 0.003) in favor of the early tirofiban group. The thirty-day composite end-point of death, recurrent MI or rehospitalization also favored the early group (6% early, 15% late, p = 0.06). Conclusion: Early tirofiban administration enhanced the degree of myocardial salvage and clinical outcome in patients with AMI undergoing infarct-related artery stenting.
A Holography Receiver Design for the ALMA Submillimeter Antenna Surface Measurement

This paper describes the design and verification of the new Atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array antenna holography receiver hardware. The antenna deformation strongly depends on ambient temperature and Sun exposure. The purpose of the paper is to provide a holography receiver that can measure the diurnal and the seasonal antenna deformation. Key features of the holography receiver are an athermal endoskeleton structure, an external photonic local oscillator, a reduced number of high-frequency analog parts, and the introduction of a highly digitized processing system. The measured root mean square surface error is better than 4.4 μm, the repeatability is better than 2 μm, and the accuracy comparison result with the mechanical panel adjuster (screw mechanism) is better than 2.4 μm. We measured the daytime antenna deformation. The result of the daytime antenna deformation measurement we conducted shows that the surface panel inside the deformation is about 3 μm during the daytime.
'Surgical' peritonitis in the CAPD patient.

Peritonitis is the most frequent cause for emergency hospital admission in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. Patients may present with 'surgical' peritonitis from other intra-abdominal pathology, but are treated initially as CAPD-related peritonitis. We present nine such cases, each failing to respond to standard conservative treatment, and ultimately coming to laparotomy. Of the nine patients, six survived, five transferring to long-term haemodialysis and one patient returning to CAPD. Failure to respond to standard measures should alert the physician to the possibility of an intra-abdominal emergency. The presence of enteric organisms, particularly E. coli, is an additional suspicious feature. The diagnosis may be difficult and we recommend early surgical referral and appropriate surgical measures (laparotomy rather than simple catheter removal) in order to decrease morbidity and mortality.
The Olfactory Tubercle Encodes Odor Valence in Behaving Mice

Sensory information acquires meaning to adaptively guide behaviors. Despite odors mediating a number of vital behaviors, the components of the olfactory system responsible for assigning meaning to odors remain unclear. The olfactory tubercle (OT), a ventral striatum structure that receives monosynaptic input from the olfactory bulb, is uniquely positioned to transform odor information into behaviorally relevant neural codes. No information is available, however, on the coding of odors among OT neurons in behaving animals. In recordings from mice engaged in an odor discrimination task, we report that the firing rate of OT neurons robustly and flexibly encodes the valence of conditioned odors over identity, with rewarded odors evoking greater firing rates. This coding of rewarded odors occurs before behavioral decisions and represents subsequent behavioral responses. We predict that the OT is an essential region whereby odor valence is encoded in the mammalian brain to guide goal-directed behaviors.
Rating the credit rating agencies

ABSTRACT We offer herein several policy tools that can assist the new Office of Credit Ratings within the Securities and Exchange Commission in assessing the quality of past credit ratings and thus measuring the inclusive competency of credit rating agencies. We propose to weigh the degrees of accuracy, consistency and total synchronization between a tested sample of past ratings and a benchmark array of flawless ratings. We also discuss various techniques to handle major discrepancies between these two arrays of credit ratings. We further explain and demonstrate the importance of different sample sizes. In addition, we present a simple approach to estimate the probability of convergence between the two matched sets of ratings under specified governing thresholds. Lastly, we illustrate the bulk of the theory with a concise empirical investigation.
A fluorescent tool set for yeast Atg proteins

Fluorescence microscopy of live cells is instrumental in deciphering the molecular details of autophagy. To facilitate the routine examination of yeast Atg proteins under diverse conditions, here we provide a comprehensive tool set, including (1) plasmids for the expression of GFP chimeras at endogenous levels for most Atg proteins, (2) RFP-Atg8 constructs with improved properties as a PAS marker, and (3) plasmids for the complementation of common yeast auxotrophic markers. We hope that the availability of this tool set will further accelerate yeast autophagy research.
Distinguishing between the success and precision of recollection

Recollection reflects the retrieval of complex qualitative information about prior events. Recently, Harlow and Donaldson developed a method for separating the probability of recollection success from the precision of the mnemonic information retrieved. In the current study, we ask if these properties are separable on the basis of subjective reports—are participants aware of these two aspects of recollection and can they reliably report on them? Participants studied words paired with a location on a circle outline, and at test recalled the location for a given word as accurately as possible. Additionally, participants provided separate subjective ratings of recollection confidence and recollection precision. The results indicated that participants either recollected the target location with considerable (but variable) precision or retrieved no accurate location information at all. Importantly, recollection confidence reliably predicted whether locations were recollected, while precision ratings instead reflected the precision of the locations retrieved. The results demonstrate the experimental separability of recollection success and precision, and highlight the importance of disentangling these two different aspects of recollection when examining episodic memory.
Development and validation of real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for monitoring gene expression in cardiac myocytes in vitro.

In this article we present validation of a real-time RT-PCR method to quantitate mRNA expression levels of atrial natriuretic peptide and c-fos in an in vitro model of cardiac hypertrophy. This method requires minimal sample and no postreaction manipulation. In real-time RT-PCR a dual-labeled fluorescent probe is degraded concomitant with PCR amplification. Input target mRNA levels are correlated with the time (measured in PCR cycles) at which the reporter fluorescent emission increases beyond a threshold level. The use of an oligo(dt) magnetic bead protocol to harvest poly(A) mRNA from cultured cells in 96-well plates minimized DNA contamination. We show that the GAPDH gene chosen for normalization of the RNA load is truly invariant throughout the biological treatments examined. We discuss two methods of calculating fold increase: a standard curve method and the DeltaDelta Ct method. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to determine the time course of c-fos induction and the effect of varying doses of four known hypertrophy agents on atrial naturitic factor messenger RNA expression in cultured cardiac muscle cells. Our results agree with published data obtained from Northern blot analysis.
The Validity of Ear Prediction Guidelines Used in Facial Approximation *,†,‡

Abstract: This study examined eight previously published ear prediction methods by Welcker, Gerasimov, Fedosyutkin and Nainys, and Broadbent and Mathews. Computed tomography scans of 78 living adults (n1) did not support any of these previously published recommendations. Free earlobes were found to accompany protruding supramastoid crests (Pearson’s χ² < 0.05); and ear length [l] and width [w] differed by sex (p < 0.05), correlated with age (r = 0.38[l]; 0.32[w]), and correlated with facial height (r = 0.37[l]; 0.30[w]). New regression equations (for ear length and width) were generated using these variables in several samples and, where possible, cross‐validated using independent data (n1 = 78, n2 = 2190, n3 = 1328, n4 = 1010, and n5 = 47). As a result of these analyses, four valid and tested methods for ear prediction were identified, but large degrees of error continue to make accurate prediction of the ear, from the skull, problematic.
Legal Protections to Promote Response Willingness Among the Local Public Health Workforce

Abstract Objective The legal environment may improve response willingness among local health department (LHD) workers. We examined whether 3 hypothetical legal protections influence LHD workers’ self-reported response willingness for 4 emergency scenarios and whether specific demographic factors are associated with LHD workers’ response willingness given these legal protections. Methods Our 2011–2012 survey included questions on demographics and about attitudes and beliefs regarding LHD workers’ willingness to respond to 4 emergency scenarios given specific legal protections (i.e., ensuring priority health care for workers’ families, granting workers access to mental health services, and guaranteeing access to personal protective equipment). Data were collected from 1238 LHD workers in 3 states. Results Across scenarios, between 60% and 83% of LHD workers agreed that they would be more willing to respond given the presence of 1 of the 3 hypothetical legal protections. Among the 3 legal protections, a guarantee of personal protective equipment elicited the greatest agreement with improved response willingness. Conclusions Specific legal protections augment a majority of LHD workers’ response willingness. Policymakers must, however, balance improved response willingness with other considerations, such as the ethical implications of prioritizing responders over the general public. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:98–102)
Two distinct domains in the yeast transcription factor IID and evidence for a TATA box-induced conformational change

Transcription factor IID from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (YIID) binds the TATA box element present in most RNA polymerase II promoters. In this work, partial proteolysis was used as a biochemical probe of YIID structure. YIID consists of a protease-sensitive amino terminus and a highly stable, protease-resistant carboxy-terminal core. The cleavage sites of the predominant chymotrypsin- and trypsin-derived fragments were mapped to amino acid residues 40 to 41 and 48 to 49, respectively, by amino-terminal peptide sequencing. Removal of the amino terminus resulted in a dramatic increase in the ability of YIID to form a stable complex with DNA during gel electrophoresis mobility shift assays and a two- to fourfold increase in DNA-binding affinity, as assayed by DNase I footprinting analysis. The carboxy-terminal 190-amino-acid core was competent for transcription in vitro and was similar in activity to native YIID. DNA containing a TATA element induced hypersensitive sites in the amino-terminal domain and stabilized the core domain to further proteolytic attack. Native YIID did not bind to a TATA box at 0 degrees C, whereas the carboxy-terminal DNA-binding domain did. These results suggest that YIID undergoes a conformational change upon binding to a TATA box. Southern blotting showed that the carboxy-terminal domain is highly conserved, while the amino-terminal domain diverged rapidly in evolution, even between closely related budding yeasts.
The Role of Presenilin-1 in the γ-Secretase Cleavage of the Amyloid Precursor Protein of Alzheimer's Disease*

Presenilin-1 (PS1) is required for the release of the intracellular domain of Notch from the plasma membrane as well as for the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) at the γ-secretase cleavage site. It remains to be demonstrated whether PS1 acts by facilitating the activity of the protease concerned or is the protease itself. PS1 could have a γ-secretase activity by itself or could traffic APP and Notch to the appropriate cellular compartment for processing. Human APP 695 and PS1 were coexpressed in Sf9 insect cells, in which endogenous γ-secretase activity is not detected. In baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells, PS1 undergoes endoproteolysis and interacts with APP. However, PS1 does not cleave APP in Sf9 cells. In CHO cells, endocytosis of APP is required for Aβ secretion. Deletion of the cytoplasmic sequence of APP (APPΔC) inhibits both APP endocytosis and Aβ production. When APPΔC and PS1 are coexpressed in CHO cells, Aβ is secreted without endocytosis of APP. Taken together, these results conclusively show that, although PS1 does not cleave APP in Sf9 cells, PS1 allows the secretion of Aβ without endocytosis of APP by CHO cells.
Prediction of huge magnetic anisotropies in 5d transition metallocenes

The stability, electronic structure and non-collinear magnetic properties of a series of 5d metallocenes, namely, two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings sandwiched with a single 5d transition metal atom, are investigated. Our first-principles calculations reveal that Cp rings not only provide a suitable ligand environment for metal atoms, but also result in tunable magnetism depending on the transition metal element. Among them, HfCp2 and WCp2 show a high preference for the magnetization axis perpendicular to the Cp plane, with large magnetic anisotropy energies (MAEs) around 10 meV. We further consider triple decker metallocenes (M2Cp3), and find a huge MAE of above 60 meV in Ta2Cp3. The orbital energy split and shifts induced by composition change in metallocenes is mainly responsible for the significant MAE enhancement. By choosing a suitable crystal field for transition metal atoms, we pave a feasible pathway for designing promising building blocks of future magnetic storage devices.
A high‐throughput detection method for invasive fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) species based on microfluidic dynamic array

Invasive species can be detrimental to a nation's ecology, economy and human health. Rapid and accurate diagnostics are critical to limit the establishment and spread of exotic organisms. The increasing rate of biological invasions relative to the taxonomic expertise available generates a demand for high‐throughput, DNA‐based diagnostics methods for identification. We designed species‐specific qPCR primer and probe combinations for 27 economically important tephritidae species in six genera (Anastrepha, Bactrocera, Carpomya, Ceratitis, Dacus and Rhagoletis) based on 935 COI DNA barcode haplotypes from 181 fruit fly species publically available in BOLD, and then tested the specificity for each primer pair and probe through qPCR of 35 of those species. We then developed a standardization reaction system for detecting the 27 target species based on a microfluidic dynamic array and also applied the method to identify unknown immature samples from port interceptions and field monitoring. This method led to a specific and simultaneous detection for all 27 species in 7.5 h, using only 0.2 μL of reaction system in each reaction chamber. The approach successfully discriminated among species within complexes that had genetic similarities of up to 98.48%, while it also identified all immature samples consistent with the subsequent results of morphological examination of adults which were reared from larvae of cohorts from the same samples. We present an accurate, rapid and high‐throughput innovative approach for detecting fruit flies of quarantine concern. This is a new method which has broad potential to be one of international standards for plant quarantine and invasive species detection.
MissingFound: An Assistant System for Finding Missing Companions via Mobile Crowdsourcing

Looking for missing companions who are out of touch in public places might suffer a long and painful process. With the help of mobile crowdsourcing, the missing person’s location may be reported in a short time. In this paper, we propose MissingFound, an assistant system that applies mobile crowdsourcing for finding missing companions. Discovering valuable users who have chances to see the missing person is the most important task of MissingFound but also a big challenge with the requirements of saving battery and protecting users’ location privacy. A customized metric is designed to measure the probability of seeing, according to users’ movement traces represented by WiFi RSSI fingerprints. Since WiFi RSSI fingerprints provide no knowledge of users’ physical locations, the computation of probability is too complex for practical use. By parallelizing the original sequential algorithms under MapReduce framework, the selecting process can be accomplished within a few minutes for 10 thousand users with records of several days. Experimental evaluation with 23 volunteers shows that MissingFound can select out the potential witnesses in reality and achieves a high accuracy (76.75% on average). We believe that MissingFound can help not only find missing companions, but other public services (e.g., controlling communicable diseases).