Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is it Really Speed We Need ? The Role of Venture Capital in Biotech Start-ups

The involvement of venture capital is often considered a type of salvation, affording projects a means of financing their journey toward becoming established companies. However, only a small percentage of all start-ups manage to attract venture capital, and of those that do, less than three percent survive the development journey. Those who enter a venture capital financed development journey will be strongly influenced by the logic of the financing firm. Generally, the venture capital firm’s available capital must be liquidated at a certain date, often 10 years from the day the fund is founded. During this time the venture capital firm must invest in, manage and divest itself of the start-up firms to be able to distribute the proceeds to the limited partners of the venture capital fund. Consequently, the venture capital firm is forced to manage its portfolio firms in a certain direction and at a certain speed. Thus, the development of a start-up company’s resource base and subsequently its suppliercustomer interfaces, has to fit in with these restrictions. However, is it always speed a new start-up needs? This paper discusses the positive and negative aspects of how some important physical and social resources, and their embedding into user interfaces, are coloured by the logic of the venture capital firm. ♠ Department of Business Studies, Uppsala University. E-mail: alexandra.waluszewski@telia.se ♣ Department of Accounting and Managerial Finance, Stockholm School of Economics. E-mail: torkel.wedin@hhs.se
A Declarative Model for Simple Narratives

This paper describes a declarative model for simple narratives. The model describes what it is about a sequence of events such that reporting the sequence constitutes a story. Previous work in story generation has followed one of two tracks: (1) declarative, or isolating the regular structure of stories and then creating text which conforms to that structure, and (2) procedural, that is, modeling and recreating the processes used by human authors. Frequently, researchers in first track were unable to point to a concrete implementation based upon their model; researchers in the second track did not directly address the question of what constitutes a story. By implementing a story grammar, we address both these difficulties.
Active Hardware Metering for Intellectual Property Protection and Security

We introduce the first active hardware metering scheme that aims to protect integrated circuits (IC) intellectual property (IP) against piracy and runtime tampering. The novel metering method simultaneously employs inherent unclonable variability in modern manufacturing technology, and functionality preserving alternations of the structural IC specifications. Active metering works by enabling the designers to lock each IC and to remotely disable it. The objectives are realized by adding new states and transitions to the original finite state machine (FSM) to create boosted finite state machines(BFSM) of the pertinent design. A unique and unpredictable ID generated by an IC is utilized to place an BFSM into the power-up state upon activation. The designer, knowing the transition table, is the only one who can generate input sequences required to bring the BFSM into the functional initial (reset) state. To facilitate remote disabling of ICs, black hole states are integrated within the BFSM. We introduce nine types of potential attacks against the proposed active metering method. We further describe a number of countermeasures that must be taken to preserve the security of active metering against the potential attacks. The implementation details of the method with the objectives of being low-overhead, unclonable, obfuscated, stable, while having a diverse set of keys is presented. The active metering method was implemented, synthesized and mapped on the standard benchmark circuits. Experimental evaluations illustrate that the method has a low-overhead in terms of power, delay, and area, while it is extremely resilient against the considered attacks.
GermaNet - a Lexical-Semantic Net for German

We present the lexical{semantic net for German \GermaNet" which integrates conceptual ontological information with lexical semantics, within and across word classes. It is compatible with the Prince-ton WordNet but integrates principle{ based modi(cid:12)cations on the constructional and organizational level as well as on the level of lexical and conceptual relations. GermaNet includes a new treat-ment of regular polysemy, arti(cid:12)cial concepts and of particle verbs. It furthermore encodes cross{classi(cid:12)cationand basic syntactic information, constituting an interesting tool in exploring the interaction of syntax and semantics. The development of such a large scale resource is particularly important as German up to now lacks basic online tools for the semantic exploration of very large corpora.
Time-frequency interferometry for OFDM

In OFDM systems, the pilot signal averaging channel estimation is generally used to identify the channel state information (CSI). In this case, large pilot symbols are required for obtaining an accurate CSI. As a result, the total transmission rate is degraded due to large number of pilot symbols transmission. To reduce this problem, in this paper, we propose time-frequency interferometry (TFI) for OFDM to achieve an accurate CSI. TFI- OFDM can multiplex the same impulse responses in twice on the time domain without overlapping to each other. By averaging of these impulse responses, we can obtain the accurate channel impulse response.
A Comprehensive Approach To Understanding Textural Properties Of Semi- And Soft-Solid Foods

ABSTRACT Foods such as starch- or gelatine-based desserts, cheese, and processed meats are considered semi-solid or soft-solid, viscoelastic materials. Oral processing of these foods starts with either biting a portion from a larger piece or placing a piece in the mouth. Specific textural elements of a food are evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis; however, the time and costs of sensory analysis have motivated the empirical development of mechanical tests that correlate with sensory analysis of texture. While food scientists were evaluating mechanical properties to understand subjective texture, material scientists were developing rheological and fracture-mechanics approaches to understand material properties in general. Still another group of scientists have focused on the biological mechanisms involved in mastication, oral processing and oral sensation. Understanding the integration of physical, physiological and psychophysical elements of soft-solid food texture is a relative new area of research and therefore the current understanding of this multidisciplinary approach will be reviewed. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Food texture is one of the key properties consumers evaluate when determining food quality and acceptability. Changing composition, such as decreasing fat content, is often associated with undesirable changes in texture. This article discusses the interrelationships among physical, physiological and psychophysical elements of soft-solid food texture. If we could learn how food structure elicits a specific textural response, then a variety of molecules could be used to generate a specific structure and deliver the same texture but with different health implications.
Adaptive multi-way analysis of images

This paper presents a new multi-way filtering method for multidimensional images corrupted by white Gaussian noise. Images are considered as multi-way arrays instead of matrices or vectors, which enables to keep relations between each index. The presented filtering method is based on multilinear algebra principles and it improves the multi-way Wiener filtering (MWF). The originality of the method relies on the flattening directions of multi-way arrays and on a block approach to keep local characteristics of images. Experiments on color images and hyperspectral images have been computed to illustrate the improvement of MWF by the analysis of image characteristics.
Transcriptional Inhibitors Identified in a 160,000-Compound Small-Molecule DUX4 Viability Screen

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is a genetically dominant, currently untreatable muscular dystrophy. It is caused by mutations that enable expression of the normally silent DUX4 gene, which encodes a pathogenic transcription factor. A screen based on Tet-on DUX4-induced mouse myoblast death previously uncovered compounds from a 44,000-compound library that protect against DUX4 toxicity. Many of those compounds acted downstream of DUX4 in an oxidative stress pathway. Here, we extend this screen to an additional 160,000 compounds and, using greater stringency, identify a new set of DUX4-protective compounds. From 640 hits, we performed secondary screens, repurchased 46 of the most desirable, confirmed activity, and tested each for activity against other cell death–inducing insults. The majority of these compounds also protected against oxidative stress. Of the 100 repurchased compounds identified through both screens, only SHC40, 75, and 98 inhibited DUX4 target genes, but they also inhibited dox-mediated DUX4 expression. Using a target gene readout on the 640-compound hit set, we discovered three overlooked compounds, SHC351, 540, and 572, that inhibit DUX4 target gene upregulation without nonspecific effects on the Tet-on system. These novel inhibitors of DUX4 transcriptional activity may thus act on pathways or cofactors needed by DUX4 for transcriptional activation in these cells.
Multifrequency observations of the Wolf-Rayet star WR 146: another colliding-wind binary?

We present the first high-spatial-resolution radio observations of the Wolf-Rayet star WR 146, obtained at 1.6 and 5 GHz with the MERLIN array. The 5-GHz observations resolve the source into two components separated by 116 ± 14 milliarcsecond (mas). The weaker (southern) source is identified as thermal emission arising from the stellar wind of the WR star and the stronger (northern) source, which is resolved with a diameter of 38 mas and a brightness temperature Tb ", 106 K, as non-thermal emission. New infrared and millimetre photometry of WR 146 is consistent with a stellar-wind origin for the southern radio component, and allows us to estimate the distance to the WR star to be 1.2 ± 0.3 kpc. We also present a blue spectrum of WR 146, which shows evidence for absorption lines attributable to an DB-type companion to the WC6 star. In these respects, WR 146 is similar to the other Wolf - Rayet stars (WR 125 and 140) known to be non-thermal emitters. We suggest that the non-thermal emission arises from the interaction of the WR wind and that of its newly detected luminous companion. The observed size of the non-thermal radio-emitting region is consistent with that expected from colliding-wind theory. We estimate that the non-thermal emission is essentially unabsorbed by the stellar wind of the WR star, providing an unprecedented opportunity for studying colliding winds.
Effects of Radon and UV Exposure on Skin Cancer Mortality in Switzerland

Background: Skin cancer incidence in Switzerland is among the highest in the world. In addition to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, radon alpha particles attached to aerosols can adhere to the skin and potentially cause carcinogenic effects. Objectives: We investigated the effects of radon and UV exposure on skin cancer mortality. Methods: Cox proportional hazard regression was used to study the association between exposures and skin cancer mortality in adults from the Swiss National Cohort. Modeled radon exposure and erythemal-weighted UV dose were assigned to addresses at baseline. Effect estimates were adjusted for sex, civil status, mother tongue, education, job position, neighborhood socioeconomic position, and UV exposure from outdoor occupation. Results: The study included 5.2 million adults (mean age 48 y) and 2,989 skin cancer deaths, with 1,900 indicating malignant melanoma (MM) as the primary cause of death. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for MM at age 60 were 1.16 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.29) per 100Bq/m3 radon and 1.11 (1.01, 1.23) per W/m2 in UV dose. Radon effects decreased with age. Risk of MM death associated with residential UV exposure was higher for individuals engaged in outdoor work with UV exposure (HR 1.94 [1.17, 3.23]), though not statistically significantly different compared to not working outdoors (HR 1.09 [0.99, 1.21], p=0.09). Conclusions: There is considerable variation in radon and UV exposure across Switzerland. Our study suggests both are relevant risk factors for skin cancer mortality. A better understanding of the role of the UV radiation and radon exposure is of high public health relevance. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP825
Deemon: Detecting CSRF with Dynamic Analysis and Property Graphs

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities are a severe class of web vulnerabilities that have received only marginal attention from the research and security testing communities. While much effort has been spent on countermeasures and detection of XSS and SQLi, to date, the detection of CSRF vulnerabilities is still performed predominantly manually. In this paper, we present Deemon, to the best of our knowledge the first automated security testing framework to discover CSRF vulnerabilities. Our approach is based on a new modeling paradigm which captures multiple aspects of web applications, including execution traces, data flows, and architecture tiers in a unified, comprehensive property graph. We present the paradigm and show how a concrete model can be built automatically using dynamic traces.Then, using graph traversals, we mine for potentially vulnerable operations. Using the information captured in the model, our approach then automatically creates and conducts security tests, to practically validate the found CSRF issues. We evaluate the effectiveness of Deemon with 10 popular open source web applications. Our experiments uncovered 14 previously unknown CSRF vulnerabilities that can be exploited, for instance, to take over user accounts or entire websites.
On Analyzing Estimation Errors due to Constrained Connections in Online Review Systems

Constrained connection is the phenomenon that a reviewer can only review a subset of products/services due to narrow range of interests or limited attention capacity. In this work, we study how constrained connections can affect estimation performance in online review systems (ORS). We find that reviewers' constrained connections will cause poor estimation performance, both from the measurements of estimation accuracy and Bayesian Cramer Rao lower bound.
A potential new enriching trial design for selecting non-small-cell lung cancer patients with no predictive biomarker for trials based on both histology and early tumor response: further analysis of a thalidomide trial

There are few predictive biomarkers for antiangiogenic trials in lung cancer. We examine a potential treatment strategy in which a patient group is enriched using both histology and an early assessment of response during standard chemotherapy, and where a new agent is given for the remainder of chemotherapy and as maintenance. We performed a retrospective analysis of 722 stage IIIB/IV non‐small‐cell lung cancer patients from a double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial of thalidomide or placebo 100–200 mg/day, combined with gemcitabine/carboplatin (for up to four cycles), then given as single agent maintenance therapy. There was a significant statistical interaction between treatment and histology, with a possible benefit among squamous cell cancer (SCC) patients. We examined 150 SCC patients who were “nonprogressors” (stable disease or complete/partial response) after completing the second chemotherapy cycle. Endpoints were progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Among the 150 patients nonprogressors after cycle 2 (thalidomide, n = 72; placebo, n = 78; baseline characteristics were similar), the hazard ratios (HRs) were: OS = 0.76 (95% CI: 0.54–1.07) and PFS = 0.69 (95% CI: 0.50–0.97). In 57 patients who had a complete/partial response, the HRs were: OS = 0.63 (95% CI: 0.34–1.15) and PFS = 0.50 (95% CI: 0.28–0.88). SCC patients who were nonprogressors after 2 cycles of standard chemotherapy showed evidence of a benefit from thalidomide when taken for the remainder of chemotherapy and as maintenance. This strategy based on histology and, importantly, early assessment of tumor response, as a means of patient enrichment, could be examined in other lung cancer studies. Such an approach might be suitable for trials where there are no predictive biomarkers.
Latent Fairness in Adults’ Relationship-Based Moral Judgments

Can adults make fair moral judgments when individuals with whom they have different relationships are involved? The present study explored the fairness of adults’ relationship-based moral judgments in two respects by performing three experiments involving 999 participants. In Experiment 1, 65 adults were asked to decide whether to harm a specific person to save five strangers in the footbridge and trolley dilemmas in a within-subject design. The lone potential victim was a relative, a best friend, a person they disliked, a criminal or a stranger. Adults’ genetic relatedness to, familiarity with and affective relatedness to the lone potential victims varied. The results indicated that adults made different moral judgments involving the lone potential victims with whom they had different relationships. In Experiment 2, 306 adults responded to the footbridge and trolley dilemmas involving five types of lone potential victims in a within-subject design, and the extent to which they were familiar with and affectively related to the lone potential victim was measured. The results generally replicated those of Experiment 1. In addition, for close individuals, adults’ moral judgments were less deontological relative to their familiarity with or positive affect toward these individuals. For individuals they were not close to, adults made deontological choices to a larger extent relative to their unfamiliarity with or negative affect toward these individuals. Moreover, for familiar individuals, the extent to which adults made deontological moral judgments more closely approximated the extent to which they were familiar with the individual. The adults’ deontological moral judgments involving unfamiliar individuals more closely approximated their affective relatedness to the individuals. In Experiment 3, 628 adults were asked to make moral judgments with the type of lone potential victim as the between-subject variable. The results generally replicated those of the previous two experiments. Therefore, the present study shows that, in addition to apparent unfairness, latent fairness exists in adults’ relationship-based moral judgments. Moral judgments involving individuals with whom adults have different relationships have different cognitive and affective bases.
YidC is required for the assembly of the MscL homopentameric pore

The mechanosensitive channel with large conductance (MscL) of Escherichia coli is formed by a homopentameric assembly of MscL proteins. Here, we describe MscL biogenesis as determined using in vivo approaches. Evidence is presented that MscL is targeted to the inner membrane via the signal recognition particle (SRP) pathway, and is inserted into the lipid bilayer independently of the Sec machinery. This is consistent with published data. Surprisingly, and in conflict with earlier data, YidC is not critical for membrane insertion of MscL. In the absence of YidC, assembly of the homopentameric MscL complex was strongly reduced, suggesting a late role for YidC in the biogenesis of MscL. The data are consistent with the view that YidC functions as a membrane‐based chaperone ‘module’ to facilitate assembly of a subset of protein complexes in the inner membrane of E. coli.
Identifying cancer driver genes in tumor genome sequencing studies

Motivation: Major tumor sequencing projects have been conducted in the past few years to identify genes that contain ‘driver’ somatic mutations in tumor samples. These genes have been defined as those for which the non-silent mutation rate is significantly greater than a background mutation rate estimated from silent mutations. Several methods have been used for estimating the background mutation rate. Results: We propose a new method for identifying cancer driver genes, which we believe provides improved accuracy. The new method accounts for the functional impact of mutations on proteins, variation in background mutation rate among tumors and the redundancy of the genetic code. We reanalyzed sequence data for 623 candidate genes in 188 non-small cell lung tumors using the new method. We found several important genes like PTEN, which were not deemed significant by the previous method. At the same time, we determined that some genes previously reported as drivers were not significant by the new analysis because mutations in these genes occurred mainly in tumors with large background mutation rates. Availability: The software is available at: http://linus.nci. nih.gov/Data/YounA/software.zip Contact: rsimon@mail.nih.gov Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
L3SN: A Level-Based, Large-Scale, Longevous Sensor Network System for Agriculture Information Monitoring

We developed L 3 SN, a scalable, longevous, adaptive, and internet accessible wireless sensor network system for agriculture information monitoring, which is meticulously designed to meet the requirement of thousands hectares coverage, years of time monitoring and the adverse environment. The system architecture, the agriculture sensor device, the mesh protocol, and the web-based information processing platform are introduced. We also presented some implementation experience. The mesh protocol (LayerMesh) is highlighted, in which “stair scheduling” and “distributed dynamic load-balancing” are proposed to response the scalability, longevity and adaptivity requirements. We believe the design of L 3 SN is useful to many other large-scale,
Curriculum Learning Based Probabilistic Linear Discriminant Analysis for Noise Robust Speaker Recognition

This study introduces a novel Curriculum Learning based Probabilistic Linear Discriminant Analysis (CL-PLDA) algorithm for improving speaker recognition in noisy conditions. CLPLDA operates by initializing the training EM algorithm with cleaner data (easy examples), and successively adds noisier data (difficult examples) as the training progresses. This curriculum learning based approach guides the parameters of CL-PLDA to better local minima compared to regular PLDA. We test CLPLDA on speaker verification task of the severely noisy and degraded DARPA RATS data, and show it to significantly outperform regular PLDA across test-sets of varying duration.
Receptor oligomerization: from early evidence to current understanding in class B GPCRs

Dimerization or oligomerization of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are known to modulate receptor functions in terms of ontogeny, ligand-oriented regulation, pharmacological diversity, signal transduction, and internalization. Class B GPCRs are receptors to a family of hormones including secretin, growth hormone-releasing hormone, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and parathyroid hormone, among others. The functional implications of receptor dimerization have extensively been studied in class A GPCRs, while less is known regarding its function in class B GPCRs. This article reviews receptor oligomerization in terms of the early evidence and current understanding particularly of class B GPCRs.