Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automated Graph Regularized Projective Nonnegative Matrix Factorization for Document Clustering

In this paper, a novel projective nonnegative matrix factorization (PNMF) method for enhancing the clustering performance is presented, called automated graph regularized projective nonnegative matrix factorization (AGPNMF). The idea of AGPNMF is to extend the original PNMF by incorporating the automated graph regularized constraint into the PNMF decomposition. The key advantage of this approach is that AGPNMF simultaneously finds graph weights matrix and dimensionality reduction of data. AGPNMF seeks to extract the data representation space that preserves the local geometry structure. This character makes AGPNMF more intuitive and more powerful than the original method for clustering tasks. The kernel trick is used to extend AGPNMF model related to the input space by some nonlinear map. The proposed method has been applied to the problem of document clustering using the well-known Reuters-21578, TDT2, and SECTOR data sets. Our experimental evaluations show that the proposed method enhances the performance of PNMF for document clustering.
Ideal Points and American Political Development: Beyond DW-NOMINATE

This article aims to persuade historically oriented political scientists that ideal point techniques such as DW-NOMINATE can illuminate much about politics and lawmaking and be very useful to better understanding some of the key questions put forward by American political development (APD) scholars. We believe that there are many lines of inquiry of interest to APD scholars where ideal point measure could be useful, but which have been effectively foreclosed because of the assumptions undergirding DW-NOMINATE. In particular, we focus on three issues as particularly important: (1) the assumption of linear change; (2) the collapsing of distinct policy issue areas into a single “ideology” score; and (3) an agnosticism toward policy development, institutional context, and historical periodization. We go over these issues in detail and propose that many of these concerns can be addressed by taking seriously the proposition that policy substance, historical and political context, and the temporal dimension of political processes be integrated into the core of our measures and analyses. We also discuss a set of techniques for addressing these issues in order to answer specific questions of broad interest to both APD scholars and other Americanists.
A new marker design for a robust marker tracking system against occlusions

Marker systems are a widely used optical tracking method that does not support occlusions. Thus, this paper proposes a new marker design to overcome the problem of marker occlusions. It is highly adaptable, because it can be used by any marker tracking system that uses its central area to codify the digital identification. Our proposal takes advantage of an untapped frame to place some textures that will be tracked during marker occlusion. In addition, these textures are customizable, which lets users make their own designs. Two tracking methods are combined to offer a robust tracking, updating the six degrees of freedom of the camera in real time. The first one is a fast technique based on temporal coherence, whereas the second one is a robust technique based on appearance, which is used as a recovery mode. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spanning Forests on the Sierpinski Gasket

We study the number of spanning forests on the Sierpinski gasket SGd(n) at stage n with dimension d equal to two, three and four, and determine the asymptotic behaviors. The corresponding results on the generalized Sierpinski gasket SGd;b(n) with d = 2 and b = 3 ; 4 are obtained. We also derive upper bounds for the asymptotic growth constants for both SGd and SG2,b.
Acoustic-phonetic modeling in the SPICOS system

This paper deals with the acoustic-phonetic modeling developed in the SPICOS recognition system. The phoneme units are represented by variants of hidden Markov models and are refined step-by-step to improve the recognition performance. Two different approaches to modeling the emission probabilities are investigated, namely discrete models and continuous mixture densities. For the mixture density approach, a straightforward integration into the Viterbi scoring criterion is derived. In the experimental tests, the continuous mixture density approach was found to be superior to the discrete models, given the constraints of the Viterbi framework. The authors describe the details and refinements of the two approaches. >
Security Analysis and Trading Patterns When Some Investors Receive Information Before Others

In existing models of information acquisition, all informed investors receive their information at the same time. This article analyzes trading behavior and equilibrium information acquisition when some investors receive common private information before others. The model implies that, under some conditions, investors will focus only on a subset of securities ('herding'), while neglecting other securities with identical exogenous characteristics. In addition, the model is consistent with empirical correlations that are suggestive of oft-cited trading strategies such as profit taking (short-term position reversal) and following the leader (mimicking earlier trades). Copyright 1994 by American Finance Association.
Implementation of modified AQM mechanisms in IP routers

The article is an attempt to answer the question if it makes sense to modify the way of choosing packets to reject in AQM mechanisms. Simulation and analytical research of RED and DSRED mechanisms shows that their efficiency grows when packet is received from the front of the queue. It is especially conspicuous when taking into account the self-similarity of traffic. However implementation of the above mentioned mechanisms in real router does not corroborate such a clear advantage over Drop-From-Front strategy. In this article the results of analytical, simulation and real router research based on the Linux operating system have been presented.
Eating up the world’s food web and the human trophic level

Significance Here we combine ecological theory, demography, and socio-economics to calculate the human trophic level (HTL) and position humans in the context of the food web. Trophic levels are a measure of diet composition and are a basic metric in ecology, but have never been calculated for humans. In the global food web, we discover that humans are similar to anchovy or pigs and cannot be considered apex predators. In addition, we show that, although countries have diverse diets, there are just five major groups of countries with similar dietary trends. We find significant links between HTL and important World Bank development indicators, giving insights into the relationship between socio-economic, environmental, and health conditions and changing dietary patterns. Trophic levels are critical for synthesizing species’ diets, depicting energy pathways, understanding food web dynamics and ecosystem functioning, and monitoring ecosystem health. Specifically, trophic levels describe the position of species in a food web, from primary producers to apex predators (range, 1–5). Small differences in trophic level can reflect large differences in diet. Although trophic levels are among the most basic information collected for animals in ecosystems, a human trophic level (HTL) has never been defined. Here, we find a global HTL of 2.21, i.e., the trophic level of anchoveta. This value has increased with time, consistent with the global trend toward diets higher in meat. National HTLs ranging between 2.04 and 2.57 reflect a broad diversity of diet, although cluster analysis of countries with similar dietary trends reveals only five major groups. We find significant links between socio-economic and environmental indicators and global dietary trends. We demonstrate that the HTL is a synthetic index to monitor human diets and provides a baseline to compare diets between countries.
Unimpaired Lysosomal Acidification in Respiratory Epithelial Cells in Cystic Fibrosis*

The mechanisms remain uncertain by which mutations in CFTR cause lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Teichgräber et al. recently reported increased ceramide in CF lungs, which was proposed to result from defective lysosomal acidification in airway epithelial cells and consequent impairment of pH-dependent ceramide-metabolizing enzymes (Teichgräber, V., Ulrich, M., Endlich, N., Reithmüller, J., Wilker, B., Conceição Ce Olivereira-Munding, C., van Heeckeren, A. M., Barr, M. L., von Kürthy, G., Schmid, K. W., Weller, M., Tümmler, B., Lang, F., Grassme, H., Döring, G., and Gulbins, E. (2008) Nat. Med. 14, 382–391). Here, we measured lysosomal pH in several CFTR-expressing and -deficient cell lines, freshly isolated airway epithelial cells from non-CF and CF mice and humans, and well-differentiated primary cultures of human non-CF and CF airway epithelial cells. Lysosomal pH was measured by ratio imaging using a fluorescent pH indicator consisting of 40-kDa dextran conjugated to Oregon Green 488 and tetramethylrhodamine. In all cell types, lysosomal pH was ∼4.5, unaffected by the thiazolidinone CFTR inhibitor CFTRinh-172, and increased to ∼6.5 following bafilomycin inhibition of the vacuolar proton pump. Lysosomal pH did not differ significantly in airway epithelial cells from non-CF versus CF humans or mice. Our results provide direct evidence against the conclusions of Teichgräber et al. that lysosomal acidification is CFTR-dependent, impaired in CF, or responsible for ceramide accumulation. As such, alternative mechanisms are needed to explain increased ceramide in CF airways. Non-CFTR mechanisms, such as ClC-type chloride channels, are likely involved in maintaining electroneutrality during organellar acidification.
[Determination of the cucurbitacins from Cucubita pepo cv dayangua by HPLC].

OBJECTIVE To establish an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of four bioactive cucurbitacins in Cucubita pepo cv Dayangua. METHODS The HPLC chromatography was carried out with a lineal gradient programming and detection wavelength at 215 nm. Kromasil C8 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm ID, 5 microm)was used. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-water (containing 2.0% HAc) and the flow rate was 1.0 ml/min. RESULTS The linear range of 23, 24-dihydrocucurbitacin F was 0.28-5.6 microg/ml (r = 0.9978), 23, 24-dihydrocucurbitacin D 0.39-7.8 microg/ml (r = 0.9986), cucurbitacin B 0.304-6.08 microg/ml (r = 0.9983), cucurbitacin E 2. 52 -50. 4 microg/ml (r = 0.9998). The method was accurate with variation less than 5% and recovery more than 95%. CONCLUSION The method is successfully applied to determination of the four cucurbitacins from Cucubita pepo cv dayangua.
Generation of Radiation Null for the HMSIW Leaky-Wave Antenna

A new design of half-mode substrate integrated waveguide leaky-wave antenna with radiation null in the radiation pattern is proposed in this letter. The radiation null is realized by controlling the leakage constant of the effective radiation sections (ERSs). By changing the vias position and extending width of substrate at the locations of the ERSs for the prescribed angle, the null region can occur in any desired direction. In this way a null region with depth 36.2 dB around $\theta = -{\text {96}}^\circ $ at 9 GHz is achieved, and at the same time the main beam is almost not affected. A tapered microstrip line with shaped single-stub tuning is used for good impedance matching with the antenna. The advantage of this design is that only simple modification of structure is needed to achieve good result of radiation null.
Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Effectiveness Estimated by the Minimal Model Technique in Spontaneously Hypertensive and Normal Rats

This study was performed to compare glucose metabolism in anaesthetised spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) in an attempt to clarify whether this animal model of hypertension approximates the insulin‐resistant state seen in human hypertension. With this aim the minimal model of glucose kinetics was applied to glucose and insulin data derived from a 12‐sample, 120 min intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) performed in ten SHR and nine WKY rats under pentobarbital anaesthesia. This method provided two metabolic indices: the glucose effectiveness, SG, which quantifies the ability of glucose per se to enhance its rate of disappearance and to inhibit hepatic glucose production, and the insulin sensitivity, SI, which measures the ability of insulin to enhance plasma glucose disappearance and to inhibit hepatic glucose production. Systolic and diastolic arterial pressures in the SHR group were significantly higher (P < 0.0005) than in the WKY group. Mean SG and SI estimates from the SHR group (SG = 16.2 (± 2.0) × 10‐2 dl min‐1 kg‐1 and SI = 12.5 (± 1.9) × 10‐4 dl min‐1 kg‐1 (μU ml‐1)‐1) were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from mean estimates that characterised the WKY group (SG = 13.1 (± 1.5) × 10‐2 dl min‐1 kg‐1 and SI = 15.8 (± 4.3) × 10‐4 dl min‐1 kg‐1 (μU ml‐1)‐1). This result is in contrast with reported findings from humans in which insulin sensitivity is significantly reduced in the presence of hypertension.
LinkChains: Exploring the Space of Decentralised Trustworthy Linked Data

Distributed ledger platforms based on blockchains provide a fully distributed form of data storage which can guarantee data integrity. Certain use cases, such as medical applications, can benefit from guarantees that the results of arbitrary queries against a Linked Dataset faithfully represent its contents as originally published, without tampering or data corruption. We describe potential approaches to the storage and querying of Linked Data with varying degrees of decentralisation and guarantees of integrity, using distributed ledgers, and discuss their a priori differences in performance, storage limitations and reliability, setting out a programme for future empirical research.
A relatively simple and economical protocol for proteomic analyses of human 20S proteasome: Compatible with both scaled‐up and scaled‐down purifications

The 20S core particle (CP) is composed of 28 subunits arranged in four stacked heptameric rings (α7β7β7α7) forming a symmetrical barrel‐shaped structure. Typically, in previous reports, the purification of CP mainly relied on the antibody, liquid chromatography and affinity tag‐based strategies. In this study, we report a relatively simple and economical protocol for proteomic analyses of CP, which combines differential centrifugations with native‐PAGE. Furthermore, it is compatible with both scaled‐up purification from erythrocytes and scaled‐down purification from low to around 3.0×107 pancreatic cancer cells, SW1990. In addition, a direct three‐dimensional gel electrophoresis approach that omits the interval procedure between native‐PAGE and IEF/SDS‐PAGE is introduced. The results obtained in this study show that this protocol has a valuable potential for the studies of CP and other protein complexes.
Region-specific Antibodies to Chromogranin B Display Various Immunostaining Patterns in Human Endocrine Pancreas

Chromogranin (Cg) B is an acidic glycoprotein present in neuroendocrine tissue. The sequence shows several dibasic amino acid positions susceptible to proteolytic cleavage. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the expression of CgB epitopes in the human endocrine pancreas. Tissue sections of six human pancreata were immunostained with 16 different region-specific antibodies to the CgB molecule, using double immunofluorescence techniques. The CgB epitope pattern varied in the four major islet cell types. B (insulin)-cells expressed immunoreactivity to all region-specific antibodies. The antibodies to the N-terminal and mid-portions of CgB showed moderate immunoreactivity, the C-terminal antibodies weak. A (glucagon)-cells were reactive only to the N-terminal and mid-portion antibodies but, after microwave pretreatment, to all antibodies, whereas D (somatostatin)-cells expressed only the sequence CgB 244–255 and a subpopulation CgB 580–595. PP (pancreatic polypeptide) cells were immunostained with antibodies between CgB 1–417 and a few with CgB 580–593. The fragment CgB 244–255 was expressed in all four cell types. The cause of these differences may be cell-specific cleavage or masking of the molecule, but varying translation of CgB mRNA is also possible. The extent to which these epitopes reflect fragments having biological functions remains to be evaluated.
Functional domains of template-activating factor-I as a protein phosphatase 2A inhibitor.

Template-Activating Factor-I (TAF-I) alpha and beta, chromatin remodeling factors, were identified as the stimulatory factor for replication of the adenovirus DNA complexed with viral basic core proteins. Recently, two cellular inhibitors for protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) have been isolated. One of these inhibitors, designated IPP2A2, is a truncated version of TAF-Ibeta. Here, it is shown using recombinant TAF-I proteins that both TAF-Ialpha and beta have the PP2A inhibitor activity. The N-terminal region but not the C-terminal acidic region, the latter of which is essential for the chromatin remodeling activity, is shown to be required for the PP2A inhibitor activity. Roles of TAF-Ialpha- and beta-specific regions, the C-terminal acidic region, and other regions of TAF-I for the PP2A inhibitor activity are also discussed.
Measurement of progesterone receptor in human breast cancer biopsies.

An improved sucrose gradient procedure for measuring progesterone receptor (PR) status was compared with other methods in an attempt to improve the assay of PR, a possibly important determinant in predicting endocrine therapy responses. Tritiated 3H-labeled R 5020 PR assay was modified to determine the actual nature of the competitive binding detected using sucrose density gradient centrifugation. An underestimation of 8S receptor was the result when using the swinging bucket technique, perhaps due to the prolonged run time (16 hours) involved. Hence, a vertical tube rotor was used which eliminated the problem. The 4S component was shown not to be PR, but probably an aberration due to failure to adsorb to hydroxylapatite. Dextran-coated charcoal and hydroxylapatite Scatchard plots confirmed this aberrant finding in that values derived from these methods correlated well with the 8S component of the gradient profile and not with the sum (8S + 4S) in a series of 27 human breast cancer specimens. In the same series the use of dextran-coated charcoal or hydroxylapatite single-saturating-dose assays correlated well with the 8S component of sucrose gradients. However, it is cautioned that until more experiments with these types of correlations are compiled, the 8S component of sucrose density gradient profiles as obtained from vertical tube rotor centrifugation yields the most reliable data on PR concentrations in human breast tumors.
The accuracy of clinical prediction of prognosis for patients admitted with sepsis to internal medicine departments

Abstract Introduction Prognosis estimation offered by physicians for patients inflicted by sepsis on their admission to Internal Medicine (IM) departments is considered a challenge. Early prognosis estimation is critical and determines the intensity of treatment offered. The accuracy of prognosis estimation made by physicians has previously been investigated mainly among intensive care physicians and oncologists. Objective To ascertain the accuracy of prognosis prediction made by internists for septic patients on admission to IM departments. Methods Physicians were asked to estimate the prognosis of every patient identified to have sepsis on admission. Their intuitive assessment of prognosis was incorporated into the patients’ electronic medical record. Survival follow-up was recorded until death or for at least 2 years. Later we compared survival with physicians’ prognosis estimations. Results Prognosis estimation was recorded for 1,073 consecutive septic patients admitted throughout the years 2008–2009 to IM departments. The mean age of patients was 74.7 ± 16.1 years. A total of 42.4% were suspected to have pneumonia, and 65.4% died during a mean follow-up time of 661.1 ± 612.3 days. Almost half of the patients classified to have good prognosis survived compared to 14.9% and 4.9% of those with intermediate and bad prognosis estimation, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusion Internists can discriminate well between septic patients with good, intermediate, and bad prognosis. Key Messages Many patients suffering from sepsis are treated at general medical departments. Good estimation of the severity of disease upon admission is critical for decision-making regarding treatment. Internists including junior staff could discriminate well between patients with different degrees of disease severity of sepsis.
Residents’ Attitude toward Tourism Development: A Sociocultural Perspective

Host population support for tourism development has attracted the attention of researchers in tourism studies. Given the importance of understanding local community support for tourism development, limitations in understanding their priority and lack of a socio-cultural model of support for tourism, this study attempted to model locals’ support for tourism development based on socio-cultural factors in Malaysian Homestay program. Using extensive literature review, a tourism support model was proposed including several hypothesized paths. The proposed socio-cultural research framework predicted the impact of Islamic religiosity, locals’ knowledge about tourism, intrinsic motivation factors and community attachment on locals support for tourism development through mediating variables of perceived socio-cultural benefits and costs in Malaysian Homestays. , the model and paths were tested using structural equation modelling and partial least square algorithm (PLS-SEM) with the aid of SmartPLS software. Findings reveal that locals’ support for tourism development in Homestay program is a function of perceived socio-cultural benefits and costs perceived by local community and four independent variables of Islamic religiosity, knowledge about tourism, intrinsic motivations, and community attachment.
Analysis of Microsatellite Loci for Swimming Crab Portunus trituberculatus Populations in the Korean Side of the Yellow Sea

The swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus, inhabits seafloor habitats containing sand or pebbles and is widely distributed throughout the world. The present study investigated genetic polymorphisms of 10 microsatellites in 281 samples of P. trituberculatus collected from four locations along the coastal water of the Korean side of the Yellow Sea (Yeonggwang, Taean, Sorea, and Yeonpyeong-do Island). The number of alleles per locus ranged from 50 to 129, with a mean of 69.5. The observed and expected hetrozygosity varied from 0.111 to 1.000 and from 0.609 to 0.979, respectively. The inbreeding coefficients (Fis) varied among the loci from -0.0207 to 0.8175. The genetic differentiation (Fst) was less than 0.05 (range 0.0020-0.0124). Therefore, the four groups of P. trituberculatus appeared to exhibit little genetic differentiation. The lack of differentiation was confirmed in a phylogenetic tree constructed by the unweighted pair group method with the arithmetic average (UPGMA). The hypervariation between the populations and the lack of genetic differentiation may reflect active gene flow among the Yellow Sea populations and the absence of geographical boundaries. The highly polymorphic microsatellite loci will be useful for molecular and phylogenetic studies, as well as stock management, of swimming crab, which is an important fishery resource.