Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Testing an Entity Ranking Function for English Factoid QA

Much progress has been made in the English question-answering task since it was initiated in TREC-8 and our last participation in TREC-2001. QA is a complex semantics-oriented task, and it is necessary that much linguistic processing, auxiliary resources, and learning steps are needed to come up with adequate performance to the task [1]. Chinese language factoid QA was first introduced during NTCIR-5 and -6 [2,3] and in which we participated. Because Chinese QA was new with little training data and Chinese linguistic tools and resources were not as readily available as in English, we employed a simple answer ranking technique that depends only on surface term usage statistics in questions and document sentences [4,5]. The outcome has been surprisingly satisfactory, achieving results ~80% of the best [2,3]. We were curious how this approach may perform for English factoid questions, comparing with median result for example. The program was modified to support English in this TREC-2007 QA task. As in Chinese, we made little use of linguistic tools or training data, and no auxiliary resources. It can form a basis result from which more sophisticated tools may enhance.
Relative roles of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4/5 in midazolam 1′-hydroxylation

1. During the characterization of recombinant CYP2C19, it was observed that this enzyme metabolized midazolam, which is generally regarded as CYP3A4/5 substrate, and we therefore decided to pursue this observation further. 2. CYP2C19 showed a Michaelis-Menten pattern for midazolam 1′-hydroxylation and was inhibited by (+)-N-3-benzylnirvanol and S-mephenytoin, which are a standard potent inhibitor and a substrate of CYP2C19, respectively. 3. The inhibitory potency by CYP3A4/5 inhibitor on the midazolam 1′-hydroxylation in human liver microsomes (HLM) was correlated with the CYP3A4/5 specific catalytic activity, but such correlation was not observed in CYP2C19 enzyme. The in vitro intrinsic clearance value for midazolam 1′-hydroxylation was not changed by the addition of (+)-N-3-benzylnirvanol in four individual HLM preparations. 4. These results indicated that although CYP2C19 is capable of catalyzing midazolam 1′-hydroxylation, CYP3A4/5 play a more important role.
Characterization of NOBOX DNA Binding Specificity and Its Regulation of Gdf9 and Pou5f1 Promoters*

Nobox (newborn ovary homeobox gene) deficiency disrupts early folliculogenesis and the expression of oocyte-specific genes in mice. Here, we identified several cis-acting sites, TAATTG, TAGTTG, and TAATTA as NOBOX DNA binding elements (NBEs) using a library of randomly generated oligonucleotides by cyclic amplification of sequence target assay and mutation analyses. We show that NOBOX preferentially binds to the NOBOX binding elements with high affinity. In addition, we found that promoter regions of mouse Pou5f1 and Gdf9 contain one (–426) and three NOBOX binding elements (–786, –967, and –1259), respectively. NOBOX binds to these putative NOBOX binding elements with high affinity and augmented transcriptional activity of luciferase reporter driven by mouse Pou5f1 and Gdf9 promoters containing the NOBOX binding elements. In chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, DNA sequences from Pou5f1 and Gdf9 promoters co-precipitated with anti-NOBOX antibody. These results suggest that NOBOX directly regulates the transcription of Pou5f1 and Gdf9 in oocytes during early folliculogenesis.
Scientific Utopia

An academic scientist’s professional success depends on publishing. Publishing norms emphasize novel, positive results. As such, disciplinary incentives encourage design, analysis, and reporting decisions that elicit positive results and ignore negative results. Prior reports demonstrate how these incentives inflate the rate of false effects in published science. When incentives favor novelty over replication, false results persist in the literature unchallenged, reducing efficiency in knowledge accumulation. Previous suggestions to address this problem are unlikely to be effective. For example, a journal of negative results publishes otherwise unpublishable reports. This enshrines the low status of the journal and its content. The persistence of false findings can be meliorated with strategies that make the fundamental but abstract accuracy motive—getting it right—competitive with the more tangible and concrete incentive—getting it published. This article develops strategies for improving scientific practices and knowledge accumulation that account for ordinary human motivations and biases.
Skeletal and myocardial microvascular blood flow in hydroxycarbamide‐treated patients with sickle cell disease

In sickle cell disease (SCD), abnormal microvascular function combined with chronic anaemia predisposes patients to perfusion‐demand mismatch. We hypothesized that skeletal muscle and myocardial perfusion, normalized to the degree of anaemia, is reduced at basal‐state compared to controls, and that this defect is ameliorated by hydroxycarbamide (HC; also termed hydroxyurea) therapy. Twenty‐one SCD patients, of whom 15 were treated with HC, and 27 controls underwent contrast‐enhanced ultrasound (CEU) perfusion imaging of the forearm as well as the myocardium. HC treatment was associated with lower white cell and reticulocyte counts, and higher fetal haemoglobin and total haemoglobin levels. When corrected for the degree of anaemia in SCD patients, skeletal flow in HC‐treated patients was significantly higher than in untreated SCD patients (217·7 ± 125·4 vs. 85·9 ± 40·2, P = 0·018). Similarly, when normalized for both anaemia and increased myocardial work, resting myocardial perfusion was also significantly higher in HC‐treated patients compared with untreated SCD patients (0·53 ± 0·47 vs. 0·13 ± 0·07, P = 0·028). Haemoglobin F (HbF) levels correlated with skeletal muscle microvascular flow (r = 0·55, P = 0·01). In conclusion, patients with SCD not on HC therapy have resting flow deficits in both skeletal muscle and myocardial flow. HC therapy normalizes flow and there is a direct correlation with HbF levels. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01602809; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01602809? term=sACHDEV&rank=9.
Effect of climate change on building energy consumption for severe cold zone of China

The relation between climate and energy is one of the hot issues which government and scholar all around the current world pay close attention to. On one hand the development and utilization of energy influences climate, on the other hand climate change influences the consumption of energy too. Undoubtedly, it is the most urgent environmental problem we face that the global climate becomes warm. Therefore, it is necessary to study on the influence of climate change on heating and cooling energy consumption. This paper has obtained the original meteorological data of China in the past 40 years (1961 - 2000) that stand of 194 weather stations from the National Meteorological Center. According to the code of “thermal design of civil building”, the whole country of China is divided into five architectural thermal partition zones: severe cold zone, cold zone, hot summer and cold winter zone, hot summer and warm winter zone and mild humid zone. Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Urumqi, Hohhot, Xining and Lhasa are the selected as representative cities of typical climate features in severe cold zone. This article used the meteorological observation data information of 40 years (1961-2000) to calculate the temperature and summer and winter degree day number. The change trend law of 40-year average temperature, heating degree day HDD18 and cooling degree day CDD26 of the selected cities were got. On the basis of which, analysis has been made on the correlativity between the average temperature change and heating and air conditioning degree day in severe cold zone of China. The research can provide data support to the study on the relationship between temperature change and building energy consumption in severe cold zone of China.
Cancer of the oral cavity: a comparison between institutions in a developing and a developed nation

The literature suggests that the natural history of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity may vary and the prognosis is different in patients from developing and developed nations. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical presentation, management, and outcome of patients with oral cancer treated at tertiary care cancer institutions in a developing nation (Brazil— Centro de Tratamento e Pesquisa Hospital do Cancer A. C. Camargo [HCACC]) with those from a developed nation (United States— Memorial Sloan‐Kettering Cancer Center [MSKCC]).
An efficient method for modelling tourists’ length of stay

Modelling tourists’ length of stay imposes relevant challenges to researchers. The log-linear ordinary least squares (OLS) regression is a simple but limited statistical technique due to its log-normal distributional assumption. Duration models allow more flexible distributional assumptions, but they create unnecessary statistical complexity. Considering these limitations, a third and most efficient alternative that joins statistical simplicity and distributional flexibility is examined in this article. Generalized linear models (GLMs) are used to explain tourists’ length of stay at each of 100 Brazilian destinations. The log-gamma distribution is shown generally to fit data better than the log-normal alternative, indicating that GLMs outperform the log-linear OLS without requiring the complexity of duration models.
Performance analysis of decode-and-forward relaying in impulsive noise environments

A performance analysis of both centralized and decentralized cooperation diversity schemes involving decode-and-forward relay nodes is carried out in the case of Middleton Class A impulsive disturbance. It is shown that, with respect to the Gaussian noise case, the presence of impulsive disturbance does not significantly affect the performance of the maximum-likelihood detector in terms of coding gain and asymptotic diversity order. Instead, the major effect of the impulse disturbance is on the finite signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) diversity order, which does not monotonously increase as the SNR rises. Numerical results are provided to validate the derived theoretical results.
The Autonomic Reflex Screen in Healthy Participants from Southwestern Ontario

Background: The autonomic reflex screen (ARS) is a composite of well-defined tests of various autonomic domains and is an essential part of the diagnosis of autonomic disorders. Institutional and regional differences exist and necessitate the ongoing development of control values for the ARS. Here we present data obtained from healthy participants from Southwestern Ontario. Methods: A total of 121 healthy individuals underwent quantitative sudomotor axon reflex testing (QSART), heart rate response to deep breathing (HRDB), and Valsalva maneuver using standard protocols as part of the ARS. Results: Sweat volumes obtained during QSART are presented by site (forearm, proximal leg, distal leg and foot) and by gender. Data is expressed as the mean sweat volume per site with the associated 2.5th, 5th and 95th percentiles. Data for males and females is also stratified by age group (14-25, 26-40 and 41-76 years). Measurements of cardiovagal parasympathetic function including HRDB and Valsalva ratio are stratified by age group (14-25, 26- 40 and 41-76 years). Data is expressed as the mean with associated percentiles (2.5, 5, 95 and 97.5 percentiles). Conclusions: The current manuscript provides control data for the various components of the ARS to aid in the diagnosis of autonomic disorders.
Evaluation of Crofelemer in the Treatment of Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients

Background: Crofelemer improves bowel function in several conditions characterized by states of prominent secretory diarrhea. Aim: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effects of 3 dose levels of crofelemer in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS). Methods: Male and female patients were randomly assigned to receive crofelemer 125, 250 or 500 mg or placebo twice daily for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy measure was a responder for improvement in stool consistency. In addition, abdominal pain- and discomfort-free days, pain and discomfort scores as well as other bowel function parameters (such as stool frequency and consistency, urgency, bloating) were evaluated. Results: Two hundred and forty-two D-IBS patients were randomized. Crofelemer did not produce significant improvement in stool consistency (primary endpoint), stool frequency, urgency or adequate relief. However, female D-IBS patients showed improvement in the proportion of pain- and discomfort-free days during treatment with 500 mg crofelemer: month 1 (crofelemer vs. placebo: 17.7 vs. 10.2%, p = 0.098); month 2 (23.5 vs. 13.3%, p = 0.076); month 3 (26.1 vs. 10.6%, p = 0.0076). No benefit was seen in male D-IBS patients. Crofelemer was well tolerated. Conclusions: Crofelelmer did not produce benefit on bowel function; an increase in the number of pain- and discomfort-free days in female D-IBS patients was seen. Further studies with crofelemer are warranted to evaluate it as a potential visceral analgesic.
SIGIR 2017 Workshop on Open Knowledge Base and Question Answering (OKBQA2017)

Over the past years, several challenges and calls for research projects have pointed out the dire need for pushing natural language interfaces. In this context, the importance of Semantic Web data as a premier knowledge source is rapidly increasing. But we are still far from having accurate natural language interfaces that allow handling complex information needs in a user-centric and highly performant manner. The development of such interfaces requires collaboration of a range of different fields, including natural language processing, information extraction, knowledge base construction and population, reasoning, and question answering. With the goal to join forces in the collaborative development of natural language QA systems, the second OKBQA workshop is organized within the 40th SIGIR conference.
Evaluation of efficacy of impregnated curtains in experimental hen houses as a phlebotomine control tool in northeast Argentina

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of insecticide‐impregnated curtains against the entry of phlebotomine (Diptera: Psychodidae) flies into experimental slatted hen houses in an area endemic for American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). Three treatments in experimental dwellings containing three chickens each were applied using, respectively, an impregnated curtain (IC), a non‐impregnated curtain (NIC) and no curtain (NC). A control site without chickens (WC) was included. The study used permethrin at 0.05 g/m2. During each month for 1 year, each experimental hen house randomly received all treatments. Phlebotomine sandflies were captured using REDILA BL traps placed inside the hen house. Significant differences in abundances of phlebotomine flies/trap/night were observed between treatments (χ2 = 17853.58, d.f. = 3, P < 0.0001): 59.7% of phlebotomines were captured in the NC treatment, 26.3% in the NIC treatment, 8.0% in the IC treatment and 6.1% in the WC condition. Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho) was the most abundant species in all collections (89.9%). These results showed a lower abundance of phlebotomines in the experimental hen house in the IC condition than in the hen house in the NC condition (P < 0.05) and that the presence of NIC represents an effective physical barrier against phlebotomines (P < 0.05). Therefore, the use of curtains may be an alternative eco‐friendly method for the prevention of indoor ACL transmission in slatted dwellings, which represent a common house type in northeast Argentina.
Structural basis for recruitment of glycogen synthase kinase 3β to the axin—APC scaffold complex

Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) is a serine/threonine kinase involved in insulin, growth factor and Wnt signalling. In Wnt signalling, GSK3β is recruited to a multiprotein complex via interaction with axin, where it hyperphosphorylates β‐catenin, marking it for ubiquitylation and destruction. We have now determined the crystal structure of GSK3β in complex with a minimal GSK3β‐binding segment of axin, at 2.4 Å resolution. The structure confirms the co‐localization of the binding sites for axin and FRAT in the C‐terminal domain of GSK3β, but reveals significant differences in the interactions made by axin and FRAT, mediated by conformational plasticity of the 285—299 loop in GSK3β. Detailed comparison of the axin and FRAT GSK3β complexes allows the generation of highly specific mutations, which abrogate binding of one or the other. Quantitative analysis suggests that the interaction of GSK3β with the axin scaffold enhances phosphorylation of β‐catenin by >20 000‐fold.
Data-Driven Tracking Control With Adaptive Dynamic Programming for a Class of Continuous-Time Nonlinear Systems

A data-driven adaptive tracking control approach is proposed for a class of continuous-time nonlinear systems using a recent developed goal representation heuristic dynamic programming (GrHDP) architecture. The major focus of this paper is on designing a multivariable tracking scheme, including the filter-based action network (FAN) architecture, and the stability analysis in continuous-time fashion. In this design, the FAN is used to observe the system function, and then generates the corresponding control action together with the reference signals. The goal network will provide an internal reward signal adaptively based on the current system states and the control action. This internal reward signal is assigned as the input for the critic network, which approximates the cost function over time. We demonstrate its improved tracking performance in comparison with the existing heuristic dynamic programming (HDP) approach under the same parameter and environment settings. The simulation results of the multivariable tracking control on two examples have been presented to show that the proposed scheme can achieve better control in terms of learning speed and overall performance.
Pulse oximetry: What's normal in the newborn nursery?

The objective of this study was to establish normal values for pulse oximetry saturation (POS) in healthy newborn infants in the nursery. POS values were obtained from the right (R) hand and R foot at admission, 24 hr, and at discharge. The following information was recorded: postnatal age, activity state, gender, gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW), mode of delivery (MOD), and Apgar scores. Charts were reviewed and follow‐up information was obtained for newborns with measurements ≤92%. The study group consisted of a convenience sample of newborn infants, excluding those on supplemental oxygen.
Role of the Venous Return in Critical Illness and Shock: Part II—Shock and Mechanical Ventilation

Objective:To provide a conceptual and clinical review of the physiology of the venous system as it is related to cardiac function in health and disease. Data:An integration of venous and cardiac physiology under normal conditions, critical illness, and resuscitation. Summary:The usual clinical teaching of cardiac physiology focuses on left ventricular pathophysiology and pathology. Due to the wide array of shock states dealt with by intensivists, an integrated approach that takes into account the function of the venous system and its interaction with the right heart may be more useful. In part II of this two-part review, we describe the physiology of venous return and its interaction with the right heart function as it relates to mechanical ventilation and various shock states including hypovolemic, cardiogenic, obstructive, and septic shock. In particular, we demonstrate how these shock states perturb venous return/right heart interactions. We also show how compensatory mechanisms and therapeutic interventions can tend to return venous return and cardiac output to appropriate values. Conclusion:An improved understanding of the role of the venous system in pathophysiologic conditions will allow intensivists to better appreciate the complex circulatory physiology of shock and related therapies. This should enable improved hemodynamic management of this disorder.
Unsupervised Locating of WiFi Access Points Using Smartphones

WiFi positioning systems require radio maps in the form of either RF fingerprints or positions of WiFi access points (APs). In particular, knowledge of the AP positions is essential to enable a locating mechanism as well as to understand the nature of underlying WiFi networks, such as density, connectivity, interference characteristics, and so on. In this paper, we propose an approach called Serendipity, which locates WiFi APs in an unsupervised manner using radio scans collected by ordinary smartphone users. From the radio scans, we extract dissimilarities between all pairs of WiFi APs and estimate relative positions of APs by analyzing the dissimilarities based on a multidimensional scaling technique. We then find the absolute positions with additional radio scans whose positions are known. The discovered positions of WiFi APs are used for the positioning of smartphones or the management of the WiFi networks. To validate the proposed approach, we conducted experiments on several indoor locations.
Fluctuations of correlations and Green's function reconstruction : Role of scattering

Correlations of ambient seismic or acoustic vibrations are now widely used to reconstruct the impulse response between two passive receivers as if a source was placed at one of them. This provides the opportunity to do imaging without a source, or passive imaging. Applications include terrestrial and solar seismology, underwater acoustics, and structural health monitoring, to cite only a few. Nevertheless, for a given set of data, correlations do not only yield Green’s function between the sensors. They also contain residual fluctuations that result from an imperfect time or source averaging that might eventually blur the images. In this article, we propose a heuristic model to describe the level of fluctuations of the correlations in the case of nonstationary wavefields, and more particularly in the case of scattering media. The work includes theoretical derivations and numerical simulations. The role of multiple scattering is quantitatively evaluated. The level of fluctuations decreases when the duratio.
Understanding Legitimacy Formation in Multi‐Goal Firms: An Examination of Business Planning Practices among Social Enterprises

The value of business planning to new business ventures and small firms has been the subject of debate among entrepreneurship researchers. In this paper, we examine business planning practices as a function of legitimacy formation among Australian social enterprises, drawing on a mixed‐methods study. We find that business planning practices are driven by demands to establish legitimacy with external stakeholders as well as organizational performance imperatives, although legitimacy is the stronger driver. Findings also suggest business planning processes serve unique communicative and relational functions among social enterprises. This has implications for understanding legitimacy formation within multi‐goal and multi‐stakeholder businesses.