Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spark-Based Political Event Coding

Political event data have been widely used to study international politics. Previously, natural text processing and event generation required a lot of human efforts. Today we have high computing infrastructure with advance NLP metadata to leverage those tiresome efforts. TABARI -- an open source non distributed event-coding software -- was an early effort to generate events from a large corpus. It uses a shallow parser to identify the political actors, but ignores semantics and relation among the sentences. PETRARCH, the successor of TABARI, encodes event data into "who-did-what-to-whom" format. It uses Stanford CoreNLP to parse sentences and a static CAMEO dictionary to encode the data. To build dynamic dictionaries, we need to analyze more metadata such as the token, Named Entity Recognition (NER), co-reference, and many more from parsed sentences. Although these tools can code modest amounts of source corpora into event data they are too slow and suffer scalability issues when we try to extract metadata from a single document. The situation gets worse for other languages like Spanish or Arabic. In this paper, we develop a novel distributed framework using Apache Spark, MongoDB, Stanford CoreNLP, and PETRARCH. It shows a distributed workflow by using Stanford CoreNLP to extract all the metadata (parse tree, tokens, lemma, etc.) from the news corpora of the Gigaword dataset and storing it to MongoDB. Then it uses PETRARCH to encode events from the metadata. The framework integrates both tools using distributed commodity hardware and reduces text processing time substantially with respect to a non-distributed architecture. We have chosen Spark over traditional distributed frameworks like MapReduce, Storm, Mahout. Spark has in-memory computation and lower processing time in both batch and stream processing compared to other options.
Predictability Aspects of Global Aqua-planet Simulations with Explicit Convection

High-resolution global simulations over zonally symmetric aqua planets are examined using Fourier analysis in the zonal direction. We highlight the tropics, where the large-scale weather consists of convectively-coupled waves so that explicit convection is an especially topical novelty.Squared differences between pairs of runs grow from initially tiny values to saturation at twice the climatological variance. For wavelengths shorter than 103 km, differences saturate within about a day. For tropical long waves, the time to saturation indicates predictability for at least 2 weeks. This time scale is similar in middle latitude flow, which interacts with tropical waves in the 3D model, but it is also similar in 2D pseudo-equatorial vertical plane simulations of pure convectively coupled gravity waves. As a result, no simple conclusions can be drawn about whether tropical predictability is limited more by tropical chaos or by tropical-extratropical interactions.Difference growth appears to fill out the saturation energy spectrum in a “vertical” (up-magnitude) rather than “horizontal” (up-scale) manner. Up-scale growth thus occurs as a continuing amplification of large scales after small scales saturate, which begs the question of what sets the shape of the saturation (climatological) power spectra. Wind spectra are nearly power-law with a logarithmic slope of about -5/3 in the free troposphere, remarkably so in the 2D runs and clearly distinct from slope -2 (a null hypothesis of spectrally white wind divergence). A common interpretation of -5/3 slope - as indicative of a cascade, a steady conservative transfer of energy from source to sink scales by interactions that are local in log-wavelength space - is hard to apply to these moist tropical waves.
The career trajectory of physical education teachers in Hong Kong

This study investigates the career trajectory of primary school physical education teachers (PSPETs) in Hong Kong. It is focused on the problems arising from apparent overload and the multiple roles of physical education teachers’ career development in Hong Kong brought about by education and curriculum reforms. The specific research question is, “What are PSPETs’ career aims and how do they describe and conceptualize their career trajectories? ” A qualitative research design is adopted to gain an in-depth understanding of the meaning that participants make of their career life. The researchers used semi-structured interviews, supplemented by documentary sources (diaries) for conducting data collection. Through purposive sampling methods (snowball sampling), 11 Hong Kong PSPETs participated in this study. Data were analyzed through three major types of coding, namely: open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The results revealed that PSPETs share both similarities and differences through their career development processes. The meaning and interpretation of “assimilation” varies among the PSPETs. Their capacity for assimilation acts as the core factor in exploring the PSPETs’ career trajectories. The concepts of (a) characteristics of the organization, (b) self-orientation of career, (c) other obligations, and (d) career aspirations are clustered into the Assimilating (Career trajectory) category, which describes PSPETs’ career aims and conceptualizations of their career trajectory. PSPETs have diversified in and adapted to all aspects of their career life within a continuing, evolving scenario of education reforms. The influences and relationships that they perceived were clearly implicated in their career choice and path. PSPETs in this study revealed that disadvantages can be overcome by adapting to the diverse nature of their job and by overcoming the otherwise limited scope of their work, meaning PSPETs can assimilate more closely into the culture and context of the organization.
Time-convexity and time-gain-scheduling in finite-horizon robust H∞-control

A simple efficient method for addressing finite-horizon control problems is suggested for a class of linear time-varying systems by solving ‘standard’ (algebraic) linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Considering the Lyapunov function xTP(t)x, a class of time-varying solutions for P(t) is derived without using differential inequalities. The core idea is to seek a P(t) which is linear in time, and to exploit convexity in normalized time over the scenario duration (or over each time sub-interval, in the piecewise version) in order to reduce the differential LMIs, which result from the bounded real lemma, to algebraic LMIs at the scenario (or sub-intervals) end-points. The resulting state-feedback gain is explicitly time-scheduled. The method can simultaneously cover polytopic parametric uncertainties, and can be applied together with the ‘best-mean’ approach.
High resolution depth image recovery algorithm using grayscale image

This paper proposes a depth image recovery algorithm which recovers depth images using grayscale images and low resolution depth images. Based on a image colorization technique, a depth value image recovery problem is formulated as a convex quadratic optimization problem, and a fast depth image recovery algorithm is proposed. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm recovers a high resolution depth image from a very low resolution depth image effectively.
“i just like knowing they can look at it and relize who i really am”: Recognition and the Limits of Girlhood Agency on MySpace

In this article, we question the authorial digital agency that is often ascribed to queer girls by postfeminist empowerment rhetorics and feminist investments in queer subversiveness. Drawing on visual and textual analyses of lesbian- and queer-identified girls’ MySpace pages as well as interviews with girls conducted via instant messenger, we suggest that while girls insist that their digital self-presentations are simple reflections of who they really are, these selves are always produced through normative frameworks such as whiteness and heteronormative monogamy. We contend that discourses of recognition emerge throughout the content of girls’ pages and their own explanations of their online activities. Lesbian and queer girls must describe themselves within legible terms in order to be socially recognizable, and the subject’s fundamental desire for recognition negates the possibility of any completely autonomous, unmediated self-presentation. Elucidating girls’ desire for recognition illustrates the limited range of possible subjectivities available to girls under postfeminism and hegemonic white consumption ideals.
Crosstalk-aware Domino Logic Synthesis

We propose a logic synthesis flow which utilizes the functionality of circuit to synthesize a domino-cell network which will have more wires crosstalk-immune to each other. For that purpose, techniques of output phase flipping and crosstalk-aware technology mapping are used. Meanwhile, metric to measure the crosstalk sensitivity of domino cells in synthesis level is proposed. Experimental results demonstrate that the crosstalk sensitivity of the synthesized domino-cell network is greatly reduced by 51% using our synthesis flow as compared with conventional methodology. Furthermore, after placement and routing are performed, the ratio of the number of crosstalk-immune wire pairs to the number of total wire pairs is about 25% using our methodology as compared to 9% using conventional techniques
PMSM Drive Current and Voltage Limiting as a Constraint Optimal Control Problem

This paper proposes an algorithm for optimal current trajectory control of (interior) permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives, considering the motor/inverter current and voltage limitations. In contrast to common voltage feedback flux-weakening strategies, it applies a differential rather than a conventional integral approach to regulate the current vector. Linearized motor equations are used to express torque and voltage amplitude changes relative to the actual operating point as a function of dq-current increments. Optimal dq-current step adjustments are calculated from these approximate voltage/torque increment lines according to machine state feedback. This allows for the constraint optimization problem to be solved in real time. Each iteration, the dq-current setpoint vector is incrementally shifted in an optimal direction, rapidly converging to a solution within the voltage/current limits, which minimizes error on torque request with maximum efficiency. Extensive experimental results on an interior PMSM setup demonstrate the strategy's dynamic performance and robustness.
How teachers’ self-efficacy is related to instructional quality: A longitudinal analysis.

This study extends previous research on teachers’ self-efficacy by exploring reciprocal effects of teachers’ self-efficacy and instructional quality in a longitudinal panel study. The study design combined a self-report measure of teacher self-efficacy with teacher and student ratings of instructional quality (assessing cognitive activation, classroom management, and individual learning support for students), and 2-level cross-lagged structural equation analyses were conducted. Data were collected from 155 German secondary mathematics teachers and 3,483 Grade 9 students at 2 measurement points. Although cross-sectional correlations between self-efficacy beliefs and characteristics of instruction were substantiated, the analyses only partially confirmed a causal effect of teachers’ self-efficacy on later instructional quality. Instead, the analyses revealed a reverse effect of instructional quality on teachers’ self-efficacy, with students’ experience of cognitive activation and teachers’ ratings of classroom management predicting teachers’ subsequent self-efficacy. Our findings emphasize the importance of examining teachers’ self-efficacy not only as a cause but also as a consequence of educational processes. Future research on teachers’ self-efficacy should take a longitudinal perspective with varying time lags, identify possible mediator variables, and consider other aspects of teacher competence beyond self-efficacy when examining the effects of instructional quality.
Genome-Wide Functional Analysis of Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) in Response to Drought

Cotton is one of the most important crops for its natural textile fibers in the world. However, it often suffered from drought stress during its growth and development, resulting in a drastic reduction in cotton productivity. Therefore, study on molecular mechanism of cotton drought-tolerance is very important for increasing cotton production. To investigate molecular mechanism of cotton drought-resistance, we employed RNA-Seq technology to identify differentially expressed genes in the leaves of two different cultivars (drought-resistant cultivar J-13 and drought-sensitive cultivar Lu-6) of cotton. The results indicated that there are about 13.38% to 18.75% of all the unigenes differentially expressed in drought-resistant sample and drought-sensitive control, and the number of differentially expressed genes was increased along with prolonged drought treatment. DEG (differentially expression gene) analysis showed that the normal biophysical profiles of cotton (cultivar J-13) were affected by drought stress, and some cellular metabolic processes (including photosynthesis) were inhibited in cotton under drought conditions. Furthermore, the experimental data revealed that there were significant differences in expression levels of the genes related to abscisic acid signaling, ethylene signaling and jasmonic acid signaling pathways between drought-resistant cultivar J-13 and drought-sensitive cultivar Lu-6, implying that these signaling pathways may participate in cotton response and tolerance to drought stress.
Profiting from Mean-Reverting Yield Curve Trading Strategies

This article studies a set of yield curve trading strategies that are based on the view that the yield curve mean reverts to an unconditional curve. These mean-reverting trading strategies exploit deviations in the level, slope, and curvature of the yield curve from historical norms. Some mean-reverting strategies were found to have significant positive profits. Furthermore, the profitability of one of these strategies significantly outperforms, on a risk-adjusted basis, alternative strategies of an investment bond or equity index.
Prostaglandin E2 promotes proliferation of skeletal muscle myoblasts via EP4 receptor activation

We recently demonstrated that conditioned media (CM) from osteocytes enhances myogenic differentiation of myoblasts, suggesting that signaling from bone may be important for skeletal muscle myogenesis. The effect of CM was closely mimicked by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a bioactive lipid mediator in various physiological or pathological conditions. PGE2 is secreted at high levels by osteocytes and such secretion is further enhanced under loading conditions. Although four types of receptors, EP1 to EP4, mediate PGE2 signaling, it is unknown whether these receptors play a role in myogenesis. Therefore, in this study, the expression of EPs in mouse primary myoblasts was characterized, followed by examination of their roles in myoblast proliferation by treating myoblasts with PGE2 or specific agonists. All four PGE2 receptor mRNAs were detectable by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), but only PGE2 and EP4 agonist CAY 10598 significantly enhance myoblast proliferation. EP1/EP3 agonist 17-phenyl trinor PGE2 (17-PT PGE2) and EP2 agonist butaprost did not have any significant effects. Moreover, treatment with EP4 antagonist L161,982 dose-dependently inhibited myoblast proliferation. These results were confirmed by cell cycle analysis and the gene expression of cell cycle regulators. Concomitant with the inhibition of myoblast proliferation, treatment with L161,982 significantly increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Cotreatment with antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) or sodium ascorbate (SA) successfully reversed the inhibition of myoblast proliferation and ROS overproduction caused by L161,982. Therefore, PGE2 signaling via the EP4 receptor regulates myogenesis by promoting myoblast proliferation and blocking this receptor results in increased ROS production in myoblasts.
SIMPATIQCO: A Server-Based Software Suite Which Facilitates Monitoring the Time Course of LC–MS Performance Metrics on Orbitrap Instruments

While the performance of liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation continues to increase, applications such as analyses of complete or near-complete proteomes and quantitative studies require constant and optimal system performance. For this reason, research laboratories and core facilities alike are recommended to implement quality control (QC) measures as part of their routine workflows. Many laboratories perform sporadic quality control checks. However, successive and systematic longitudinal monitoring of system performance would be facilitated by dedicated automatic or semiautomatic software solutions that aid an effortless analysis and display of QC metrics over time. We present the software package SIMPATIQCO (SIMPle AuTomatIc Quality COntrol) designed for evaluation of data from LTQ Orbitrap, Q-Exactive, LTQ FT, and LTQ instruments. A centralized SIMPATIQCO server can process QC data from multiple instruments. The software calculates QC metrics supervising every step of data acquisition from LC and electrospray to MS. For each QC metric the software learns the range indicating adequate system performance from the uploaded data using robust statistics. Results are stored in a database and can be displayed in a comfortable manner from any computer in the laboratory via a web browser. QC data can be monitored for individual LC runs as well as plotted over time. SIMPATIQCO thus assists the longitudinal monitoring of important QC metrics such as peptide elution times, peak widths, intensities, total ion current (TIC) as well as sensitivity, and overall LC–MS system performance; in this way the software also helps identify potential problems. The SIMPATIQCO software package is available free of charge.
On Producing a Leisure Involvement Scale for Sports Volunteers for the 2011 Taiwan National Games in Changhua

This study refers to Kyle and Chick’s (2002) theory of leisure involvement and modifies the leisure involvement scale for volunteer firefighters proposed by Ke (2011) to construct a leisure involvement scale for sport volunteers based on confirmatory factor analysis. The subjects of this study were sports volunteers for the 2011 Taiwan National Games in Changhua. A total of 249 valid questionnaires were collected. The results verify that the scale has a good level of convergent validity, discriminant validity, and cross validity. Therefore, the leisure involvement scale for sport volunteers proposed by this study is a first-order-three-factor model with three factors. They are centrality to lifestyle, pleasure, and symbolization.
Query Expansion for Email Search

This work studies the effectiveness of query expansion for email search. Three state-of-the-art expansion methods are examined: 1) a global translation-based expansion model; 2) a personalized-based word embedding model; 3) the classical pseudo-relevance-feedback model. Experiments were conducted with two mail datasets extracted from a large query log of a Web mail service. Our results demonstrate the significant contribution of query expansion for measuring the similarity between the query and email messages. On the other hand, the contribution of expansion methods for a well trained learning-to-rank scoring function that exploits many relevance signals, was found to be modest.
Utility of bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) in the management of refractory hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

BACKGROUND Expansion of extracellular volume (ECV) is a frequent cause of resistant hypertension (RHT) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this exploratory study was that of applying bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) for the identification of CKD patients with RHT and expansion of ECV, while trying to control blood pressure (BP) using an intensification of diuretic treatment. METHODS We included 50 patients with RHT and CKD who underwent BIS. In order to control BP, diuretic treatment was intensified in those patients with expansion of the ECV. In all other cases, another antihypertensive drug was added. RESULTS The mean age was 68.2 ± 10.4 years, 68% were male and 58% were diabetic. The mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 50.7 ± 22.4 mL/min/1.72 m(2). Baseline systolic BP was 167.2 ± 8.6 mmHg and diastolic BP was 84.8 ± 9.5 mmHg. The mean number of antihypertensive drugs received was 3.8 ± 0.9. Expansion of ECV was recorded in 30 (60%) patients and was more frequent in diabetics and in patients with more albuminuria. At 6 months of follow-up, a decline of 21.4 ± 7.1 mmHg was observed in systolic BP in the patients with expansion of ECV, compared with a decrease of 9.4 ± 3.4 mmHg in the normal ECV group (P < 0.01). We did not find differences in the decrease in diastolic BP between the groups. Nine patients (30%) with ECV expansion who increased diuretic therapy reached the target blood pressure (BP) of <140/90 mmHg, when compared with only two patients (10%) who had normal ECV and in whom other antihypertensive drug was added. A total decrease in body water of 1.9 ± 1.1 L was observed in patients with ECV expansion who intensified diuretic treatment at the expense of a decline in ECV of 1.1 ± 1 L. eGFR remained stable in both groups (47.1 ± 21.1 versus 54.1 ± 25.2 mL/min/1.73 m(2); P = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS An increase in ECV as measured by BIS frequently occurs in RHT in patients with CKD. Diabetic and severe proteinuric patients are more exposed to expansion of ECV. BIS is a potentially useful method for identifying and treating patients with RHT and expansion of ECV. The hypothesis generated by this exploratory study needs to be tested in a randomized clinical trial.
Coronary occlusive disease and late graft failure after cardiac transplantation

Objective—Coronary occlusive disease is the main cause of late mortality after cardiac transplantation. It has both similarities and differences compared with conventional atherosclerotic coronary disease. The pathophysiology of late graft failure from coronary occlusive disease is unclear at present. We reviewed the experience of this disorder in our cardiac transplant programme. Design—A retrospective analysis of angiographic and pathological data. Setting—A regional cardiothoracic centre and transplant unit. Patients—Of a population of 383 orthotopic cardiac transplant recipients operated upon between January 1979 and June 1990, 447 coronary angiograms were available for review in 193 patients. Thirteen of a possible 18 results of post mortem examinations from patients dying from coronary occlusive disease were available. Main outcome measure—Coronary occlusive disease was defined as any evidence of disease on coronary angiography. Post mortem examinations were performed with standard techniques. Results The angiographic prevalence of coronary occlusive disease was 3% (1/32 patients) and 40% (19/47 patients) at one and five years respectively. Twenty six grafts failed due to coronary occlusive disease compared with 132 graft failures from all causes during this period. Acute thrombosis was present in a large vessel in seven of 13 fatal cases undergoing necropsy (54%). Noticeable large vessel involvement with disease in smaller distal vessels was present in four patients (31%). The remaining two patients (15%) had small vessel disease alone. Twelve of the 13 patients had significant cardiomegaly (cardiac weight ≥400 g) with a mean weight of 510 (range 370-740) g. Conclusion—Coronary occlusive disease is the main late complication after cardiac transplantation. A combination of coronary thrombosis, ischaemia from stenoses of large and small coronary vessels, and cardiomegaly contribute to the graft failure of these patients.