Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sporadically Torqued Accretion Disks around Black Holes

The assumption that black hole accretion disks possess an untorqued inner boundary, the so-called zero-torque boundary condition, has been employed by models of black hole disks for many years. However, recent theoretical and observational work suggests that magnetic forces may appreciably torque the inner disk. This raises the question of the effect that a time-changing magnetic torque may have on the evolution of such a disk. In particular, we explore the suggestion that the "deep minimum state" of the Seyfert galaxy MCG -6-30-15 can be identified as a sporadic inner disk torquing event. This suggestion is motivated by detailed analyses of changes in the profile of the broad fluorescence iron line in XMM-Newton spectra. We find that the response of such a disk to a torquing event has two phases: an initial damming of the accretion flow together with a partial draining of the disk interior to the torque location, followed by a replenishment of the inner disk as the system achieves a new (torqued) steady state. If the deep minimum state of MCG -6-30-15 is indeed due to a sporadic torquing event, we show that the fraction of the dissipated energy going into X-rays must be smaller in the torqued state. We propose one such scenario in which Compton cooling of the disk corona by "returning radiation" accompanying a central torquing event suppresses the 0.5-10 keV X-ray flux coming from all but the innermost regions of the disk.
On finite-precision implementation of a decoder for turbo codes

In this paper, we have investigated the finite-precision effects on a decoder for turbo codes based on the Log-BCJR algorithm. As for the numerical accuracy, we have empirically found that three bits are adequate for representing the decimal fractions of the variables in this algorithm. Furthermore, these variables have different numerical ranges for different signal-to-noise ratios, thus requiring different numbers of bits for representing them. By observing their minimum and maximum values through computer simulations, we have decided the proper number of bits for representing these variables. Simulation results have indicated that the scheme we have developed for determining the finite-precision parameter set of a turbo decoder based on the Log-BCJR algorithm is effective in approximating the performance of the same decoder with infinite-precision implementation.
Learning Hierarchical Plans by Reading Simple English Narratives

We describe an approach for learning a rich plan representation from a parallel corpus of commonsense narratives. Each narrative is an ordered natural language description of the steps required to accomplish common domestic tasks, including “get the mail” and “make a bed”, and there are tens to hundreds of differently written narratives for each task. With the goal of learning a single rich plan structure, we 1) convert each narrative from English statements into a sequence of logical predicates, 2) find a global alignment for the sequences, and 3) use the sequences to construct a single underlying plan representation that can be used in language understanding problems. Doing this requires being able to distinguish different ways to accomplish the same goal from missing information, and recognize and compactly represent recurring plan sub-sequences. We describe a simple algorithm that recursively finds graph cycles by applying rules to merge nodes to learn a sequential, parameterized composition (part-of) and abstraction (is-a) plan hierarchy. We hope that these plan representations will help us learn procedural knowledge from increasingly more sophisticated text, where the sub-goals for various actions are not stated.
Tailoring neighborhood search for the internet protocol network design problem with reliability and routing constraints

The Internet Protocol Network Design Problem with Reliability and Routing Constraints (IPRR) can be shortly stated as follows. A telecommunication network is given in terms of a set of nodes and a set of traffic demands; we want to define the minimum cost capacity reservation such that all the traffic is routed even under fault scenarios. Capacity is provided by reserving some already installed devices of a given capacity between pairs of nodes and traffic must be loaded on the network according to the OSPF‐ECM (Open Shortest Path First‐Equal Commodity Multipath) protocol, with additional constraints on the maximum number of hops. The problem is 𝒩𝒫‐Hard and literature proposes neighborhood search heuristics that do not take the reliability and max‐hop requirements into account, or assume a simplified OSPF routing. The design and the implementation of the components of any neighborhood search algorithms are strongly conditioned by the reliability and routing constraints, which imply a huge amount of hop‐constrained shortest paths to be taken into account. This work shows how the components of these heuristics can be implemented, with particular emphasis to the setting up of an efficient neighborhood evaluation procedure, the discussion of its incremental version, and the introduction of effective reduced‐size neighborhoods. Computational experiments on instances derived from real networks are also presented, and they show the proposed components make the neighborhood search a viable approach for IPRR. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 49(1), 65–79 2007
Cognitive Load and Dual-Task Performance During Locomotion Poststroke: A Feasibility Study Using a Functional Virtual Environment

Background Gait and cognitive functions can deteriorate during dual tasking, especially in people with neurological deficits. Most studies examining the simultaneous effects of dual tasking on motor and cognitive aspects were not performed in ecological environments. Using virtual reality technology, functional environments can be simulated to study dual tasking. Objectives The aims of this study were to test the feasibility of using a virtual functional environment for the examination of dual tasking and to determine the effects of dual tasking on gait parameters in people with stroke and age-matched controls who were healthy. Design This was a cross-sectional observational study. Methods Twelve community-dwelling older adults with stroke and 10 age-matched older adults who were healthy participated in the study. Participants walked on a self-paced treadmill while viewing a virtual grocery aisle projected onto a screen placed in front of them. They were asked to walk through the aisle (single task) or to walk and select (“shop for”) items according to instructions delivered before or during walking (dual tasking). Results Overall, the stroke group walked slower than the control group in both conditions, whereas both groups walked faster overground than on the treadmill. The stroke group also showed larger variability in gait speed and shorter stride length than the control group. There was a general tendency to increase gait speed and stride length during dual-task conditions; however, a significant effect of dual tasking was found only in one dual-task condition for gait speed and stride duration variability. All participants were able to complete the task with minimal mistakes. Limitations The small size and heterogeneity of the sample were limitations of the study. Conclusions It is feasible to use a functional virtual environment for investigation of dual tasking. Different gait strategies, including an increase or decrease in gait speed, can be used to cope with the increase in cognitive demands required for dual tasking.
Automatic Rule Generation and Generalization for an Information Extraction System Using MAXIM

Many recent information extraction (IE) systems have ignored the tedious and timeconsuming nature of the preparation involved in using them. The abundance of graduate students has eased the pain of providing annotated corpora, pre-filled answer templates, and manual examination of automatically-generated rules and final answers. In this paper, we present a new system comprised of previously published solutions to different aspects of IE in an effort to automate as much of the task as possible while achieving competitive results.
Kinematic Analysis of a Posterior-stabilized Knee Prosthesis

Background: The goal of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is to restore knee kinematics. Knee prosthesis design plays a very important role in successful restoration. Here, kinematics models of normal and prosthetic knees were created and validated using previously published data. Methods: Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans of a healthy, anticorrosive female cadaver were used to establish a model of the entire lower limbs, including the femur, tibia, patella, fibula, distal femur cartilage, and medial and lateral menisci, as well as the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate, medial collateral, and lateral collateral ligaments. The data from the three-dimensional models of the normal knee joint and a posterior-stabilized (PS) knee prosthesis were imported into finite element analysis software to create the final kinematic model of the TKA prosthesis, which was then validated by comparison with a previous study. The displacement of the medial/lateral femur and the internal rotation angle of the tibia were analyzed during 0–135° flexion. Results: Both the output data trends and the measured values derived from the normal knee's kinematics model were very close to the results reported in a previous in vivo study, suggesting that this model can be used for further analyses. The PS knee prosthesis underwent an abnormal forward displacement compared with the normal knee and has insufficient, or insufficiently aggressive, “rollback” compared with the lateral femur of the normal knee. In addition, a certain degree of reverse rotation occurs during flexion of the PS knee prosthesis. Conclusions: There were still several differences between the kinematics of the PS knee prosthesis and a normal knee, suggesting room for improving the design of the PS knee prosthesis. The abnormal kinematics during early flexion shows that the design of the articular surface played a vital role in improving the kinematics of the PS knee prosthesis.
Characteristics of the induction of a new protein kinase in cells infected with herpesviruses.

The appearance of a recently described protein kinase activity (virus-induced protein kinase, ViPK) has been studied during infection of hamster fibroblasts with pseudorabies virus or with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). An enzyme activity with comparable catalytic properties was induced in both cases, and had broadly similar kinetics of appearance to that of the viral DNA polymerase. The amount of active ViPK detected depended on the multiplicity of infection, and no ViPK was induced after the viruses had been subjected to irradiation with u.v. light. When cells were infected with the tsK mutant of HSV-1, ViPK was induced at the permissive but not at the restrictive temperature. The ViPK preparations obtained from cells infected with each virus differed in chromatographic properties on anion-exchange and gel-permeation resins. These results indicate that expression of the viral genome is required for induction of ViPK. They suggest that the enzyme may be encoded by the viral genome, but do not provide proof of this.
Association Study between BDNF Gene Polymorphisms and Autism by Three-Dimensional Gel-Based Microarray

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are important markers which can be used in association studies searching for susceptible genes of complex diseases. High-throughput methods are needed for SNP genotyping in a large number of samples. In this study, we applied polyacrylamide gel-based microarray combined with dual-color hybridization for association study of four BDNF polymorphisms with autism. All the SNPs in both patients and controls could be analyzed quickly and correctly. Among four SNPs, only C270T polymorphism showed significant differences in the frequency of the allele (χ2 = 7.809, p = 0.005) and genotype (χ2 = 7.800, p = 0.020). In the haplotype association analysis, there was significant difference in global haplotype distribution between the groups (χ2 = 28.19, p = 3.44e-005). We suggest that BDNF has a possible role in the pathogenesis of autism. The study also show that the polyacrylamide gel-based microarray combined with dual-color hybridization is a rapid, simple and high-throughput method for SNPs genotyping, and can be used for association study of susceptible gene with disorders in large samples.
NEuro COgnitive REhabilitation for Disease of Addiction (NECOREDA) Program: From Development to Trial

Despite extensive evidence for cognitive deficits associated with drug use and multiple publications supporting the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation treatment (CRT) services for drug addictions, there are a few well-structured tools and organized programs to improve cognitive abilities in substance users. Most published studies on cognitive rehabilitation for drug dependent patients used rehabilitation tools, which have been previously designed for other types of brain injuries such as schizophrenia or traumatic brain injuries and not specifically designed for drug dependent patients. These studies also suffer from small sample size, lack of follow-up period assessments and or comprehensive treatment outcome measures. To address these limitations, we decided to develop and investigate the efficacy of a paper and pencil cognitive rehabilitation package called NECOREDA (Neurocognitive Rehabilitation for Disease of Addiction) to improve neurocognitive deficits associated with drug dependence particularly caused by stimulants (e.g. amphetamine type stimulants and cocaine) and opiates. To evaluate the feasibility of NECOREDA program, we conducted a pilot study with 10 opiate and methamphetamine dependent patients for 3 months in outpatient setting. NECOREDA was revised based on qualitative comments received from clients and treatment providers. Final version of NECOREDA is composed of brain training exercises called “Brain Gym” and psychoeducational modules called “Brain Treasures” which is implemented in 16 training sessions interleaved with 16 review and practice sessions. NECOREDA will be evaluated as an add-on intervention to methadone maintenance treatment in a randomized clinical trial among opiate dependent patients starting from August 2015. We discuss methodological features of NECOREDA development and evaluation in this article.
On Behalf the Seller and Society : a bicriteria mechanism for unit demand combinatorial auctions

This work focuses on obtaining truthful mechanisms that aim at maximizing both the revenue and the economic efficiency (social welfare) for the unitdemand combinatorial auction problem (UDCAP), in which a set of k items is auctioned to a set of n consumers. Although each consumer bids on all items, no consumer can purchase more than one item in the UDCAP. We present a framework for devising poly-time randomized competitive truthful mechanisms that can be used to either favor economic efficiency or revenue.
Study of Algorithms for Separation of SingingVoice from Music

Audio signal is an acoustic signal which has frequency range roughly in 20 to 20,000 Hz. Human auditory system has a wonderful ability of effectively focusing on sound in the surrounding. Most audio signals are from the mixing of several sound sources. Separation of singing voice from music has wide range of application such as lyrics recognition, alignment, singer identification, and music information retrieval. Music accompaniment that is often non-stationary & harmonic. Basically, audio signal is time frequency segments of singing voice. An audio signal classification system should be able to categorize different audio format like speech, background noise, and musical genres, singer identification, karaoke etc. In this paper, discuss about separation technique and classifier which are used for singing voice separation from music. Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is used for separation from music, Gaussian mixture model (GMM) & Support vector machine (SVM) classifier for the classification.
Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Fresh Look

Recent work on the Molicutes that associate with genital tract tissues focuses on four species that may be of interest in potential maternal, fetal, and neonatal infection and in contributing to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum have historically been the subject of attention, but Mycoplasma genitalis which causes male urethritis in addition to colonizing the female genital tract and the division of Ureaplasma into two species, urealyticum and parvum, has also added new taxonomic clarity. The role of these genital tract inhabitants in infection during pregnancy and their ability to invade and infect placental and fetal tissue is discussed. In particular, the role of some of these organisms in prematurity may be mechanistically related to their ability to induce inflammatory cytokines, thereby triggering pathways leading to preterm labor. A review of this intensifying exploration of the mycoplasmas in relation to pregnancy yields several questions which will be important to examine in future research.
Lipid content and biomass production of Chlorella vulgaris is affected by growth conditions

Microalgae are known for lipid production as source of biofuels. Chlorella vulgaris was studied in terms of biomass production and lipid content in N8 and SH4 media inoculated with cells grown in each of the two media. Observations revealed that for biomass production N8 medium inoculated with cells grown in SH4 medium is preferred. For lipid production N8 medium is also preferred, inoculated with cells grown in N8 medium.
On non-uniqueness of stochastic ML estimation of DOA and its best solution

This paper addresses the issue of uniqueness of stochastic or unconditional maximum likelihood (SML) estimation for directions-of-arrival (DOA) finding. Global search techniques for the SML estimation fail to find DOA in many cases, unlike the deterministic or conditional ML (DML) estimation. This paper reveals that its reason lies in the non-uniqueness of the SML estimation. Based on the idea that the SML local solution closest to the DML solution can be considered to be the most adequate for DOA finding, we propose an algorithm which uses a local search of the SML criterion together with the DML estimation as initialization. Finally some simulation results are shown to demonstrate the proposed algorithm is effective.
Practical Interleavers for Repeat--Accumulate Codes

In this paper we design practical interleavers for regular, systematic repeat-accumulate (RA) codes. The new interleavers, which we call L-type and modified L-type interleavers, are deterministic, described by a single parameter, and straightforward to implement. Despite their simple description, the new interleavers are shown to perform equally as well as, or better than, traditional interleavers over a wide range of code lengths and rates.
Title: the Photometric Accuracy of the Foc

A comparison is made between the expected photometric accuracy of the FOC, and that observed. The presently known systematic eeects are listed and quantiied. Typically when both internal and external factors are included one only expects to obtain photometry accurate to 0.2 mag in the ultraviolet. This expectation is tested by comparing magnitudes extracted from F220W images of nine starburst galaxies with those extracted from IUE spectra. After removing one discrepant observation, it is found that relative to the IUE, the FOC external errors are 0:05 mag, three times lower than expected. By carefully removing some of the internal zeropoint variations, one should be able to reduce the total systematic errors to 0:10 mag.
On the Applicability of Delicious for Temporal Search on Web Archives

Web archives are large longitudinal collections that store webpages from the past, which might be missing on the current live Web. Consequently, temporal search over such collections is essential for finding prominent missing webpages and tasks like historical analysis. However, this has been challenging due to the lack of popularity information and proper ground truth to evaluate temporal retrieval models. In this paper we investigate the applicability of external longitudinal resources to identify important and popular websites in the past and analyze the social bookmarking service Delicious for this purpose. The timestamped bookmarks on Delicious provide explicit cues about popular time periods in the past along with relevant descriptors. These are valuable to identify important documents in the past for a given temporal query. Focusing purely on recall, we analyzed more than 12,000 queries and find that using Delicious yields average recall values from 46% up to 100%, when limiting ourselves to the best represented queries in the considered dataset. This constitutes an attractive and low-overhead approach for quick access into Web archives by not dealing with the actual contents.
Functional Analysis of the DXPas34Locus, a 3′ Regulator of Xist Expression

ABSTRACT X inactivation in female mammals is controlled by a key locus on the X chromosome, the X-inactivation center (Xic). The Xic controls the initiation and propagation of inactivation in cis. It also ensures that the correct number of X chromosomes undergo inactivation (counting) and determines which X chromosome becomes inactivated (choice). The Xist gene maps to the Xic region and is essential for the initiation of X inactivation in cis. Regulatory elements of X inactivation have been proposed to lie 3′ toXist. One such element, lying 15 kb downstream ofXist, is the DXPas34 locus, which was first identified as a result of its hypermethylation on the active X chromosome and the correlation of its methylation level with allelism at the X-controlling element (Xce), a locus known to affect choice. In this study, we have tested the potential function of theDXPas34 locus in Xist regulation and X-inactivation initiation by deleting it in the context of largeXist-containing yeast artificial chromosome transgenes. Deletion of DXPas34 eliminates both Xistexpression and antisense transcription present in this region in undifferentiated ES cells. It also leads to nonrandom inactivation of the deleted transgene upon differentiation. DXPas34 thus appears to be a critical regulator of Xist activity and X inactivation. The expression pattern of DXPas34 during early embryonic development, which we report here, further suggests that it could be implicated in the regulation of imprintedXist expression.