Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coupled Sequence Labeling on Heterogeneous Annotations: POS Tagging as a Case Study

In order to effectively utilize multiple datasets with heterogeneous annotations, this paper proposes a coupled sequence labeling model that can directly learn and infer two heterogeneous annotations simultaneously, and to facilitate discussion we use Chinese part-ofspeech (POS) tagging as our case study. The key idea is to bundle two sets of POS tags together (e.g. “[NN, n]”), and build a conditional random field (CRF) based tagging model in the enlarged space of bundled tags with the help of ambiguous labelings. To train our model on two non-overlapping datasets that each has only one-side tags, we transform a one-side tag into a set of bundled tags by considering all possible mappings at the missing side and derive an objective function based on ambiguous labelings. The key advantage of our coupled model is to provide us with the flexibility of 1) incorporating joint features on the bundled tags to implicitly learn the loose mapping between heterogeneous annotations, and 2) exploring separate features on one-side tags to overcome the data sparseness problem of using only bundled tags. Experiments on benchmark datasets show that our coupled model significantly outperforms the state-ofthe-art baselines on both one-side POS tagging and annotation conversion tasks. The codes and newly annotated data are released for non-commercial usage.1 ∗Correspondence author. http://hlt.suda. edu.cn/ zhli
Teaching Transition Systems and Formal Specifications with TLA +

We present here our experience with teaching two courses using TLA. The first course concerns state transition systems, and the second one is about formal specifications. In the first course, TLA is used to describe, reason about, and analyze transition systems. The second course deals with refinement, simulation and bisimulation, and TLA is used to check refinements.
Self-organising cluster-based cooperative load balancing in OFDMA cellular networks

Mobility load balancing MLB redistributes the traffic load across the networks to improve the spectrum utilisation. This paper proposes a self-organising cluster-based cooperative load balancing scheme to overcome the problems faced by MLB. The proposed scheme is composed of a cell clustering stage and a cooperative traffic shifting stage. In the cell clustering stage, a user-vote model is proposed to address the virtual partner problem. In the cooperative traffic shifting stage, both inter-cluster and intra-cluster cooperations are developed. A relative load response model is designed as the inter-cluster cooperation mechanism to mitigate the aggravating load problem. Within each cluster, a traffic offloading optimisation algorithm is designed to reduce the hot-spot cell's load and also to minimise its partners' average call blocking probability. Simulation results show that the user-vote-assisted clustering algorithm can select two suitable partners to effectively reduce call blocking probability and decrease the number of handover offset adjustments. The relative load response model can address public partner being heavily loaded through cooperation between clusters. The effectiveness of the traffic offloading optimisation algorithm is both mathematically proven and validated by simulation. Results show that the performance of the proposed cluster-based cooperative load balancing scheme outperforms the conventional MLB. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stochastic model predictive control of time-variant nonlinear systems with imperfect state information

In many technical systems, the system state, which is to be controlled, is not directly accessible, but has to be estimated from observations. Furthermore, the uncertainties arising from this procedure are typically neglected in the controller. To remedy this deficiency, in this paper, we present a novel approach to stochastic nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) for heavily noise-affected systems with not directly accessible, i.e., hidden states, extending the stochastic NMPC-framework presented in [1]. An important property of our novel method is that, in contrast to classical approaches, time-variant system and measurement equations as well as time-variant step rewards can be considered. Extending the techniques from [1] by introducing virtual future observations and combining this with a novel tree search algorithm, called probabilistic branch-and-bound search (PBAB), a solution with a feasible computational demand of the challenging problem is possible.
Executive functioning problems of juvenile sex offenders with low levels of measured intelligence†

Abstract Background Many hypotheses have been proposed to address the relationship between sex offenders and neuropsychological functions. Method The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in executive functions between juvenile sex offenders and non-sex offenders with/without low IQ by using the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) and the Wechsler IQ Test. Results The sex offenders with low IQ had significantly lower scores than the non-sex offenders with low IQ in switching attention, processing speed, working memory, and prospective memory. No differences between the sex offenders and the non-sex offenders without low IQ were found in all tests. Conclusion These findings show that the neuropsychological characteristics of juvenile sex offenders are related to their IQ level, and suggest that juvenile sexual offending is related to the possibility of having developmental deficits. The combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and neurocognitive training for treatment is therefore important.
New Labour's Double-shuffle

The Labour election victory in 1997 took place at a moment of great political opportunity. Thatcherism had been decisively rejected by the electorate. But eighteen years of Thatcherite rule had radically altered the social, economic, and political terrain in British society. There was therefore a fundamental choice of directions for the incoming government. One was to offer an alternative radical strategy to Thatcherism, attuned to the shifts which had occurred in the ’70s and ’80s, with equal social and political depth, but based on radically different principles. Two basic calculations supported this view. What Thatcherism seemed to have ruled out was both another bout of Keynesian welfare-state social democracy, Wilsonian-style, and another instalment of old-style nationalization. More significantly, Thatcherism had evolved, not just an effective occupancy of power, but a broad hegemonic basis for its authority. This ‘revolution’ had deep philosophical foundations as well as an effective popular strategy. It was grounded in a radical remodeling of state and economy and the ‘colonizing’ of civil society by a new neo-liberal common sense. Its effects were ‘epochal’ (i.e., defined a new political stage). This was not likely to be reversed by a mere rotation of the electoral wheel of fortune. The historic opportunities for the Left required bold, imaginative thinking and decisive action in the early stages of taking power, boldly signaling a new direction. Critical to this was a transitional programme—a few critical examples, popular but radical, like raising taxes to repair the destruction of the social fabric, a re-invention of the state education system, and the reversal of the very unpopular privatization of rail—to be introduced at once, chosen for its indicative significance. As one of Thatcherism’s critics, and a regular contributor to Marxism Today during the ’80s, I had concentrated on this
Individual Differences in the Experience of Sexual Motivation: Theory and Measurement of Dispositional Sexual Motives

A construct consisting of eight dispositional sexual motives was proposed to expand upon and integrate earlier theory and research. The eight motives are desire for (a) feeling valued by one's partner, (b) showing value for one's partner, (c) obtaining relief from stress, (d) providing nurturance to one's partner, (e) enhancing feelings of personal power, (f) experiencing the power of one's partner, (g) experiencing pleasure, and (h) procreating. Based on this formulation, a self‐report questionnaire was developed to measure stable interest in the eight incentives hypothesized to influence sexual motivation and behavior. Initial factor analyses supported the proposed model in that items clustered predominantly into the theoretically proposed dimensions. The questionnaire was revised, and two subsequent factor analyses supported the earlier factor structure. AMORE scales were moderately correlated with erotophobic versus erotophilic attitudes, attitudes about uncommitted sex, sensation‐seeking tendencies, .
Industrial Robot : An International Journal A formal model for embedded brain reading

Purpose – The presented work contributes to research in the field of advanced man-machine interaction and to research in the field of formalisation and verification of complex systems. This work was motivated by the need to provide a detailed and well understandable formal description of embedded brain reading (eBR). The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The paper first introduces eBR and points out its main features. Next, a general model for eBR is developed to describe the overall architecture, integral parts and dependencies between those parts. The model is developed and presented in a formal structured form that allows for application of optimisation as well as verification techniques. Findings – The paper demonstrates using implementations that the application of the formal model allows to check for completeness and correctness to detect errors in implementation, which were invisible without formalising eBR. In summary, the presented work contributes a formal model for a complex system and shows that such a formal model can improve the overall system’s functionality. Research limitations/implications – For future work, the results support the application of formal modelling and verification techniques at the system level and the development of methods to prove for correctness and completeness of complex systems during their development. Originality/value – The paper describes for the first time eBR and presents a formal model for it. It illustrates how an error-prone approach like BR can be applied safely by embedding it into the control of a real system and by applying mechanisms that control for its correct function.
&agr;-Linolenic Acid and Risk of Nonfatal Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background— Intake of long-chain n-3 fatty acids found in fish is low in many countries worldwide. &agr;-Linolenic acid could be a viable cardioprotective alternative to these fatty acids in these countries. Methods and Results— Cases (n=1819) with a first nonfatal acute myocardial infarction and population-based controls (n=1819) living in Costa Rica matched for age, sex, and area of residence were studied. Fatty acids were assessed by gas chromatography in adipose tissue samples and by a validated food frequency questionnaire specifically designed for this population. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated from multivariate conditional logistic regression models. &agr;-Linolenic acid in adipose tissue ranged from 0.36% in the lowest decile to 1.04% in the highest decile. The corresponding median levels of intake were 0.42% and 0.86% energy. Greater &agr;-linolenic acid (assessed either in adipose or by questionnaire) was associated with lower risk of myocardial infarction. The odds ratios for nonfatal myocardial infarction for the highest compared with the lowest deciles were 0.41 (95% confidence interval, 0.25 to 0.67) for &agr;-linolenic acid in adipose tissue and 0.61 (95% confidence interval, 0.42 to 0.88) for dietary &agr;-linolenic acid. The relationship between &agr;-linolenic acid and myocardial infarction was nonlinear; risk did not decrease with intakes >≈0.65% energy (1.79 g/d). Fish or eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid intake at the levels found in this population did not modify the observed association. Conclusions— Consumption of vegetable oils rich in &agr;-linolenic acid could confer important cardiovascular protection. The apparent protective effect of &agr;-linolenic acid is most evident among subjects with low intakes.
A probable XXYY sex determining mechanism in a mentally defective male with Klinefelter's syndrome.

THE SEX chromosome complex is susceptible to several abnormalities that arise through non-disjunction of elements of the complex during gametogenesis or in an early division of the fertilized ovum.1, 2 Two abnormalities of the sex chromosome complex have been reported in males with the Klinefelter syndrome. In most chromatin-positive Klinefelter subjects, the sex chromosome complement consists of 47 chromosomes and includes an XXY sex chromosome complex.3-10 Autosomal abnormalities, in addition to the XXY complex, were reported in a few cases, among which the concurrence of the Klinefelter syndrome and mongolism (trisomy of chromosome 21) is of special interest.1-'3 An XXXY sex chromosome complex in a complement of 48 chromosomes also gives rise to the infertile male with Klinefelter's syndrome. ' 14'1 The XXXY complex produces duplication of the sex chromatin in a proportion of nuclei in routine diagnostic preparations such as buccal smears. The purpose of this paper is to describe a sex chromatin-positive Klinefelter subject who had a chromosome number of 48, instead of the normal 46, and in whom the sex chromosome complex was probably XXYY. The patient, a mental defective, was the only chromatin-positive male found in a buccal smear survey of 254 adult male patients in a hospital for the mentally ill. The diagnoses in this group consisted of: schizophrenia (163), mental deficiency without psychosis (22), psychosis with mental deficiency (18), manic-depressive psychosis (13), senile psychosis (8) and miscellaneous diagnoses, each for five or fewer patients.
Use of polymer-free calixarene nanofibers in heavy metal extractions

Polymer free calix[4]arene nanofibers were prepared via new electrospinning method with metal ion adsorption capacity. Two different calix[4]arene derivatives (compound 2 and 3) containing amide functionalities were used in this study, which were fully characterized by HNMR, FTIR and elemental analysis. Calix[4]arene nanofibers were analyzed with different surface characterization techniques such as SEM, TEM and AFM. SEM images of compound 2 and 3 nanofibers reveals there are non-bonded randomly grown fibers with average fiber diameter (AFD) was in the range of 237 to 307 nm for compoud 2 and 203–280 nm for compound. Adsorption study show the SEM-EDX mapping show adsorption of different metal ions (Hg<sup>+2</sup>, Pb<sup>+2</sup>, Cu<sup>+2</sup>, Co<sup>+2</sup>, Cd<sup>+2</sup>, Ni<sup>+2</sup>) on nanofibers. The the adsorption study show Hg<sup>+2</sup>, Pb<sup>+2</sup> and Cu<sup>+2</sup> adsorbed on nanofibers particularly at high pH. The maximum adsorption (98 %) was observed at pH 2 for Hg<sup>+2</sup>.
Genericity Results in Linear Conic Programming - A Tour d'Horizon

This paper is concerned with so-called generic properties of general linear conic programs. Many results have been obtained on this subject during the last two decades. For example, it is known that uniqueness, strict complementarity, and nondegeneracy of optimal solutions hold for almost all problem instances. Strong duality holds generically in a stronger sense, i.e., it holds for a generic subset of problem instances. In this paper, we survey known results and present new ones. In particular we give an easy proof of the fact that Slater’s condition holds generically in linear conic programming. We further discuss the problem of stability of uniqueness, nondegeneracy, and strict complementarity. We also comment on the fact that in general, a conic program cannot be treated as a smooth problem and that techniques from nonsmooth geometric measure theory are needed.
220 GHz power amplifier testing at Northrop Grumman

A 220 GHz power amplifier has been demonstrated as part of the DARPA HiFIVE program. This amplifier is based on a folded waveguide circuit, and operates at 19 kV and 250 mA. Short pulse tests resulted in 56 W at 214 GHz and a 5.0 GHz bandwidth.
Overexpression of a Constitutively Active Protein Kinase G Mutant Reduces Neointima Formation and In-Stent Restenosis

Background—Neointima formation after arterial injury is associated with reduced vascular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), a major cGMP effector in vascular smooth muscle. We tested the effect of PKG overexpression on the neointimal response to vascular injury. Methods and Results—Infection of cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) with an adenoviral vector specifying a cGMP-independent, constitutively active PKG mutant (AdPKGcat) reduced serum-induced migration by 33% and increased serum-deprivation–induced apoptosis 2-fold (P <0.05 for both). Infection with wild-type PKG (AdPKG), in the absence of cGMP, did not affect migration or apoptosis. Two weeks after balloon-injured rat carotid arteries were infected with 1× 1010 pfu AdPKGcat (n=12), AdPKG (n=8), or a control adenovirus (n=8), intima-to-media ratio was less in AdPKGcat-infected arteries than in AdPKG- or control adenovirus–infected vessels (0.26±0.06 versus 0.61±0.12 and 0.70±0.12, respectively, P <0.05 for both). Two weeks after intramural administration of 1.75×1010 pfu AdPKGcat (n=8) or a control adenovirus (n=8) into porcine coronary arteries with in-stent restenosis, luminal diameter was greater in AdPKGcat-infected arteries than in control adenovirus-infected vessels (2.32±0.16 versus 1.81±0.13 mm, P =0.028), associated with reduced neointimal area (3.30±0.24 versus 4.15±0.13 mm2, P =0.008), neointima-to-vessel area ratio (0.42±0.05 versus 0.58±0.04, P <0.05), and percent stenosis (45±6% versus 70±4%, P <0.05). Conclusions—Expression of a constitutively active PKG reduces neointima formation after balloon injury in rats and reduces coronary in-stent restenosis in pigs. PKGcat gene transfer may be a promising strategy for vasculoproliferative disorders.
AML: Attribute Grammars in ML

Attribute grammars are a valuable tool for constructing compilers and building user interfaces. This paper reports on a system we are developing, called AML (for Attribution in ML), which is an attribute grammar toolkit for building such applications as language-based programming environments using SML. This system builds on the proven technology of efficient attribute evaluation, while using a higher-level foundation for the implementation of interactive systems. It supports a general and uniform platform for building applications that can manipulate attributed terms and allow access to attribute values. We describe the design of the AML system, its current implementation status, and our plans for the future.
Prediction of Task‐Related Arousal Under Conditions of Environmental Distraction1

Y7 Canada The Arousability Predisposition Scale (APS) was used to assess individual differ- ences in arousal that occur when a task is performed under conditions of environmen- tal distraction. The APS is a brief (12-item) scale, that purportedly measures arousabil- ity as a trait or predisposition. To manipulate arousal experimentally, subjects performed a speeded search task under conditions of visual and auditory distraction. Pre- and postdistraction task measures of arousal were taken using Thayer’s Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List. The distraction task caused a general increase in arousal as compared to a control group who did not perform the task. Although there were no differences in pretest measures, subjects judged highly arousa- ble on the APS showed a greater change in task-related arousal than subjects judged low on arousability, validating the usefulness of the APS as a measure of arousability under conditions of environmental stress.
PHA-4/FOXA-regulated microRNA feed forward loops during Caenorhabditis elegans dietary restriction

Dietary restriction (DR) increases life span and delays the onset of age-related diseases across species. However, the molecular mechanisms have remained relatively unexplored in terms of gene regulation. In C. elegans, a popular model for aging studies, the FOXA transcription factor PHA-4 is a robust genetic regulator of DR, although little is known about how it regulates gene expression. We profiled the transcriptome and miRNAome of an eat-2 mutant, a genetic surrogate of DR, by Next Generation sequencing and find that most of the miRNAs are upregulated in the young-adult worms, none significantly downregulated. Interestingly, PHA-4 can potentially regulate the expression of most of these miRNA genes. Remarkably, many of the PHA-4-regulated genes that are induced during DR are also targets of the PHA-4-upregulated miRNAs, forming a large feed-forward gene regulatory network. The genes targeted by the feed-forward loops (FFLs) are enriched for functions related to ubiquitin-mediated decay, lysosomal autophagy, cellular signalling, protein folding etc., processes that play critical roles in DR and longevity. Together our data provides a framework for understanding the complex and unique regulatory network employed during DR, suggesting that PHA-4 employs such FFLs to fine-tune gene expression and instil robustness in the system during energy crisis.
Determinants of Spreads on Sovereign Bank Loans: The Role of Credit History

This paper is an empirical investigation into the role of credit history in determining the spread on sovereign bank loans. It employs an error-in-variables approach used in rational-expectations-macro-econometrics to set up a structural model that links sovereign loan spreads to realized repayment behavior. Unlike the existing empirical literature, its instrumental variables method allows for distinguishing a direct influence of past repayment problems (a ”pure reputation” effect) from one that goes through increased default probabilities. Using developing country data from the period 1973-1981 and constructing continuous variables for credit history, we find that past default is a significant determinant of the spread, even after including country fixed effects. Moreover, its reduced-form effect is very similar to its structural form effect, indicating that most of the influence of past repayment problems is through the reputation channel. Overall, past and predicted future default are substantial determinants of sovereign bank loan spreads.
Building intrusion-tolerant secure software

In this work, we develop a secret sharing based compiler solution to achieve confidentiality, integrity and availability (intrusion tolerance) of critical data together, rather than tackling them one by one as in previous approaches. Under our scheme, the compiler automatically identifies some critical data values, whereas the user specifies some others. The compiler generates code for scattering/assembling and verifying of those critical data values using secret sharing scheme. In this way, we achieve data confidentiality and integrity. We also provide mechanisms to gracefully recover upon data tampering, achieving intrusion tolerance. The implementation of our secret sharing scheme is carefully crafted to achieve low overhead. We further propose several compiler optimizations such as secret-sharing-aware register allocation, rematerialization etc. to reduce the cost of secret sharing further, making our scheme a practical solution in a high performance system.