Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Graph-Community Detection for Cross-Document Topic Segment Relationship Identification

In this paper we propose a graph-community detection approach to identify cross-document relationships at the topic segment level. Given a set of related documents, we automatically find these relationships by clustering segments with similar content (topics). In this context, we study how different weighting mechanisms influence the discovery of word communities that relate to the different topics found in the documents. Finally, we test different mapping functions to assign topic segments to word communities, determining which topic segments are considered equivalent. By performing this task it is possible to enable efficient multi-document browsing, since when a user finds relevant content in one document we can provide access to similar topics in other documents. We deploy our approach in two different scenarios. One is an educational scenario where equivalence relationships between learning materials need to be found. The other consists of a series of dialogs in a social context where students discuss commonplace topics. Results show that our proposed approach better discovered equivalence relationships in learning material documents and obtained close results in the social speech domain, where the best performing approach was a clustering technique.
Nucleotide sequences and genetic analysis of hydrogen oxidation (hox) genes in Azotobacter vinelandii

Azotobacter vinelandii contains a heterodimeric, membrane-bound [NiFe]hydrogenase capable of catalyzing the reversible oxidation of H2. The beta and alpha subunits of the enzyme are encoded by the structural genes hoxK and hoxG, respectively, which appear to form part of an operon that contains at least one further potential gene (open reading frame 3 [ORF3]). In this study, determination of the nucleotide sequence of a region of 2,344 bp downstream of ORF3 revealed four additional closely spaced or overlapping ORFs. These ORFs, ORF4 through ORF7, potentially encode polypeptides with predicted masses of 22.8, 11.4, 16.3, and 31 kDa, respectively. Mutagenesis of the chromosome of A. vinelandii in the area sequenced was carried out by introduction of antibiotic resistance gene cassettes. Disruption of hoxK and hoxG by a kanamycin resistance gene abolished whole-cell hydrogenase activity coupled to O2 and led to loss of the hydrogenase alpha subunit. Insertional mutagenesis of ORF3 through ORF7 with a promoterless lacZ-Kmr cassette established that the region is transcriptionally active and involved in H2 oxidation. We propose to call ORF3 through ORF7 hoxZ, hoxM, hoxL, hoxO, and hoxQ, respectively. The predicted hox gene products resemble those encoded by genes from hydrogenase-related operons in other bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Alcaligenes eutrophus.
Bioengineered functional brain-like cortical tissue

Significance A modular 3D brain-like cortical tissue is constructed with silk protein-based scaffold and ECM composite and primary cortical neurons. This tissue responds in vitro with biochemical and electrophysiological outcomes, mimicking observations of brain homeostasis and mechanical injury responses. The brain remains one of the most important but least understood tissues in our body, in part because of its complexity as well as the limitations associated with in vivo studies. Although simpler tissues have yielded to the emerging tools for in vitro 3D tissue cultures, functional brain-like tissues have not. We report the construction of complex functional 3D brain-like cortical tissue, maintained for months in vitro, formed from primary cortical neurons in modular 3D compartmentalized architectures with electrophysiological function. We show that, on injury, this brain-like tissue responds in vitro with biochemical and electrophysiological outcomes that mimic observations in vivo. This modular 3D brain-like tissue is capable of real-time nondestructive assessments, offering previously unidentified directions for studies of brain homeostasis and injury.
Using fMRI in Experimental Philosophy: Exploring the Prospects

This chapter analyses the prospects of using neuroimaging methods, in particular functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), for philosophical purposes. To do so, it will use two case studies from the field of emotion research: Greene et al. (2001) used fMRI to uncover the mental processes underlying moral intuitions, while Lindquist et al. (2012) used fMRI to inform the debate around the nature of a specific mental process, namely, emotion. These studies illustrate two main approaches in cognitive neuroscience: Reverse inference and ontology testing, respectively. With regards to Greene et al.’s study, the use of Neurosynth (Yarkoni 2011) will show that the available formulations of reverse inference, although viable a priori, seem to be of limited use in practice. On the other hand, the discussion of Lindquist et al.’s study will present the so far neglected potential of ontology-testing approaches to inform philosophical questions.
Experiments with multi-label text classifier on the Reuters collection

Text categorization is the classification to assign a text document to an appropriate category in a predefined set of categories. We present an approach on hierarchical text categorization that is a recently emerged subfield of the main topic. Here, documents are assigned to leaf-level categories of a category tree (called taxonomy). The algorithm applies an iterative learning module that allow of gradually creating a classifier by weight adjusting method. We experimented on the well-known Reuters-21578 document corpus with different taxonomies. Results show that our approach outperforms existin g ones by up to 10%.
Enhancing Student Counselor Program Evaluation Training through Creative Community Service-Learning Partnerships

ABSTRACT Counselors face increasing pressure to demonstrate accountability for client and agency outcomes. Despite persistent calls to embrace research and assessment, program evaluation remains relatively neglected in the practice and preparation of professional counselors. This is problematic as the profession positions counselors to understand variables most relevant to meaningful and client-centered mental health service outcomes. This article describes a 10-week service-learning project completed by student counselors enrolled in a program evaluation course. The author provides recommendations for effectively implementing creative community service-learning partnerships.
A Sparse Temporal Mesh Model for brain decoding

One of the major drawbacks of brain decoding from the functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) is the very high dimension of feature space which consists of thousands of voxels in sequence of brain volumes, recorded during a cognitive stimulus. In this study, we propose a new architecture, called Sparse Temporal Mesh Model (STMM), which reduces the dimension of the feature space by combining the voxel selection methods with the mesh learning method. We, first, select the “most discriminative” voxels using the state-of-the-art feature selection methods, namely, Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE), one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Mutual Information (MI). After we select the most informative voxels, we form a star mesh around each selected voxel with their functional neighbors. Then, we estimate the mesh arc weights, which represent the relationship among the voxels within a neighborhood. We further prune the estimated arc weights using ANOVA to get rid of redundant relationships among the voxels. By doing so, we obtain a sparse representation of information in the brain to discriminate cognitive states. Finally, we train k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers by the feature vectors of sparse mesh arc weights. We test STMM architecture on a visual object recognition experiment. Our results show that forming meshes around the selected voxels leads to a substantial increase in the classification accuracy, compared to forming meshes around all the voxels in the brain. Furthermore, pruning the mesh arc weights by ANOVA solves the dimensionality curse problem and leads to a slight increase in the classification performance. We also discover that, the resulting network of sparse temporal meshes are quite similar in all three voxel selection methods, namely, RFE, ANOVA or MI.
Video object segmentation by Multi-Scale Pyramidal Multi-Dimensional LSTM with generated depth context

Existing deep neural networks, such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), typically treat volumetric video data as several single images and deal with one frame at one time, thus the relevance to frames can hardly be fully exploited. Besides, depth context plays the unique role in motion scenes for primates, but is seldom used in no depth label situations. In this paper, we use a more suitable architecture Multi-Scale Pyramidal Multi-Dimensional Long Short Term Memory (MSPMD-LSTM) to reveal the strong relevance within video frames. Furthermore, depth context is extracted and refined to enhance the performance of the model. Experiments demonstrate that our models yield competitive results on Youtube-Objects dataset and Segtrack v2 dataset.
Compiler Controlled Register Stack Management for the Intel R Itanium R Architecture

Intel Itanium processors were designed with an on chip register stack engine (RSE) in order to reduce the overhead related to procedure call boundaries. The RSE automatically preserves values stored in stacked registers across procedure invocations. This architecture model significantly reduces the amount of spill code necessary to maintain an application’s state, which in turn reduces memory traffic. Despite the benefits provided by the RSE, CPU stalls due to register stack overflow and underflow can contribute significantly to the overall execution time of many applications. This paper presents a method for reducing these stalls by allowing the compiler to manage the size of the stacked register set assigned to a given procedure. The proposed compiler optimization was integrated into version 7.1 of the Intel Itanium compiler, and tested on the SpecCInt2000 benchmark suite. The results indicate that allowing the compiler to manage RSE usage produces a 10% drop in processor stall cycles related to RSE traffic.
When Production Precedes Comprehension: An Optimization Approach to the Acquisition of Pronouns

Data from child language comprehension show that children make errors in interpreting pronouns as late as age 6;6 yet correctly comprehend reflexives from the age of 3;0. On the other hand, data from child language production show that children correctly produce both pronouns and reflexives from the age of 2 or 3. Current explanations of this asymmetric delay in comprehension either have rejected the comprehension data outright or have argued that the problems are pragmatic or caused by processing limitations. In contrast, our account, formulated in the framework of Optimality Theory, handles the comprehension data as well as the production data by arguing that children acquire the ability to take into account the alternatives available to their conversational partner relatively late. It is this type of bidirectional optimization, we argue, that is necessary for correctly interpreting pronouns.
Pointing to Kinesthetic Targets in Space

An experiment investigated in human adults the sensorimotor transformation involved in pointing to a spatial target identified previously by kinesthetic cues. In the “locating phase,” a computer-controlled mechanical arm guided the left [condition LR (left–right)] or right [condition RR (right–right)] finger of the blindfolded participant to one of 27 target positions. In the subsequent “pointing phase,” the participant tried to reach the same position with the right finger. The final finger position and the posture of the arm were measured in both conditions. Constant errors were large but consistent and remarkably similar across conditions, suggesting that, whatever the locating hand, target position is coded in an extrinsic frame of reference (target position hypothesis). The main difference between the same-hand (RR) and different-hand (LR) conditions was a symmetric shift of the pattern of endpoints with respect to the midsagittal plane. This effect was modeled accurately by assuming a systematic bias in the perception of the postural angles of the locating arm. The analysis of the variable errors indicated that target position is represented internally in a spherical coordinate system centered on the shoulder of the pointing arm and that the main source of variability is within the planning stage of the pointing movement. Locating and pointing postures depended systematically on target position. We tested qualitatively the hypothesis that the selection of both postures (inverse kinematic problem) is constrained by a minimum-distance principle. In condition RR, pointing posture depended also on the locating posture, implying the presence of a memory trace of the previous movement. A scheme is suggested to accommodate the results within an extended version of the target position hypothesis.
Using visual methods in human rights research

Abstract How might we use visual images in research on human rights violations? This article describes four approaches and the advantages and difficulties associated with each of them. It illustrates this with examples from research on how women in shantytowns experienced extreme poverty and state violence during the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, and on these women's coping strategies and human rights activism (Adams, 2012). The first approach, photo analysis, involves the collection and analysis of photographs showing the conditions that people experience. The second, art analysis, involves photographing and analyzing art works, in this case art works by the victims or survivors of human rights violations. The third, art elicitation, involves asking research participants to look at art works and talk about them or about subjects related to them. The final approach, the collection and analysis of ephemera with visual content, involves examining handbills, flyers, bulletins, newsletters, and the like. These visual methods are of value in and of themselves but can also serve to complement textual and other forms of data and enrich research that is primarily based on other methods.
mCVEs: Using Cross-Scale Collaboration to Support User Interaction with Multiscale Structures

In this paper, a new type of interaction environment, the multiscale collaborative virtual environment (mCVE), is proposed to support multiple users working together at different scale levels. This paper introduces the concept of multiscale collaboration in the context of 3D virtual environments and describes the benefits of multiscale collaboration for understanding and managing large structures that present important features at different scale levels. After a discussion on the design and implementation of multiscale tools to support the visualization of structures, cross-scale information sharing, and cross-scale action, the paper presents an experimental study showing that cross-scale collaboration can improve user performance.
Medial Prefrontal Cortex and HPA Axis Roles in Generation of PTSD-Like Symptoms in SPS Model

Abstract : Neurobiological research has implicated abnormalities in medial prefrontal cortical function (mPFC), as well as altered hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function in Post-traumatic stress disorder, but the mechanisms that link PTSD symptom generation, mPFC medial function, and stress axis abnormalities have not been established. PTSD s clinical manifestation includes intrusive recollections of the traumatic event, avoidance of social interactions, and a failure to regulate fear and anxiety. We used the Single Prolonged Stress (SPS) model to examine the effect of SPS on HPA and mPFC function and how this relates to specific PTSD symptoms. Our data suggest that SPS animals have disruptions in the retention of extinction memories, and that augmentation of GR expression in the PFC and hippocampus is linked to SPS-induced extinction retention deficits. SPS animals also have decreased levels of glutamate in the mPFC, suggesting decreased excitatory neurotransmission in a brain region critical for emotion regulation. In addition, we have also demonstrated enhanced noradrenergic reactivity in the locus coeruleus of SPS rats using electrophysiological recording and TH mRNA levels. Preliminary findings relating to social interaction in SPS animals have not been robust or consistent, but we have demonstrated that some SPS effects can be attenuated by increasing mother-pup social interactions, and that inactivation of the BLA attenuates social interactions. We also found that SPS impairs another form of behavioral regulation, cognitive flexibility. During the funding period we have made significant advances in understanding neurobiological responses to trauma, linking specific behavioral changes to changes in HPA axis, and finding evidence of changes in glutamatergic transmission and noradrenergic system activity.
Bioinspired Sensor Systems

This editorial summarizes and classifies the contributions presented by different authors to the special issue of the journal Sensors dedicated to Bioinspired Sensor Systems. From the coupling of sensor arrays or networks, plus computer processing abilities, new applications to mimic or to complement human senses are arising in the context of ambient intelligence. Principles used, and illustrative study cases have been presented permitting readers to grasp the current status of the field.
Expression of Key Ion Transporters in the Gill and Esophageal-Gastrointestinal Tract of Euryhaline Mozambique Tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus Acclimated to Fresh Water, Seawater and Hypersaline Water

The ability of euryhaline Mozambique tilapia to tolerate extreme environmental salinities makes it an excellent model for investigating iono-regulation. This study aimed to characterize and fill important information gap of the expression levels of key ion transporters for Na+ and Cl− in the gill and esophageal-gastrointestinal tract of Mozambique tilapia acclimated to freshwater (0 ppt), seawater (30 ppt) and hypersaline (70 ppt) environments. Among the seven genes studied, it was found that nkcc2, nkcc1a, cftr, nka-α1 and nka-α3, were more responsive to salinity challenge than nkcc1b and ncc within the investigated tissues. The ncc expression was restricted to gills of freshwater-acclimated fish while nkcc2 expression was restricted to intestinal segments irrespective of salinity challenge. Among the tissues investigated, gill and posterior intestine were found to be highly responsive to salinity changes, followed by anterior and middle intestine. Both esophagus and stomach displayed significant up-regulation of nka-α1 and nka-α3, but not nkcc isoforms and cftr, in hypersaline-acclimated fish suggesting a response to hypersalinity challenge and involvement of other forms of transporters in iono-regulation. Changes in gene expression levels were partly corroborated by immunohistochemical localization of transport proteins. Apical expression of Ncc was found in Nka-immunoreactive cells in freshwater-acclimated gills while Nkcc co-localized with Nka-immunoreactive cells expressing Cftr apically in seawater- and hypersaline-acclimated gills. In the intestine, Nkcc-stained apical brush border was found in Nka-immunoreactive cells at greater levels under hypersaline conditions. These findings provided new insights into the responsiveness of these genes and tissues under hypersalinity challenge, specifically the posterior intestine being vital for salt absorption and iono-osmoregulation in the Mozambique tilapia; its ability to survive in hypersalinity may be in part related to its ability to up-regulate key ion transporters in the posterior intestine. The findings pave the way for future iono-regulatory studies on the Mozambique tilapia esophageal-gastrointestinal tract.
The Social Work scientific research: A non-sociological style of sociological studies?

What is the science that social workers have to refer to? The paper discusses that Social work is a discipline at all and consequently that there is also a type of social research that is strictly attuned to the sense and to the work of social workers. In the first part of the paper the autor presents the Participatory research as particularly suited to the heuristic needs of Social work because it permits to structure the observation of extreme human suffering by enlarging the external mind of the researcher and connecting it with minds directly involved in the problem. In the second part, the paper discusses of the specific empirical studies of Social work that differentiates this disciplines from sociological or social policy studies.
Assisted colonization in a changing climate: a test‐study using two U.K. butterflies

Recent climatic change in temperate regions has been rapid and there is mounting speculation that species are failing to keep track of suitable climate, perhaps necessitating assisted colonization for some species. An inability to spread into new areas may result in large reductions in species’ ranges in the future, and threaten the survival of some species. Here we use “species‐climate” models to predict suitable sites for introductions beyond current range margins, using two U.K. butterfly species. We introduced Melanargia galathea (marbled white) and Thymelicus sylvestris (small skipper) into two sites in northern England, ∼65 and ∼35 km beyond their then‐range margins, respectively, to sites that were predicted to be climatically suitable and that appeared to contain suitable habitat for the species. Both introduced populations grew and expanded their range over 6 years (2001–2006; still thriving in 2008), suggesting the existence of a colonization lag and providing evidence that well‐planned assisted colonization can be successful. We suggest that assisted colonization may be a feasible and cost‐effective means of enabling certain species to track climatic change.
A non-homogeneous boundary value problem for the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation posed in a finite interval

This paper studies the initial boundary value problem (IBVP) for the dispersive Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation posed in a finite interval (0, L) with non-homogeneous boundary conditions. It is shown that the IBVP is globally well-posed in the space Hs(0, L) for any s > −2 with the initial data in Hs(0, L) and the boundary value data belonging to some appropriate spaces. In addition, the IBVP is demonstrated to be ill-posed in the space Hs(0, L) for any s < −2 in the sense that the corresponding solution map fails to be in C2.