Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling image semantic descriptions from web 2.0 documents using a hybrid approach

With the increasing amount of multimedia content on the web added as user generated content in Web 2.0 websites, conventional multimedia information retrieval is presented with new challenges. It is no longer possible to rely only on meta-data based retrieval but to consider also content based techniques combined with the collective knowledge generated by users' contributions and geo-referenced meta-data. Tagging is a modest way to annotate such documents and fails to capture a full semantic description of the document content. This report concerns ongoing research to investigate a means to identify, model and utilise semantic descriptions of the user-generated content in Web 2.0 documents using a hybrid approach. The approach consists of three main components, natural language processing, image analysis and a shared knowledge base. In this paper we describe the complete model but, as the image analysis component is in its early stages, the results focus on the natural language processing and the knowledge base. We show that the additional use of these components can improve retrieval and analysis performance over that based only on Web 2.0 tags.
Evidence-Based Changes in Devices and Methods of Endovascular Recanalization Therapy

The devices and methods of endovascular recanalization therapy (ERT) have been rapidly developed and changed since PROACT II trial. Emerging as a treatment option in addition to intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy is currently being further developed and investigated as a potential first-line and stand-alone treatment. This review highlights and summarizes the recent clinical series and trials of the available devices and methods of ERT focusing on the multimodal approach.
Supporting e-learning with automatic glossary extraction : Experiments with Portuguese

This paper reports a preliminary work on automatic glossary extraction for e-learning purpose. Glossaries are an important resource for learners, in fact they not only facilitate access to learning documents but also represent an important learning resource by themselves. The work presented here was carried out within the project LT4eL which aim is to improve eLearning experience by the means of natural language and semantic techniques. This work will focus on a system that automatically extract glossary from learning objects, in particular the system extract definitions from morphosyntactic annotated documents using a rulebased grammar. In order to develop such a system a corpus composed by a collection of Learning Object covering three different domain was collected and annotated. A quantitative evaluation was carried out comparing the definition retrieved by the system against the definitions manually marked, On average, we obtain 14% for precision, 86% for recall and 0.33
Efficient local type inference

Inference of static types for local variables in Java bytecode is the first step of any serious tool that manipulates bytecode, be it for decompilation, transformation or analysis. It is important, therefore, to perform that step as accurately and efficiently as possible. Previous work has sought to give solutions with good worst-case complexity. We present a novel algorithm, which is optimised for the common case rather than worst-case performance. It works by first finding a set of minimal typings that are valid for all assignments, and then checking whether these minimal typings satisfy all uses. Unlike previous algorithms, it does not explicitly build a data structure of type constraints, and it is easy to implement efficiently. We prove that the algorithm produces a typing that is both sound (obeying the rules of the language) and as tight as possible. We then go on to present extensive experiments, comparing the results of the new algorithm against the previously best known method. The experiments include bytecode that is generated in other ways than compilation of Java source. The new algorithm is always faster, typically by a factor 6, but on some real benchmarks the gain is as high as a factor of 92. Furthermore, whereas that previous method is sometimes suboptimal, our algorithm always returns a tightest possible type. We also discuss in detail how we handle primitive types, which is a difficult issue due to the discrepancy in their treatment between Java bytecode and Java source. For the application to decompilation, however, it is very important to handle this correctly.
Adaptive through-thickness integration strategy for shell elements

Shell elements are commonly used in simulations of sheet metal forming using finite element analysis. Element matrices, due to their complexity, cannot conveniently be calculated in a closed form and therefore numerical integration is employed. The most commonly used rules for through-thickness integration in shell elements are Gauss quadrature and rules based on the Newton-Cotes formula. Considering the integrand in the expression for the internal force vector, one may state that it is smooth only if during a finite element analysis the material remains in the elastic regime. When the material is in the elastic-plastic regime the integrand becomes non-smooth in, for example, out-of-plane direction since the stress profile may have a point of discontinuity at the surface that separates the elastic and plastic regions. The traditional numerical schemes do not perform well when integrating a non-smooth function and integration error may increase significantly. Therefore, if a shell element is in the elastic-plastic regime, the error due to numerical integration may be large and has to be dealt with. A large number of sampling points in thickness direction may decrease the error due to numerical integration at the cost of increased computation time. Alternatively, the in- tegration error can be decreased without a drastic increase in the computation time by using an adaptive through-thickness integration. A distinguishing feature of this integra- tion scheme is that the location and/or the number of the sampling points is adapted to the through-thickness stress profile, leading to accurate numerical integration at minimal costs. An adaptive through-thickness integration strategy for shell elements is developed in this report. The strategy consists of several algorithms that locate points of discontinuity in the out-of-plane stress profile, adapt sampling points, update values of internal variables and perform numerical integration. Performance of the integration strategy is evaluated using a problem of bending of a beam under tension. It is shown that with adaptive integration it is possible to obtain accurate results with a very low number of sampling points.
A Cholesterol and Actinide Dependent Shadow Biosphere of Archaea and Viroids

Aims and Objectives: Endomyocardial fibrosis along with the root wilt disease of coconut is endemic to Kerala with its radioactive actinide beach sands. Actinides like rutile, endogenous digoxin as well as organisms like phytoplasmas and viroids have been implicated in the etiology of these diseases. Endogenous digoxin has been related to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, malignancy, metabolic syndrome x, autoimmune disease and neuronal degeneration. The possibility of endogenous digoxin synthesis by actinide based primitive organism like archaea with a mevalonate pathway and cholesterol catabolism was considered in these disease states.Methodology: Plasma from fasting heparinised blood was used and the experimental protocol was as follows (I) Plasma+phosphate buffered saline, (II) same as I+cholesterol substrate, (III) same as II+rutile 0.1 mg/ml, (IV) same as II+ciprofloxacine and doxycycline each in a concentration of 1 mg/ml. The following estimations were carried out:- Cytochrome F420, free RNA, free DNA, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, hydrogen peroxide, dopamine, serotonin, pyruvate, ammonia, glutamate, cytochrome C, hexokinase, ATP synthase, HMG CoA reductase, digoxin and bile acids.Results: Plasma of control subjects showed increased levels of the above mentioned parameters with after incubation for 1 hour and addition of cholesterol substrate resulted in still further significant increase in these parameters. The plasma of patients showed similar results but the extent of increase was more. The addition of antibiotics to the control plasma caused a decrease in all the parameters while addition of rutile increased their levels. The addition of antibiotics and rutile to the patient’s plasma produced the same changes but the extent of change was more in patient’s sera as compared to controls.Conclusion: An actinide dependent shadow biosphere of archaea and viroids in the above mentioned disease states is described. Key words: Endomyocardial fibrosis; Cholesterol; Actinide; Biosphere of archaea and viroids
Optimal and robust control of streaks in pipe flow

Control theory is used to determine optimal disturbances in pipe flow and the forcing, in the form of blowing and suction at the wall, capable of attenuating them. An approach is adopted, based on a parabolic approximation of the linear Navier–Stokes equations, which is appropriate when dealing with asymptotically elongated (in the streamwise direction) flow structures. A cost functional is introduced and maximized in the optimal-perturbation problem or minimized, for a given inflow perturbation, in the optimal-control problem. The extrema of the cost functional are reached by means of an iterative technique, based on the numerical solution of the equations for the state and the adjoint state, coupled via transfer and optimality conditions. Central to the control is the determination of the Green's function expressing the receptivity of the flow to wall forcing. A considerable reduction in output disturbance energy, as compared to the uncontrolled case, is obtained for control laws operating both over a long section of the pipe or over shorter strips. Finally, a robust control is sought, by simultaneously computing the worst inflow condition and the corresponding best control at the wall.
Association between HMGB1 and COPD: A Systematic Review

HMGB1 is an alarmin, a protein that warns and activates inflammation. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by a progressive airflow obstruction and airway inflammation. Current anti-inflammatory therapies are poorly effective in maintaining lung function and symptoms of COPD. This underlines the need for finding new molecular targets involved in disease pathogenesis in order to block pathology progression. This review aims to analyse latest advances on HMGB1 role, utilisation, and potential application in COPD. To this purpose we reviewed experimental studies that investigated this alarmin as marker as well as a potential treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. In almost all the studies, it emerged that HMGB1 levels are augmented in smokers and in patients affected by COPD. It emerged that cigarette smoking, the most well-known causative factor of COPD, induces neutrophils death and necrosis. The necrosis of neutrophil cells leads to HMGB1 release, which recruits other neutrophils in a self-maintaining process. According to the results reported in the paper both inhibiting HMGB1 and its receptor (RAGE) and blocking neutrophils necrosis (inducted by cigarette smoking) could be the aim for further studies.
An evaluation of resource description quality measures

An open problem for Distributed Information Retrieval is how to represent large document repositories (known as resources) efficiently. To facilitate resource selection, estimated descriptions of each resource are required, especially when faced with non-cooperative distributed environments[1]. Accurate and efficient Resource description estimation is required as this can have an affect on resource selection, and as a consequence retrieval quality. Query-Based Sampling (QBS) has been proposed as a novel solution for resource estimation[2], with proceeding techniques developed therafter[3]. However, the challenge to determine if one QBS technique is better at generating resource description than another is still an unresolved issue. The initial metrics tested and deployed for measuring resource description quality were the Collection Term Frequency ratio (CTF) and Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient (SRCC)[2]. The former provides an indication of the percentage of terms seen, whilst the later measures the term ranking order, although neither consider the term frequency, which is important for resource selection. We re-examine this problem and consider measuring the quality of a resource description in context to resource selection, where an estimate of the probability of a term given the resource is typically required. We believe a natural measure for comparing the estimated resource against the actual resource is the Kullback-Leibler Divergence (KL) measure. KL addresses the concerns put forward previously, by not over-representing low frequency terms, and also considering term order[2]. In this paper, we re-assess the two previous measures alongside KL. Our preliminary investigation revealed that the former metrics display contradictory results. Whilst, KL suggested a different QBS technique than that prescribed in [2], would provide better estimates. This is a significant result, because it now remains unclear as to which technique will consistently provide better resource descriptions. The remainder of this paper details the three measures, the experimental analysis of our preliminary study and outlines our points of concern along with further research directions.
Human Multitasking: Towards an ACT-R Task-Independent General Executive

One of the questions that arises in investigation of human multitasking is whether it is governed by general or taskspecific executive processes (see, e.g., Kieras et al., 2000). On one hand, specialized training in specific sets of concurrent tasks clearly leads to improved performance, thus implying involvement of task-specific mechanisms. On the other hand, people are generally able to multitask relatively successfully when given new tasks or new task combinations. This ability to apply time-sharing skills to novel settings favors the idea of generic executive mechanisms involved in human multitasking. To further understand the nature of general executives we modeled them within the ACT-R cognitive architecture (Anderson & Lebiere, 1998), thus relying on the architecture to inform us which potential scenarios fit into this theory of human cognition.
User Modeling by Using Bag-of-Behaviors for Building a Dialog System Sensitive to the Interlocutor’s Internal State

When using spoken dialog systems in actual environments, users sometimes abandon the dialog without making any input utterance. To help these users before they give up, the system should know why they could not make an utterance. Thus, we have examined a method to estimate the state of a dialog user by capturing the user’s non-verbal behavior even when the user’s utterance is not observed. The proposed method is based on vector quantization of multi-modal features such as non-verbal speech, feature points of the face, and gaze. The histogram of the VQ code is used as a feature for determining the state. We call this feature “the Bagof-Behaviors. ” According to the experimental results, we prove that the proposed method surpassed the results of conventional approaches and discriminated the target user’s states with an accuracy of more than 70%.
Role of Actin Cytoskeletal Dynamics in Activation of the Cyclic AMP Pathway and HWP1 Gene Expression in Candida albicans

ABSTRACT Changes in gene expression during reversible bud-hypha transitions of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans permit adaptation to environmental conditions that are critical for proliferation in host tissues. Our previous work has shown that the hypha-specific adhesin gene HWP1 is up-regulated by the cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling pathway. However, little is known about the potential influences of determinants of cell morphology on HWP1 gene expression. We found that blocking hypha formation with cytochalasin A, which destabilizes actin filaments, and with latrunculin A, which sequesters actin monomers, led to a loss of HWP1 gene expression. In contrast, high levels of HWP1 gene expression were observed when the F-actin stabilizer jasplakinolide was used to block hypha formation, suggesting that HWP1 expression could be regulated by actin structures. Mutants defective in formin-mediated nucleation of F-actin were reduced in HWP1 gene expression, providing genetic support for the importance of actin structures. Kinetic experiments with wild-type and actin-deficient cells revealed two distinct phases of HWP1 gene expression, with a slow, actin-independent phase preceding a fast, actin-dependent phase. Low levels of HWP1 gene expression that appeared to be independent of stabilized actin and cAMP signaling were detected using indirect immunofluorescence. A connection between actin structures and the cAMP signaling pathway was shown using hyper- and hypomorphic cAMP mutants, providing a possible mechanism for up-regulation of HWP1 gene expression by stabilized actin. The results reveal a new role for F-actin as a regulatory agent of hypha-specific gene expression at the bud-hypha transition.
Athletes mental skills and stress factors : in the preparation of competing at the Olympic Games

The importance of good mental skills for elite athletes has repeatedly been shown by previous studies. The present study examined athletes’ mental skills and stress factors prior to the Olympic Games (OG). Sampling was obtained by an online survey, emailed to athletes aiming for the 2012 and 2016 OG. Participants were 33 athletes aged 16-45, from eight different sports, divided into two groups; athletes who qualified for the OG (n = 11) and those who did not (n = 22). Two self-report scales were submitted; the OMSAT-3 measuring mental skills and the PSS measuring stress. In the light of previous studies, it was hypothesized that athletes qualifying for the OG would score higher in mental skills and lower on the stress scale. Even though athletes qualifying for the OG measured higher in all OMSAT-3 subscales, and lower on the PSS, than those who did not qualify, difference between the two groups was not significant. Despite insignificance, higher mental skills and lower stress levels characterized the group that qualified for the OG, which may underline the importance of high level of mental skills for elite athletes.
Efficient water area classification using radarsat-1 SAR imagery in a high relief mountainous environment

It is important to determine quickly the extent of flooding during extreme cases. Even though SAR imagery with its own energy sources is highly applicable to flood monitoring owing to its sensitivity to the water area, topographic effects caused by local terrain relief must be carefully considered before the actual classification process. Since backscattering coefficients of the shadow area in high relief regions are very similar to those of the water area, it is essential to regard these areas before and after the classification procedure, although the process is a difficult and time-consuming task. In this study, efficient and economical methods for water area classification during floods in mountainous area are described. We tested five different cases using various synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image processing techniques, texture measures, and terrain shape information such as elevation and slope. The case whereby the SAR image was classified with the local slope information exhibited the best result for water area classification, even in small streams of different elevation categories. Consequently in mountainous areas, the combination of a SAR image and local slope information was the most appropriate method in estimating flooded areas.
Research of knowledge model construction on downhole operation in oil fields based on ontology

A novel integrated framework for knowledge building of the oil field downhole operation is introduced based on the problems that the loaded data resources, poor knowledge sharing and decision support in this paper. Elementary techniques of the framework are elaborated in details, and an oil field ontology prototype system is drawn up and implemented based on the framework. The oil field downhole operation conception-ontology based on descriptor list and relational data are created, and some deeper semantic information with portability was mined. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is applicable.
You Know English, so Why Don’t You Teach?” Language Ideologies and Returnees Becoming English Language Teachers in Mexico

ABSTRACT Return migration from the United States to Mexico has been increasing in the last decade. Research reports that many returnees, who are English dominant, drop out of school to look for work in call centers and transnational companies (Anderson, 2015). Others pursue higher education in English-based programs such as those for becoming English language teachers (Rivas Rivas, 2013). This article explores what role language ideologies have in the decision making of three returnees to pursue a degree in English language teaching (ELT) and how such language ideologies inform the participants’ bilingual identities and teaching practices. Findings suggest that while some ideologies held by participants and hiring entities in Mexico, such as linguistic imperialism and linguistic purism, give students an advantage in the workforce, they also generate a sense of otherness that can create barriers to social integration and implicit effects on how they view their language teaching capacities and practices.
A feature-space transformation for telephone based speech recognition

An experimental study describing the eeects of carbon and electret telephone transducers on automatic speech recognition (ASR) performance is presented. It is shown that telephone based ASR performance on a connected digit task actually improves when speech is spoken through the carbon transducer. This surprising result is explained by a study of the diierences in acoustic characteristics between carbon and electret telephone hand-sets. An initial attempt is made to devise a simple procedure for obtaining a parametric transformation which emulates the properties of the carbon transducer. The parameters of this transformation are trained automatically from speech spoken simultaneously through carbon and electret telephone handsets. When telephone speech data is transformed according to this procedure, a sig-niicant improvement in ASR performance is obtained. These results are interpreted and future research directions are discussed.