Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Document ranking using web evidence

Evidence based on web graph structure is reportedly used by the current generation of World-Wide Web (WWW) search engines to identify “high-quality”, “important” pages and to reject “spam” content. However, despite the apparent wide use of this evidence its application in web-based document retrieval is controversial. Confusion exists as to how to incorporate web evidence in document ranking, and whether such evidence is in fact useful. This thesis demonstrates how web evidence can be used to improve retrieval effectiveness for navigational search tasks. Fundamental questions investigated include: which forms of web evidence are useful, how web evidence should be combined with other document evidence, and what biases are present in web evidence. Through investigating these questions, this thesis presents a number of findings regarding how web evidence may be effectively used in a general-purpose web-based document ranking algorithm. The results of experimentation with well-known forms of web evidence on several small-to-medium collections of web data are surprising. Aggregate anchor-text measures perform well, but well-studied hyperlink recommendation algorithms are far less useful. Further gains in retrieval effectiveness are achieved for anchor-text measures by revising traditional full-text ranking methods to favour aggregate anchor-text documents containing large volumes of anchor-text. For home page finding tasks additional gains are achieved by including a simple URL depth measure which favours short URLs over long ones. The most effective combination of evidence treats document-level and web-based evidence as separate document components, and uses a linear combination to sum scores. It is submitted that the document-level evidence contains the author’s description of document contents, and that the web-based evidence gives the wider web community view of the document. Consequently if both measures agree, and the document is scored highly in both cases, this is a strong indication that the page is what it claims to be. A linear combination of the two types of evidence is found to be particularly effective, achieving the highest retrieval effectiveness of any query-dependent evidence on navigational and Topic Distillation tasks. However, care should be taken when using hyperlink-based evidence as a direct measure of document quality. Thesis experiments show the existence of bias towards the home pages of large, popular and technology-oriented companies. Further empirical evidence is presented to demonstrate how the authorship of web documents and sites directly affects the quantity and quality of available web evidence. These factors demonstrate the need for robust methods for mining and interpreting data from the web graph.
Exploiting Social Media for Natural Language Processing: Bridging the Gap between Language-centric and Real-world Applications

Social media like Twitter and micro-blogs provide a goldmine of text, shallow markup annotations and network structure. These information sources can all be exploited together in order to automatically acquire vast amounts of up-to-date, widecoverage structured knowledge. This knowledge, in turn, can be used to measure the pulse of a variety of social phenomena like political events, activism and stock prices, as well as to detect emerging events such as natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunami, etc.).
Business Schools and Their Critics

Contemporary critics have placed the blame for our economic decline and lagging competitiveness on the shoulders of our nation's business schools. However, criticism of business schools is not new and dates back to the early rejection of the very idea of allowing a school of commerce into a university. While the Old Criticism claimed that business schools were not academic enough, the New Critics contend that what is needed is a more professional and applied approach. Responding to both has created an identity crisis which business schools must now resolve.
Modeling Bankruptcy Prediction Using Cox Regression Model with Time-Varying Covariates

We use a time-dependent Cox regression model with dynamic variables to estimate survival probabilities and make dynamic financial distress predictions for a sample of Australian firms listed on the Australian Securities Exchange from 1989 to 2006. This is one of the first studies to apply dynamic variables in forecasting financial distress. In contrast to most bankruptcy studies using static models, our model's predictive accuracy improves as the time horizon lengthens. The baseline hazard appears to play a strong role relative to the covariates that measure firms' risk factors.
Determination of the trophic situation in Gheshlagh reservoir (North-Western Iran)

‘Trophic state’ is often used to classify aquatic ecosystems according to biotic productivity. Carlson trophic state indices were used to assess the trophic situation in Gheshlagh reservoir (North-Western Iran), on which a dam was constructed three decades ago. Using data from a one-year surface sampling, a comparison of the trophic state index (TSI), between four sampling points in the reservoir and one sampling point under the dam, was performed. The results of the TSI calculated based on chlorophyll a (chl. a) concentration and Secchi depth showed that the aquatic environment in the reservoir is eutrophied (50<TSI<80), while it is mesotrophic (40<TSI<50) under the dam. Moreover, the measured concentrations of chl. a and phosphate were consistent with the available data ranges on eutrophication. In addition, it was shown that algal biomass bloom occurred at the end of spring, all over the sampling points.
Body symmetry and physical strength in human males

Body symmetry and physical strength in males have been related to aspects of mate “quality”—women seem to prefer men who display both “good genes” (as indexed by high symmetry/developmental health) and fighting ability (as indexed by physical strength). Here we show that fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of the body and physical strength are negatively correlated.
Overview: 40th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid

The Health Care Financing Review is cel­ ebrating the 40th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid with articles on the follow­ ing three themes: (1) the development of Medicare and Medicaid; (2) the significance of Medicare and Medicaid for the health and well-being of beneficiaries and their impact on the practice of medicine; and (3) future challenges facing the programs. The goal of this issue is to take stock of the programs as several important mile­ stones have been reached: • Medicare is finally able to celebrate the addition of an outpatient prescrip­ tion drug benefit, some 40 years after President Johnson first asked a task force to consider adding the benefit (U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1969). A Medicare drug benefit was frequently discussed and debated in the Halls of Congress result­ ing at one time in enactment of a drug benefit in 1988 only to see it repealed in 1989. Oral history interviews with many of the participants in the congres­ sional debate surrounding the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act, are available on the CMS history page: http://www. cms.hhs. gov/about/history/. Many of the articles in this issue discuss the new drug benefit: its history, why it was so long in coming, and the challenges it poses for the future.
Is the New Monetary Consensus Still Alive in 2016?

In this paper, we critically address the New Monetary Consensus (NMC) from a methodological standpoint, in order to assess its relevance in 2016. Although the mantras of the consensus are hardly questionable in their own right, we argue that the methodological underpinnings of the NMC account for its paradigmatic failure both to predict the GFC, and to be a reliable source of inspiration for post-crisis policies. We particularly insist on the problematic nature of pre-crisis DSGE models. We conclude that the New Monetary Consensus has ceased to be relevant eight years after the beginning of the global crisis.
Adaptive Bit, Power Allocation and Sub-Carrier Coupling for AF-OFDM Relaying Systems

Link adaptation technique is applied in an amplify and forward (AF) - orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) relaying system, and adaptive bit and power allocation (ABPA) is investigated for such system. ABPA problem is presented first, and the optimal solution is proposed with aid of Greedy algorithm. Because channel transfer functions for two hops are independent, which limits throughput of a conventional AF-OFDM system, we take sub-carrier coupling (SQ into account. Two solutions are proposed for the problem with ABPA and SC; the first adopts a concatenated method to realize SC and ABPA with two steps, and the second utilized a joint way to adjust SC and allocated bits and power. Numeral simulation results show that the proposed ABPA solution can improve throughput greatly while guaranteeing bit error rate (BER) requirement very well. When SC is involved, more improvement can be obtained; the joint solution outperforms the concatenated solution.
Construction of parsimonious Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy rule based model in characterising impacts of child health, socioeconomic deprivations on educational outcomes

System modeling and data mining techniques have considerable potential for use in public health informatics. In this paper, we propose a methodology of constructing a parsimonious Takagi-Sugeno (TS) rule model from data in predicting the impacts of child deprivation on education according to the ones of deprivations on health and socioeconomic conditions at a small-area level. In order to identify the most influential TS fuzzy rules, some novel indices for TS fuzzy rule ranking are suggested and named as L-values and ω-values of TS rules respectively. The L-values of TS rules are suggested to identify important rules based on the effects of the local linear models in rule consequent parts. The ω-values of TS rules are defined by considering both the rule base structure and the contribution of the local linear models. The experimental results have shown that by using the proposed indices, the most influential TS fuzzy rules can be effectively selected for a parsimonious TS fuzzy model in predicting the impacts of child deprivation on education at a satisfactory level.
Corporate Governance a Tool for Curbing Earnings Management Practices in Nigeria: Preparers Perspective

Corporate governance, an end to a means and a means to an end has been said to be a major tool for ensuring transparency and accountability in the business environment. Adopting the stakeholders theory, we examine the role of corporate governance in restraining earnings management practices in Nigeria as perceived by the preparers of the report. The study employed the use of primary data gathered from the research questionnaire administered to 354 sampled preparers of financial reports in Nigeria. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient and the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression was used to evaluate the relationship between earnings management and corporate governance attributes as identified by the study. The preparers of financial reports in Nigeria admitted that with effective corporate governance mechanisms in place, earnings management practices will reduce to the bearest minimum in the country. This study therefore concludes that earnings management practices can be deterred with effective corporate governance practices in place. It is therefore recommended that regulators at all levels should ensure strict adherence to the contents of the code of corporate governance as published. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016. v7n2p234
A Host Factor Involved in Hypovirus Symptom Expression in the Chestnut Blight Fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica

ABSTRACT The prototype hypovirus CHV1-EP713 causes virulence attenuation and severe suppression of asexual sporulation and pigmentation in its host, the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica. We identified a factor associated with symptom induction in C. parasitica using a transformation of C. parasitica strain EP155 with a full-length cDNA clone from a mild mutant virus strain, Cys(72). This was accomplished by using mutagenesis of the transformant fungal strain TCys(72)-1 by random integration of plasmid pHygR, conferring hygromycin resistance. The mutant, namA (after nami-gata, meaning wave shaped), showed an irregular fungal morphology with reduced conidiation and pigmentation while retaining similar levels of virulence and virus accumulation relative to TCys(72)-1- or Cys(72)-infected strain EP155. However, the colony morphology of virus-cured namA (VC-namA) was indistinguishable from those of EP155 and virus-cured TCys(72)-1 [VC-TCys(72)-1]. The phenotypic difference between VC-namA and VC-TCys(72)-1 was found only when these strains infected with the wild type or certain mutant CHV1-EP713 strains but not when infected with Mycoreovirus 1. Sequence analysis of inverse-PCR-amplified genomic DNA fragments and cDNA identified the insertion site of the mutagenic plasmid in exon 8 of the nam-1 gene. NAM-1, comprising 1,257 amino acids, shows sequence similarities to counterparts from other filamentous fungi and possesses the CorA domain that is conserved in a class of Mg2+ transporters from prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Complementation assays using the wild-type and mutant alleles and targeted disruption of nam-1 showed that nam-1 with an extension of the pHygR-derived sequence contributed to the altered phenotype in the namA mutant. The molecular mechanism underlying virus-specific fungal symptom modulation in VC-namA is discussed.
Data augmentation of wearable sensor data for parkinson’s disease monitoring using convolutional neural networks

While convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been successfully applied to many challenging classification applications, they typically require large datasets for training. When the availability of labeled data is limited, data augmentation is a critical preprocessing step for CNNs. However, data augmentation for wearable sensor data has not been deeply investigated yet. In this paper, various data augmentation methods for wearable sensor data are proposed. The proposed methods and CNNs are applied to the classification of the motor state of Parkinson’s Disease patients, which is challenging due to small dataset size, noisy labels, and large intra-class variability. Appropriate augmentation improves the classification performance from 77.54% to 86.88%.
TNFRSF11B polymorphisms are associated with metabolic traits in Uyghur and Han ethnic groups

Abstract Introduction: To test whether genetic variants of osteoprotegerin gene (TNFRSF11B) affect metabolic traits (body mass index [BMI], glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol) and bone mass traits. Methods: We conducted a population based association study to investigate associations of eight tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) of the TNFRSF11B gene with the aforementioned traits in a Chinese Han population and an ethnic group admixed with Caucasians and Asians – Uyghur. The associations between the tSNPs and bone mass density (BMD) were also tested in Han population. Results: We found that SNP rs3102727, located in the first intron of the TNFRSF11B gene, was significantly associated with triglyceride levels in Uyghur population and Han population simultaneously. T allele of the rs3102727 variant was associated with a 0.10 mmol/L and 0.09 mmol/L lower level of triglyceride than C allele in Uyghur (p = 0.019) and Han subjects (p = 0.037), respectively. In addition, the T allele is also associated with a lower level of hip BMD (p = 0.025) and total BMD (p = 0.048). Further, we found significant associations between SNP rs11573869 and BMI in Uyghur subjects and SNP rs3134062 with hip BMD in Han sbujects. Rs11573869-T allele was associated with a 0.81 kg/m2 lower level of BMI than C allele (p = 0.002) and the hip BMD decreases with the copy of rs3134062-T allele increases (p = 0.002). Conclusion: We detected novel associations between TNFRSF11B polymorphisms and metabolic traits in Uyghur and Han populations. In addition, we found associations between TNFRSF11B polymorphisms and bone mass traits in Han population.
Evaluation of the in vivo mutagenicity of isopropyl methanesulfonate in acute and 28‐day studies

Understanding the mutagenic dose response could prove beneficial in the management of pharmaceutically relevant impurities. For most alkyl ester impurities, such as isopropyl methanesulfonate (IPMS), little in vivo mutagenicity data exist for dose analysis. The likelihood of a sublinear dose response for IPMS was assessed by comparing the Swain Scott constant, the SN1/SN2 reaction mechanism and the O6:N7 guanine adduct ratio to that of more well‐known alkyl esters. Based on available information, IPMS was predicted to have a mutagenic profile most like ethyl nitrosourea. To test this hypothesis, mature male Wistar Han rats were administered IPMS using acute (single administration at 3.5 to 56 mg/kg) or subchronic (28 days at 0.125 to 2 mg/kg/day) exposures. The in vivo Pig‐a mutation assay was used to identify mutant phenotype reticulocyte (Ret) and red blood cell (RBC) populations. The maximum mutant response occurred approximately 15 and 28 days after the last dose administration in the mutant Ret and RBC populations respectively in the acute study and on Day 29 and 56 in the mutant Ret and RBC populations, respectively, in the subchronic study. A comparison of RBC mutant frequencies from acute and subchronic protocols suggests a sublinear response; however, this was not substantiated by statistical analysis. A No Observed Effect Level (NOEL) of 0.25 mg/kg/day resulted in a Permitted Daily Exposure equivalent to the Threshold of Toxicological Concern. An estimate of the NOEL based on the previously mentioned factors, in practice, would have pre‐empted further investigation of the potent mutagen IPMS. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 56:322–332, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Angiotensin II–NAD(P)H Oxidase–Stimulated Superoxide Modifies Tubulovascular Nitric Oxide Cross-Talk in Renal Outer Medulla

Abstract—The source of superoxide (O2·−) production and cell-to-cell interactions of O2·− and nitric oxide (NO) in response to angiotensin II (AngII) were studied by fluorescence microscopic techniques to image rat renal outer medullary microtissue strips. Changes in intracellular O2·− were determined by dihydroethidium-ethidium ratios, and NO was determined with 4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate. AngII (1 &mgr;mol/L) significantly increased O2·− in the isolated, medullary thick ascending limb (mTAL). These responses were inhibited by the superoxide dismutase mimetic 4-hydroxytetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPOL) and by the NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors diphenylene iodonium and apocynin. AngII did not increase O2·− in either pericytes of isolated, intact vasa recta (VR) or pericytes of VR with a disrupted endothelium, even when surrounded by mTAL. However, AngII did increase O2·− when the tissue strips were preincubated with the NO scavenger 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (carboxy-PTIO), indicating that cross-talk of O2·− from mTAL to the VR occurred but was normally inhibited by NO. Also, tissue O2·− reduction by TEMPOL increased the diffusion of NO from mTAL to the pericytes, indicating that cross-talk of NO from the mTAL to the VR is also inhibited by O2·−. We conclude that AngII stimulates O2·− production in mTAL via the NAD(P)H oxidase pathway and that interactions of O2·− and NO ultimately determine the effectiveness of in situ free-radical cross-talk between the mTAL and the VR.
Gamifying Navigation in Location-Based Applications

Location-based games entertain players usually by interactions at points of interest (POIs). Navigation between POIs often involve the use of either a physical or digital map, not taking advantage of the opportunity available to engage users in activities between POIs. The paper presents riddle solving as a navigational method for a location-based game. 10 families with 2-6 persons and at least one child in the age range 9-11 years old participated in the evaluation. Results show that riddle solving as a navigational method is more enjoyable than a 2D digital map. Additional ﬁndings from video recordings, ﬁeld notes, questionnaires, logging and semi-structured interviews revealed that riddle solving has potential for engaging users in learning activities
Regulation work and welfare of the future : towards a new social contract or a new gender contract?

This paper starts off by briefly considering some of the problems of future studies; it discusses how the origins and principles of the systems of regulation and security have generated different employment systems in Europe. The concept of employment systems allows us to identify how the future of work may well be managed in different ways according to the capacity and constraints of national and European actors. The paper focuses on the characteristics and changes in European regulatory systems of labour and social welfare. Two key developments are identified in these areas. First there are trends to decentralise collective bargaining and to encourage a trade off between labour flexibility and employment security. Second, there have been trends towards a decentralisation and outsourcing of state monopolies and attempts to develop new forms of caring. The prospects these trends imply for regulating the work of the future are discussed in relation to the development of a new social and gender contract.
Influence of nitric oxide synthase inhibition on pulmonary O2 uptake kinetics during supra‐maximal exercise in humans

We have recently reported that inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) with NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME) accelerates the ‘phase II’ pulmonary O2 uptake kinetics following the onset of moderate and heavy intensity submaximal exercise in humans. These data suggest that the influence of nitric oxide (NO) on mitochondrial function is an important factor in the inertia to aerobic respiration that is evident in the transition from a lower to a higher metabolic rate. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of l‐NAME on pulmonary kinetics following the onset of supra‐maximal exercise, where it has been suggested that O2 availability represents an additional limitation to kinetics. Seven healthy young men volunteered to participate in this study. Following an incremental cycle ergometer test for the determination of , the subjects returned on two occasions to perform a ‘step’ exercise test from a baseline of unloaded cycling to a work rate calculated to require 105%, preceded either by systemic infusion of l‐NAME (4 mg kg−1 in 50 ml saline) or 50 ml saline as a control (Con). Pulmonary gas exchange was measured on a breath‐by‐breath basis throughout the exercise tests. The duration of ‘phase I’ was greater with l‐NAME (Con: 14.0 ± 2.1 versusl‐NAME: 16.0 ± 1.6 s; P= 0.03), suggestive of a slower cardiovascular adaptation following the onset of exercise. However, the phase II time constant was reduced by 44% with l‐NAME (Con: 36.3 ± 17.3 versusl‐NAME: 20.4 ± 8.3 s; P= 0.01). The accumulation of blood lactate during exercise was also reduced with l‐NAME (Con: 4.0 ± 1.1 versusl‐NAME: 2.7 ± 2.1 mm; P= 0.04). These data indicate that skeletal muscle NO production represents an important limitation to the acceleration of oxidative metabolism following the onset of supra‐maximal exercise in humans.