Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimization of n-gram Parameters for Natural Language Processing

In this paper we present the drawbacks of conventional approaches to the estimation of ngram in Chinese natural language processing, that is, the optimization of n-gram parameters is independent of its discriminative capability. To fight with this problem, we bring up with discriminative estimation criterion, on which the parameters of n-grams can be optimized. We implement this approach on the platform of the conversion from Chinese pinyin to Chinese character. We conduct experiments based on the tagged text corpus by Peking University. Experimental results show that the conversion rate can be remarkably raised by at most 41.4%.
[Validation of the Turkish version of the mood disorder questionnaire for screening bipolar disorders].

OBJECTIVES The aims of the study were to validate the Turkish version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) as a screening tool and to determine its optimum cut-off value for bipolar disorder. METHODS Validation of the Turkish version of the MDQ was conducted on a sample of 309 consecutive patients who attended the psychiatry outpatient unit of 2 different university hospitals. The Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID) was used as a gold standard test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate test performance of the MDQ. RESULTS In all, 36 (11.7%) patients received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (type I and II, and bipolar disorder not otherwise specified), 185 (86.1%) were diagnosed as having at least one Axis I psychiatric disorder other than bipolar disorder, and 7 (2.2%) had no psychiatric disorder according to SCID results. Sensitivity and specificity results indicated that the best Turkish MDQ cut-off point was 7 (sensitivity: 0.64; specificity: 0.77), the cut-off point 5 had 0.81 sensitivity and 0.53 specificity, and the cut-off 6 had 0.75 sensitivity and 0.63 specificity. CONCLUSION The Turkish MDQ has satisfactory psychometric properties for screening bipolar disorder. The psychometric properties of the Turkish MDQ and its ease of use make it a useful tool for screening bipolar disorders, though further population-based research is required to confirm these results.
Breast cancer and circadian disruption from electric lighting in the modern world

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, and there is only a limited explanation of why. Risk is highest in the most industrialized countries but also is rising rapidly in the developing world. Known risk factors account for only a portion of the incidence in the high‐risk populations, and there has been considerable speculation and many false leads on other possibly major determinants of risk, such as dietary fat. A hallmark of industrialization is the increasing use of electricity to light the night, both within the home and without. It has only recently become clear that this evolutionarily new and, thereby, unnatural exposure can disrupt human circadian rhythmicity, of which three salient features are melatonin production, sleep, and the circadian clock. A convergence of research in cells, rodents, and humans suggests that the health consequences of circadian disruption may be substantial. An innovative experimental model has shown that light at night markedly increases the growth of human breast cancer xenografts in rats. In humans, the theory that light exposure at night increases breast cancer risk leads to specific predictions that are being tested epidemiologically: evidence has accumulated on risk in shift workers, risk in blind women, and the impact of sleep duration on risk. If electric light at night does explain a portion of the breast cancer burden, then there are practical interventions that can be implemented, including more selective use of light and the adoption of recent advances in lighting technology and application. CA Cancer J Clin 2014;64:207–218. © 2013 American Cancer Society.
Experimental study of antenna selection methods in distributed uplink MU-MIMO

Uplink MU-MIMO techniques achieve the high frequency efficiency. However, it is known that the frequency efficiency depends on the arrangement of antennas of the access point. Moreover, we have proposed the distributed antenna system (DAS) which selects the high density arranged antennas according to user distribution and shown its effectiveness using narrow band signals in an actual indoor environment. For the actual implementation, this paper proposes an antenna selection methods that selects the antenna in a limited area and selects the antenna in a non-limited area. We compare the basic characteristics of the DAS when applied the uplink MU-MIMO by broadband OFDM signals in an indoor environment for each selection method, and demonstrate the effectiveness of DAS with the proposed antenna selection methods.
Mental health of teenagers who use cannabis. Results of an Australian survey.

BACKGROUND There is concern in the community about increasing cannabis use and its potential effect on health. AIMS To ascertain the prevalence of cannabis use among Australian adolescents, associations with mental health problems, risk behaviours and service use. METHOD Examination of data from a national representative sample of households comprising 1261 adolescents aged 13-17 years. Parents completed a psychiatric interview and questionnaires while adolescents completed questionnaires. RESULTS One-quarter of the adolescents in the sample had used cannabis. There were no gender differences. Use increased rapidly with age, was more common in adolescents living with a sole parent and was associated with increased depression, conduct problems and health risk behaviours (smoking, drinking) but not with higher use of services. CONCLUSIONS Cannabis use is very prevalent. The association with depression, conduct problems, excessive drinking and use of other drugs shows a malignant pattern of comorbidity that may lead to negative outcomes.
Monte Carlo studies on proton computed tomography using a silicon strip detector telescope

Monte Carlo computer programs such as the GEANT4 toolkit include precise models of particle interactions and can be an invaluable tool for studying the feasibility of new imaging techniques such as proton computed tomography (pCT). Presented in this paper is a comparison of laboratory data with GEANT4 predictions for the imaging characteristics of a simple metal object using a particle beam and a silicon particle detector.
Correlation of cerebrovascular reserve as measured by acetazolamide-challenged SPECT with angiographic flow patterns and intra- or extracranial arterial stenosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The ability to identify patients at increased risk for stroke from cerebral hemodynamic ischemia may help guide treatment planning. We tested the correlation between regional cerebrovascular reserve (rCVR) on acetazolamide-challenged single-photon emission CT (SPECT) brain scans and intracranial collateral pathways as well as extra- or intracranial (EC-IC) arterial stenosis on cerebral angiography. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 27 patients who underwent cerebral angiography and acetazolamide-challenged SPECT brain imaging was performed. With cerebral angiography, the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral artery (ACA, MCA, PCA) territories were evaluated for patterns of flow, including the ipsilateral carotid or basilar arteries, the circle of Willis collaterals, the EC-IC collaterals, and the leptomeningeal collaterals. With acetazolamide-challenged SPECT, the ACA, MCA, and PCA territories were classified as either showing or not showing evidence of decreased rCVR. Statistical significance was determined by the chi(2) test. RESULTS Patients with decreased rCVR had significantly greater dependence on either the EC-IC or leptomeningeal collaterals (42%) than did patients without decreased rCVR (7%). Similarly, the cerebral hemispheres with decreased rCVR showed a higher prevalence of 70% or greater stenosis or occlusion of the ipsilateral EC-IC arteries in the anterior circulation (74%) than did hemispheres with no evidence of decreased rCVR (16%), and this difference was also statistically significant. CONCLUSION Acetazolamide-challenged SPECT brain scanning provides additional information regarding rCVR that is not reliably provided by cerebral angiography.
Stable isotope evidence for an amphibious phase in early proboscidean evolution

The order Proboscidea includes extant elephants and their extinct relatives and is closely related to the aquatic sirenians (manatees and dugongs) and terrestrial hyracoids (hyraxes). Some analyses of embryological, morphological, and paleontological data suggest that proboscideans and sirenians shared an aquatic or semiaquatic common ancestor, but independent tests of this hypothesis have proven elusive. Here we test the hypothesis of an aquatic ancestry for advanced proboscideans by measuring δ18O in tooth enamel of two late Eocene proboscidean genera, Barytherium and Moeritherium, which are sister taxa of Oligocene-to-Recent proboscideans. The combination of low δ18O values and low δ18O standard deviations in Barytherium and Moeritherium matches the isotopic pattern seen in aquatic and semiaquatic mammals, and differs from that of terrestrial mammals. δ13C values of these early proboscideans suggest that both genera are likely to have consumed freshwater plants, although a component of C3 terrestrial vegetation cannot be ruled out. The simplest explanation for the combined evidence from isotopes, dental functional morphology, and depositional environments is that Barytherium and Moeritherium were at least semiaquatic and lived in freshwater swamp or riverine environments, where they grazed on freshwater vegetation. These results lend new support to the hypothesis that Oligocene-to-Recent proboscideans are derived from amphibious ancestors.
Role of the Fas/Fas Ligand Apoptotic Pathway in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Disease

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is characterized by the gradual and inexorable depletion of CD4+ T lymphocytes. The pathogenetic importance of the loss of these cells is unquestioned since it correlates with the loss of immune capabilities and the consequent occurrence and
Design and test of a monolithic ultrasound-image-guided HIFU device using annular CMUT rings

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and characterization of a CMUT-based therapeutic ultrasound chip with built-in ultrasound imager for real-time monitoring of the object being operated on. Multiple concentric high-power (inner) CMUT rings and an annular imager CMUT array (outmost) comprising of 48 or 64 elements are integrated on a silicon substrate measuring 2 mm times 2 mm for simultaneous ultrasonic ablation/stimulation and imaging. The polysilicon membrane thickness and gap height of the high-power CMUT devices are 1.3 mum and 0.35 mum, respectively, while these of the imager CMUT integrated on the same substrate are 1.0 mum and 0.18 mum, respectively. The thicker membrane and higher gap of the high-power CMUTs make them capable of delivering high-pressure ultrasound, while the thin membrane and lower gap of imager CMUTs improves the receiver sensitivity in pulse-echo imaging. In order to maximize the overall membrane displacement of the high-power CMUT ring in transmission mode, the ring is designed as a one-chamber swimming-ring structure instead of being divided into multiple sub-chambers, like imager arrays. The high-power CMUT rings were successfully used for heating the liver tissue of a pig, creating a 2.5degC temperature increase after 6 minutes of ultrasound irradiation. Preliminary B-mode imaging using the CMUT imager element on this imager-guided therapeutic chip was also demonstrated.
A Resilient Privacy Ensuring Protocol for Smart Metering in Smart Grid

The next era is foreseen to revolutionize the utility application with the technological advancements in IT and telecommunication. Intelligence will be seen in industrial machines equipped with embedded technologies enabling communication using low power wireless technology. Smart meter has recently gained lot of attention from the research community as this has raised unique challenges especially w.r. t security. Privacy preservation in such an environment is discussed to be critical as it may lead to devastating effects or even blackout which has been witnessed before. In this paper, we propose a privacy preserving algorithm which ensures resiliency against credentials theft with cryptographic operations where they are transported in a secure manner. We evaluated different encryption algorithms RC5, MD5, SHA1 in terms of computational and communication resources consumed by them in the proposed privacy preserving algorithm. In future, extensive evaluations and proofs of cryptographic algorithms will be included.
EL BULLYING EN LA ESCUELA

La violencia escolar en el Peru ha sido reducida a los actos de confrontacion fisicaque se da entre los estudiantes, gracias a lo cual su representacion tiene trescaracteristicas definidas: (a) la violencia es fisica, (b) tiene como protagonistas alos varones y (c) los actores de la violencia son esencialmente los jovenes, mas no los ninos. Estos criterios no corresponden a la realidad y han deformado la identificacion de otras formas de violencia escolar que se mantienen ocultas, el bullying, cuya ocurrencia constituye el problema numero uno de la escuela en el mundo. En el presente articulo se examinara con mayor detenimiento el acoso enla escuela (bullying), sus caracteristicas destacadas y las variadas formas en que sepresenta; revisar los principales efectos que alcanza en las personas involucradasdirecta e indirectamente y culminar con la referencia de las estrategias antibullying mas empleadas y los exitos que se han alcanzado.
High-performers use the phonological loop less to process mental arithmetic during working memory tasks

This study investigated the effects of three working memory components—the central executive, phonological loop, and visuospatial sketchpad—on performance differences in complex mental arithmetic between individuals. Using the dual-task method, we examined how performance during two-digit addition was affected by load on the central executive (random tapping condition), phonological loop (articulatory suppression condition), and visuospatial sketchpad (spatial tapping condition) compared to that under no load (control condition) in high- and low-performers of complex mental arithmetic in Experiment 1. Low-performers showed an increase in errors under the random tapping and articulatory suppression conditions, whereas high-performers showed an increase of errors only under the random tapping condition. In Experiment 2, we conducted similar experiments on only the high-performers but used a shorter presentation time of each number. We found the same pattern for performing complex mental arithmetic as seen in Experiment 1. These results indicate that high-performers might reduce their dependence on the phonological loop, because the central executive enables them to choose a strategy in which they use less working memory capacity.
Relationship between superoxide dismutase 1 and patients with Alzheimer ’ s disease

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) rs2070424, rs4998557 polymorphisms and the susceptibility of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in Chinese Han population. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to determine genotypes of SOD1 polymorphisms in 98 patients with AD and 105 healthy persons. The differences of gentoype, allele and haplotype frequencies between cases and controls were detected by the chi-square test, and the relative risk of AD was expressed by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in the control group was also checked by χ2 test. The linkage disequilibrium (LD) and haplotype analyses were carried out with haploview software. Results: For rs2070424, AA genotype had a significantly higher frequency in AD patients than that of the healthy controls (P=0.021), and the results showed that people carrying AA genotype were easier to be attacked by AD than GG genotype carriers (OR=2.618, 95% CI=1.212-5.657). The frequency of A allele of rs2070424 in the case group was also significantly higher than the controls and it can increase the onset risk of AD (OR=1.677, 95% CI=1.133-2.484, P=0.010). However, no significant differences were found in rs4998557 polymorphism between two groups. Ars2070424-Ars4998557 and Ars2070424-Grs4998557 haplotypes significantly associated with the increased risk for AD (P=0.009, OR=2.670, 95% CI=1.258-5.664; P=0.042, OR=1.530, 95% CI=1.014-2.309). Conclusion: Rs2070424 polymorphism in SOD1 might be associated with AD susceptibility in Chinese Han population, but rs4998557 was not. Additionally, haplotypes can also affect the occurrence of AD.
OSL α : Online Structure Learning using Background Knowledge Axiomatization

We present OSL α — an online structure learner for Markov Logic Networks (MLNs) that exploits background knowledge axiomatization in order to constrain the space of possible structures. Many domains of interest are characterized by uncertainty and complex relational structure. MLNs is a state-of-the-art Statistical Relational Learning framework that can naturally be applied to domains governed by these characteristics. Learning MLNs from data is challenging, as their relational structure increases the complexity of the learning process. In addition, due to the dynamic nature of many real-world applications, it is desirable to incrementally learn or revise the model’s structure and parameters. Experimental results are presented in activity recognition using a probabilistic variant of the Event Calculus ( MLN − EC ) as background knowledge and a benchmark dataset for video surveillance.
Border security as a labor screening device: a new model of immigration economics

This paper presents a new model of immigration that describes the migration-decision process on an individual level, based on Spence’s (1973) signaling model. The model allows for an explanation of phenomena such as chain migration and the positive selectivity of migrants, and specifically examines the positive relationship between a nation’s immigration control policy and the productivity of the migrants entering that nation. The logic is straightforward: the personal cost of migrating into a nation rises as that nation’s border security becomes stricter and more strongly enforced, which deters individuals who are less motivated and/or capable to migrate. Using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), I present empirical evidence by using the implementation of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 as a natural experiment. The passage of the Act exogenously initiated a dramatic increase in the efficacy and strictness of immigration control policy in the United States, causing the personal cost of migrating to rise significantly. Regression results reveal that migrants who entered the nation after 2002 have a wage rate that is approximately 3.0 – 4.5% higher relative to their counterparts, and work 0.6 – 1.0 additional hours per week, ceteris paribus.
A non-linear precoding technique for downlink MC-CDMA

Multiple-access interference is a major burden for MC-CDMA schemes. The possible complexity in the hardware of the mobile terminal is another major limitation. Both burdens can be answered in the downlink by preceding the signal with the knowledge of the channel state information. In this paper, we introduce a non-linear precoder to cancel the multiple-access interference motivated by the dirty-paper approach and by taking into account a non-linear modulo operation. The results show for a SISO system a significant improvement over recent proposed precoding schemes.
Evaluation of Longitudinal and Hoop Stresses and a Critical Study of Factor of Safety (FoS) in Design of a Glass-Fiber Pressure Vessel

Abstract—The design, manufacture, and operation of thin-walled pressure vessels must be based on maximum safe operating pressure and an adequate factor of safety (FoS). This research paper first reports experimental evaluation of longitudinal and hoops stresses based on working pressure as well as maximum pressure; and then includes a critical study of factor of safety (FoS) in the design of a glass fiber pressure vessel. Experimental work involved the use of measuring instruments and the readings from pressure gauges. Design calculations involved the computations of design stress and FoS; the latter was based on breaking strength of 55 MPa for the glass fiber (pressure-vessel material). The experimentally determined FoS value has been critically compared with the general FoS allowed in the design of glass fiber pressure vessels.
The meshless radial point interpolation method for time-domain electromagnetics

A meshless numerical technique based on radial point interpolation is introduced for electromagnetic simulations in time domain. The general class of meshless methods presents very attractive properties for addressing future challenges of electromagnetic modeling. Among the interesting aspects, the ability to handle arbitrary node distributions for conformal and multi-scale modeling can be mentioned first. Furthermore, the possibility of modifying the node distribution dynamically opens new perspectives for adaptive computations and optimization. The mathematical background of the radial point interpolation method and a two-dimensional implementation are presented here. The advantages of this meshless method are discussed and applied to a model consisting of a 90 degree H-plane waveguide bend. It is shown that solutions converge much faster using the ability of conformal modeling compared to a similar analysis in rectangular grids.
A Unified Practical Design Method for Capacitors of Switching Converters

This paper presents a practical algebraic unified design method for the selection of capacitors in dc-dc switching converters. The model adopted accounts for the correlation existing between the capacitance C and the equivalent series resistance (ESR) of capacitors and provides reliable design formulas for the choice of commercial components. The application of the method is illustrated for the design of capacitors complying with maximum acceptable steady-state ripple voltage. A piecewise-defined algebraic function is introduced, which expresses the boundary of the capacitor acceptability region in the C-ESR plane. Numerical and experimental validations, referred to the design of capacitors of a single-ended primary inductor converter (SEPIC), prove the effectiveness of the method.