Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Project Implementation Success in Reward-Based Crowdfunding: An Empirical Study

ABSTRACT Crowdfunding is an emerging financing channel for entrepreneurs to raise money for their innovative projects online. Crowdfunding project implementation has not gained enough attention in research. This article develops a research model to investigate (1) the relationships among crowdfunding implementation success criteria—rewarding delivery timeliness, the extent to which the reward meets specifications and sponsors overall satisfaction, and (2) the moderating factors on the relationships, including project social responsibility, entrepreneur activeness, and community benefit. Data were collected via a survey of sponsors on Demohour, a well-known crowdfunding platform in China, to test the proposed model. The findings suggest that rewarding delivery timeliness and meeting specifications are of great importance to increase sponsor satisfaction. All three moderating factors have negative effects on the relationship between meeting specifications and sponsor satisfaction. The research makes theoretical contributions and has practical implications. Crowdfunding platforms and entrepreneurs should pay more attention to delivery timeliness and quality of reward and to sponsors’ satisfaction, which are criteria for crowdfunding project implementation success. In addition, the role of project social responsibility, entrepreneur activeness, and community benefit should be considered for crowdfunding project implementation since they can moderate the relationship between the extent to which the product meets specifications and the sponsor’s overall satisfaction.
Choosing the Right Translation: A Syntactically Informed Classification Approach

One style of Multi-Engine Machine Translation architecture involves choosing the best of a set of outputs from different systems. Choosing the best translation from an arbitrary set, even in the presence of human references, is a difficult problem; it may prove better to look at mechanisms for making such choices in more restricted contexts. In this paper we take a classification-based approach to choosing between candidates from syntactically informed translations. The idea is that using multiple parsers as part of a classifier could help detect syntactic problems in this context that lead to bad translations; these problems could be detected on either the source side---perhaps sentences with difficult or incorrect parses could lead to bad translations---or on the target side---perhaps the output quality could be measured in a more syntactically informed way, looking for syntactic abnormalities. We show that there is no evidence that the source side information is useful. However, a target-side classifier, when used to identify particularly bad translation candidates, can lead to significant improvements in BLEU score. Improvements are even greater when combined with existing language and alignment model approaches.
Theory and application of array coils in MR spectroscopy

The theory and application of array coils are reviewed in the context of phased array spectroscopy. The optimization of the signal‐to‐noise ratio from an array of coils is developed by considering the efficiency of a phased array transmit coil. This approach avoids the need to consider noise correlation, and should be useful in future considerations of transmit phased array coils for MR spectroscopy. Methods to characterize array coil performance, including fields and coupling are briefly summarized, along with methods to minimize the effects of mutual inductance. The signal‐to‐noise advantages of array coils over single coils are examined for both planar and cylindrical arrays. Numerical simulations of planar arrays of 2×2, 4×4 and 8×8 elements and constant overall dimension are compared to a single coil of the same size. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in sensitivity near the array coil. Although the benefits of the array decrease as a function of distance from the array, the array sensitivity never drops below that of a single coil with the same overall dimensions, or that of a single element of the array. Similar results are obtained for a sixteen element cylindrical array, which is compared to a standard quadrature birdcage coil using both computational methods and phantom measurements. The phased array techniques reviewed are demonstrated with proton spectroscopic images of the brain. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Linear-Time Approach for Static Timing Analysis Covering All Process Corners

Manufacturing process variations lead to circuit timing variability and a corresponding timing yield loss. Traditional corner analysis consists of checking all process corners (combinations of process parameter extremes) to make sure that circuit timing constraints are met at all corners, typically by running static timing analysis (STA) at every corner. This approach is becoming too expensive due to the exponential increase in the number of corners with modern processes. As an alternative, we propose a linear-time approach for STA which covers all process corners in a single pass. Our technique assumes a linear dependence of delay on process parameters and provides tight bounds on the worst-case circuit delay. It exhibits high accuracy (within 1-3%) in practice and, if the circuit has m gates and n relevant process parameters, the complexity of the algorithm is O(mn)
Comparison of neutrophil/lymphocyte and platelet/ lymphocyte ratios for predicting malignant potential of suspicious ovarian masses in gynecology practice.

PURPOSE To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting malignancy of pelvic masses which are pre-operatively malignant suspicious. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this retrospective study we evaluated the clinical features of patients with ovarian masses which had pre-operatively been considered suspicious for malignancy. The patients whose intraoperative frozen sections were malign were classified as the study group, while those who had benign masses were the control group. Data recorded were age of the patient, diameter of the mass, pre-operative serum Ca 125 levels, platelet count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and platelet/lymphocyte ratio. RESULTS There was statistically significantly difference between the groups in terms of age, diameter of the mass, serum Ca 125 levels, platelet number and platelet/lymphocyte ratio. Mean neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios showed no difference between the groups. ROC curve analysis showed that age, serum Ca 125 levels, platelet number and PLR were discriminative markers in predicting malignancy in adnexal masses. CONCLUSIONS According to the current study, serum Ca 125 levels, pre-operative platelet number and PLR may be good prognostic factors, while NLR is an ineffective marker in predicting the malignant characteristics of a pelvic mass.
Assessment on Screw Fixing Failure Mode for Kitchen Cabinet Particleboard

An observation during screw fixing activities on kitchen cabinet installation was carried out. In collaboration with Signature Kitchen Ptd. Ltd., a kitchen cabinet manufacturer in Malaysia, twenty-eight (28) houses in Kelang Valley, Malaysia were selected for the study. Almost all of the sites selected have shown some damages of the particleboard during the screw fixing activities. Generally, there were cracks, chip-off or swelling occurred in between the panel surface and the screw head edges. The damages observed on the screw joint during installation are in the form of split holes, loose holes and delamination. All damages then were identified for its type of failure mode especially at the screw-driving slot and particleboard surface. Six type of failure mode were identified, documented and discussed.
A Novel Family of Exponential Integrators Solving the Two-Gene Regulatory System

In this paper, a family of exponential integrators of Runge-Kutta type are formulated for initial value problems of systems of ordinary differential equations with asymptotically stable equilibria. A convenient approach to constructing new exponential RK methods on the base of traditional Runge-Kutta methods is presented. The exponential RK methods are zero-dispersive and zero-dissipative, and are much more accurate than the corresponding traditional RK methods when applied to the two-gene regulatory system.
Processing biological literature with customizable Web services supporting interoperable formats

Web services have become a popular means of interconnecting solutions for processing a body of scientific literature. This has fuelled research on high-level data exchange formats suitable for a given domain and ensuring the interoperability of Web services. In this article, we focus on the biological domain and consider four interoperability formats, BioC, BioNLP, XMI and RDF, that represent domain-specific and generic representations and include well-established as well as emerging specifications. We use the formats in the context of customizable Web services created in our Web-based, text-mining workbench Argo that features an ever-growing library of elementary analytics and capabilities to build and deploy Web services straight from a convenient graphical user interface. We demonstrate a 2-fold customization of Web services: by building task-specific processing pipelines from a repository of available analytics, and by configuring services to accept and produce a combination of input and output data interchange formats. We provide qualitative evaluation of the formats as well as quantitative evaluation of automatic analytics. The latter was carried out as part of our participation in the fourth edition of the BioCreative challenge. Our analytics built into Web services for recognizing biochemical concepts in BioC collections achieved the highest combined scores out of 10 participating teams. Database URL: http://argo.nactem. ac.uk.
The non-coding RNA TERRA is a natural ligand and direct inhibitor of human telomerase

Telomeres, the physical ends of eukaryotes chromosomes are transcribed into telomeric repeat containing RNA (TERRA), a large non-coding RNA of unknown function, which forms an integral part of telomeric heterochromatin. TERRA molecules resemble in sequence the telomeric DNA substrate as they contain 5′-UUAGGG-3′ repeats near their 3′-end which are complementary to the template sequence of telomerase RNA. Here we demonstrate that endogenous TERRA is bound to human telomerase in cell extracts. Using in vitro reconstituted telomerase and synthetic TERRA molecules we demonstrate that the 5′-UUAGGG-3′ repeats of TERRA base pair with the RNA template of the telomerase RNA moiety (TR). In addition TERRA contacts the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) protein subunit independently of hTR. In vitro studies further demonstrate that TERRA is not used as a telomerase substrate. Instead, TERRA acts as a potent competitive inhibitor for telomeric DNA in addition to exerting an uncompetitive mode of inhibition. Our data identify TERRA as a telomerase ligand and natural direct inhibitor of human telomerase. Telomerase regulation by the telomere substrate may be mediated via its transcription.
Parallel Multigrid with ADI-like Smoothers in Two Dimensions

Alternating direction iterative (ADI) methods do not usually work well on parallel computers due to having to do parallel rather than serial tridiagonal solves in all but one dimension. An ADI-like iteration is developed and analyzed which does not require parallel tridiagonal solves in any direction, has at least as good of a convergence rate as ADI, and has almost no communication when imbedded as a smoother inside of a multigrid solver. Numerical experiments on a network of workstations and a parallel computer are included.
Exploiting Punctuation Semantics in Continuous Data Streams

As most current query processing architectures are already pipelined, it seems logical to apply them to data streams. However, two classes of query operators are impractical for processing long or infinite data streams. Unbounded stateful operators maintain state with no upper bound in size and, so, run out of memory. Blocking operators read an entire input before emitting a single output and, so, might never produce a result. We believe that a priori knowledge of a data stream can permit the use of such operators in some cases. We discuss a kind of stream semantics called punctuated streams. Punctuations in a stream mark the end of substreams allowing us to view an infinite stream as a mixture of finite streams. We introduce three kinds of invariants to specify the proper behavior of operators in the presence of punctuation. Pass invariants define when results can be passed on. Keep invariants define what must be kept in local state to continue successful operation. Propagation invariants define when punctuation can be passed on. We report on our initial implementation and show a strategy for proving implementations of these invariants are faithful to their relational counterparts.
Integrity of the Human Faecal Microbiota following Long-Term Sample Storage

In studies of the human microbiome, faecal samples are frequently used as a non-invasive proxy for the study of the intestinal microbiota. To obtain reliable insights, the need for bacterial DNA of high quality and integrity following appropriate faecal sample collection and preservation steps is paramount. In a study of dietary mineral balance in the context of type 2 diabetes (T2D), faecal samples were collected from healthy and T2D individuals throughout a 13-day residential trial. These samples were freeze-dried, then stored mostly at -20°C from the trial date in 2000/2001 until the current research in 2014. Given the relative antiquity of these samples (~14 years), we sought to evaluate DNA quality and comparability to freshly collected human faecal samples. Following the extraction of bacterial DNA, gel electrophoresis indicated that our DNA extracts were more sheared than extracts made from freshly collected faecal samples, but still of sufficiently high molecular weight to support amplicon-based studies. Likewise, spectrophotometric assessment of extracts revealed that they were of high quality and quantity. A subset of bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq and compared against publicly available sequence data representing a similar cohort analysed by the American Gut Project (AGP). Notably, our bacterial community profiles were highly consistent with those from the AGP data. Our results suggest that when faecal specimens are stored appropriately, the microbial profiles are preserved and robust to extended storage periods.
Strongylids (Nematoda: Strongylidae) in two zebra species from the “Askania-Nova” Biosphere Reserve, Ukraine: biodiversity and parasite community structure

SummarySpecies composition and structure of strongylid (Nematoda: Strongylidae) community were examined in 15 plains zebras (Equus burchelli) and 8 Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi) kept in the “Askania-Nova” Biosphere Reserve (Ukraine). Strongylids were collected from zebras in vivo following deworming with the “Univerm” (0.2 % aversectin C, Russia). Twenty-two strongylid species (3 species of subfamily Strongylinae and 19 — of Cyathostominae) were found. In plains zebras, 21 strongylid species were found; from 3 to 14 species per host. In Grevy’s zebras, 18 strongylid species were recorded; from 4 to 14 species per host. Cyathostominae dominated in the communities of both zebra species; they composed more then 99 % of strongylid number. Comparison of strongylid biodiversity in plains zebras from the “Askania-Nova” reserve with data collected from four African countries showed low similarity of strongylid faunas in zebras from Ukraine and Africa; the strongylid community was similar to those of domestic ponies from the same area.
An Entropic Mechanism of Generating Selective Ion Binding in Macromolecules

Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain how ion channels and transporters distinguish between similar ions, a process crucial for maintaining proper cell function. Of these, three can be broadly classed as mechanisms involving specific positional constraints on the ion coordinating ligands which arise through: a “rigid cavity”, a ‘strained cavity’ and ‘reduced ligand fluctuations’. Each operates in subtly different ways yet can produce markedly different influences on ion selectivity. Here we expand upon preliminary investigations into the reduced ligand fluctuation mechanism of ion selectivity by simulating how a series of model systems respond to a decrease in ligand thermal fluctuations while simultaneously maintaining optimal ion-ligand binding distances. Simple abstract-ligand models, as well as simple models based upon the ion binding sites in two amino acid transporters, show that limiting ligand fluctuations can create ion selectivity between Li+, Na+ and K+ even when there is no strain associated with the molecular framework accommodating the different ions. Reducing the fluctuations in the position of the coordinating ligands contributes to selectivity toward the smaller of two ions as a consequence of entropic differences.
Chapter 2 Relationships Between Mitochondrial Dynamics and Bioenergetics

B. Lu (ed.), Mitochondrial Dynamics and Neurodegeneration, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-1291-1_2, © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 Abstract In this chapter we describe the fundamental mechanisms by which mammalian cells regulate energy production, and we put emphasis on the importance of mitochondrial dynamics for the regulation of bioenergetics. We discuss both the impact of shape changes of the mitochondrion on organellar energy production, and the existence of reverse mechanisms of regulation of mitochondrial fusion and fission by the cellular energy state. Hence, in complement to pioneering concepts of metabolic control which only considered the key controlling steps of energy fluxes at the level of the respiratory chain, the recent study of mitochondrial dynamics highlights new possibilities for OXPHOS control. The implications of such a regulatory loop between mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics impacts several fields of human biology, as diverse as embryonic development, energy storage, cell motility, lipid and membrane biogenesis, intracellular trafficking and cell death. In addition, most neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia are associated with defects in mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics. Therefore, to unravel the fundamental mechanisms by which mitochondrial form interacts with mitochondrial function could permit to increase our basic knowledge on the regulation of energy metabolism and to decipher the pathophysiology of a group of rare neuronal diseases.
Dynamic Mapping of a Class of Independent Tasks onto Heterogeneous Computing Systems

Dynamic mapping (matching and scheduling) heuristics for a class of independent tasks using heterogeneous distributed computing systems are studied. Two types of mapping heuristics are considered, immediate mode and batch mode heuristics. Three new heuristics, one for batch mode and two for immediate mode, are introduced as part of this research. Simulation studies are performed to compare these heuristics with some existing ones. In total five immediate mode heuristics and three batch mode heuristics are examined. The immediate mode dynamic heuristics consider, to varying degrees and in different ways, task affinity for different machines and machine ready times. The batch mode dynamic heuristics consider these factors, as well as aging of tasks waiting to execute. The simulation results reveal that the choice of which dynamic mapping heuristic to use in a given heterogeneous environment depends on parameters such as (a) the structure of the heterogeneity among tasks and machines and (b) the arrival rate of the tasks.
Executing Reactive, Model-based Programs through Graph-based Temporal Planning

In the future, webs of unmanned air and space vehicles will act together to robustly perform elaborate missions in uncertain environments. We coordinate these systems by introducing a reactive model-based programming language (RMPL) that combines within a single unified representation the flexibility of embedded programming and reactive execution languages, and the deliberative reasoning power of temporal planners. The KIRK planning system takes as input a problem expressed as a RMPL program, and compiles it into a temporal plan network (TPN), similar to those used by temporal planners, but extended for symbolic constraints and decisions. This intermediate representation clarifies the relation between temporal planning and causal-link planning, and permits a single task model to be used for planning and execution. Such a unified model has been described as a holy grail for autonomous agents by the designers of the Remote Agent[Muscettola et al., 1998b].
Transactional Memory: An Overview

Writing applications that benefit from the massive computational power of future multicore chip multiprocessors will not be an easy task for mainstream programmers accustomed to sequential algorithms rather than parallel ones. This article presents a survey of transactional memory, a mechanism that promises to enable scalable performance while freeing programmers from some of the burden of modifying their parallel code.
Multi-Stability in Dual-Fiber Optical Trap

The special feature of multi-stability of a dual-fiber optical trap in the axial direction is demonstrated in this work. Two identical counter-propagating laser beams are used to trap a microsphere both axially and transversely. Based on the theoretical calculation and numerical results, it’s found that the balance point for trapping in the axial direction can be in the centre middle as reported in former studies, or there could be two balance points each located between the center and fiber end, and three stable points shows up together as the simulation parameters of the trap change in one way or another. The stability in the axial direction shows indeterminacy and multiple situations exist. (Abstract) Keywordsoptical trap; trapping; (key words)
Network Sampling via Edge-based Node Selection with Graph Induction

In order to efficiently study the characteristics of network domains and support development of network systems (e.g. algorithms, protocols that operate on networks), it is often necessary to sample a representative subgraph from a large complex network. While prior research has shown that topological (e.g. random-walk based) sampling methods produce more accurate samples than approaches based on node or edge sampling, they still do not produce samples that closely match the distributions of graph properties (e.g., degree) found in the original graph. In this paper, we observe that part of the problem is that any sampling process fundamentally biases the structure of the sampled subgraph, since all neighbors of a sample node may not be included in the sampled subgraph. We address this problem using a novel sampling algorithm called TIES that (1) aims to offset this bias by using edge-based node selection, which favors selection of high-degree nodes, and (2) uses a graph induction step to select additional edges between sampled nodes to restore connectivity and bring the structure closer to that of the original graph. To understand the properties of TIES we compare it analytically to random node and edge sampling. We also evaluate the efficacy of TIES empirically using several real-world data sets. Across all datasets, we found that TIES produces samples that better match the original distributions. In terms of two distributional distance metrics, KS distance and skew divergence, we found that samples produced by TIES consistently outperform other sampling algorithms—with up to 2× reduction in KS distance and up to 37× reduction in skew divergence, compared to the current state-ofthe-art algorithms.