Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genic Interaction Extraction by Reasoning on an Ontology

Information Extraction (IE) systems have been proposed in recent years, to extract genic interactions from bibliographical resources. But they are limited to single interaction relations, and have to face a tradeoff between recall and precision, by focusing either on specific interactions (for precision), or general and unspecified interactions of biological entities (for recall). Yet, biologists need to process more complex data from literature, in order to study biological pathways, so an ontology is an adequate formal representation to model this sophisticated knowledge. But the tight integration of IE systems and ontologies is still a current research issue, a fortiori with complex ones that go beyond hierarchies. Here, we propose a rich modeling of genic interactions with an ontology, and show how it can be used within an IE system. The ontology is seen as a language specifying a normalized representation of text. IE is performed by first extracting instances from Natural Language Processing (NLP) modules, then deductive inferences on the ontology language are completed. New instances may be infered, bringing together otherwise scattered textual information. We validated our approach on an annotated corpus of gene transcription regulations inBacillus subtilis. We reach a global recall of 89.3% and a precision of 89.6%, with high scores for the ten semantic relations defined in the ontology.
Exploring the Causes of Listening Comprehension Anxiety from EFL Saudi Learners’ Perspectives: A Pilot Study

Anxiety is an important factor in foreign language learning. Very few studies have been done on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Saudi students in listening classes. Therefore, this pilot study was aimed at exploring the causes of listening comprehension anxiety from EFL Saudi learners’ perspectives at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. The pilot study involved two students who were selected based on the following criteria: 1) Only Saudi male undergraduate students who enrolled in Preparatory Year Program (PYP) at Majmaah University would be involved in this study, 2) The students who had studied or lived in native English speaking countries would be excluded. The researcher used pseudonyms to refer to the participants as Mohammad and Ismail. This study employed a qualitative case study research design. The data were collected through Semi-structured interviews with the participants. The interview sessions were audiotaped and transcribed. The results show that the participants experienced a high level of anxiety when doing the listening comprehension tasks. Three main causes of listening comprehension anxiety emerged from this study: 1) the problematic nature of listening comprehension, 2) the classroom atmosphere, and 3) the low English proficiency of the students.
Purpose and enactment in job design: an empirical examination of the processes through which job characteristics have their effects

Abstract Job characteristics are linked with health, safety, well-being and other performance outcomes. Job characteristics are usually assessed by their presence or absence, which gives no indication of the specific purposes for which workers might use some job characteristics. We focused on job control and social support as two job characteristics embedded in the well-known Demand–Control–Support model. In Study 1, using an experience sampling methodology (N = 67) and a cross-sectional survey methodology (N = 299), we found that relationships between the execution of job control or the elicitation of social support and a range of other variables depended on the purposes for which job control was executed or social support elicited. In Study 2 (N = 28), we found that it may be feasible to improve aspects of well-being and performance through training workers on how to use job control or social support for specific purposes.
Anonymity and Untraceability in Mobile Networks

User mobility is a feature that raises many new security-related issues and concerns. One of them is the disclosure of a mobile user's identity during the authentication process, or other procedures speciic to mobile networks. Such disclosure allows an unauthorized third-party to track the mobile user's movements and current whereabouts. Depending on the context, access to any information related to a mobile user's location or activity without his consent can be a serious violation of his privacy. This new issue might be seen as a connicting requirement with respect to authentication: anonymity requires hiding the user's identity while authentication requires the user's identity to be revealed in order to be proved. What is needed is a single mechanism reconciling both authentication and privacy of a mobile user's identity. The basic solution to this problem is the use of aliases. Aliases insure anonymity by hiding the user's identity as well as his relationship with domain authorities. In this paper, we present a classiication scheme to identify the diierent pieces of information which should be protected from legitimate network entities and unauthorized third parties. We then present an eecient method for the computation of aliases and apply it to a new set of inter-domain authen-tication protocols. We demonstrate that these protocols can be designed to meet various degrees of privacy requirements. In designing these protocols, we try to avoid the drawbacks of authentication protocols in existing mobile network architectures such as CDPD and GSM.
Synthesis of Antenna Array by Complex-valued Genetic Algorithm

Summary The synthesis of the radiation pattern of linear antenna arrays is an interesting problem in radiating systems. A complex-valued genetic algorithm (GA) for optimization of beam forming in linear array antennas is presented in this paper. Unlike conventional GA using binary coding, this method directly represents the array excitation weighting vectors as complex number chromosomes and improves genetic operator methods based on the complex-valued encoding. The algorithm enhances searching efficiency greatly, and avoids effectively premature convergence. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the advantages of the proposed technique over conventional pattern synthesis methods.
Preliminary validation of a vision-dependent activities of daily living instrument on adults with homonymous hemianopia.

OBJECTIVE This study sought to validate the use of the Self-Report Assessment of Functional Visual Performance (SRAFVP) as a measure of the severity of activity of daily living (ADL) limitations in people with homonymous hemianopia (HH). METHOD Thirty adults with HH from stroke rated their level of difficulty in completing the SRAFVP. RESULTS The Cronbach's αs of the SRAFVP and its three subscales (Reading, Eye-Hand Coordination, and Functional Mobility) ranged from . 73 to . 99. All three subscales were significantly correlated with each other and with the total SRAFVP score. Paired t tests revealed that Functional Mobility was significantly less difficult for participants to complete than Reading or Eye-Hand Coordination. Participants with complete HH reported greater difficulty in completing the Reading tasks than those with macular sparing. CONCLUSION The SRAFVP demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity in evaluating the severity of ADL impairment in people with HH.
Foreign direct investment and wage bargaining

We derive the sub-game perfect Nash equilibria for the foreign direct investment (FDI) game played between two unionized firms. We show that FDI is less likely, ceteris paribus, the greater is union bargaining power and the more substitutable are the firms' products in the potential host country. We also examine the conditions under which the FDI game between firms will possess the characteristics of a Prisoners' Dilemma.
Effect of Strychinine, a Glycine Inhibitor, on the Programmed Cell Death of Motoneurons during the Chick Development

In this study, we report that the treatment of strychinine (STR), an inhibitor of glycine receptor, induced premature onset of programmed cell death (PCD) of developing chick motoneurons (MNs). Treatment of STR on E4 chick embryo increased the apoptosis of MN on E5 when MN PCD does not occur normally. On the other hand, treatment of STR from E3 or E5 for 24 hours did not significantly influence the extent of MN PCD, indicating that the STR effect is developmental stage-specific. However, the expression of glycine receptor isoform was low on E3-4, and other glycine receptor antagonists did not exhibit PCD-promoting activity, suggesting that the STR action on PCD is not related to the glycine receptor activation. Identification of the target molecule for STR action may provide novel mechanism how the onset of developmental PCD is regulated.
“Fairness Analysis” in Requirements Assignments

Requirements engineering for multiple customers, each of whom have competing and often conflicting priorities, raises issues of negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution. This paper uses a multi-objective optimisation approach to support investigation of the trade-offs in various notions of fairness between multiple customers. Results are presented to validate the approach using two real-world data sets and also using data sets created specifically to stress test the approach. Simple graphical techniques are used to visualize the solution space.
MEVO: Multi-environment stereo visual odometry

The ego motion estimation from an image sequence, commonly known as visual odometry, has been thoroughly studied in recent years. Different solutions have been developed depending on the particular scenario the system interacts in. In highly textured environments point features are abundant and visual odometry approaches focus on complementary steps, such as sparse bundle adjustment or keyframe techniques, to improve the accuracy of the motion estimation. In textureless scenarios, the absence of point features motivates the use of different image features. Lines have proven to be an interesting alternative to points in man-made environments, but very few visual odometry approaches have been developed using these types of features. Moreover, the combination of point and line features has not been considered in the development of real-time visual odometry algorithms. In this paper, we explore the combination of point and line features to robustly compute the six degree of freedom motion transformation between consecutive stereo frames. Additionally, we deal with the problem of line stereo matching, since our approach is based on 3D-2D correspondences to estimate motion. We develop an efficient algorithm to compute the stereo line matching, even in situations where one of the endpoints describing the line segment in the left image is not visible in the right image. Several experiments with synthetic and real image sequences show that a simple but effective combination of point and line features improves the motion estimate compared to approaches using only one type of these features with a slight increase in computational cost.
Top-K color queries for document retrieval

In this paper we describe a new efficient (in fact optimal) data structure for the <i>top-K color problem</i>. Each element of an array <i>A</i> is assigned a color <i>c</i> with priority <i>p(c)</i>. For a query range [<i>a, b</i>] and a value <i>K</i>, we have to report <i>K</i> colors with the highest priorities among all colors that occur in <i>A</i>[<i>a.b</i>], sorted in reverse order by their priorities. We show that such queries can be answered in <i>O</i>(<i>K</i>) time using an <i>O</i>(<i>N</i> log σ) bits data structure, where <i>N</i> is the number of elements in the array and σ is the number of colors. Thus our data structure is asymptotically optimal with respect to the worst-case query time and space. As an immediate application of our results, we obtain optimal time solutions for several document retrieval problems. The method of the paper could be also of independent interest.
Altered Inactivation of Ca2+ Current and Ca2+ Release in Mouse Muscle Fibers Deficient in the DHP receptor γ1 subunit

Functional impacts of the skeletal muscle-specific Ca2+ channel subunit γ1 have previously been studied using coexpression with the cardiac α1C polypeptide in nonmuscle cells and primary-cultured myotubes of γ1-deficient mice. Data from single adult muscle fibers of γ−/− mice are not yet available. In the present study, we performed voltage clamp experiments on enzymatically isolated mature muscle fibers of the m. interosseus obtained from γ+/+ and γ−/− mice. We measured L-type Ca2+ inward currents and intracellular Ca2+ transients during 100-ms step depolarizations from a holding potential of −80 mV. Ratiometric Ca2+ transients were analyzed with a removal model fit approach to calculate the flux of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Ca2+ current density, Ca2+ release flux, and the voltage dependence of activation of both Ca2+ current and Ca2+ release were not significantly different. By varying the holding potential and recording Ca2+ current and Ca2+ release flux induced by 100-ms test depolarizations to +20 mV, we studied quasi-steady-state properties of slow voltage–dependent inactivation. For the Ca2+ current, these experiments showed a right-shifted voltage dependence of inactivation. Importantly, we could demonstrate that a very similar shift occurred also in the inactivation curve of Ca2+ release. Voltages of half maximal inactivation were altered by 16 (current) and 14 mV (release), respectively. Muscle fiber bundles, activated by elevated potassium concentration (120 mM), developed about threefold larger contracture force in γ−/− compared with γ+/+. This difference was independent of the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and likely results from the lower sensitivity to voltage-dependent inactivation of Ca2+ release. These results demonstrate a specific alteration of voltage-dependent inactivation of both Ca2+ entry and Ca2+ release by the γ1 subunit of the dihydropyridine receptor in mature muscle fibers of the mouse.
Probabilistic Modeling of Sensorimotor μ-Rhythms for Classification of Imaginary Hand Movements ( BCI Competition 2003-Data Set III )

Brain computer interfaces (BCI) require effective on-line processing of EEG measurements, e.g., as a part of feedback systems. Here we present an algorithm for single trial on-line classification of imaginary left and right hand movements, based on time-frequency information derived from filtering EEG wideband raw data with causal Morlet wavelets which are adapted to individual EEG spectra. Since imaginary hand movements lead to perturbations of the ongoing pericentral μ-rhythm, we estimate probabilistic models for amplitude modulation in lower (10 Hz) and upper (20 Hz) frequency bands over the sensorimotor hand cortices both contraand ipsilaterally to the imagined movements (i.e., at EEG channels C3 and C4). We use an integrative approach to accumulate over time evidence for the subject’s unknown motor intention. Disclosure of test data labels after the competition showed this approach to succeed with an error rate as low as 10.7%.
Reducing Attention Deficits After Stroke Using Attention Process Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Purpose— Impaired attention contributes to poor stroke outcomes. Attention process training (APT) reduces attention deficits after traumatic brain injury. There was no evidence for effectiveness of APT in stroke patients. This trial evaluated effectiveness of APT in improving attention and broader outcomes in stroke survivors 6 months after stroke. Methods— Participants in this prospective, single-blinded, randomized, clinical trial were 78 incident stroke survivors admitted over 18 months and identified via neuropsychological assessment as having attention deficit. Participants were randomly allocated to standard care plus up to 30 hours of APT or standard care alone. Both groups were impaired (z≤−2.0) across measures of attention at baseline, with the exception of Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, which was below average (z≤−1.0). Outcome assessment occurred at 5 weeks and 6 months after randomization. The primary outcome was Integrated Visual Auditory Continuous Performance Test Full-Scale Attention Quotient. Results— APT resulted in a significantly greater (P<0.01) improvement on the primary outcome than standard care. Difference in change on the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire approached significance (P=0.07). Differences on other measures of attention and broader outcomes were not significant. Conclusion— APT is a viable and effective means of improving attention deficits after incident stroke.
THE EFFECTS OF OBESITY ON PLASMA LEVELS OF OMENTIN, A DEPOT-SPECIFIC ADIPOCYTOKINE

Title of Thesis: THE EFFECTS OF OBESITY ON PLASMA LEVELS OF OMENTIN, A DEPOT-SPECIFIC ADIPOCYTOKINE Celia Maria de Souza Batista, 2004 Thesis Directed By: Dr. Mark Kantor, Department of Nutrition & Food Science (UMCP) Dr. John McLenithan, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition (UMB) Obesity is a chronic pathological condition and a risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It has been demonstrated that adipose tissue functions not only as a fat storage depot but also as an endocrine organ. Omentin is a protein expressed and secreted in adipose tissue that increases insulin-stimulated glucose transport. To further elucidate omentin’s physiological function, its levels were measured by quantitative western blotting in plasma from 44 healthy nondiabetic volunteers (22 women, 22 men). Participants were organized into sibling pairs based on discordant BMI (3-12 Kg/m). Lean subjects had significantly higher omentin levels than obese/overweight subjects (independent of sex), and significantly higher omentin levels were detected in women compared to men. Omentin levels were inversely correlated with BMI and positively correlated with HDL levels. These data suggest that omentin may play a physiological role in the pathogenesis of obesitydependent insulin resistance. THE EFFECTS OF OBESITY ON PLASMA LEVELS OF OMENTIN, A DEPOT-SPECIFIC ADIPOCYTOKINE
RETHINKING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING THROUGH MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS

This proposal looks at teacher mentorship and how it is manifested in different school environments. Grid and Group Theory provides the basis of discerning the cultural forces at play within the respective school environments. The theoretical framework will highlight the data collection process. Rather than being a secondary asset, mentorship should become a primary resource for the professional development of teachers, novice and veteran alike. Each school faces challenges that are unique to their environment which calls for the use of inhouse resources to engage the educator on multiple levels. The proposal reports preliminary findings and concludes on with a discussion on why this issue is of primary significance.
Frequency spectrum analysis of sampling clock jitter system based on LabVIEW

This paper focuses on non-uniform sampling problems caused by sampling Clock Jitter, based on traditional Fourier transform theory, proposed a new method of sampling clock jitter frequency spectrum analysis system, Without increasing the sampling points, improving the resolution of the spectrum. Through the LabVIEW program design to verify the correctness of the theory.This method has more important significance to the Reconstruction and analysis of sampling Clock Jitter.
A Novel Approach for Developing Web-Based Enterprise Information Systems

Crosscutting concerns and clone codes make the Web-based enterprise information system (EIS) difficult to evolve and maintain. The traditional model-view-controller (MVC) model imposes design-level restrictions that give a clean separation between the presentation, functional and control concerns. However it does not modularize the structure crosscutting concerns. In this paper, we propose a novel development model named meta data object (MDO) that modularizes the structure concerns and reduces some specific clone codes. Panther framework is a new domain-driven Web development framework that implements the MDO model. Panther has been used to develop many Web-based EIS. Development with Panther benefits from a significant improvement in code reuse, adaptability, and maintainability.
The Impact of Web 2.0 (Gov 2.0) and Social Media Technologies on engagement in Local Government

This paper aims to assess the impact of Web 2.0 (Gov 2.0) and Social Media technologies provided by Local Government on different community groups. Findings represent the first stage of a longitudinal study conducted on a Local Government in Australia, namely Randwick City Council. The study explores key drivers and inhibitors behind the adoption of Gov 2.0 and Social Media technologies and identifies three distinct groups of adopters. The majority of people, those in the 25-64 age group, were identified as being current or willing adopters of the technologies; whilst others were deemed to be in the “Hard to Reach Group” (HtRGrp), those in the 18-24 and 65+ age brackets. From a Local Government perspective, those belonging to the HtRGrp are historically deemed to be difficult to engage in local issues and to communicate with. An interesting finding was that the inhibiting factors identified across the two groups were distinctly different. This had a direct result in Randwick City Council developing strategies in the next stage of the project in order to target the use of Gov 2.0 and Social Media technologies for the HtRGrp in order to facilitate engagement and communication, with limited success.
Tongue movements and syllable onset complexity: ultrasound study

In this study ultrasound was used to investigate tongue movements in syllables with different number and type of onset consonants. Ultrasound recordings provided the information of the distance the tongue travels over a target, and audio recordings of the time needed. The speed of the tongue’s travel was calculated from the two measurements. Results of ten speakers have shown that both duration and distance travelled increase with an increased number of onset segments, but that distance travelled is additionally influenced by the type of the segment, as is speed. Duration also seemed to be the least speaker-dependant of the three parameters.
Evaluating BC and NO x emission inventories for the Paris region from MEGAPOLI aircraft measurements

Abstract. High uncertainties affect black carbon (BC) emissions, and, despite its important impact on air pollution and climate, very few BC emissions evaluations are found in the literature. This paper presents a novel approach, based on airborne measurements across the Paris, France, plume, developed in order to evaluate BC and NOx emissions at the scale of a whole agglomeration. The methodology consists in integrating, for each transect, across the plume observed and simulated concentrations above background. This allows for several error sources (e.g., representativeness, chemistry, plume lateral dispersion) to be minimized in the model used. The procedure is applied with the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model to three inventories – the EMEP inventory and the so-called TNO and TNO-MP inventories – over the month of July 2009. Various systematic uncertainty sources both in the model (e.g., boundary layer height, vertical mixing, deposition) and in observations (e.g., BC nature) are discussed and quantified, notably through sensitivity tests. Large uncertainty values are determined in our results, which limits the usefulness of the method to rather strongly erroneous emission inventories. A statistically significant (but moderate) overestimation is obtained for the TNO BC emissions and the EMEP and TNO-MP NOx emissions, as well as for the BC / NOx emission ratio in TNO-MP. The benefit of the airborne approach is discussed through a comparison with the BC / NOx ratio at a ground site in Paris, which additionally suggests a spatially heterogeneous error in BC emissions over the agglomeration.