Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
extraction and processing from travel narratives

Travel narratives published in electronic formats can be very important especially to the tourism community because of the great amount of knowledge that can be extracted. However, the low exploitation of these documents opens a new area of opportunity to the computing community. In this way, this article explores new ways to visualize travel narratives in a map in order to take advantage of experiences of individuals to recommend and describe travel places. Our approach is based on the use of a Geoparsing Web Service to extract geographic coordinates from travel narratives. Once geographic coordinates are extracted by using eXtensible Markup Language (XML) we draw the geo‐positions and link the documents into a map image in order to visualize textual information. 1. Introduction The growing predominance of adding information in social web sites presents new challenges to the computing community in terms of thinking of new ways to extract, analyze and process the information contained. Nowadays, there are interesting works around the capacity to extract and map geotagged photos [1], coming from social web sites like Flickr, but there is a lack in the extraction of geographic concepts coming from unstructured text documents [2].
Unique Games on the Hypercube

In this paper, we investigate the validity of the Unique Games Conjecture when the constraint graph is the boolean hypercube. We construct an almost optimal integrality gap instance on the Hypercube for the Goemans-Williamson semidefinite program (SDP) for Max-2-LIN$(\mathbb{Z}_2)$. We conjecture that adding triangle inequalities to the SDP provides a polynomial time algorithm to solve Unique Games on the hypercube.
Beyond the Binding Site: In Vivo Identification of tbx2, smarca5 and wnt5b as Molecular Targets of CNBP during Embryonic Development

CNBP is a nucleic acid chaperone implicated in vertebrate craniofacial development, as well as in myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) and sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) human muscle diseases. CNBP is highly conserved among vertebrates and has been implicated in transcriptional regulation; however, its DNA binding sites and molecular targets remain elusive. The main goal of this work was to identify CNBP DNA binding sites that might reveal target genes involved in vertebrate embryonic development. To accomplish this, we used a recently described yeast one-hybrid assay to identify DNA sequences bound in vivo by CNBP. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that these sequences are G-enriched and show high frequency of putative G-quadruplex DNA secondary structure. Moreover, an in silico approach enabled us to establish the CNBP DNA-binding site and to predict CNBP putative targets based on gene ontology terms and synexpression with CNBP. The direct interaction between CNBP and candidate genes was proved by EMSA and ChIP assays. Besides, the role of CNBP upon the identified genes was validated in loss-of-function experiments in developing zebrafish. We successfully confirmed that CNBP up-regulates tbx2b and smarca5, and down-regulates wnt5b gene expression. The highly stringent strategy used in this work allowed us to identify new CNBP target genes functionally important in different contexts of vertebrate embryonic development. Furthermore, it represents a novel approach toward understanding the biological function and regulatory networks involving CNBP in the biology of vertebrates.
The Brazilian Preference: Cesarean Delivery among Immigrants in Portugal

Objective To evaluate how the country of origin affects the probability of being delivered by cesarean section when giving birth at public Portuguese hospitals. Study Design Women delivered of a singleton birth (n = 8228), recruited from five public level III maternities (April 2005–August 2006) during the procedure of assembling a birth cohort, were classified according to the country of origin and her migration status as Portuguese (n = 7908), non-Portuguese European (n = 84), African (n = 77) and Brazilian (n = 159). A Poisson model was used to evaluate the association between country of birth and cesarean section that was measured by adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results The cesarean section rate varied from 32.1% in non-Portuguese European to 48.4% in Brazilian women (p = 0.008). After adjustment for potential confounders and compared to Portuguese women as a reference, Brazilian women presented significantly higher prevalence of cesarean section (PR = 1.26; 95%CI: 1.08–1.47). The effect was more evident among multiparous women (PR = 1.39; 95%CI: 1.12–1.73) and it was observed when cesarean section was performed either before labor (PR = 1.43; 95%CI: 0.99–2.06) or during labor (PR = 1.30; 95%CI: 1.07–1.58). Conclusions The rate of cesarean section was significantly higher among Brazilian women and it was independent of the presence of any known risk factors or usual clinical indications, suggesting that cultural background influences the mode of delivery overcoming the expected standard of care and outcomes in public health services.
Towards a GPU-Based Simulation Framework for Deformable Surface Meshes

Realism and real-time visual and haptic interactions with anatomical structures are key challenges in simulation software for surgeries. Overcoming these challenges is made difficult by the need to run the software on consumer-grade computing platforms. This paper presents preliminary work towards a framework for fast, realistic and stable simulation of deformable anatomical structures. The approach is to use implicit Euler's integration method to compute the deformations of the anatomy. This method is reformulated to exploit the inherent parallelism in the resulting simulation equations using Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) -a chip in many mid-range graphics cards. A dynamic surface mesh models the anatomy and a sparse, large linear system solved at each time step of the simulation models the deformations. The inverse of the large sparse matrix is computed as an approximation. The resulting large matrix manipulations are implemented on an NVIDIA GEForce 6600 GT GPU by using textures for storing mesh values and fragment-level programming for computing the new values due to deformations. The resulting simulation is compared with an explicit euler's integration-based simulation run on the CPU.
A graph-based feature selection method for improving medical diagnosis

Classification systems have been widely utilized in medical domain to explore patient’s data and extract a predictive model. This model helps physicians to improve their prognosis, diagnosis or treatment planning procedures. Models based on data mining and machine learning techniques have been developed to detect the disease early or assist in clinical breast cancer diagnoses. Medical datasets are often classified by a large number of disease measurements and a relatively small number of patient records. All these measurements (features) are not important or irrelevant/noisy. Feature selection is commonly applied to improve the performance of models. Feature selection is one of the most common and critical tasks in database classification. It reduces the computational cost by removing insignificant features. Feature selection methods can help select the most distinguishing feature sets for classifying different cancers. Consequently, this makes the diagnosis process accurate and comprehensible. This paper presents a graph based feature selection method for medical database classification. Sex benchmarked datasets, which are available in the UCI Machine Learning Repository, have been used in this work. The classification accuracy shows that the proposed method is capable of producing good results with fewer features than the original datasets.
ForceAtlas2, A Graph Layout Algorithm for Handy Network Visualization

ForceAtlas2 is a force vector algorithm proposed in the Gephi software, appreciated for its simplicity and for the readability of the networks it helps to visualize. This paper presents its distinctive features, its energy-model and the way it optimizes the “speed versus precision” approximation to allow quick convergence. We also claim that ForceAtlas2 is handy because the force vector principle is unaffected by optimizations, offering a smooth and accurate experience to users.
Tractography of the optic radiation for vision sparing epilepsy surgery

In case of refractory localized temporal lobe epilepsy the anterior part of the temporal lobe and parts of the mesial structures can be removed with epilepsy surgery. After anterior temporal lobe resection approximately 60 to 80% of the patients become seizure free. However, a visual field deficit in the upper quadrant of the visual field is a complication that arises due to disruption of the most anterior part of the optic radiation (Meyer's loop) in up to 100% of the cases. In case of a severe visual field deficit, patients are not allowed to drive anymore after surgery. In this study we tackle the difficult task of mapping the highly curved fibers of Meyer's loop to assist the neurosurgical planning. Tractography seeding is done by fMRI for the calcarine sulcus, and manual outlining of the lateral geniculate nucleus. The fibers of the central, upper and lower visual areas could be discriminated on their specific lengths and curvatures.
A differentiated distributed coordination function MAC protocol for cluster-based wireless ad hoc networks

Wireless Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) have been defined as infrastructure-less networks, including mobile and fixed nodes relying on peer-to-peer protocols and management. To support more reliable communications, efficient network management and high resources' utilization, distributed clustering protocols have been considered as a solution to introduce some kind of hierarchy in MANETs by means of dynamic and adaptive virtual infrastructures. In clustering schemes, the different node-roles, and respective management tasks, could take advantage by Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols able to differentiate distributed nodes' accesses. To cope with the system dynamics, the MAC itself is required to exploit existing clustering schemes, and to be adaptive to load and clustering variations, with no static access schemes. In this paper we propose and analyze a possible solution for the mutual support of distributed MAC and clustering schemes, named Differentiated Distributed Coordination Function (DDCF). The DDCF scheme is based on the IEEE 802.11 DCF access scheme, and inspired to the IEEE 802.11e design. Unlike IEEE802.11e, whose focus is to support Quality of Service (QoS) on the prioritized frame-flows basis, the focus of the DDCF is to implement nodes differentiation based on the node roles, which have been assigned by the upper-layer clustering scheme. Extensive, still preliminary, performance evaluation shown that the proposed DDCF access scheme can adaptively exploit the roles of cluster nodes, to support heterogeneous and differentiated MAC access needs.
THE INTRINSIC PROPERTIES OF SDSS GALAXIES

The observed properties of galaxies vary with inclination; for most applications we would rather have properties that are independent of inclination, or intrinsic properties. One way to determine inclination corrections is to consider a large sample of galaxies, study how the observed properties of these galaxies depend on inclination, and then remove this dependence to recover the intrinsic properties. We perform such an analysis for galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which have been matched to galaxies from the Two Micron All Sky Survey. We determine inclination corrections for these galaxies as a function of galaxy luminosity and the Sérsic index. In the g band these corrections reach as high as 1.2 mag and have a median value of 0.3 mag for all galaxies in our sample. We find that the corrections show little dependence on galaxy luminosity, except in the u band, but are strongly dependent on galaxy Sérsic index. We find that the ratio of red-to-blue galaxies changes from 1:1 to 1:2 when going from observed to intrinsic colors for galaxies in the range −22.75 < MK < −17.75. We also discuss how survey completeness and photometric redshifts should be determined when taking into account that observed and intrinsic properties differ. Finally, we examine whether previous determinations of stellar mass give an intrinsic quantity or one that depends on galaxy inclination.
A MapReduce-based approach for finding inexact patterns in large graphs

Finding patterns in graphs is a fundamental problem in graph theory, and also a practical challenge during the analysis of big data sets. Inexact patterns may correspond to a set of possible exact graphs. Their use is important in many fields where pattern matching is applied (e.g. mining in social networks or criminal investigations). Based on previous work, this paper introduces a pattern specification language with special language features to express inexact patterns. We also show a MapReduce approach-based algorithm that is able to find matches. Our methods make it possible to define inexact patterns and to find the exact matches in large graphs efficiently.
Test suite selection based on traceability annotations

This paper describes the Tobias tool. Tobias is a combinatorial test generator which unfolds a test pattern provided by the test engineer, and performs various combinations and repetitions of test parameters and methods. Tobias is available on-line at tobias.liglab. fr . This website features recent improvements of the tool including a new input language, a traceability mechanism, and the definition of various ``selectors'' which achieve test suite reduction.
Assessment of small-scale integrated water vapour variability 2677 latitude region using the Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral

The spatio-temporal variability of integrated water vapour (IWV) on small scales of less than 10 km and hours is assessed with data from the 2 months of the High Definition Clouds and Precipitation for advancing Climate Prediction (HD(CP)) Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE). The statistical intercomparison of the unique set of observations during HOPE (microwave radiometer (MWR), Global Positioning System (GPS), sun photometer, radiosondes, Raman lidar, infrared and near-infrared Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the satellites Aqua and Terra) measuring close together reveals a good agreement in terms of random differences (standard deviation ≤ 1 kgm) and correlation coefficient (≥ 0.98). The exception is MODIS, which appears to suffer from insufficient cloud filtering. For a case study during HOPE featuring a typical boundary layer development, the IWV variability in time and space on scales of less than 10 km and less than 1 h is investigated in detail. For this purpose, the measurements are complemented by simulations with the novel ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic modelling framework (ICON), which for this study has a horizontal resolution of 156 m. These runs show that differences in space of 3–4 km or time of 10–15 min induce IWV variabilities on the order of 0.4 kgm. This model finding is confirmed by observed time series from two MWRs approximately 3 km apart with a comparable temporal resolution of a few seconds. Standard deviations of IWV derived from MWR measurements reveal a high variability (> 1 kg m) even at very short time scales of a few minutes. These cannot be captured by the temporally lower-resolved instruments and by operational numerical weather prediction models such as COSMO-DE (an application of the Consortium for Small-scale Modelling covering Germany) of Deutscher Wetterdienst, which is included in the comparison. However, for time scales larger than 1 h, a sampling resolution of 15 min is sufficient to capture the mean standard deviation of IWV. The present study shows that instrument sampling plays a major role when climatological information, in particular the mean diurnal cycle of IWV, is determined.
Localization of Ear Using Outer Helix Curve of the Ear

This paper presents an efficient approach for localization of ear from an arbitrary 2D side face image with varying background. Outer helix curves of ears moving parallel to each other are used as feature for localizing ear in an image. Using Canny edge detector, edges are extracted from the whole image. These edges are segmented in convex and concave edges. From these segmented edges expected outer helix edges are determined after eliminating non-ear edges. Final outer helix edge of an ear is constructed using expected outer helix curves. Decision is made on a constructed curve whether it belongs to outer helix of ear or not. This technique is implemented on IITK, India database containing 700 samples. Accuracy of localization is more than 93%
Effects of Topographic Variability and Lidar Sampling Density on Several DEM Interpolation Methods

This study aims to quantify the effects of topographic variability (measured by coefficient variation of elevation, CV) and lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) sampling density on the DEM (Digital Elevation Model) accuracy derived from several interpolation methods at different spatial resolutions. Interpolation methods include natural neighbor (NN), inverse distance weighted (IDW), triangulated irregular network (TIN), spline, ordinary kriging (OK), and universal kriging (UK). This study is unique in that a comprehensive evaluation of the combined effects of three influencing factors (CV, sampling density, and spatial resolution) on lidar-derived DEM accuracy is carried out using different interpolation methods. Results indicate that simple interpolation methods, such as IDW, NN, and TIN, are more efficient at generating DEMs from lidar data, but kriging-based methods, such as OK and UK, are more reliable if accuracy is the most important consideration. Moreover, spatial resolution also plays an important role when generating DEMs from lidar data. Our results could be used to guide the choice of appropriate lidar interpolation methods for DEM generation given the resolution, sampling density, and topographic variability.
Semantic Indexing with Typed Terms Using Rapid Annotation

Illustrated with an example of a manual semantic resource for German, the use of typed index terms for semantic indexing is proposed. Types group index terms in the same semantic category and can be used by any search or cluster mechanism. To obtain semantic resources, a method to rapidly annotate large corpora is described in detail.
FERMI/LARGE AREA TELESCOPE DISCOVERY OF GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM A RELATIVISTIC JET IN THE NARROW-LINE QUASAR PMN J0948+0022

We report the discovery by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope of high-energy γ-ray emission from the peculiar quasar PMN J0948+0022 (z = 0.5846). The optical spectrum of this object exhibits rather narrow Hβ (FWHM(Hβ) ∼1500 km s−1), weak forbidden lines, and is therefore classified as a narrow-line type I quasar. This class of objects is thought to have relatively small black hole mass and to accrete at a high Eddington ratio. The radio loudness and variability of the compact radio core indicate the presence of a relativistic jet. Quasi-simultaneous radio/optical/X-ray and γ-ray observations are presented. Both radio and γ-ray emissions (observed over five months) are strongly variable. The simultaneous optical and X-ray data from Swift show a blue continuum attributed to the accretion disk and a hard X-ray spectrum attributed to the jet. The resulting broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) and, in particular, the γ-ray spectrum measured by Fermi are similar to those of more powerful Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs). A comparison of the radio and γ-ray characteristics of PMN J0948+0022 with the other blazars detected by LAT shows that this source has a relatively low radio and γ-ray power with respect to other FSRQs. The physical parameters obtained from modeling the SED also fall at the low power end of the FSRQ parameter region discussed in Celotti & Ghisellini. We suggest that the similarity of the SED of PMN J0948+0022 to that of more massive and more powerful quasars can be understood in a scenario in which the SED properties depend on the Eddington ratio rather than on the absolute power.
A muscle suit for the upper body: development of a new shoulder mechanism

A "muscle suit" that provides muscular support for the paralyzed or those otherwise unable to move unaided is being developed as a wearable robot. The lack of a metal frame and use of McKibben artificial muscle allow the muscle suit to be lightweight, making it realistic to use in daily life. Although all motion for the upper limb by the armor-type muscle suit with the mechanical joints and hard frame is realized, shoulder joints has difficulty in smooth motion because of DOF limitation. To overcome the limitation, new link mechanism is proposed and smooth motion for shoulder is achieved.
Long Term Forecasting and Hedging of the South African Yield Curve

ABSTRACT Many life insurance companies and pension funds have been involved in selling products which offer policyholders an element of protection against long term interest rate risk. Typical products, and product features, that offer protection against long term interest rate risk include conventional annuities, defined benefit pensions and guaranteed annuity options. These products and features typically provide protection at terms for which no interest rate instruments are tradable and the associated long term interest rate risks can be very large. Due to the lack of liquidity in the swap and bond market beyond 30 years, companies (and pension funds) often use fairly simplistic strategies to hedge these risks (such as investing in the longest available government bond). This paper examines some alternative approaches to dealing with long term interest rate risk. Specifically, the paper examines some common approaches that are used to forecast the yield curve beyond 30 years. The hedging implications of the various forecasting approaches are considered, and the performance of each approach is assessed in light of historical evidence. KEYWORDS Hedging; Forecasting; Long Term Interest Rate Risk Management; South Africa; Derivatives; Yield Curve CONTACT DETAILS Michael Thomas mithomas@deloitte.co.uk Eben Mare eben.mare@up.ac. za
Left Ventricular Mechanics in Functional Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation in Acute Inferoposterior Myocardial Infarction

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR) is an established adverse prognostic factor after myocardial infarction (MI). Functional ischemic mitral regurgitation in acute phase of MI remains under‐investigated due to its often transient and dynamic nature. We aimed to assess left ventricular (LV) mechanics by speckle‐tracking echocardiography in acute inferoposterior MI and ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR).
Efficient robust optimization techniques for uncertain dense gas flows

Dense Gases (DG) are single-phase vapors of molecularly complex fluids operating close to saturation conditions which can be used to improve the efficiency of Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) turbines. This work is devoted to the design of efficient procedures for optimizing a 2D dense gas turbine with multiple sources of uncertainty (thermodynamic model, operating conditions, geometry). Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) stochastic tools, dense gas CFD solvers and a multi-objective optimizer are coupled to produce a set of robust optimal shapes using mean efficiency and its standard deviation as objectives.