Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A massively parallel algorithm for three-dimensional device simulation

Based on a CGS (conjugate gradient squared) iteration with a partitioned natural ordering, a novel massively parallel algorithm for three-dimensional device simulation is presented. This algorithm requires constant time per matrix iteration independent of the number of grid nodes, and has convergence properties comparable to those of good algorithms currently used on sequential computers. This algorithm has been implemented on the Connection Machine and achieves supercomputer performance for large numbers of grid nodes. Results are presented for a wide variety of devices and mesh sizes. >
The revised money stock: explanation and illustrations

In addition to the semi-annual benchmark and annual seasonal adjustments, a major aspect of the present revision is the correction of a measurement error in member bank demand deposits adjusted. This measurement error resulted mainly from international financial transactions flowing through U. S. agencies and branches of foreign banks, and subsidiaries of U. S. banks organized under the Edge Act to engage in international banking.2
Comparative efficiency analysis of Greek bank branches in the light of the financial crisis

During financial crises, which suppress the profitability of banks, it is a common practice for management to aim to minimize inefficiencies in bank operations. This paper reports on an assessment of the efficiency in operations of homogenous branches of a large Greek bank, before and during the crisis, in two different areas: their efficiency in managing the economic record of the branches and their efficiency in generating profits. We have used the non-parametric method input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) under variable returns to scale, for the different efficiency assessments. The results indicated that the average pure technical efficiency both in the two dimensions reduced during the credit crunch period, and mostly for the average profit efficiency. The differences are statistically significant. Performance comparisons on each dimension allowed us to identify those branches that showed a consistently efficient or inefficient behavior over the total period of analysis and form an overall picture of the performance of bank branches. We found that there is the scope for substantial efficiency improvements in the branch network through cost controls and credit risk management, in order to offset the negative impact on earnings caused by the crisis.
Second chances: youth justice co-ordinators’ perspectives on the youth justice family group conference process.

In New Zealand’s system of Youth Justice (YJ) the Family Group Conference (FGC) process plays a pivotal role in addressing the offending behaviour of young people under seventeen. Mandated under the Children, Young Persons, and their Families Act 1989 (the Act), the FGC is a formal meeting in which the persons most affected by a young person’s offending, typically the young person, their family, their victim(s) and associated professionals, collectively decide how the young person should be held accountable. The process is managed by a YJ Co-ordinator, appointed by the Department of Child, Youth and Family (the Department). This dissertation presents the findings of an evaluation of the YJ FGC process from the perspectives of YJ Co-ordinators. The study aimed to understand the process and the development of practice, to identify factors constituting best practice and current areas of weakness in the process. It comprised of semi-structured interviews with (n=19) YJ Co-ordinators with at least twelve years’ practitioner experience (Project One) and four focus groups (n=27) of Co-ordinators with a range of practice (Project Two). Three major themes emerged from the thematic analysis of data: a) The Act as Anchor – philosophical underpinnings of the FGC process, b) Working with the Act – best practice and current issues in YJ FGC service provision, and c) The Office – organisational factors. The results indicated the YJ FGC process was effective for the majority of young people, but generally inadequate for recidivist young offenders with complex additional needs. Aspects of best practice included: aligned professional approaches to FGC philosophy and practice, service delivery by trained YJ Co-ordinators and the quality of FGC preparation. Also considered best practice was the inclusion of victims in the process to assist in the development of a strengths-based personalised plan for the young person. With several areas of weakness identified, recommendations for improving the process included: addressing Co-ordinator training and Departmental leadership, reviewing the process for recidivists, improving process information quality, enhancing professional collaboration and addressing Police training in the Act and the FGC. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.
Feature Extraction of Fingerprint Image Based on Minutiae Feature Points

Fingerprint identification system has been widely used in many kinds of fields such as public security, enterprise, bank and so on. And the correctness of the feature extraction directly affects the reliability of the system. After introducing fingerprint minutiae, this paper implements an algorithm for minutiae extraction based on tracing the thin ridge line, expressing the type of current point and the states of its 8-neighborhood pixels by 8-neighbour coding, which can effectively extract ridge endings and ridge bifurcations in thinned fingerprint image. The experimental results show that the algorithm can not only improve the speed of feature extraction, but also accurately eliminate pseudo minutiae, so the follow-up time of the image processing is shortened, and it can satisfy the need in the practical application.
The dentin phosphoprotein repeat region and inherited defects of dentin

Nonsyndromic dentin defects classified as type II dentin dysplasia and types II and III dentinogenesis imperfecta are caused by mutations in DSPP (dentin sialophosphoprotein). Most reported disease‐causing DSPP mutations occur within the repetitive DPP (dentin phosphoprotein) coding sequence. We characterized the DPP sequences of five probands with inherited dentin defects using single molecule real‐time (SMRT) DNA sequencing. Eight of the 10 sequences matched previously reported DPP length haplotypes and two were novel. Alignment with known DPP sequences showed 32 indels arranged in 36 different patterns. Sixteen of the 32 indels were not represented in more than one haplotype. The 25 haplotypes with confirmed indels were aligned to generate a tree that describes how the length variations might have evolved. Some indels were independently generated in multiple lines. A previously reported disease‐causing DSPP mutation in Family 1 was confirmed and its position clarified (c.3135delC; p.Ser1045Argfs*269). A novel frameshift mutation (c.3504_3508dup; p.Asp1170Alafs*146) caused the dentin defects in Family 2. A COL1A2 (c.2027G>A or p.Gly676Asp) missense mutation, discovered by whole‐exome sequencing, caused the dentin defects in Family 3. We conclude that SMRT sequencing characterizes the DPP repeat region without cloning and can improve our understanding of normal and pathological length variations in DSPP alleles.
Consistent global structures of complex RNA states through multidimensional chemical mapping

Accelerating discoveries of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) in myriad biological processes pose major challenges to structural and functional analysis. Despite progress in secondary structure modeling, high-throughput methods have generally failed to determine ncRNA tertiary structures, even at the 1-nm resolution that enables visualization of how helices and functional motifs are positioned in three dimensions. We report that integrating a new method called MOHCA-seq (Multiplexed •OH Cleavage Analysis with paired-end sequencing) with mutate-and-map secondary structure inference guides Rosetta 3D modeling to consistent 1-nm accuracy for intricately folded ncRNAs with lengths up to 188 nucleotides, including a blind RNA-puzzle challenge, the lariat-capping ribozyme. This multidimensional chemical mapping (MCM) pipeline resolves unexpected tertiary proximities for cyclic-di-GMP, glycine, and adenosylcobalamin riboswitch aptamers without their ligands and a loose structure for the recently discovered human HoxA9D internal ribosome entry site regulon. MCM offers a sequencing-based route to uncovering ncRNA 3D structure, applicable to functionally important but potentially heterogeneous states. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.07600. 001
Nonlinear Forecasting Using Large Datasets: Evidences on US and Euro Area Economies

The primary objective of this paper is to propose two nonlinear extensions for macroeconomic forecasting using large datasets. First, we propose an alternative technique for factor estimation, i.e., kernel principal component analysis, which allows the factors to have a nonlinear relationship to the input variables. Second, we propose artificial neural networks as an alternative to the factor augmented linear forecasting equation. These two extensions allow us to determine whether, in general, there is empirical evidence in favor of nonlinear methods and, in particular, to verify whether the nonlinearity occurs in the estimation of the factors or in the functional form that links the target variable to the factors. In an effort to verify the empirical performances of the methods proposed, we conducted several pseudo forecasting exercises on the industrial production index and consumer price index for the Euro area and US economies. These methods were employed to construct the forecasts at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month horizons using a large dataset containing 259 predictors for the Euro area and 131 predictors for the US economy. The results obtained from the empirical study suggest that the estimation of nonlinear factors, using kernel principal components, significantly improves the quality of forecasts compared to the linear method, while the results for artificial neural networks have the same forecasting ability as the factor augmented linear forecasting equation.
Artocarpin-enriched extract reverses collagen metabolism in UV-exposed fibroblasts

In previous studies, the Artocarpus incisus extract containing 45% w/w artocarpin showed activities of antioxidation, antimelanogenesis and restoration of wrinkled-skin fibroblasts. Here, extract containing 90% w/w artocarpin was tested for its antioxidant activity and in ultraviolet (UV) A-irradiated fibroblasts, its ability to restore type I collagen and inhibit matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) elevation. This extract was a less effective antioxidant of EC50 of 116.0 ± 5.1 μg/mL than L-ascorbic acid (9.7 ± 0.01 μg/mL). The extract (0.625–50 μg/mL) showed no cytotoxicity toward primary human skin fibroblasts. MMP-1 was markedly elevated at 72 h after UVA irradiation compared to non-irradiation cells (p < 0.01). This UVA-induced elevation was inhibited by 50 μg/mL extract or 50 ng/mL all-trans retinoic acid. In an aged and sun-exposed skin tissue culture model, the increase of epidermal thickness in the 250 μg/mL artocarpin-enriched extract or 75 μg/mL all-trans retinoic acid-treated group when compared to the non-treated group was markedly observed since day 1 of treatment. Moreover, the extract or all-trans retinoic acid-treated groups exhibited higher density of immunofluorescence staining of type I collagen than non-treated group. This coincides with significantly higher (p < 0.05) collagen content, as indicated by measuring hydroxyproline. Our results firstly revealed that the artocarpin-enriched extract reversed the activities of UVA-irradiated fibroblasts and improved the type I collagen deposition in aged/photoaged skin.
Predicting medical subject headings based on abstract similarity and citations to MEDLINE records

We describe a classifier-enhanced nearest neighbor approach to assigning Medical Subject Headings (MeSH®) to unlabeled documents using a combination of abstract similarities and direct citations to labeled MEDLINE records. The approach frames the classification problem by decomposing it into sets of siblings in the MeSH hierarchy (e.g., training a classifier for predicting “Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring” vs. other “Heterocyclic Compounds”). Preliminary experiments using a small but diverse set of MeSH terms shows the highest performance when using both abstracts and citations compared to each alone, and coupled with a non-naive classifier: 90+% precision and recall with 10-fold cross-validation. NLM's Medical Text Indexer (MTI) tool achieves similar overall performance but varies more across the terms tested. For example, MTI performs better on “Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring”, while our approach performs better on Alzheimer Disease and Neuroimaging. Our approach can be applied broadly to documents with abstracts that are similar to (or cite) MEDLINE abstracts, which would help linking and searching across bibliographic databases beyond MEDLINE.
Motion detection based motion estimation algorithm for video surveillance application

Large amounts of data have to be processed, transmitted and storage by modern video surveillance applications. Thus, low bit-rate video compressed algorithm is very critical. For indoor surveillance application, only motive object is the most interesting and significant part. This paper proposed a motion detection based motion estimation algorithm to achieve low bit-rate and low complexity for surveillance application. It includes a pre-stage for classifying macroblocks into motive and static blocks. For the unimportant static macroblock, low bitrate skip mode has been chosen as the best mode. Simulation results for indoor surveillance videos obtained 22%-28% bit-rate saving and 10–36% ME time saving with no significant video quality loss.
Chromosomal Integrity after UV Irradiation Requires FANCD2-Mediated Repair of Double Strand Breaks

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by hypersensitivity to inter-strand crosslinks (ICLs). FANCD2, a central factor of the FA pathway, is essential for the repair of double strand breaks (DSBs) generated during fork collapse at ICLs. While lesions different from ICLs can also trigger fork collapse, the contribution of FANCD2 to the resolution of replication-coupled DSBs generated independently from ICLs is unknown. Intriguingly, FANCD2 is readily activated after UV irradiation, a DNA-damaging agent that generates predominantly intra-strand crosslinks but not ICLs. Hence, UV irradiation is an ideal tool to explore the contribution of FANCD2 to the DNA damage response triggered by DNA lesions other than ICL repair. Here we show that, in contrast to ICL-causing agents, UV radiation compromises cell survival independently from FANCD2. In agreement, FANCD2 depletion does not increase the amount of DSBs generated during the replication of UV-damaged DNA and is dispensable for UV-induced checkpoint activation. Remarkably however, FANCD2 protects UV-dependent, replication-coupled DSBs from aberrant processing by non-homologous end joining, preventing the accumulation of micronuclei and chromatid aberrations including non-homologous chromatid exchanges. Hence, while dispensable for cell survival, FANCD2 selectively safeguards chromosomal stability after UV-triggered replication stress.
Auction-based resource allocation in cognitive radio systems

Auction theory, as a subfield of economics, provides useful tools to model, analyze, and optimize radio resource management in cognitive radio environments. By using an auction, radio resources such as subchannel, time slot, and transmit power can be allocated among licensed and unlicensed users in the system, following market laws. Due to the flexibility of mechanism design, there are various auction mechanisms that have been applied to cognitive radio systems with different characteristics. In this article, we first provide an overview of the basics of general auctions. Then the motivations and specific design issues in applying auctions to wireless network architectures and protocols are discussed. Then we review the state of the art in the use of auction theory and mechanism design in cognitive radio networks. This will enable the readers to have a general view of auction fundamentals, as well as the recent development and applications of auction theory in the emerging cognitive wireless networks.
Deep Web Repeated Pattern Discovering Based on the Largest Block Strategy

Repeated pattern is a common phenomenon in query result pages of deep web sites. The deep web back-end data can be accessed by mining repeated patterns. So far, most of the algorithms of discovering repeated pattern use traditional web information extraction methods. But the recall percentage and accuracy are not high. How to obtain the repeated pattern accurately and completely is still a difficulty. We propose a method based on the largest block strategy to discover such pattern. The core of the method is using the largest block strategy to discover the repeated pattern layer. We can quickly navigate to the region of the entity data, and then analyze the sub tree in this area, finally, get the simplified repeated pattern of the deep web site. According to the results of the experiment, this method can get the repeated pattern data more accurately and more completely than the traditional methods. It can also address the multi-pattern problem which has not been solved yet in other methods.
Discovering Critical Cases in Case-Based Reasoning

In this paper, we discuss a method to nd a critical casebase to classify boolean concepts. By a critical casebase we mean that any subset of the casebase cannot represent a concept correctly. This notion is important for reduction of not only the size of casebase but also classi cation speed. In this paper, we consider set-inclusion based similarity which is originated from a legal reasoning system, HYPO [Ashley90, Ashley94]. In HYPO, a case c is more similar to c 1 than c 2 if the set of di erent attributes between c and c 1 is included by the set of di erent attributes between c and c 2 . A case c is regarded as a positive case if there is a positive case such that no negative case is more similar to c than the positive case. In [Satoh98], by using relationship between the above case-based reasoning and monotone theory [Bshouty93, Khardon96], we have shown that we can represent any boolean function f in a casebase which consists of at most jDNF (f )j (1 + jCNF (f)j) cases where jDNF (f)j(jCNF (f )j, respectively) is the size of a minimal DNF(CNF respectively) representation of f . Speci cally, we have shown that a boolean function de ned by a casebase with our similarity measure is a complement of a monotone extension [Bshouty93] such that a set of positive cases in the casebase is called basis in [Bshouty93] and negative cases are assignments in the monotone extension. In this paper, by extending the above results, we rstly give a construction method of a critical casebase if a boolean function is known. Then, we propose an approximation method of nding a critical casebase if a boolean function is unknown and analyze the approximation method in PAC (probably approximately correct) learning framework. In the approximation method, we use not only cases obtained from the domain, but also a membership query which asks the classi cation
Genetic and Physiological Characterization ofohr, Encoding a Protein Involved in Organic Hydroperoxide Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT The ohr (organic hydroperoxide resistance) gene product of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was essential for optimal resistance to organic hydroperoxides (OHPs) but not to hydrogen peroxide or paraquat. A Δohr mutant was hypersusceptible to OHPs in disk inhibition assays and showed enhanced killing by OHPs in liquid culture. The ohr gene product was demonstrated to contribute to the decomposition of OHPs. Transcription of ohr was induced up to 15-fold upon exposure to OHPs, and this induction was independent of OxyR. Somewhat enhancedohr-lacZ activity was detected in mutant strains affected in ohr, ahpC, and oxyR, and this phenotype correlated with hypersusceptibility to OHPs, suggesting overlapping or compensatory functions of the ohr andahpC gene products. A single transcriptional start site forohr was determined, and ohr transcripts were abundant in cells treated with a sublethal dose of OHPs but not in cells treated with paraquat. An 84-bp portion upstream of theohr mRNA start site was sufficient for ohrinduction by OHPs. Thus, the ohr gene appears to encode an antioxidant enzyme that is not part of the OxyR regulon yet is specifically induced by OHPs.
Entropy production in collisions of gravitational shock waves and of heavy ions

We calculate the area of a marginally trapped surface formed by a head-on collision of gravitational shock waves in AdS{sub D}. We use this to obtain a lower bound on the entropy produced after the collision. A comparison to entropy production in heavy-ion collisions is included. We also discuss an O(D-2) remnant of conformal symmetry, which is present in a class of gravitational shockwave collisions in AdS{sub D} and which might be approximately realized (with D=5) in central heavy-ion collisions.
Transforming Wikipedia into Named Entity Training Data

Statistical named entity recognisers require costly hand-labelled training data and, as a result, most existing corpora are small. We exploit Wikipedia to create a massive corpus of named entity annotated text. We transform Wikipedia’s links into named entity annotations by classifying the target articles into common entity types (e.g. person, organisation and location). Comparing to MUC, CONLL and BBN corpora, Wikipedia generally performs better than other cross-corpus train/test pairs.
Vital statistics on Congress, 2001-2002

Vital Statistics on Congress, 2001-2002, is the definitive source of essential information for all those who watch Congress - as citizens, journalists, political scientists, students, lobbyists, and even as staff and members of the institution itself. The volume covers more than 100 key topics, including characteristics of the membership, the internal structure of the institution, voting patterns, campaign and election statistics, staff and budgetary information, and ideology ratings for members of Congress. This edition features several substantive changes: - The addition of a thirty-page introductory essay that describes Congress during three key eras over the past fifty years and identifies the major changes and patterns of stability in that period. - New tables and charts using Poole-Rosenthal ideological scores that show how the ideological makeup of southern Democrats, northern Democrats, Republicans, and the body as a whole has changed since the Eightieth Congress in 1947. The volume also addresses several important issues about the contemporary Congress: - How the close presidential election in 2000 affected races for the Senate and House. - The changes that will occur in congressional apportionment of seats due to the results of the 2000 census. - A comparison of the ideological makeup of members and committees across several Congresses. Ornstein, Mann, and Malbin, three of the nation's best-known and most respected political scientists, present and analyze key facts on Congress in a convenient reference work. This volume is an ideal tool for academic research and for use in college courses on Congress.