Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CPSC 540 Project: A Survey on Active Learning

Active learning is well-suited to many learning problems, where unlabeled data may be abundant but annotation is slow and expensive. For this work, we read a large number of papers on active learning and classified the active learning methods into four general groups. We discuss what active learning is and why it is an important area of machine learning. We then classify methods we have seen, discuss how each class of method works and, what the strengths and weaknesses of it are. We then focus on a more recent area, active learning for deep networks. More specifically, we focus on deep networks that perform image classification. We summarized a number of works we found in this area and compare them with one another. Finally, we conclude by stating what the strengths and weaknesses of active learning methods are and, what the potential future directions can be.
How social network sites and other online intermediaries increase exposure to news

Research has prominently assumed that social media and web portals that aggregate news restrict the diversity of content that users are exposed to by tailoring news diets toward the users’ preferences. In our empirical test of this argument, we apply a random-effects within–between model to two large representative datasets of individual web browsing histories. This approach allows us to better encapsulate the effects of social media and other intermediaries on news exposure. We find strong evidence that intermediaries foster more varied online news diets. The results call into question fears about the vanishing potential for incidental news exposure in digital media environments.
Fiscal Foundations of Ination: Imperfect Knowledge

This paper proposes a theory of the scal foundations of ination based on imperfect knowledge. The theory is similar in spirit to, but distinct from, unpleasant monetarist arithmetic and the scal theory of the price level. Because of uncertainty about the actual conduct of current and future monetary and scal policy, details of scal policy, such as the average scale and composition of the public debt, matter for ination. As a result, scal policy constrains the e¢ cacy of monetary policy. Heavily indebted economies with moderate maturity debt structures require aggressive monetary policy to anchor ination expectations. The model predicts that the great moderation period would not have been so moderate, had scal policy been characterized by a scale and composition of public debt now witnessed in some advanced economies in the aftermath of the US nancial crisis. Conditional on having elevated levels of the public debt, issuing debt with maturities greater than 15 years substantially improves ination control. JEL Classi cations: E32, D83, D84 Keywords: Debt Management Policy, Maturity Structure, Monetary Policy, Expectations Stabilization, Great Moderation This paper was previously distributed as: The Maturity Structure of Debt, Monetary Policy and Expectations Stabilization. The authors are indebted to Eric Leeper and our discussants Kosuke Aoki, Francesco Bianchi and Leopold von Thadden for detailed comments and exchange of ideas. Sylvain Leduc, Ricardo Reis and John Williams are also thanked for useful discussions. The ideas contained herin also bene ted from comments by seminar participants at Brown University, Cambridge University, the 23rd NBER-TRIO Conference, Central Bank of Brazil, Bank of England, Deakin University, Monash University, the European Commission conference on Fiscal Policy in the Aftermath of the Financial Crisis, University of California Santa Barbara conference on Old and New Ideas about Fiscal Policy, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, SED 2011, and the Sveriges Riksbank. The views expressed in the paper are those of the authors and are not necessarily reective of views at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. The usual caveat applies. yFederal Reserve Bank of New York. E-mail: stefano.eusepi@ny.frb. org. zMonash University. E-mail: bruce.preston@monash.edu
EFFECTS OF HIGH WATER SALINITY AND BETAINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE INCIDENCE OF PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN BROILER CHICKENS

The effects of betaine supplementation on water consumption, stress measures and incidence of pulmonary hypertension induced by drinking saline water in broilers (n = 180) during summer were evaluated in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments comprising 2 levels of betaine (0 and 500 mg/l) and 3 levels of NaCl (0, 4 and 7 g/l) added to drinking water. The results indicated that broilers provided with saline water had higher hematocrits, H/L ratio in blood and greater plasma Na, glucose and cholesterol concentrations (P<0.05). Betaine supplementation failed to attenuate the osmotic stress caused by drinking saline water. Variation in drinking water salinity resulted in significant betaine× drinking water interactions for water consumption. Regardless of betaine supplementation, drinking saline water resulted in kidney and heart hypertrophy and increased the right and left ventricle weights to the body weight ratios (RV/BW and LV/BW), increased the number of mortalities and incidence of ascites syndrome. The increase in the right ventricle to total ventricle weights (RV/TV) was evident only in the 0.7% NaCl group. The results suggest that betaine influenced drinking behaviour in broilers provided with saline water but failed to reduce the osmotic stress and the incidence of pulmonary hypertension.
Synthetic Lethal Targeting of Mitotic Checkpoints in HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) affect more than 800,000 people annually worldwide, causing over 15,000 deaths in the US. Among HNSCC cancers, human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative HNSCC has the worst outcome, motivating efforts to improve therapy for this disease. The most common mutational events in HPV-negative HNSCC are inactivation of the tumor suppressors TP53 (>85%) and CDKN2A (>57%), which significantly impairs G1/S checkpoints, causing reliance on other cell cycle checkpoints to repair ongoing replication damage. We evaluated a panel of cell cycle-targeting clinical agents in a group of HNSCC cell lines to identify a subset of drugs with single-agent activity in reducing cell viability. Subsequent analyses demonstrated potent combination activity between the CHK1/2 inhibitor LY2606268 (prexasertib), which eliminates a G2 checkpoint, and the WEE1 inhibitor AZD1775 (adavosertib), which promotes M-phase entry, in induction of DNA damage, mitotic catastrophe, and apoptosis, and reduction of anchorage independent growth and clonogenic capacity. These phenotypes were accompanied by more significantly reduced activation of CHK1 and its paralog CHK2, and enhanced CDK1 activation, eliminating breaks on the mitotic entry of cells with DNA damage. These data suggest the potential value of dual inhibition of CHK1 and WEE1 in tumors with compromised G1/S checkpoints.
Development of Teaching Materials for Need-Oriented Training to Improve the Learning Pedagogic Competence

Training materials oriented to the needs of participants are the main prerequisites for the successful implementation of training. The research objectives were: (a) to identify training teaching materials needed by the tutelary community in improving pedagogical competence, and (b) test the effectiveness of training teaching materials to improve the tutelage pedagogical competencies. The source of research data is 16 tutors. Data collection is done through interviews, documentation, and tests. The research procedure follows the flow of literature studies, serve the field, and preparation of training teaching materials, and test the effectiveness of teaching materials. The research findings show: (a) the training material needs most felt by the tutors towards mastery of pedagogic competencies are in the learning competency sub-competence especially in analyzing students' initial abilities, and (b) training teaching materials, in terms of the response of trainees responsive (84%); and seen from the comparison of the pre-test and post-test scores showed a score of 0.4789 in the high category; thus it can be stated that training instructional materials were developed effectively to improve the learning skills of the tutor's pedagogics.
Improving Grade R mathematics teaching in South Africa: Evidence from an impact evaluation of a province-wide intervention

We present the impact on learner outcomes of a province-wide Grade R mathematics intervention (termed RMaths) in relation to theoretical frameworks established from a meta-evaluation of evaluations of education interventions in South Africa and a review of other meta-evaluation and synthesis studies. We compare the changes in Mathematics performance from baseline to end line, of learners in the intervention group (taught by R-Maths-trained teachers/practitioners) to the comparison group (learners in schools in the same districts, but whose teachers/practitioners had not yet received the R-Maths intervention). The intervention group performed 2.9 percentage points better than the comparison group over the whole Marko-D test of mathematical competencies, with a small effect size. The greatest effects on performance were from language of learning and teaching, and district. The R-Maths case indicates that a modified cascade model which includes some elements of Fleisch’s “educational triple cocktail” (structured learning materials, teacher training, and support) may be successful by working with, and through, department of education structures. Whether the effects are retained over time and if these effects can be replicated in different contexts is not yet known.
A Systems Pharmacology Approach for Identifying the Multiple Mechanisms of Action for the Rougui-Fuzi Herb Pair in the Treatment of Cardiocerebral Vascular Diseases

Cardiocerebral vascular diseases (CCVDs) are the main reasons for high morbidity and mortality all over the world, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, and so on. Chinese herbs pair of the Cinnamomum cassia Presl (Chinese name, rougui) and the Aconitum carmichaelii Debx (Chinese name, fuzi) can be effective in CCVDs, which is recorded in the ancient classic book Shennong Bencao Jing, Mingyibielu and Thousand Golden Prescriptions. However, the active ingredients and the molecular mechanisms of rougui-fuzi in treatment of CCVDs are still unclear. This study was designed to apply a system pharmacology approach to reveal the molecular mechanisms of the rougui-fuzi anti-CCVDs. The 163 candidate compounds were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). And 84 potential active compounds and the corresponding 42 targets were obtained from systematic model. The underlying mechanisms of the therapeutic effect for rougui-fuzi were investigated with gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Then, component-target-disease (C-T-D) and target-pathway (T-P) networks were constructed to further dissect the core pathways, potential targets, and active compounds in treatment of CCVDs for rougui-fuzi. We also constituted protein-protein in interaction (PPI) network by the reflect target protein of the crucial pathways against CCVDs. As a result, 21 key compounds, 8 key targets, and 3 key pathways were obtained for rougui-fuzi. Afterwards, molecular docking was performed to validate the reliability of the interactions between some compounds and their corresponding targets. Finally, UPLC-Q-Exactive-MSE and GC-MS/MS were analyzed to detect the active ingredients of rougui-fuzi. Our results may provide a new approach to clarify the molecular mechanisms of Chinese herb pair in treatment with CCVDs at a systematic level.
Flower performance in human-altered habitats

The functioning and performance of flowers and their associated pollinators are susceptible to humandriven habitat alteration. Although habitat alteration is increasingly perceived as an important threat to the integrity of the pollination process with practical and economic consequences, the relative importance of the mechanisms mediating the response of plant reproduction to habitat disturbance is not understood clearly. Here we provide a conceptual framework to help identify critical variables and guide the design of more processand mechanism-oriented studies of the effects of anthropogenic habitat disturbances on flower performance. With a series of qualitative matrices, we summarize the effects of different disturbance types on different plant and pollinator attributes and evaluate how these attributes affect different aspects of pollination and plant reproduction. Although different disturbances can have distinctive immediate effects on plants and pollinators, they mediate their responses by affecting a series of common environmental, plant, and pollinator attributes. Our characterization of disturbance effects and their consequences could be translated easily into a path-analysis or other structural-model-building approach, which can help stimulate a more mechanistic focus for future research. Last, we identify some plant and animal attributes whose roles in different aspects of pollination have been little studied or not addressed directly in the context of habitat alteration. We also discuss the role of plant sexual system and pollination specialization in modulating the reproductive response of plants to habitat alteration, and structural features of plant–pollinator networks that may buffer pollination function against extinction of individual species.
DeepQL: A Query Language for Deep Neural Networks

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have emerged as an extremely powerful tool for classification and prediction of complex processes with incredible accuracy, yet revealing the interactions within a DNN is challenging. We develop “DeepQL”, which is a query language for interfacing with a DNN model. With DeepQL, one can answer complex questions about hypothetical scenarios of a DNN model in a database-style language. For example, with a model predicting mortgage approval could be queried with DeepQL to answer, “is there anyone from Texas who would have had their mortgage approval outcome change had their race been listed differently”? We demonstrate DeepQL on an example dataset predicting H1B Visa case status, which shows promising utility for several example queries. Methods, implementation, and future work is discussed. Introduction A deep neural network (DNN) trained with an appropriate dataset can model output such as likely hood of getting a mortgage approved, value of a home, or a person’s chances of getting heart disease. Typically, a DNN is deployed to take input variables (such as a person’s income, age, credit history, mortgage amount, etc.) and predict an output (mortgage approved or not). However, it is not trivial to query the DNN output with complex questions such as is there a person such that changing their race would change the outcome of mortgage decision or in which zip codes can adding windows increase home value by more than 10. We couldn’t find prior work attempting to interface a SQL-style language with a DNN. However, developing methods to reveal a deeper understanding of DNNs has been largely pursued. For example, Yosinski et. al and Zeiler et. al use interesting visualization methods to show connections in DNNs [1-2]
Hydrogen Sulfide Affects the Root Development of Strawberry During Plug Transplant Production

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is endogenously produced in plant cells and plays an essential role in root development. Given its potential for future agricultural applications, the optimal concentration of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, an H2S donor) and the potential mechanisms for root development in the strawberry ‘Seolhyang’ were investigated in this study. The results showed that NaHS with a concentration of 1.250 mM had a positive effect on root development in strawberry. Further experiments showed that exogenous NaHS elevated the H2S content in the root. The dry root weight was increased by the 1.250 mM NaHS treatment, but was reduced by the hypotaurine (an H2S scavenger) treatment. Similar changes were found between H2S and soluble sugar contents, indicating that H2S enhanced the accumulation of soluble sugar. Therefore, it is suggested that the accumulation of soluble sugar induced by H2S is either directly or indirectly involved in root development in strawberry during plug production. Moreover, superoxide dismutase was shown to have contributed to the elevated H2O2 contents. These results contribute to our understanding of the role that H2S plays and some of the relevant mechanisms in which H2S regulates root development.
TREATMENT AND/OR PREVENTION OF NEUROLOGICAL INFLAMMATORY DISEASES

(75) Inventors: Yves Sagot, Beaumont (FR); Yolande Chvatchko, Confignon (CH); Anne Corbaz, Nyon (CH) Correspondence Address: SALWANCHIK LLOYD & SALWANCHIK A PROFESSIONAL ASSOCATION PO BOX 142950 GAINESVILLE, FL 32614-2950 (US) (73) Assignee: Laboratoires Serono SA, Coinsins, Vaud (CH) (21) Appl. No.: 11/915,913 (22) PCT Filed: Jun. 2, 2006 (86). PCT No.: PCT/EP2006/062864 S371 (c)(1), (2), (4) Date: Nov. 29, 2007
The VirD5 protein interferes with mitosis in human cells

Faithful chromosome segregation is a prerequisite for the maintenance of genome integrity during the cell cycle. Defects in the chromosome segregation machinery cause chromosome instability (CIN), and may lead to tumor formation. Previously, we found that the Agrobacterium tumefaciens virulence protein VirD5 interacts with the sole Aurora kinase of yeast called Ipl1 and causes chromosome mis-segregation. Here we expressed VirD5 in human osteosarcoma cells (U2OS), and found that it can also interact with the three mammalian Aurora kinases, AurkA, AurkB and AurkC which are essential for cell cycle regulation and faithful chromosome segregation in mammalian cells. The VirD5 protein colocalizes with PCNA in interphase and thus may then be present at replication sites. During mitosis, however, VirD5 is present at the centrosomes. Expression of VirD5 in human cells causes incorrect chromosome segregation, chromosome fragmentation and also micronuclei (MN) formation during mitosis. As a result many cells become apoptotic. The formation of micronuclei is a hallmark of tumorigenesis, which may underlie the role of VirD5 in plant tumor formation. The results from this study are in line with our previous data and indicate that VirD5 affects the strongly conserved Aurora kinases in yeast, plant and mammalian cells subverting the essential pathway of host cell division during infection.
ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN FORESTS

This article compares the short-term and long-term hydrology of two typical forests in the humid Atlantic Coastal Plain, including a relatively undisturbed forest with natural drainage in South Carolina (SC) and a drained pine plantation in North Carolina (NC), using monitoring and modeling approaches. Highly dynamic outflow (O) from both of these systems is driven by the water table (WT) position, as influenced by rainfall (R) and evapotranspiration (ET). The annual runoff coefficient (ROC) varied from 5% in dry years to 56% in wet years, depending on the soil water storage (SWS), with a significantly higher average value for the NC site despite its deeper WT, on average, than the SC site. Although both sites behaved similarly in extreme climate conditions, the change in SWS above the WT influenced the annual RO, ROC, and ET. The 17-year average annual ET of 1114 mm (R – O, assuming annual balanced SWS) for the SC site was significantly higher (p = 0.014) than the ET of the drained NC site (997 mm) despite the SC site’s lower mean annual R of 1370 mm, compared to 1520 mm for the NC site. This may be due to both the higher potential ET (PET) and soil waterholding capacity of the SC site. The SC site had higher frequency and duration of WT near the surface during winter, deeper summer WT, and higher correlation of annual ET to annual R (r2 = 0.90 vs. 0.15), suggesting that the SC site was often moisture-limited, particularly during the growing season. Most of the streamflow in these systems occurred during winter, with low ET demands. However, summer periods with tropical storms also resulted in large RO events, generally with higher frequency and longer durations at the drained NC site. These results are similar to an earlier short-term comparison with an unstable behavior period at the SC site after Hurricane Hugo (1989). This study highlighted (1) the differences in hydrology between coastal forests drained for silvicultural production and undrained natural forests managed only for restoration, (2) the importance of long-term monitoring and the effects of regeneration as well as vegetation management on flow regime, and (3) the application and limitations of two widely used models (MIKESHE and DRAINMOD) in describing the hydrology of these forests. Long-term studies can be a basis for testing new hypotheses on water yield, stormwater management, wetland hydrology, vegetation restoration, bioenergy production, and climate change, in addition to applications of proper models for assessing the eco-hydrologic impacts of land use and climate change on freshwater coastal forests linked with downstream riparian rivers and estuaries affected by tidal fluxes and sea level rise.
Improved Stereo Vision Robot Locating and Mapping Method

Abstract Vision-based SLAM has an outstanding problem is not work when the camera fast motion, or camera operating environment characterized by scarce. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a SLAM method of IMU and vision fusion. This article uses a stereo camera to extract the image ORB feature points. During the camera movement, if the number of extracted feature points is less than a certain threshold and the camera movement cannot be estimated or the estimated camera rotation and translation is greater than a certain threshold, the camera pose is estimated by fusing IMU, Otherwise use feature points to estimate camera pose. This paper uses non-linear optimization methods to perform pose estimation of pure feature points and pose estimation of fused IMU, respectively. The experimental results show that binocular vision SLAM with IMU information can estimate the camera pose more accurately.
REDUCTION OF WATER HARDNESS USING PLANT PARTS

In Sri Lanka, the quality of potable water is governed by Sri Lanka Standards Institute standard SLS 614: 1983, which describes the physical, chemical and biological qualities of potable water safe for human consumption. Water hardness can be defined as the sum of polyvalent cations present in water (Benefield and Morgan, 1990) and also defined as the total concentration of alkaline earth (Group 2) ions, which are mainly Ca and Mg. Hardness is usually expressed as the equivalent amount of CaCO3 in mg per litre. Assuming that concentrations of other polyvalent cations are negligible, hardness can be classified as magnesium hardness or calcium hardness; total hardness being the sum of the two. Based on