Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spell Checking for Chinese

This paper presents some novel results on Chinese spell checking. In this paper, a concise algorithm based on minimized-path segmentation is proposed to reduce the cost and suit the needs of current Chinese input systems. The proposed algorithm is actually derived from a simple assumption that spelling errors often make the number of segments larger. The experimental results are quite positive and implicitly verify the effectiveness of the proposed assumption. Finally, all approaches work together to output a result much better than the baseline with 12% performance improvement.
Slower Rate of Binocular Rivalry in Autism

An imbalance between cortical excitation and inhibition is a central component of many models of autistic neurobiology. We tested a potential behavioral footprint of this proposed imbalance using binocular rivalry, a visual phenomenon in which perceptual experience is thought to mirror the push and pull of excitatory and inhibitory cortical dynamics. In binocular rivalry, two monocularly presented images compete, leading to a percept that alternates between them. In a series of trials, we presented separate images of objects (e.g., a baseball and a broccoli) to each eye using a mirror stereoscope and asked human participants with autism and matched control subjects to continuously report which object they perceived, or whether they perceived a mixed percept. Individuals with autism demonstrated a slower rate of binocular rivalry alternations than matched control subjects, with longer durations of mixed percepts and an increased likelihood to revert to the previously perceived object when exiting a mixed percept. Critically, each of these findings was highly predictive of clinical measures of autistic symptomatology. Control “playback” experiments demonstrated that differences in neither response latencies nor response criteria could account for the atypical dynamics of binocular rivalry we observed in autistic spectrum conditions. Overall, these results may provide an index of atypical cortical dynamics that may underlie both the social and nonsocial symptoms of autism.
PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN NIGERIA: A REVIEW OF THE COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (CSDP) IN TARABA STATE 2009-2012 SARAH GAMBO & TARGEMA TORDUE SIMON

This study seeks to explore how participation, interest and involvement of community members/beneficiaries in the planning and execution of poverty alleviation programmes will accelerate the process, using the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) as a case study. Anchored on the principles of participatory communication theory, the study critiques the assumptions of the dominant paradigm of modernization, calling for an alternative paradigm of participation that recognizes local initiatives and contribution to the process of poverty alleviation. Evaluative design approach has been adopted, with key informants interview (KII) conducted on a sample of 33 respondents (three information officers of the CSDP and thirty members of CSDP host communities in Taraba State) to elicit data for analysis. More so, documented assessment of micro projects by the agency from 2009-2012 have been reviewed. The research discovers that community members were actively involved and participated in the planning and execution of the CSDP micro projects in their communities, and that the projects executed have been impacting positively in the lives of community members. To this end, the research conclude that participation, interest and involvement of beneficiaries at the planning and execution stages of poverty alleviation project is central to their success, thus recommending the approach to subsequent poverty alleviation programmes for more results that would enable us achieve the goal of poverty alleviation in the country.
Germline Copy Number Variation and Ovarian Cancer Survival

Copy number variants (CNVs) have been implicated in many complex diseases. We examined whether inherited CNVs were associated with overall survival among women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer. Germline DNA from 1,056 cases (494 deceased, average of 3.7 years follow-up) was interrogated with the Illumina 610 quad genome-wide array containing, after quality control exclusions, 581,903 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 17,917 CNV probes. Comprehensive analysis capitalized upon the strengths of three complementary approaches to CNV classification. First, to identify small CNVs, single markers were evaluated and, where associated with survival, consecutive markers were combined. Two chromosomal regions were associated with survival using this approach (14q31.3 rs2274736 p = 1.59 × 10−6, p = 0.001; 22q13.31 rs2285164 p = 4.01 × 10−5, p = 0.009), but were not significant after multiple testing correction. Second, to identify large CNVs, genome-wide segmentation was conducted to characterize chromosomal gains and losses, and association with survival was evaluated by segment. Four regions were associated with survival (1q21.3 loss p = 0.005, 5p14.1 loss p = 0.004, 9p23 loss p = 0.002, and 15q22.31 gain p = 0.002); however, again, after correcting for multiple testing, no regions were statistically significant, and none were in common with the single marker approach. Finally, to evaluate associations with general amounts of copy number changes across the genome, we estimated CNV burden based on genome-wide numbers of gains and losses; no associations with survival were observed (p > 0.40). Although CNVs that were not well-covered by the Illumina 610 quad array merit investigation, these data suggest no association between inherited CNVs and survival after ovarian cancer.
Regional Clustering Scheme in Densely Deployed Wireless Sensor Networks for Weather Monitoring Systems

Clustering protocol that is used in wireless sensor network is an efficient method that extends the lifetime of the entire network. However, when this method is applied to an environment in which collected data of the sensor node easily overlap, sensor nodes unnecessarily consumes so much energy. In the case of clustering technique that use a threshold, the lifetime of the network is extended but the degree of accuracy of collected data is low. Therefore it is hard to trust the data and improvement is needed. In addition, it is hard for the clustering protocol that uses multi-hop transmission to normally collect data because the selection of a cluster head node occurs at random and therefore the link of nodes is often disconnected. Considering the whole networks, nodes nearer the sink have to take heavier traffic load. Therefore, nodes around the sink would deplete their energy faster, leading to what is called an energy hole around the sink. Accordingly this paper suggested a cluster-formation algorithm that reduces unnecessary energy consumption and that works with an alleviated link disconnection. According to the result of performance analysis that used environment data, the suggested method lets the nodes consume less energy than the existing clustering method and the transmission efficiency is increased and the entire lifetime is prolonged by about 30%.
Clinical Trial Risk-adapted approach for fever and neutropenia in paediatric cancer patients e A national multicentre study

a Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Beatrix Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands b Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands c Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Leids University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands d Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Erasmus Medical Center e Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands e Department of Pediatrics, Isala Klinieken, Zwolle, the Netherlands f Dutch Childhood Oncology Group (SKION), The Hague, the Netherlands g Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands h Department of Pediatric Oncology, Emma Children’s Hospital, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Typing of Candida glabrata in Clinical Isolates by Comparative Sequence Analysis of the Cytochromec Oxidase Subunit 2 Gene Distinguishes Two Clusters of Strains Associated with Geographical Sequence Polymorphisms

ABSTRACT We tested whether comparative sequence analysis of the mitochondrion-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2 gene (COX2) could be used to distinguish intraspecific variants of Candida glabrata. Mitochondrial genes are suitable for investigation of close phylogenetic relationships because they evolve much faster than nuclear genes, which in general exhibit very limited intraspecific variation. For this survey we used 11 clinical isolates of C. glabrata from three different geographical locations in Brazil, 10 isolates from one location in the United States, 1 American Type Culture Collection strain as an internal control, and the published sequence of strain CBS 138. The complete coding region ofCOX2 was amplified from total cellular DNA, and both strands were sequenced twice for each strain. These sequences were aligned with published sequences from other fungi, and the numbers of substitutions and phylogenetic relationships were determined. Typing of these strains was done by using 17 substitutions, with 8 being nonsynonymous and 9 being synonymous. Also, cDNAs made from purified mitochondrial polyadenylated RNA were sequenced to confirm that our sequences correspond to the expressed copies and not nuclear pseudogenes and that a frameshift mutation exists in the 3′ end of the coding region (position 673) relative to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae sequence and the previously published C. glabrata sequence. We estimated the average evolutionary rate ofCOX2 to be 11.4% sequence divergence/108 years and that phylogenetic relationships of yeasts based on these sequences are consistent with rRNA sequence data. Our analysis ofCOX2 sequences enables typing of C. glabratastrains based on 13 haplotypes and suggests that positions 51 and 519 indicate a geographical polymorphism that discriminates strains isolated in the United States and strains isolated in Brazil. This provides for the first time a means of typing of Candidastrains that cause infections by use of direct sequence comparisons and the associated divergence estimates.
The Field Condition: A New Constraint on Spatial Resolution in Simulations of the Nonlinear Development of Thermal Instability

We present the dynamics of a thermally bistable medium using one-dimensional numerical calculations, including cooling, heating, thermal conduction, and physical viscosity. We set up a two-phase medium from a thermally unstable one-phase medium and follow its long-term evolution. To clarify the role of thermal conduction, we compare the results of the two models, with and without thermal conduction. The calculations show that the thermal conduction helps to generate the kinetic energy of translational motions of the clouds. Next, we focus on spatial resolution because we have to resolve the Field length λF, which is the characteristic length scale of the thermal conduction. The results show convergence only when thermal conduction is included and a large enough cell number is used. We find it necessary to maintain a cell size of less than λF/3 to achieve a converged motion in the two-phase medium. We refer to the constraint that λF/3 be resolved as the "Field condition. " The inclusion of thermal conduction to satisfy the Field condition is crucial to numerical studies of thermal instability (TI) and may be important for studies of the turbulent interstellar two-phase medium: the calculations of TI without thermal conduction may be susceptible to contamination by artificial phenomena that do not converge with increasing resolutions.
Epidemiological Trends of Dengue Disease in Brazil (2000–2010): A Systematic Literature Search and Analysis

A literature survey and analysis was conducted to describe the epidemiology of dengue disease in Brazil reported between 2000 and 2010. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42011001826: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.asp? ID=CRD42011001826). Between 31 July and 4 August 2011, the published literature was searched for epidemiological studies of dengue disease, using specific search strategies for each electronic database. A total of 714 relevant citations were identified, 51 of which fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The epidemiology of dengue disease in Brazil, in this period, was characterized by increases in the geographical spread and incidence of reported cases. The overall increase in dengue disease was accompanied by a rise in the proportion of severe cases. The epidemiological pattern of dengue disease in Brazil is complex and the changes observed during this review period are likely to have been influenced by multiple factors. Several gaps in epidemiological knowledge regarding dengue disease in Brazil were identified that provide avenues for future research, in particular, studies of regional differences, genotype evolution, and age-stratified seroprevalence. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration number: CRD42011001826.
MEFS: Mobile Edge File System for Edge-Assisted Mobile Apps

Computation offloading is employed by mobile apps running over resource-constrained devices to leverage the cloud in overcoming their resource limits. The advent of the Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) paradigm further extends the potential opportunities of mobile-cloud offloading, allowing new service provisioning scenarios, such as mobile gaming and multimedia, where responsiveness of mobile devices at the network edge significantly benefits from low latency interactions. However, state-of-the-art offloading platforms for MEC architectures have not addressed the technical challenge of supporting specific file systems for this MEC-enabled class of applications, with components running at three hosting environments, i.e., mobile, edge, and cloud. This paper proposes the Mobile Edge File System (MEFS), an application-level distributed file system designed to be highly resilient and able to efficiently maintain consistency among the mobile, edge, and cloud entities. MEFS supports application handoff through live migration as end devices move between edges. The cloud transparently helps with recovery from faulty edge nodes or in the case of unavailability of edges in the user's proximity. We implemented a MEFS prototype in Android along with MEFS-based MEC-enabled mobile apps. The experimental results show how MEFS can achieve low latency and low overhead.
Simulation Framework for the Evaluation of Dependable Distributed Systems

The use of discrete-event simulators in the design and development of distributed systems is appealing due to their efficiency and scalability. Their core abstractions of process and event map neatly to the components and interactions of modern-day distributed systems and allow designing realistic simulation scenarios. MONARC, a multithreaded, process oriented simulation framework designed for modelling large scale distributed systems, allows the realistic simulation of a wide-range of distributed system technologies, with respect to their specific components and characteristics. In this paper we present an innovative solution to the problem of evaluating the dependability characteristic of distributed systems. Our solution is based on several proposed extensions to the simulation model of the MONARC simulation framework. These extensions refer to fault tolerance and system orchestration mechanisms being added in order to asses the reliability and availability of distributed systems. The extended simulation model includes the necessary components to describe various actual failure situations and provides the mechanisms to evaluate different strategies for replication and redundancy procedures, as well as security enforcement mechanisms.
Cosmetic Neurology : from Illegal Medicines to Dietary Supplements

Attempts to improve memory function with drugs affecting the brain have given unimpressive results. Dietary supplements are more widely available, and there also has been little evidence of their positive effect on memory. Citicoline may be a valuable exception. In several countries it has been registered as a nootropic drug for decades, but recently it did not prove effective in treatment of acute ischemic strokes and brain injuries. In the USA, citicoline attained the status of “generally recognized as safe”, and in the European Union recently it was qualified as a “novel food”. Small randomized, placebo-controlled trials involving healthy volunteers revealed that permissible doses of this novel food produce positive effects in the human brain recognized electrophysiologically, neurochemically, and functionally. Citicoline supplementation may be useful for subjects with memory disorders of mild-to-moderate intensity, those undergoing neurorehabilitation following brain strokes, and for healthy subjects facing requirements for enhanced attention and mental effort.
Fetus and Infant Regulation of Fetal Growth by the Somatotrophic Axis 1

Suboptimal fetal growth is associated with higher fetal mortality and with higher neonatal morbidity and mortality. It increases the likelihood of premature birth that in turn further compounds perinatal health risks. Moreover, an abnormal fetal environment, as reflected in an altered birth size phenotype, increases the propensity for disease in childhood and adulthood. Fetal growth represents the culmination of interaction between the fetal genome and the in utero environment determined by maternal-placental function. The role of endocrine and metabolic factors in mediating this interaction will be reviewed. There is also evidence that fetal growth, as measured in late gestation, is dependent not only on the maternal environment but on events that occurred during the periconceptual period. Thus, fetal growth not only reflects the immediate fetal environment but events surrounding conception and embryonic life. J. Nutr. 133: 1741S–1746S, 2003.
Review: Biochemical Additives for Papermaking

Biochemical additives encompass materials added to the papermaking operation that are derived from biological origins. Other than starch, the majority of the biochemical additives currently used in the paper industry are enzymatic. Enzymes are protein structures that speed a particular chemical reaction. The enzymes are not consumed during the reaction and can be used repeatedly. The enzymes used in the paper industry typically target one of the four major components of wood: cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin or extractives. Enzymes have been used industrially to aid in bleaching, reduce pitch, enhance strength, alter pulp freeness, and aid in paper machine cleaning. This review focuses on the use of enzymes in the papermaking operation, but also addresses the use of enzymes in other areas of the pulp and paper mill. There has also been considerable work in the use of fungus for improving both mechanical and chemical pulping operations. This is considered a separate topic and is only brieﬂy addressed in this review. The future of biochemical additives may extend well beyond the current use of enzymes and a few notes on potential application are given.
QCD in Extreme Conditions ∗ and the Wilsonian 'Exact Renormalization Group'

This is an introduction to the use of nonperturbative flow equations in strong interaction physics at nonzero temperature and baryon density. We investigate the QCD phase diagram as a function of temperature, chemical potential for baryon number and quark mass within the linear quark meson model for two flavors. Whereas the renormalization group flow leads to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in vacuum, the symmetry is restored in a second order phase transition at high temperature and vanishing quark mass. We explicitly connect the physics at zero temperature and realistic quark mass with the universal behavior near the critical temperature Tc and the chiral limit. At high density we find a chiral symmetry restoring first order transition. The results imply the presence of a tricritical point with long-range correlations in the phase diagram. We end with an outlook to densities above the chiral transition, where QCD is expected to behave as a color superconductor at low temperature.
Atomistic Study of Thermal Conductivity of Si / SiGe Superlattice Nanowires Proposal of ME 346 Term Project

1. Motivation Si/SiGe superlattice nanowires are reported to have much lower thermal conductivity than do both Si nanowire and Si/SiGe superlattice [1]. Lower thermal conductivity could increase the material’s thermoelectric figure-of-merit in cooling applications. Thus they have been attracting attention because of their potential application as thermoelectric materials and thus a possible key role in thermoelectric refrigeration [2] [3]. The present project is going to study the thermal conductivity of this kind of nanowires and its dependence on characteristic parameters.
Basic Specification for IP Fast Reroute: Loop-Free Alternates

This document describes the use of loop-free alternates to provide local protection for unicast traffic in pure IP and MPLS/LDP networks in the event of a single failure, whether link, node or shared risk link group (SRLG). The goal of this technology is to reduce the packet loss that happens while routers converge after a topology change due to a failure. Rapid failure repair is achieved through use of precalculated backup next-hops that are loop-free and safe to use until the distributed network convergence process completes. This simple approach does not require any support from other routers. The extent to which this goal can be met by this specification is dependent on the topology of the network.
n lin . C D ] 20 F eb 2 01 5 Stochastic Cascade Amplification of Fluctuations

We consider a dynamical system which has a stable attractor and which is perturbed by an additive noise. Under some quite typical conditions, the fluctuations from the attractor are intermittent and have a probability distribution with power-law tails. We show that this results from a stochastic cascade of amplification of fluctuations due to transient periods of instability. The exponent of the power-law is interpreted as a negative fractal dimension.
Interactive feature extraction for a form feature conversion system

A feature-based CAD system must support multiple feature representations in the concurrent engineering environment in which multiple engineering groups work on a same product simultaneously. Users must be able to define customized features interactively, for different users need different feature sets. On the other hand, to share high-level information stored in features among different engineering groups, the features must be standardized to be compatible among highly customized feature sets. To solve the two conflicting requirements, a feature conversion system architecture including an interactive feature extraction module has been developed and implemented. Sharing the same basis of fundamental features, multiple feature representations can be maintained in the system. In this paper, an intermediate feature representation based on B-rep entities will be addressed for a feature conversion architecture. For the one-to-one mapping cases, a feature shape code matching mechanism is used, and a constraint-based feature extraction method is advocated for the feature conversion problem.