Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards Digital Library Mediation for Web Services

Web services and related technologies are a ubiquitous topic within the IT community. Due to their flexible system composition characteristics these technologies can be considered a promising building block for the dynamic networking of people and organizations in our increasingly globalized and quickly changing economies. With the growing number of Web services we are in need of elaborate mechanisms or service location, selection, and access as well as for assuring service quality going far beyond the functionalities of service registries. Fortunately, digital library research and practice provides advanced concepts for these tasks. The paper discusses requirements imposed on content description, structuring, enrichment, and retrieval when considering services as a new type of library content and presents a blueprint for a Web service digital library aiming to support the match-making between service providers and potential service users.
Automatic consensus‐based fold recognition using Pcons, ProQ, and Pmodeller

CASP provides a unique opportunity to compare the performance of automatic fold recognition methods with the performance of manual experts who might use these methods. Here, we show that a novel automatic fold recognition server, Pmodeller, is getting close to the performance of manual experts. Although a small group of experts still perform better, most of the experts participating in CASP5 actually performed worse even though they had full access to all automatic predictions. Pmodeller is based on Pcons (Lundström et al., Protein Sci 2001; 10(11):2354–2365) the first “consensus” predictor that uses predictions from many other servers. Therefore, the success of Pmodeller and other consensus servers should be seen as a tribute to the collective of all developers of fold recognition servers. Furthermore we show that the inclusion of another novel method, ProQ 2 , to evaluate the quality of the protein models improves the predictions. Proteins 2003;53:534–541. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PRISM: A statistical modeling framework for text-independent speaker verification

This paper presents a statistical modeling framework termed as PRISM for text-independent speaker verification. We decompose the verification task into three subtasks: PRobability density estimation, Information metric and Subspace/Manifold learning (PRISM). Subsequently, we take advantages of variational maximum likelihood estimation, Fisher information metric and discriminant locality preserving projection to realize a verification system based on the PRISM framework. We also demonstrate that many current algorithms fall into the PRISM framework and forecast several novel algorithms. Experimental results on the telephone-telephone-English task of NIST SRE 2008 further prove the correctness of the proposed framework.
Action constrained quasi-Newton methods

At the heart of Newton based optimization methods is a sequence of symmetric linear systems. Each consecutive system in this sequence is similar to the next, so solving them separately is a waste of computational eort. Here we describe automatic preconditioning techniques for iterative methods for solving such sequences of systems by maintaining an estimate of the inverse system matrix. We update the estimate of the inverse system matrix with quasi-Newton type formulas based on what we call an action constraint instead of the secant equation. We implement the estimated inverses as preconditioners in a Newton-CG method and prove quadratic termination. Our implementation is the rst parallel quasi-Newton preconditioners, in full and limited memory variants. Tests on logistic Support Vector Machine problems reveal that our method is very ecient, converging in wall clock time before a Newton-CG method without preconditioning. Further tests on a set of classic test problems reveal that the method is robust. The action constraint makes these updates exible enough to mesh with trust-region and active set methods, a exibility that is not present in classic quasi-Newton methods.
A panacea for all seasons? : civil society and governance in Europe

This introduction gives an overview of the edited volume and a preliminary answer to the overarching question. It illustrates that hopes and expectations concerning the role of civil society in modern times that are formulated by many feature writers and politicians are frequently unrealistic. Nevertheless, although civil society is definitely not a panacea for all seasons, empirical research shows that national paths and patterns of civil society and third sector developments can be used as important benchmarks and examples of best practices for the development of democratic governance in European countries.
Healthy , Wealthy , and Wise : Is there a Causal Relationship Between Child Health and Human Capital Development ?

There are many possible pathways between parental education, income, and health, and child health and education, but only some of them have been explored in the literature. This essay focuses on links between parental socioeconomic status (as measured by education, income, occupation, or in some cases area of residence) and child health, and between child health and child education. Specifically, I ask two questions: What is the evidence regarding whether parental socioeconomic status affects child health? And, what is the evidence relating child health to future outcomes? I show that there is now strong evidence of these links, but that it is difficult to say how large the overall effect of health might be or whether it explains a significant amount of the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status. 3 When economists think of " human capital, " they often mean education. A large body of literature has established that investments in education pay off in the form of higher future earnings, and that on average, differences in education can explain a significant fraction of the variation in wages and incomes among adults, as well as variation in many other positive outcomes. But what determines a child's educational success? Most studies point to family background as the number one factor. However, this raises a " chicken and egg " problem. We
PROBLEMS IN FOLIATIONS AND LAMINATIONS OF3-MANIFOLDS

This is a problem list in the theory of foliations and laminations of 3-manifolds. The focus is on the relationship of foliations and laminations with other aspects of 3-manifold topology, especially with the Thurston theory of geometric structures. This problem list is not meant to be comprehensive; rather it focusses on research areas that currently seem (to the author) particularly promising.
Marginal reticular cells: a stromal subset directly descended from the lymphoid tissue organizer

The architecture of secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) is supported by several non-hematopoietic stromal cells. Currently it is established that two distinct stromal subsets, follicular dendritic cells and fibroblastic reticular cells, play crucial roles in the formation of tissue compartments within SLOs, i.e., the follicle and T zone, respectively. Although stromal cells in the anlagen are essential for SLO development, the relationship between these primordial cells and the subsets in adulthood remains poorly understood. In addition, the roles of stromal cells in the entry of antigens into the compartments through some tissue structures peculiar to SLOs remain unclear. A recently identified stromal subset, marginal reticular cells (MRCs), covers the margin of SLOs that are primarily located in the outer edge of follicles and construct a unique reticulum. MRCs are closely associated with specialized endothelial or epithelial structures for antigen transport. The similarities in marker expression profiles and successive localization during development suggest that MRCs directly descend from organizer stromal cells in the anlagen. Therefore, MRCs are thought to be a crucial stromal component for the organization and function of SLOs.
Simple and Efficient Cross-Correlation Method for Estimating 2-D Direction of Arrival

Inspired by the recent work of Tayem and Kwon, who developed a fast algorithm for estimating 2-D DOAs using the propagator method (PM) of the L-shape array (PMLA). Although PMLA is efficient, like all other PM based methods, its performance is slightly inferior to the subspace based methods in terms of estimation accuracy and the number of estimated sources. Moreover, the correlation information between the L-shape subarray sensors is not fully utilized. This motivates us to develop a subspace-based method by exploiting the L-shape array geometry and the cross-correlation information among sensor data. Benefits of the proposed method include improved performance, and reduction of the computationally burden further. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and validation of advantages of the proposed method in comparison to PMLA and other estimation algorithms.
Impaired Spatial Memory after Ketamine Administration in Chronic Low Doses

Ketamine is a noncompetitive antagonist of the NMDA-receptors, used as a dissociative anesthetic, presently included in the category of the psychoactive substances known as “club drugs”. Ketamine administration was associated with impaired working memory and increased psychopathological symptoms, but there is a lack of information regarding the effects of chronic sub-anesthetic doses. Adult Wistar rats were administered ketamine, 5 and 10 mg/kg twice daily, subcutaneously for 14 days. One week later, rats were tested in an object recognition/object location task and in the open field arena. There was altered performance in both the object recognition/location and in the open field tests by the group chronically exposed to the lower dose of ketamine. These animals displayed a decreased discrimination index (p<0.05) in the object recognition task, were unable to recognize the displacement of a familiar object and displayed decreased activity across open filed sessions. Importantly, these alterations were not observed in animals administered a higher dose of ketamine. Collectively, these results consistently show that chronic administration of ketamine in sub-anesthetic doses may lead to decreased habituation and inability to update spatial representations.
Proper Orthogonal Decomposition for Reduced Order Control of Partial Differential Equations

Numerical models of PDE systems can involve very large matrix equations, but feedback controllers for these systems must be computable in real time to be implemented on physical systems. Classical control design methods produce controllers of the same order as the numerical models. Therefore, reduced order control design is vital for practical controllers. The main contribution of this research is a method of control order reduction that uses a newly developed low order basis. The low order basis is obtained by applying Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) to a set of functional gains, and is referred to as the functional gain POD basis. Low order controllers resulting from the functional gain POD basis are compared with low order controllers resulting from more commonly used time snapshot POD bases, with the two dimensional heat equation as a test problem. The functional gain POD basis avoids subjective criteria associated with the time snapshot POD basis and provides an equally effective low order controller with larger stability radii. An efficient and effective methodology is introduced for using a low order basis in reduced order compensator design. This method combines " design-then-reduce " and " reduce-then-design " philosophies. The desirable qualities of the resulting reduced order compensator are verified by application to Burgers' equation in numerical experiments. Acknowledgments To my advisor, Dr. Belinda King: thank you for sharing your knowledge, wisdom and enthusiasm, and for making this dissertation possible. To my commitee members and other math department faculty at Virginia Tech: thank you for many instructional discussions, for your contributions to my research, and for the many times you have gone out of your way to educate me. In particular, thanks to Dr. Burns for help with control theory, Dr. Adjerid for help with stabilized finite elements and channel flow, Dr. Beatty for tips on computational methods for computing SVD's, and Dr. Borggaard for help with many computational aspects of the Burgers' equation problem. To my family and friends: thanks for being so much fun to spend time with and for your faith that this would one day be finished. And Jim, thanks for dinner.
Identification of an Interstitial 18p11.32-p11.31 Duplication Including the EMILIN2 Gene in a Family with Porokeratosis of Mibelli

Porokeratosis is a rare disease of epidermal keratinization characterized by the histopathological feature of the cornoid lamella, a column of tightly fitted parakeratocytic cells, whose etiology is still unclear. Porokeratosis of Mibelli is a subtype of porokeratosis presenting a single plaque or a small number of plaques of variable size located unilaterally on limbs. It frequently appears in childhood and occurs with a higher incidence in males. Cytogenetic analyses were performed in all members of the family on lesioned and uninvolved skin. An array-CGH analysis was also performed utilizing the Human Genome CGH Microarray Kit G3 400 with 5.3 KB overall median probe spacing. Gene expression was performed on skin fibroblasts. In this study, we describe a Caucasian healthy 4-year-old child and his father showing features of porokeratosis of Mibelli. Array-CGH analysis revealed an interstitial 429.5 Kb duplication of chromosome 18p11.32-p11.3 containing four genes, namely: SMCHD1, EMILIN2, LPIN2, and MYOM1 both in patient and his father. EMILIN2 resulted overexpressed on skin fibroblasts. Also other members of this family, without evident signs of porokeratosis, carried the same duplication. Among these genes, we focused our attention on elastin microfibril interfacer 2 (EMILIN2) gene. Apoptosis plays a fundamental role in maintaining epidermal homeostasis, balancing keratinocytes proliferation, and forming the stratum corneum. EMILIN2 is known to trigger the apoptosis of different cell lines negatively affecting cell survival. It is expressed in the skin. We could speculate that the duplication and overexpression of EMILIN2 cause an abnormal apoptosis of epidermal keratinocytes and alter the process of keratinization, even if other epigenetic and genetic factors could also be involved. Our results could contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of porokeratosis of Mibelli.
Structural and functional studies of the early T lymphocyte activation 1 (Eta-1) gene. Definition of a novel T cell-dependent response associated with genetic resistance to bacterial infection

We describe a murine cDNA, designated Early T lymphocyte activation 1 (ETA-1) which is abundantly expressed after activation of T cells. Eta- 1 encodes a highly acidic secreted product having structural features of proteins that bind to cellular adhesion receptors. The Eta-1 gene maps to a locus on murine chromosome 5 termed Ric that confers resistance to infection by Rickettsia tsutsugamushi (RT), an obligate intracellular bacterium that is the etiological agent for human scrub typhus. With one exception, inbred mouse strains that expressed the Eta- 1a allele were resistant to RT infection (RicR), and inbred strains expressing the Eta-1b allele were susceptible (RicS). These findings suggest that Eta-1 is the gene inferred from previous studies of the Ric locus (5). Genetic resistance to RT infection is associated with a strong Eta-1 response in vivo and inhibition of early bacterial replication. Eta-1 gene expression appears to be part of a surprisingly rapid T cell-dependent response to bacterial infection that may precede classical forms of T cell-dependent immunity.
The Historical Performance of Real Estate Investment Trusts

This empirical study investigates the performance of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Although many people have studied REIT performance, their findings on the long-term performance of REITs are generally inconclusive. The objectives of this study are: (1) to evaluate the long-term (1970-1993) performance of REITs; (2) to examine the stability of REIT performance over time; and (3) to investigate the sensitivity of a specific performance measure, the Jensen index, to two general performance benchmarks and two REIT samples. The results indicate that the performance of the REIT portfolios was consistent with the security market line for the 1970-1993 period. However, REIT performance varied over the period. This study also found that the use of the unrepresentative S&P 500 index as a performance benchmark tends to overstate REIT performance. Finally, survivor REITs in general performed better than the overall REIT population.
Proton MR spectroscopic imaging depicts diffuse axonal injury in children with traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is important in patient assessment and prognosis, yet they are underestimated with conventional imaging techniques. We used MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) to detect DAI and determine whether metabolite ratios are accurate in predicting long-term outcomes and to examine regional differences in injury between children with TBI and control subjects. METHODS Forty children with TBI underwent transverse proton MRSI through the level of the corpus callosum within 1-16 days after injury. T2-weighted, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and susceptibility-weighted MR imaging was used to identify voxels as normal-appearing or as nonhemorrhagic or hemorrhagic injury. Neurologic outcome was evaluated at 6-12 months after injury. Metabolite ratios for total (all voxels), normal-appearing, and hemorrhagic brain were compared and used in a logistic regression model to predict long-term outcome. Total and regional metabolite ratios were compared with control data. RESULTS A significant decrease in N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) and increase in choline (Cho)/Cr (evidence of DAI) was observed in normal-appearing (P < .05) and visibly injured (hemorrhagic) brain (P < .001) compared with controls. In normal-appearing brain NAA/Cr decreased more in patients with poor outcomes (1.32 +/- 0.54) than in those with good outcomes (1.61 +/- 0.50, P = .01) or control subjects (1.86 +/- 0.1, P = .00). In visibly injured brains, ratios were similarly altered in all patients. In predicting outcomes, ratios from normal-appearing and visibly-injured brain were 85% and 67% accurate, respectively. CONCLUSION MRSI can depict injury in brain that appears normal on imaging and is useful for predicting long-term outcomes.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhances Verbal Working Memory Training Performance over Time and Near Transfer Outcomes

Studies attempting to increase working memory (WM) capacity show promise in enhancing related cognitive functions but have also raised criticism in the broader scientific community given the inconsistent findings produced by these studies. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to enhance WM performance in a single session [Fregni, F. , Boggio, P., Nitsche, M. , Bermpohl, F. , Anatal, A. , Feredoes, E. , et al. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of prefrontal cortex enhances working memory. Experimental Brain Research, 166, 23–30, 2005]; however, the extent to which tDCS might enhance learning on a WM training regime and the extent to which learning gains might transfer outside the training task remains largely unknown. To this end, participants engaged in an adaptive WM training task [previously utilized in Richmond, L. , Morrison, A. , Chein, J., & Olson, I. Working memory training and transfer in older adults. Psychology & Aging, 26, 813–822, 2011; Chein, J., & Morrison, A. Expanding the mind's workspace: Training and transfer effects with a complex working memory span task. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17, 193–199, 2010] for 10 sessions over 2 weeks, concurrent with either active or sham stimulation of dorsolateral pFC. Before and after training, a battery of tests tapping domains known to relate to WM abilities was administered. Results show that tDCS enhanced learning on the verbal portion of the training task by 3.65 items. Furthermore, tDCS was shown to enhance near transfer to other untrained WM tasks in comparison with a no-contact control group. These results lend support to the idea that tDCS might bolster training and transfer gains in populations with compromised WM abilities.
An extensible XACML authorization decision engine for context aware applications

Context-awareness is a central aspect of pervasive computing applications. However, the information representing a context evolves with the capability of the technology embedded in pervasive devices. As a consequence, access control systems should be able to support and understand any new context information in order to address access control requirements. In this article, we present an extensible XACML (eXtensible Access Control Markup Language) authorization decision engine to provide such flexibility. In attribute based access control like XACML, extending the policy authorization engine means extending its ability to understand new attributes data types including the functions that are used in the policy to evaluate the users' requests. We show there are two kinds of data types to consider in the context of access control system: data types of which both the values and the order relations are initially known, and data types of which neither the value nor the relation order are initially known. Based on this analysis, we present an extensible architecture for implementing XACML decision authorization engine composed of a core component that can be enhanced by additional data type modules. This architecture has been implemented in Java and includes an API for writing new data type modules.
Vertical variation of particle speed and flux density in aeolian saltation: Measurement and modeling

[1] Particle dynamics in aeolian saltation has been studied in a boundary layer wind tunnel above beds composed of quartz grains having diameters of either 242 μm or 320 μm. The cross section of the tunnel is 600 mm × 900 mm, and its thick boundary layer allows precise estimation of the fluid friction speed. Saltation is modeled using a numerical saltation model, and predicted grain speeds agree fairly well with experimental results obtained from laser-Doppler anemometry. The use of laser-Doppler anemometry to study aeolian saltation is thoroughly discussed and some pitfalls are identified. At 80 mm height the ratio between air speed and grain speed is about 1.1 and from there it increases toward the bed so that at 5 mm it is about 2.0. All grain speed profiles converge toward a common value of about 1 m/s at 2−3 mm height. Moreover, the estimated launch velocity distributions depend only very weakly on the friction speed in contrast to what has often been assumed in the literature. Flux density profiles measured with a laser-Doppler appear to be similar to most other density profiles measured with vertical array compartment traps; that is, two exponential segments will fit data between heights from a few millimeters to 100−200 mm. The experimental flux density profiles are found to agree well with model predictions. Generally, validation rates are low from 30 to 50% except at the highest level of 80 mm, where they approach 80%. When flux density profiles based on the validated data are used to estimate the total mass transport rate results are in fair agreement with measured transport rates except for conditions near threshold where as much as 50% difference is observed.