Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combining Pyramid Match Kernel and Spatial Pyramid for Image Classification

This paper proposes a new approach for image classification by combining pyramid match kernel(PMK) with spatial pyramid. Unlike the conventional spatial pyramid matching (SPM) approach which only uses a single-resolution feature vector to represent an image, we use a multi-resolution feature vector to represent an image for SPM. We then calculate the match scores at each resolution of SPM representation and finally compute the matching between two images by applying the concept of PMK using the match scores obtained from the multiple resolutions. Our experimental results show that the proposed combined pyramid matching achieves a significant improvement on classification performance.
An Actor-Oriented Model of a Service Provision

The development of valid and efficient plans for service provision is a critical success factor for companies. Adequate planning assures the optimal use of resources, customer satisfaction, and the attainment of service targets in an acceptable period of time. Where these plans are incorrect or provide only a small contribution to the objectives of the company, resources are wasted and opportunities are missed. The problem of planning an efficient service provision can be described in the form of tasks that must be scheduled subject to precedence and resource constraints. Consequently, an analysis of existing scheduling models from the perspective of service providers is necessary to use them in the field of service management. The purpose of this paper is to provide a formal description of an actor-oriented model of a service provision that can be used for person-centered simulation. Such a model defines the decision variables and constraints to be determined by a person or a software tool during service management. Finally, we provide insight into the use of a formal model in case of a simulation study.
PLTIG Parsing

We describe the TIG formalism and its advantages over CFGs and TAGs. We then give an algorithm for training PLTIGs following Hwa (2001). We train on a partially supervised corpus by repeated parsing with a lexicalized normal form. The training algorithm is EM-style, and the parsing algorithm is a generalization of CKY. Finally, we look toward the possibility of extending this method into a synchronous form.
Plasma Zinc and Growth Status in Preadolescent Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Objective: To investigate plasma zinc status in relation to dietary and supplemental zinc intake, growth and pulmonary status in preadolescent children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and pancreatic insufficiency (PI). Methods: Fasting plasma zinc was assessed in children (age, 8-11 years) with CF and PI. Food (7-day weighed records) and supplemental zinc intake, serum alkaline phosphatase and albumin, pulmonary function (spirometry), coefficient of fat absorption (%COA, 72-hour fecal fat) and growth status [height adjusted for genetic potential (AHAZ), weight (WAZ) and BMI Z scores (BMIZ)] were assessed. Results: For the 62 children (32 males), mean plasma zinc (±SD) was 16.8 ± 3.1 &mgr;mol/L (110 ± 20 ug/dL). Sixty-five percent of the subjects had levels above the study reference range of 9.2 to 15.3 &mgr;mol/L (60-100 ug/dL); no subjects had low zinc levels. Median (range) total daily zinc intake was 279% (83-988%) recommended dietary allowance, growth status was suboptimal (mean ± SD: AHAZ, −0.8 ± 1.0; WAZ, −0.5 ± 1.2; BMIZ, −0.2 ± 1.1), and forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1) was 92 ± 13% predicted. Plasma zinc was not correlated with growth, pulmonary or alkaline phosphatase status. Plasma zinc was correlated with serum albumin (r = 0.25, P < 0.05) and was inversely correlated with coefficient of fat absorption (as %; r = −0.30, P = 0.02). Conclusions: Under current patterns of care in CF Centers, total zinc intake and plasma zinc status were adequate. These findings suggest that zinc was not a limiting micronutrient for preadolescent children with CF and PI and mild-to-moderate lung disease, and not likely contributing to their suboptimal growth status.
Informed ways of improving data-driven dependency parsing for German

We investigate a series of targeted modifications to a data-driven dependency parser of German and show that these can be highly effective even for a relatively well studied language like German if they are made on a (linguistically and methodologically) informed basis and with a parser implementation that allows for fast and robust training and application. Making relatively small changes to a range of very different system components, we were able to increase labeled accuracy on a standard test set (from the CoNLL 2009 shared task), ignoring gold standard part-of-speech tags, from 87.64% to 89.40%. The study was conducted in less than five weeks and as a secondary project of all four authors. Effective modifications include the quality and combination of auto-assigned morphosyntactic features entering machine learning, the internal feature handling as well as the inclusion of global constraints and a combination of different parsing strategies.
Overlay Service Computing - Modular and Reconfigurable Collective Adaptive Systems

Distributed software systems that determine virtual communication structures on top of physical networks, the overlay networks, are a well-established approach to build various applications of collective adaptive systems such as peer-to-peer file sharing, multimedia multi-casting, aggregation in distributed databases or routing in wireless sensor networks. Despite the significance of this approach to apply collective adaptive systems in practice, applications based on overlay networks often result in a complex integration of the operational logic with topological management. This approach results in low abstraction, modularity and reconfigurability of applications that require one or more overlay networks to operate. This paper challenges this design approach by introducing the notion of overlay services that provide generic application capabilities of a broad application scope enabled by one or more overlay networks. This paper contributes the multi-level conceptual architecture of ASMA that structures and guides the realisation of overlay services by using only a few lines of high-level algorithmic expressions. Two overlay services realised according to ASMA provide a proof-of-concept for the high abstraction, modularity and reconfigurability achieved in collective adaptive systems based on overlay networks.
From VHDL to efficient and first-time-right designs: a formal approach

In this article we provide a practical transformational approach to the synthesis of correct synchronous digital hardware designs from high-level specifications. We do this while taking into account the complete life cycle of a design from early prototype to full custom implementation. Besides time-to-market, both flexibility with respect to target architecture and efficiency issues are addressed by the methodology. The utilization of user-selected behavior-preserving transformation steps ensures first-time-right design while exploiting the experience, flexibility, and creativity of the designer. To ensure that design transformations are indeed behavior-preserving a novel mechanized approach to the specification and verification of design transformations on control data flow graphs which is independent of a specific behavioral model or graph size has been developed. As a demonstration of an industrial application we use a video processing algorithm needed for the conversion from a line-interlaced to progressively scanned video format. Both a video signal processor-based prototype implementation as well as a very efficient full custom implementation are developed starting from a single high-level behavioral specification of the algorithm in VHDL. Results are compared with those previously obtained using different tools and methodologies.
A Poisson-Ramsey growth model: Creative destruction, endogenous cycles and growth

Creative destruction due to new technologies causes both long-run growth and short-run business fluctuations. The creative part of new technologies pushes the economy on a higher productivity level while the destructive part implies partial obsolescence of old production units. Obsolescence due to each new technology induces an adjustment period during which growth rates are initially high but gradually fall. At some endogenously determined point, research for the next technology starts. Once the new technology is discovered, the next cycle starts. This is shown in a continuous time Ramsey growth model where savings can be used for financing deterministic capital accumulation and stochastic Poisson driven R&D for new technologies.
Small-scale modeling of onshore seismic experiment: A tool to validate numerical modeling and seismic imaging methods

The seismic imaging methods currently in the development stage need to be tested for experimental validation under controlled conditions. Yet natural media are very complex, and moreover, the parameters along the measurement profile prove difficult to evaluate independently of the seismic method itself. To satisfy this need, the ultrasonic measurement laboratory (MUSC) presented in this research has been devised to experimentally model seismic field measurements by using reduced-scale models. This facility is composed of small-scale models of the underground, an optical table with two moving arms, a laser interferometer, and adapted piezoelectric transducers used as the seismic sources. The source system has been adapted to simulate the behavior of a point-surface seismic source. This is essential to reproduce the spatial energy distribution of a surface seismic source and supersedes the sources used in the past for other reduced-scale seismic experimental models. The comparisons of experimental data coll.
Segmentation of Handwritten Chinese Characters from Destination Addresses of Mail Pieces

In this paper, we illustrate a method to segment handwritten Chinese characters from destination addresses of mail pieces. Fast Hough transform is utilized to detect the reference lines preprinted on the mail piece. In the segmentation, subassemblies of Chinese characters are merged based on the structural features of Chinese characters and the subassemblies' topological relations, viz. upper–lower, inside–outside and left–right relations. The width of subassemblies and the spacing between neighboring subassemblies in the whole image of the destination address are analyzed to guide the merging of the left–right subassemblies. Experimental results with real mail piece images show that the proposed approach has achieved a promising performance for segmenting handwritten Chinese characters.
In Vivo Deficiency of Both C/EBPβ and C/EBPε Results in Highly Defective Myeloid Differentiation and Lack of Cytokine Response

The CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) are transcription factors involved in hematopoietic cell development and induction of several inflammatory mediators. Here, we generated C/EBPβ and C/EBPε double-knockout (bbee) mice and compared their phenotypes to those of single deficient (bbEE and BBee) and wild-type (BBEE) mice. The bbee mice were highly susceptible to fatal infections and died within 2–3 months. Morphologically, their neutrophils were blocked at the myelocytes/metamyelocytes stage, and clonogenic assays of bone marrow cells indicated a significant decrease in the number of myeloid colonies of the bbee mice. In addition, the proportion of hematopoietic progenitor cells [Lin(−)Sca1(+)c-Kit(+)] in the bone marrow of the bbee mice was significantly increased, reflecting the defective differentiation of the myeloid compartment. Furthermore, microarray expression analysis of LPS- and IFNγ-activated bone marrow-derived macrophages from bbee compared to single knockout mice revealed decreased expression of essential immune response-related genes and networks, including some direct C/EBP-targets such as Marco and Clec4e. Overall, the phenotype of the bbee mice is distinct from either the bbEE or BBee mice, demonstrating that both transcription factors are crucial for the maturation of neutrophils and macrophages, as well as the innate immune system, and can at least in part compensate for each other in the single knockout mice.
User grouping for device-to-device communications underlaying cellular networks

Device-to-Device (D2D) communication has become an important technology in future networks, since it can provide advantages such as cell throughput enhancement, user equipment power saving, and increased instantaneous data rate. However, the performance of both D2D and cellular communication can be affected by mutual interferences between them. In this paper, we analyze a resource allocation method for D2D links underlaying cellular networks. A novel method which allows more than one D2D pair to reuse the downlink resource of one cellular user is proposed. In addition, we also present an algorithm to assign a cellular user to each group of D2D pairs, when there are a number of cellular users and D2D users. The proposed algorithm is designed to guarantee that the SINR for both the cellular link and D2D link exceeds acceptable thresholds.
Differential inhibition of calmodulin-sensitive phosphodiesterase and Ca++-adenosine triphosphatase by chlorpromazine-linked calmodulin.

Upon irradiation with UV light, chlorpromazine binds irreversibly to calmodulin and inactivates it. To determine whether this chlorpromazine-calmodulin (CPZ-CaM) complex can inhibit the actions of native calmodulin, we examined its effects on the activity of calmodulin-sensitive cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from rat brain and on the Ca++-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) of human erythrocyte membranes. The CPZ-CaM complex was prepared by irradiating purified bovine brain calmodulin in the presence of chlorpromazine and Ca++. The sample was then dialyzed extensively to remove reversibly bound chlorpromazine and then assayed for its ability to activate calmodulin-sensitive phosphodiesterase and Ca++-ATPase, and for its ability to block the stimulatory effects of native calmodulin on these enzymes. The CPZ-CaM complex had no effect on the basal activity of either enzyme; it neither activated nor inhibited the enzymes when assayed in the absence of calmodulin. However, it affected differentially the activation of the two enzymes by native calmodulin. The CPZ-CaM complex totally inhibited calmodulin-stimulated phosphodiesterase but had no effect on the activation of the ATPase by calmodulin. Other studies showed that CPZ-CaM increased the activation constant (Ka) for the interaction of calmodulin with phosphodiesterase but did not affect the maximal activation (Vmax) of the enzyme by calmodulin. Neither calmodulin nor CPZ-CaM altered the Km for the interaction between phosphodiesterase and cyclic AMP. These results suggest that CPZ-CaM inhibits the calmodulin-induced activation of phosphodiesterase by competing with calmodulin for regulatory sites on the enzyme and not by interacting with calmodulin itself or by blocking the interaction of cyclic AMP with the enzyme. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Effect of Irradiating Adaxial or Abaxial Side on Photosynthesis of Rose Leaves

Abstract: In many cropping systems most of the light irradiates the adaxial side of leaves. However, in cropping systems with intra canopy lighting a reasonable fraction of light may irradiate even the abaxial side of the leaves. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of irradiating the abaxial leaf side compared to irradiating the adaxial side, in rose plants grown in glasshouse with the bending technique. The instantaneous effects on the optical properties and the light response of photosynthesis were analysed in intact leaves. Results demonstrated that the rate of net photosynthesis was higher when leaves were lighted from the adaxial side compared to the abaxial side. This was the consequence of both a higher light absorption and higher quantum yield (photosynthesis per unit absorbed light) in adaxial-lighted leaves.
Deriving Intensional Descriptions for Web Services

Many data providers make their data available through Web service APIs. In order to unleash the potential of these sources for intelligent applications, the data has to be combined across different APIs. However, due to the heterogeneity of schemas, the integration of different APIs remains a mainly manual task to date. In this paper, we model an API method as a view with binding patterns over a global RDF schema. We present an algorithm that can automatically infer the view definition of a method in the global schema. We also show how to compute transformation functions that can transform API call results into this schema. The key idea of our approach is to exploit the intersection of API call results with a knowledge base and with other call results. Our experiments on more than 50 real Web services show that we can automatically infer the schema with a precision of 81%-100%.
Occurrence of Genetic Drift and Founder Effect during Quasispecies Evolution of the VP2 and NS3/NS3A Genes of Bluetongue Virus upon Passage between Sheep, Cattle, andCulicoides sonorensis

ABSTRACT Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the cause of an insect-transmitted virus infection of ruminants that occurs throughout much of the world. Individual gene segments differ between field strains of BTV; thus, we hypothesized that key viral genes undergo genetic drift during alternating passage of BTV in its ruminant and insect hosts. To test this hypothesis, variation in the consensus sequence and quasispecies heterogeneity of the VP2 and NS3/NS3A genes of a plaque-purified strain of BTV serotype 10 was determined during alternating infection of vector Culicoides sonorensis and a sheep and calf. Consensus sequences were determined after reverse transcriptase-nested PCR amplification of viral RNA directly from ruminant blood and homogenized insects, and quasispecies heterogeneity was determined by the sequencing of clones derived from directly amplified viral RNA. Comparison of these sequences to those of the original BTV inoculum used to initiate the cycle of BTV infection demonstrated, for the first time, that individual BTV gene segments evolve independently of one another by genetic drift in a host-specific fashion, generating quasispecies populations in both ruminant and insect hosts. Furthermore, a unique viral variant was randomly ingested by C. sonorensis insects that fed on a sheep with low-titer viremia, thereby fixing a novel genotype by founder effect. Thus, we conclude that genetic drift and founder effect contribute to diversification of individual gene segments of field strains of BTV.
Measles virus in the CNS: the role of viral and host factors for the establishment and maintenance of a persistent infection.

Acute measles (for review see: Griffin and Bellini, 1996) can be accompanied by early or late central nervous system (CNS) complications. These include the acute postinfectious measles encephalitis (APME), which develops 2–4 weeks after infection, or as late complications, the measles inclusion body encephalitis (MIBE) in immunocompromised patients, and the subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) months to years after the initial infection (Table 1). With an incidence of approximately 0.1%, APME is the most frequent, however also the least well understood disease measles associated neurological complication. Since myelin basic protein-specific T cells can be isolated from patients, APME is thought to have an autoimmune etiology (Johnson et al, 1984). The two late complications, MIBE and SSPE, are based on persistent measles virus (MV) infections in the brain. In this review we will give a brief overview on a number of virological and immunological findings obtained from MV infected patients, from anima.
Reduced empathic concern leads to utilitarian moral judgments in trait alexithymia

Recent research with moral dilemmas supports dual-process model of moral decision making. This model posits two different paths via which people can endorse utilitarian solution that requires personally harming someone in order to achieve the greater good (e.g., killing one to save five people): (i) weakened emotional aversion to the prospect of harming someone due to reduced empathic concern for the victim; (ii) enhanced cognition which supports cost-benefit analysis and countervails the prepotent emotional aversion to harm. Direct prediction of this model would be that personality traits associated with reduced empathy would show higher propensity to endorse utilitarian solutions. As per this prediction, we found that trait alexithymia, which is well-known to have deficits in empathy, was indeed associated with increased utilitarian tendencies on emotionally aversive personal moral dilemmas and this was due to reduced empathic concern for the victim. Results underscore the importance of empathy for moral judgments in harm/care domain of morality.
An improved C-band scatterometer ocean geophysical model function: CMOD5

[1] In this paper CMOD5, a new C-band geophysical model function (GMF), is derived on the basis of measurements from the scatterometer on board of the European Remote Sensing Satellite ERS-2. First-guess winds from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts were used as a reference for the period from August to December 1998, adding up to more than 22,000,000 collocations. CMOD5 corrects some deficiencies of the currently widely used CMOD4 GMF. Linear and higher-order wind speed corrections as computed with a triple collocation method are implemented. Recent measurements of extreme backscatter and wind obtained by aircraft and in situ data are fitted. Also, a more accurate fit of the two-dimensional cone surface in three-dimensional measurement space is established, especially in the regime of strong winds. These improvements result not only in better wind retrievals at high wind speed, but also in a more uniform performance across the ERS scatterometer swath. Moreover, the wind ambiguity problem has been reduced owing to the improved fit of the cone surface, resulting in about 75% skill of the first rank solution for winds above 10 m/s. These improvements aid the general usefulness of retrieved C-band scatterometer winds for climate and weather applications, and the ambiguity removal in dynamical and extreme weather conditions in particular.
The challenge of evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for deliberate self-harm

Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is the most important factor associated with risk of suicide. It also poses a considerable burden on health and social services. Repetition of DSH after hospital presentation is common, with most studies reporting between 12 and 25% of patients repeating within a year and again presenting to hospital (Owens et al. 2002) and many more being involved in repeat episodes which do not bring them to clinical attention (Guthrie et al. 2001). Repetition itself increases the risk of a fatal outcome (Sakinofsky, 2000). The results of both psychosocial and pharmacological interventions to prevent repetition have been fairly disappointing (Hawton et al. 1998, 2000), although the findings of treatment trials have not all been negative. Dialectical behaviour therapy had a substantial initial impact on repetition of self-harm, although this did not persist in a treatment study of female patients with borderline personality disorders (Linehan et al. 1991) and depot flupenthixol reduced repetition in frequent self-harmers (Montgomery, 1987). A recent trial of brief psychotherapy was more effective than treatment as usual (Guthrie et al. 2001) and a meta-analysis of trials of problem-solving therapy suggested beneficial effects for depression, hopelessness and specific problems (Townsend et al. 2001).