Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using the Web as a Linguistic Resource to Automatically Correct Lexico-Syntactic Errors

This paper presents an algorithm for correcting language errors typical of second-language learners. We focus on preposition errors, which are very common among second-language learners but are not addressed well by current commercial grammar correctors and editing aids. The algorithm takes as input a sentence containing a preposition error (and possibly other errors as well), and outputs the correct preposition for that particular sentence context. We use a two-phase hybrid rule-based and statistical approach. In the first phase, rule-based processing is used to generate a short expression that captures the context of use of the preposition in the input sentence. In the second phase, Web searches are used to evaluate the frequency of this expression, when alternative prepositions are used instead of the original one. We tested this algorithm on a corpus of 133 French sentences written by intermediate second-language learners, and found that it could address 69.9% of those cases. In contrast, we found that the best French grammar and spell checker currently on the market, Antidote, addressed only 3% of those cases. We also showed that performance degrades gracefully when using a corpus of frequent n-grams to evaluate frequencies.
Taming the biases: a few patterns on successful decision-making

Making decisions is part of our everyday life. Unfortunately the quality of our decisions is often impaired as human intuition is subject to numerous biases. This paper presents a few lessons learned from cognitive psychology and presents them as patterns. The principles described can be applied to arbitrary situations where a decision needs to be made. Naturally this includes the decision-making processes found in IT projects, as is shown with three concrete examples from an IT context.
Nitric Oxide Regulates Input Specificity of Long-Term Depression and Context Dependence of Cerebellar Learning

Recent studies have shown that multiple internal models are acquired in the cerebellum and that these can be switched under a given context of behavior. It has been proposed that long-term depression (LTD) of parallel fiber (PF)–Purkinje cell (PC) synapses forms the cellular basis of cerebellar learning, and that the presynaptically synthesized messenger nitric oxide (NO) is a crucial “gatekeeper” for LTD. Because NO diffuses freely to neighboring synapses, this volume learning is not input-specific and brings into question the biological significance of LTD as the basic mechanism for efficient supervised learning. To better characterize the role of NO in cerebellar learning, we simulated the sequence of electrophysiological and biochemical events in PF–PC LTD by combining established simulation models of the electrophysiology, calcium dynamics, and signaling pathways of the PC. The results demonstrate that the local NO concentration is critical for induction of LTD and for its input specificity. Pre- and postsynaptic coincident firing is not sufficient for a PF–PC synapse to undergo LTD, and LTD is induced only when a sufficient amount of NO is provided by activation of the surrounding PFs. On the other hand, above-adequate levels of activity in nearby PFs cause accumulation of NO, which also allows LTD in neighboring synapses that were not directly stimulated, ruining input specificity. These findings lead us to propose the hypothesis that NO represents the relevance of a given context and enables context-dependent selection of internal models to be updated. We also predict sparse PF activity in vivo because, otherwise, input specificity would be lost.
Bringing together the Emerging Theories on Trust and Dynamic Capabilities – Collaboration and Trust as Focal Concepts

It is proposed that the firm’s ability to create and manage trust in its internal and external networks may become a critical factor in search for sustainable competitive advantage. As knowledge and capabilities have emerged as the key determinants of competitive advantage, new, modern strategic management theories are needed to explain why firms differ. Especially in the global competition midst in the dynamic and uncertain environment there seems to be very little left to “draw the line between competitors” and therefore, new sources for competitive advantage are keenly sought. In this article the dynamic capability view of the firm and the emerging theory on trust are brought together. These emerging theories are not yet properly synthesized in theory nor in empirical research. This paper serves as a preliminary study introducing an integrating conceptual modeland propositions for future research. The role of trust in the dynamic capability view of the firm is elaborated more explicitly. Trust is identified as multi-dimensional and multi-temporal phenomenon typology and the components of trust and their impact on the various dynamic capabilities are proposed. Collaboration is seen as a meta-capability and it is proposed as a critical concept unifying the emerging theories of trust and dynamic capability view of the firm.
Biological heterogeneity of putative bladder cancer stem‐like cell populations from human bladder transitional cell carcinoma samples

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the most common type of bladder cancer. Emerging evidence has suggested that the capability of a tumor to grow and propagate is dependent on a small subset of cells, the cancer stem‐like cells (CSCs) or tumor initiating cells. We report on the isolation and biological characterization of putative bladder CSC populations from primary TCCs. Isolated cells were induced to proliferate in stem cell culture conditions (serum‐free medium containing mitogenic growth factors). The proliferating cells formed spheroids (urospheres) and their abilities for extensive proliferation and self‐renewal were assayed. Their positivity for several stem cell markers (CD133, Oct‐3/4, nestin, and cytokeratins) was also assessed by immunofluorescence tests and they could have the potential to differentiate in the presence of serum. In stem cell culture conditions they gradually showed loss of proliferation, adherence to the substrate, and morphological changes, which might reflect their progressive acquisition of differentiative capacity and loss of self‐renewal ability. To evaluate if effective cell selection occurred after isolation, conventional cytogenetic studies on fresh chromosome spreads immediately after isolation and after culture were carried out. In addition, a molecular cytogenetic study by UroVysion assay was carried out on paraffin‐embedded tissue sections and on fresh and after culture nuclei preparations. The data collected indicated important karyotype changes and a positive selection for hypo‐ or near‐diploid cells, losing the complexity present in fresh tumors. (Cancer Sci 2009)
Beta-catenin mediates the interaction of the cadherin-catenin complex with epidermal growth factor receptor

Catenins mediate the linkage of classical cadherins with actin microfilaments and are part of a higher order protein structure by which cadherins are connected to other cytoplasmic and transmembrane proteins. The ratio of actin-bound to free cadherin-catenin complex, which varies depending on the type and growth rate of cells, is thought to be altered by cellular signals, such as those associated with mitosis, polarization of cells and growth factors during development. EGF induces an immediate tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin and gamma-catenin (plakoglobin). We show here an association of the EGF- receptor with the cadherin-catenin complex. Using recombinant proteins we demonstrate the interaction of EGF-receptor and beta-catenin in in vitro kinase assays. This interaction is mediated by the evolutionarily conserved central "core" region of beta-catenin. These results suggest that catenins represent an important link between EGF-induced signal transduction and cadherin function.
The Problem with Zoning: Nonlinear Effects of Interactions between Location Preferences and Externalities on Land Use and Utility

An important debate in the literature on exurban sprawl is whether low-density development results from residential demand, as operationalized by developers, or from exclusionary zoning policies. Central to this debate is the purpose of zoning, which could alternatively be a mechanism to increase the utility of residents by separating land uses and reducing spillover effects of development, or an obstacle to market mechanisms that would otherwise allow the realization of residential preferences. To shed light on this debate, we developed an agent-based model of land-use change to study how the combined effects of zoning-enforcement levels, density preferences, preference heterogeneity, and negative externalities from development affect exurban development and the utility of residents. Our computational experiments show that sprawl is not inevitable, even when most of the population prefers low densities. The presence of negative externalities consistently encourage sprawl while decreasing average utility and flattening the utility distribution. Zoning can reduce sprawl by concentrating development in specific areas, but in doing so decreases average utility and increases inequality. Zoning does not internalize externalities; instead, it contains externalities in areas of different development density so that residents bear the burden of the external effects of the density they prefer. Effects vary with residential preference distributions and levels of zoning enforcement. These initial investigations can help inform policy makers about the conditions under which zoning enforcement is preferable to free-market development and vice versa. Future work will focus on the environmental impacts of different settlement patterns and the role land-use and market-based policies play in this relationship.
Psychological needs of young adults leaving the care system

Although there is an identified need for psychological services to work therapeutically with young adults leaving care (care leavers), there is a paucity of research examining the psychological constructs which may underlie reported distress in a care leaver population. There are plausible links between attachment theory and schema theory, but research investigating them is in its infancy. If made clearer, such links may usefully guide therapeutic interventions for care leavers. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the self-reported psychological needs of care leavers. More specifically, the study aimed to examine the relationships between psychological distress, adult attachment, and early maladaptive schemas (EMS) in this group. The study also aimed to augment existing literature on the relationships between internal working models (IWMs) within attachment theory, and EMS within schema theory as conceptualised by Young et al. (2003). A total number of 50 care leavers aged 18-22 were recruited. They were all in contact with a leaving care team in one of five social services departments in South Wales. Self-report measures were used to assess psychological distress, adult attachment and EMS (considered within five schema domains). Care leavers with the highest reported levels of psychological distress also reported the highest degree of attachment anxiety (most negative IWMs of self), highest degree of attachment avoidance (most negative IWMs of others) and the most pronounced schema domains. Significant differences were observed in the reported levels of psychological distress and the prominence of schema domains in participants with different attachment styles, with most notable differences between the secure and fearful avoidant attachment style groups. Clinical and theoretical implications of the study findings are discussed in detail and areas for future research are suggested.
Mechanism underlying apolipoprotein E (ApoE) isoform‐dependent lipid efflux from neural cells in culture

We determined the molecular mechanisms underlying apolipoprotein E (ApoE)‐isoform‐dependent lipid efflux from neurons and ApoE‐deficient astrocytes in culture. The ability of ApoE3 to induce lipid efflux was 2.5‐ to 3.9‐fold greater than ApoE4. To explore the contributions of the amino‐ and carboxyl‐terminal tertiary structure domains of ApoE to cellular lipid efflux, each domain was studied separately. The amino‐terminal fragment of ApoE3 (22‐kDa‐ApoE3) induced lipid efflux greater than 22‐kDa‐ApoE4, whereas the common carboxyl‐terminal fragment of ApoE induced very low levels of lipid efflux. Addition of segments of the carboxyl‐terminal domain to 22‐kDa‐ApoE3 additively induced lipid efflux in a length‐dependent manner; in contrast, this effect did not occur with ApoE4. This observation, coupled with the fact that introduction of the E255A mutation (which disrupts domain–domain interaction) into ApoE4 increases lipid efflux, indicates that interaction between the amino‐ and carboxyl‐terminal domains in ApoE4 reduces the ability of this isoform to mediate lipid efflux from neural cells. Dimeric 22‐kDa or intact ApoE3 induced higher lipid efflux than monomeric 22‐kDa or intact ApoE3, respectively, indicating that dimerization of ApoE3 enhances the ability to release lipids. The adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette protein A1 (ABCA1) is involved in ApoE‐induced lipid efflux. In conclusion, there are two major factors, intramolecular domain interaction and intermolecular dimerization, that cause ApoE‐isoform‐dependent lipid efflux from neural cells in culture. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ubiquitous Health for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorders

Virtual Exposure is used to enhance emotional processing of anxious events by helping patients face memories and situations associated with them. Patients learn to distinguish memories and associated situations from the event itself. A critical issue related to the use of virtual exposure in the treatment of anxiety related disorders is the lack of availability of a virtual reality system in the real life context of the patient. In this paper we present a clinical protocol for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD) based on the ubiquitous use of a biofeedback enhanced virtual reality (VR) system: the protocol also includes the use of a mobile exposure system allowing patients to perform the virtual experience in an outpatient setting. To verify the efficacy of the proposed approach, a between subjects study (including 24 GAD patients) was carried out. The clinical data support the efficacy of the ubiquitous approach.
INS/VNS Fusion based on unscented particle filter

In vision aided terminal inertial navigation system (INS), the INS use dead reckoning calculate the velocity and position of the vehicle based on the measurements of the strapdown inertial sensors. Using the parallel structure of the runway, vision navigation system (VNS) can estimate the relative position and velocity of vehicle to the runway, based on the error position of the feature points of the runway in perspective image and weak perspective image. For the fixed target point on the runway, the relationship of the velocities of INS and VNS are deduced, on which unscented particle filter (UPF) is designed to fuse the two sensors. The resulting output of the filter is the velocity error of the vehicle. When fixed bias exists in outputs of accelerometers or gyroscopes, the process noise is not Gaussian white noise any more. UPF can deal with any distribution and do not need increase states to model the noise as Kalman filter does. Simulation results show that the UPF fusion algorithm can increase the accuracy of the velocity and improve the performance of the navigation.
A Transgenic Model for Listeriosis: Role of Internalin in Crossing the Intestinal Barrier

Listeria monocytogenes is responsible for severe food-borne infections, but the mechanisms by which bacteria cross the intestinal barrier are unknown. Listeria monocytogenes expresses a surface protein, internalin, that interacts with a host receptor, E-cadherin, to promote entry into human epithelial cells. Murine E-cadherin, in contrast to guinea pig E-cadherin, does not interact with internalin, excluding the mouse as a model for addressing internalin function in vivo. In guinea pigs and transgenic mice expressing human E-cadherin, internalin was found to mediate invasion of enterocytes and crossing of the intestinal barrier. These results illustrate how relevant animal models for human infections can be generated.
Increased levels of extracellular ATP in glaucomatous retinas: Possible role of the vesicular nucleotide transporter during the development of the pathology

Purpose To study retinal extracellular ATP levels and to assess the changes in the vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT) expression in a murine model of glaucoma during the development of the disease. Methods Retinas were obtained from glaucomatous DBA/2J mice at 3, 9, 15, and 22 months together with C57BL/6J mice used as age-matched controls. To study retinal nucleotide release, the retinas were dissected and prepared as flattened whole mounts and stimulated in Ringer buffer with or without 59 mM KCl. To investigate VNUT expression, sections of the mouse retinas were evaluated with immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis using newly developed antibodies against VNUT. All images were examined and photographed under confocal microscopy. Electroretinogram (ERG) recordings were performed on the C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice to analyze the changes in the electrophysiological response; a decrease in the scotopic threshold response was observed in the 15-month-old DBA/2J mice. Results In the 15-month-old control and glaucomatous mice, electrophysiological changes of 42% were observed. In addition, 50% increases in the intraocular pressure (IOP) were observed when the pathology was fully established. The responses in the retinal ATP net release as the pathology progressed varied from 0.32±0.04 pmol/retina (3 months) to 1.10±0.06 pmol/retina (15 months; threefold increase). Concomitantly, VNUT expression was significantly increased during glaucoma progression in the DBA/2J mice (58%) according to the immunohistochemical and western blot analysis. Conclusions These results may indicate a possible correlation between retinal dysfunction and increased levels of extracellular ATP and nucleotide transporter. These data support an excitotoxicity role for ATP via P2X7R in glaucoma. This modified cellular environment could contribute to explaining the functional and biochemical alterations observed during the development of the pathology.
Spectroscopic Study of Laser-Induced Cu Plasma With and Without the Confinement of a Substrate

Optical emission spectroscopic studies have been carried out on the laser-induced copper plasma generated in the process of laser-driven flyer (with the substrate confinement). The copper plasma in the air (without the substrate confinement) has also been researched in order to know the differences between the plasma with the confinement and that without the confinement. The plasma is assumed to be in local thermodynamic equilibrium. The result shows that, under the same laser fluence, the plasma exists a longer time with the confinement. The time-resolved electron temperature and density with the confinement are higher than those with no confinement. The substrate deposited with Cu foil plays an important role in enhancing the temperature and the density of the plasma. The electron temperature and density with confinement increase with a larger scope as the laser fluence increases than that with no confinement.
Resource-efficient fault and intrusion tolerance

More and more network-based services are considered essential by their operators: either because their unavailability might directly lead to economic losses, as with e-commerce applications or online auction services, for example, or because their well-functioning is crucial for the well-functioning of other services, which is, for example, the case for distributed file systems or coordination services. Byzantine fault-tolerant replication allows systems to be built that are able to ensure the availability and reliability of network-based services, even if a subset of replicas fail arbitrarily. As a consequence, such systems not only tolerate fault scenarios in which replicas crash, but also cases in which replicas have been taken over by an adversary as the result of a successful intrusion. Despite the fact that several major outages of network-based services in the past have been caused by non-crash failures, industry is still reluctant to broadly exploit the available research results on Byzantine fault tolerance. One of the main reasons for the decision to retain crash-tolerant systems is the high resource demand associated with Byzantine fault-tolerant systems: Besides the need to execute more costly protocols, the more complex fault model also requires Byzantine fault-tolerant systems to comprise more replicas than their crash-tolerant counterparts. In this thesis, we propose and evaluate different protocols and techniques to increase the resource efficiency of Byzantine fault-tolerant systems. The key insights that serve as a basis for all of these approaches are that during normal-case operation it is sufficient for a system to detect (or at least suspect) faults, while during fault handling a system must be able to actually tolerate faults, and that the former usually requires less resources than the latter. Utilizing these insights, we investigate different ways to improve resource efficiency by implementing a clear separation between normal-case operation and fault handling based on two modes of operation: During normal-case operation, a system reduces its resource usage to a level at which it is only able to ensure progress as long as all replicas behave according to specification. In contrast, in case of suspected or detected faults, the system switches to an operation mode in which it may use additional resources in order to tolerate faults. An important outcome of this thesis is that passive replication can be an effective building block for the implementation of a resource-efficient operation mode for normal-case operation in Byzantine fault-tolerant systems. Furthermore, experimental results show that improving the resource efficiency of a system can also lead to an increase in performance.
Allele-Specific H3K79 Di- versus Trimethylation Distinguishes Opposite Parental Alleles at Imprinted Regions

ABSTRACT Imprinted gene expression corresponds to parental allele-specific DNA CpG methylation and chromatin composition. Histone tail covalent modifications have been extensively studied, but it is not known whether modifications in the histone globular domains can also discriminate between the parental alleles. Using multiplex chromatin immunoprecipitation-single nucleotide primer extension (ChIP-SNuPE) assays, we measured the allele-specific enrichment of H3K79 methylation and H4K91 acetylation along the H19/Igf2 imprinted domain. Whereas H3K79me1, H3K79me2, and H4K91ac displayed a paternal-specific enrichment at the paternally expressed Igf2 locus, H3K79me3 was paternally biased at the maternally expressed H19 locus, including the paternally methylated imprinting control region (ICR). We found that these allele-specific differences depended on CTCF binding in the maternal ICR allele. We analyzed an additional 11 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and found that, in general, H3K79me3 was associated with the CpG-methylated alleles, whereas H3K79me1, H3K79me2, and H4K91ac enrichment was specific to the unmethylated alleles. Our data suggest that allele-specific differences in the globular histone domains may constitute a layer of the “histone code” at imprinted genes.