Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Latent Variable Model for Viewpoint Discovery from Threaded Forum Posts

Threaded discussion forums provide an important social media platform. Its rich user generated content has served as an important source of public feedback. To automatically discover the viewpoints or stances on hot issues from forum threads is an important and useful task. In this paper, we propose a novel latent variable model for viewpoint discovery from threaded forum posts. Our model is a principled generative latent variable model which captures three important factors: viewpoint specific topic preference, user identity and user interactions. Evaluation results show that our model clearly outperforms a number of baseline models in terms of both clustering posts based on viewpoints and clustering users with different viewpoints.
Statistical Approaches of Ambiguity Resolution in Natural Language Processing

"In this paper, we explores key idea of probability theory and how they might apply to natural language applications, some techniques for estimating probability from corpora and develops techniques for part of speech tagging. The goal of unsupervised learning is to group data into clusters. The main statistical techniques are mixture models and the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm".
Nonequilibrium gating and voltage dependence of the ClC-0 Cl- channel

The gating of ClC-0, the voltage-dependent Cl- channel from Torpedo electric organ, is strongly influenced by Cl- ions in the external solution. Raising external Cl- over the range 1-600 mM favors the fast- gating open state and disfavors the slow-gating inactivated state. Analysis of purified single ClC-0 channels reconstituted into planar lipid bilayers was used to identify the role of Cl- ions in the channel's fast voltage-dependent gating process. External, but not internal, Cl- had a major effect on the channel's opening rate constant. The closing rate was more sensitive to internal Cl- than to external Cl-. Both opening and closing rates varied with voltage. A model was derived that postulates (a) that in the channel's closed state, Cl- is accessible to a site located at the outer end of the conduction pore, where it binds in a voltage-independent fashion, (b) that this closed conformation can open, whether liganded by Cl- or not, in a weakly voltage-dependent fashion, (c) that the Cl(-)-liganded closed channel undergoes a conformational change to a different closed state, such that concomitant with this change, Cl- ion moves inward, conferring voltage-dependence to this step, and (d) that this new Cl(-)- liganded closed state opens with a very high rate. According to this picture, Cl- movement within the pre-open channel is the major source of voltage dependence, and charge movement intrinsic to the channel protein contributes very little to voltage-dependent gating of ClC-0. Moreover, since the Cl- activation site is probably located in the ion conduction pathway, the fast gating of ClC-0 is necessarily coupled to ion conduction, a nonequilibrium process.
Emulating On-Road Operating Conditions for Electric-Drive Propulsion Systems

This paper provides a new approach for emulating road load conditions for an electric-drive vehicle (EDV) system on a test bench setup consisting of a drive motor (DM) connected to a dynamometer. Two different methods of EDV emulation are discussed, which are based on a predefined drive cycle and unpredictable driving behavior. The effect of total vehicle inertia is considered for both scenarios, and a control scheme is developed for each case based on vehicle equivalent rotational inertia. This method of EDV emulation not only takes into account all of the stress imposed on the DM due to vehicle inertia effect, but also allows electric vehicle emulation for any standard drive cycle, as well as undefined driving scenarios. Simulations are conducted for each case using a MATLAB/Simulink test bench model, and the results are validated using ADVISOR, a well-proven software package, to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method. To investigate hardware-in-the-loop real-time performance, each method is applied to the experimental test platform, and the accuracy of the experimental results is compared to the results obtained from simulation.
Estimating a Technical Inefficiency Effects Model for Thai Manufacturing and Exporting Enterprises (SMEs): A Stochastic Frontier (SFA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Approach

This paper employs a stochastic frontier (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to analyse inefficiency effect models for 3,894 Thai manufacturing and exporting small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), using 2007 Thai Industrial Census data. Thai manufacturing and exporting SMEs experience decreasing returns to scale even though their technical efficiency in production is found to be relatively high. Results from estimations using both approaches also reveal that firm age, medium-sized enterprises compared with small-sized enterprises, firm location in Bangkok, foreign investment and government assistance are significantly and positively related to firm technical efficiency. Focusing on the technical efficiency of SMEs exporting to different destinations, those exporting to OCEANIA perform the best, followed by SMEs exporting to ASEAN, East Asia, and North and South America, while SMEs exporting to Europe experience no significant effect upon their technical efficiency from doing so, where SMEs exporting to the rest of the world is the base exporting SME group. The results also reveal that SMEs in the chemicals and related products sector perform the best, followed by SMEs in the machinery and transport equipment sector, where the miscellaneous manufactured articles sector is used as the base sector. The manufactured goods sector and food, beverages and tobacco sector are also found to perform better than the miscellaneous manufactured articles sector. Finally, the paper also provides useful evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the technical efficiency and competitiveness of Thai manufacturing and exporting SMEs.
Face recognition with continuous occlusion using partially iteratively reweighted sparse coding

Partially occluded faces are common in automatic face recognition in the real world. Existing methods, such as sparse error correction with Markov random fields, correntropy-based sparse representation and robust sparse coding, are all based on error correction, which relies on the perfect reconstruction of the occluded facial image and limits their recognition rates especially when the occluded regions are large. It helps to enhance recognition rates if we can detect the occluded portions and exclude them from further classification. Based on a magnitude order measure, we propose an innovative effective occlusion detection algorithm, called Partially Iteratively Reweighted Sparse Coding (PIRSC). Compared to the state-of-the-art methods, our PIRSC based classifier greatly improve the face recognition rate especially when the occlusion percentage is large.
Almost-Riemannian Geometry on Lie Groups

A simple Almost-Riemmanian Structure on a Lie group G is defined by a linear vector field and dim(G)-1 left-invariant ones. We state results about the singular locus, the abnormal extremals and the desingularization of such ARS's, and these results are illustrated by examples on the 2D affine and the Heisenberg groups.These ARS's are extended in two ways to homogeneous spaces, and a necessary and sufficient condition for an ARS on a manifold to be equivalent to a general ARS on a homogeneous space is stated.
Fas/Apo-1 (CD95)-mediated apoptosis of neutrophils with Fas ligand (CD95L)-expressing tumors is crucial for induction of inflammation by neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes associated with antitumor immunity.

To address how FasL-expressing tumors induce neutrophil emigration and abrogate tumorigenicity, we investigated the behavior of FasLcDNA-transfected hepatoma MH134 (G2) cells injected into wild-type (+) mice, lpr(cg)/lpr(cg) (lpr(cg)) mice with death domain (DD)-mutated Fas, and gld/gld lpr/lpr (gld/lpr) mice with defects in FasL/Fas. G2 cells were eradicated after extensive infiltration of neutrophils around them in + mice but formed tumors without such infiltration in lpr(cg) and gld/lpr mice. Abundant cell debris suggestive of apoptosis of infiltrating neutrophils was found among G2 tumor cells in + mice but a few neutrophils infiltrating among G2 cells were intact in lpr(cg) and gld/lpr mice. Collectively, these results indicate the crucial role of Fas DD in Fas-mediated apoptosis of neutrophils and suggest that apoptosis of neutrophils with FasL-expressing tumors may trigger the extensive infiltration of neutrophils, resulting in violent inflammation and ultimately in the eradication of tumor cells.
Earnings differences among second-generation South Asians

Despite the fact that South Asians now form the largest visible minority population group in Canada, an important indicator of their integration that is the labour market outcome for second-generation South Asians has been paid less attention. The existing literature treats South Asians a homogeneous group at the neglect of sub-group differences. The present study aims to fill this gap by analysing the earnings of second-generation Indians, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans in relation to British–French counterparts. The analysis of the 2006 Census shows significant earnings differentials among second-generation South Asian sub-groups. Multivariate regression results indicate that Pakistanis and Indians are not statistically different from their British–French counterparts, while the earnings gap remains significant for second-generation Sri Lankans. The findings of the study have implications for policy formulation and future research.
Posterior Cricoarytenoid as a Speech Muscle

It is well known that the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle (PCA) is the only abductor of the vocal folds, but its role in speech has not fully been clarified. Our recent electromyographic (EMG) studies indicate active participation of PCA in the production of voiceless consonants and breathy phonation in different languages. In the experiments to be reported here, computer-averaged EMG data were obtained from PCA of native speakers of American English, Japanese, and Danish who uttered test words embedded in frame sentences. The results indicated that there was consistent increases in PCA activity for the voiceless portion of the test words. The EMG results were compared to the degree of glottal opening estimated by means of the fiberoptic technique. It was suggested that the degree and timing of PCA activity were directly responsible for determining the size and temporal course of the glottal opening for voiceless segments, although the suppression of the adductors might also have to be taken into consideration for a complete description of voiceless segment production.
The acidic domain of the endothelial membrane protein GPIHBP1 stabilizes lipoprotein lipase activity by preventing unfolding of its catalytic domain

GPIHBP1 is a glycolipid-anchored membrane protein of capillary endothelial cells that binds lipoprotein lipase (LPL) within the interstitial space and shuttles it to the capillary lumen. The LPL•GPIHBP1 complex is responsible for margination of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins along capillaries and their lipolytic processing. The current work conceptualizes a model for the GPIHBP1•LPL interaction based on biophysical measurements with hydrogen-deuterium exchange/mass spectrometry, surface plasmon resonance, and zero-length cross-linking. According to this model, GPIHBP1 comprises two functionally distinct domains: (1) an intrinsically disordered acidic N-terminal domain; and (2) a folded C-terminal domain that tethers GPIHBP1 to the cell membrane by glycosylphosphatidylinositol. We demonstrate that these domains serve different roles in regulating the kinetics of LPL binding. Importantly, the acidic domain stabilizes LPL catalytic activity by mitigating the global unfolding of LPL's catalytic domain. This study provides a conceptual framework for understanding intravascular lipolysis and GPIHBP1 and LPL mutations causing familial chylomicronemia. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.12095. 001
Pulling Out the Thorns: Art Therapy with Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents

This article outlines an approach that integrates art therapy and group process to target areas of need when working with child and adolescent victims of sexual abuse. The paper discusses which art therapy interventions were chosen to address the long- and short-term effects of sexual abuse, and provides theoretical and psychological documentation for such choices. All group participants were evaluated using the Trauma Symptom Child Checklist (Briere, 1995), a common instrument used in trauma centers, before and after their participation in the 10-week group cycle. The results of this exploratory study document a reduction in the symptoms commonly associated with childhood sexual abuse following the art therapy intervention.
In Silico Investigation of Electrically Silent Acute Cardiac Ischemia in the Human Ventricles

Acute cardiac ischemia, which is caused by the occlusion of a coronary artery, often leads to lethal ventricular arrhythmias or heart failure. The early diagnosis of this pathology is based on changes of the electrocardiogram (ECG), i.e., mainly shifts of the ST segment. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for these shifts are not completely understood. Furthermore, clinical observations indicate that some acute ischemia cases can hardly be detected using standard 12-lead ECG only. Therefore, multiscale computer simulations of cardiac ischemia using realistic models of human ventricles were carried out in this work. For this purpose, the transmembrane voltage distributions in the heart and the corresponding body surface potentials were computed with varying transmural extent of the ischemic region at different ischemia stages. Some of the simulated ischemia cases were “ electrically silent,” i.e., they could hardly be identified in the 12-lead ECG.
Retention of wild‐type p53 in tumors from p53 heterozygous mice: reduction of p53 dosage can promote cancer formation

Tumor suppressor genes are generally viewed as being recessive at the cellular level, so that mutation or loss of both tumor suppressor alleles is a prerequisite for tumor formation. The tumor suppressor gene, p53, is mutated in ∼50% of human sporadic cancers and in an inherited cancer predisposition (Li–Fraumeni syndrome). We have analyzed the status of the wild‐type p53 allele in tumors taken from p53‐deficient heterozygous (p53+/−) mice. These mice inherit a single null p53 allele and develop tumors much earlier than those mice with two functional copies of wild‐type p53. We present evidence that a high proportion of the tumors from the p53+/− mice retain an intact, functional, wild‐type p53 allele. Unlike p53+/− tumors which lose their wild‐type allele, the tumors which retain an intact p53 allele express p53 protein that induces apoptosis following γ‐irradiation, activates p21WAF1/CIP1 and Mdm2 expression, represses PCNA expression (a negatively regulated target of wild‐type p53), shows high levels of binding to oligonucleotides containing a wild‐type p53 response element and prevents chromosomal instability as measured by comparative genomic hybridization. These results indicate that loss of both p53 alleles is not a prerequisite for tumor formation and that mere reduction in p53 levels may be sufficient to promote tumorigenesis.
Structures of CUG Repeats in RNA

Triplet repeats that cause human genetic diseases have been shown to exhibit unusual compact structures in DNA, and in this paper we show that similar structures exist in shorter “normal length” CNG RNA. CUG and control RNAs were made chemically and byin vitro transcription. We find that “normal” short CUG RNAs migrate anomalously fast on non-denaturing gels, compared with control oligos of similar base composition. By contrast, longer tracts approaching clinically relevant lengths appear to form higher order structures. The CD spectrum of shorter tracts is similar to triplex and pseudoknot nucleic acid structures and different from classical hairpin spectra. A model is outlined that enables the base stacking features of poly(r(G-C))2·poly(r(U)) or poly(d(G-C))2·poly(d(T)) triplexes to be achieved, even by a single 15-mer.
A Method for the Analysis of the Structure of Complex Organizations

ability to assist science in a practical way in the solution of operating and policy questions. Likewise, the operation of a limited program of research support and graduate fellowships in the social sciences will provide the Foundation with a concrete body of experience in terms of which the requirements, needs, and accomplishments of the social sciences can be assessed. It is anticipated that experience over the next few years with this type of limited social science program, developing in intimate relationship with the natural sciences, will provide sound guidelines to the National Science Foundation for consideration of appropriate next steps in achieving that effective integration of the natural and social sciences which will enhance the contribution of all the sciences to the national well-being. It is hoped that, after careful study and evaluation, a solid basis can be laid, within the framework of the National Science Foundation, for the active co-operation of natural scientists and social scientists in achieving the objectives defined in the preamble to the basic Act: "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense. "
Functions of the internal pre-S domain of the large surface protein in hepatitis B virus particle morphogenesis

The large hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface protein (L) forms two isomers which display their N-terminal pre-S domain at the internal and external side of the viral envelope, respectively. The external pre-S domain has been implicated in binding to a virus receptor. To investigate functions of the internal pre-S domain, a secretion signal sequence was fused to the N terminus of L (sigL), causing exclusive expression of external pre-S domains. A fusion construct with a nonfunctional signal (s25L), which corresponds in its primary sequence to sigL cleaved by signal peptidase, was used as a control. SigL was N glycosylated in transfected COS cells at both potential sites in pre-S in contrast to s25L or wild-type L, confirming the expected transmembrane topologies of sigL and s25L. Phenotypic characterization revealed the following points. (i) SigL lost the inhibitory effect of L or s25L on secretion of subviral hepatitis B surface antigen particles, suggesting that the retention signal mapped to the N terminus of L is recognized in the cytosol and not in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. (ii) SigL was secreted into the culture medium even in the absence of the major HBV surface protein (S), while release of an L mutant lacking the retention signal was still dependent on S coexpression. (iii) s25L but not sigL could complement an L-negative HBV genome defective for virion secretion in cotransfections. This suggests that the cytosolic pre-S domain, like a matrix protein, is involved in the interaction of the viral envelope with preformed cytosolic nucleocapsids during virion assembly.
The History of Alcoholism Treatment in the United States

The treatment of alcoholism has had a unique historical development in the United States. This study provides a chronology of how the problem of alcoholism was defined and handled during various time periods in United States history. The process that evolved resulted in an abstinence based, comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of alcoholism as a primary disease based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. This treatment modality, that developed outside of established medicine, is currently used by the majority of treatment providers. Seven individuals who have been actively involved in alcoholism treatment were interviewed. In addition to archival research, biographies and autobiographies were examined to gain a broad perspective. Because alcoholism is both a collective and an individual problem an effort was made to include a microsociological frame of reference within a broad sociological view. Alcoholism, or inebriety, was first perceived as a legal and moral problem. By the end of the 19th century, inebriety was recognized as an illness differing from mental illness, and separate asylums were established for its treatment. Alcoholism is currently accepted and treated as a primary disease by the majority of social institutions, but the legal and moral implications remain. National Prohibition in the early part of the 20th century targeted alcohol instead of the alcoholic delaying any progress toward treatment which was made in the 19th century. The advent of Alcoholics Anonymous brought the first widely accepted hope for alcoholics. The treatment process that developed utilized the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous in a setting of shared recovery which has been difficult to quantify. In 1970 the allocation of federal funds for treatment and research brought the involvement of new disciplines creating both conflicts and possibilities. Alcoholism recovery has elucidated the connection of mind, body, and spirit.
Towards the randomized k-server conjecture: a primal-dual approach

Recently, Coté et al. [10] proposed an approach for solving the k-server problem on Hierchically Separated Trees (HSTs). In particular, they define a problem on a uniform metric, and show that if an algorithm with a certain refined guarantee exists for it, then one can obtain polylogarithmic (in diameter) competitive factors for the k-server problem on HSTs by solving this problem recursively. By designing such an algorithm for a two point metric, they obtained a logarithmic competitive algorithm for well-separated binary HSTs. Extending their result to uniform metrics on arbitrarily many points would imply a poly-logarithmic competitive algorithm for k-server on general HSTs (and hence general metrics) and is thus of major interest. Here, we design such an algorithm for any uniform metric, provided the instance satisfies a certain "convexity" property. Even though this does not give a result for k-server, convexity seems to be a very natural property, and we give evidence that instances arising in the Coté et al. [10] reduction from k-server essentially possess this property, suggesting that this might be a promising approach. Already, our setting is general enough to model the finely competitive paging problem proposed by Blum et al. [4], who motivated it as a first step towards achieving a polylog(k) competitive algorithm for k-server. Our result implies an r + O(log k)-competitive algorithm for finely competitive paging, resolving the main open problem of [4]. Our results are based on an extension of the primaldual framework for online algorithms developed by Buchbinder and Naor [7]. The original approach works for problems whose offline version can be expressed as a packing or a covering linear program, possibly with box constraints. The online nature of the problem is modeled by revealing the constraints one by one and the requirement that variables can only be increased over time. Here, we consider more general types of constraints, where terms can be both positive and negative. Moreover, we allow the variables to both increase and decrease. This versatility allows us to model problems such as predicting with expert advice, which could not be modeled earlier. To show the simplicity and generality of this approach, we give an alternate O(log k)-competitive algorithm for weighted paging with a very simple proof. We also give an alternate primal-dual approach to design regret minimization algorithms for the problem of online prediction with expert advice. Our results suggest the possibility of a more general primal-dual framework for online problems beyond covering and packing LPs.