Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Term-Weighting in Information Retrieval using Genetic Programming: A three stage process

This paper presents term-weighting schemes that have been evolved using genetic programming in an adhoc Information Retrieval model. We create an entire term-weighting scheme by firstly assuming that term-weighting schemes contain a global part, a term-frequency influence part and a normalisation part. By separating the problem into three distinct phases we reduce the search space and ease the analysis of the schemes generated by the process. Evolutionary computation techniques are proving to be a viable alternative to other standard analytical methods in many areas of IR. Genetic Programming (GP) [2] is an automated searching algorithm inspired by biological evolution. GP has been shown to be an effective approach to learning term-weighting schemes in IR [5]. Firstly, we evolve weighting schemes in a global domain which promote the best terms to use in distinguishing documents. Then, using a suitable global scheme, we evolve term-frequency influence schemes which uses the within-document term-frequency to correctly weight the term-frequency factor. Finally, we evolve normalisation schemes based on the best performing combined global and term-frequency scheme. This framework is an extension of work carried out in [1]. Most term-weighting schemes combine these three aspects to weight query terms and thus score a document in relation to a query.
Reactive Hyperemia and Cardiovascular Risk

Since the description of the classical cardiovascular risk factors by the Framingham group some 50 years ago,1 more recent efforts have explored the utility of biomarkers to further refine risk stratification. Although vascular imaging and biochemical markers have shown considerable promise,2 assessment of vascular function has particular appeal. Endothelial dysfunction is an attendant feature of established atherosclerosis3 and a precursor when only risk factors for atherosclerosis are present.4 It is thought in large part to reflect decreased nitric oxide bioavailability in the vasculature. As such it has been suggested that endothelial dysfunction plays a central pathophysiological role in the development and clinical expression of cardiovascular disease, making it well suited as a surrogate marker of risk. See p 2113 Endothelial function has been generally assessed by measuring vasomotion of conduit vessels or regional increases in blood flow, reflecting microvascular/resistance vessel function, in the coronary or peripheral circulation. Although coronary endothelial function remains a “gold standard,” its complexity and invasive requirements do not permit extensive use. Flow-mediated dilation of the peripheral circulation (FMD) has evolved as a popular marker because of the relative simplicity, a belief that it largely reflects nitric oxide–dependent endothelial function, its correlation with coronary reactivity, and modulation by risk factors or their treatment. What is often underappreciated, however, is that the relationship between vascular risk factors and FMD is rather poor. In addition, the correlation between measures of conduit vessel and microvascular function is weak and ultimately it is microvascular function that controls blood flow and oxygen transport. Impaired coronary reactivity has been shown to predict subsequent cardiac events in several small studies.5,6 …
Regulation of Human Cytomegalovirus Transcription in Latency: Beyond the Major Immediate-Early Promoter

Lytic infection of differentiated cell types with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) results in the temporal expression of between 170–200 open reading frames (ORFs). A number of studies have demonstrated the temporal regulation of these ORFs and that this is orchestrated by both viral and cellular mechanisms associated with the co-ordinated recruitment of transcription complexes and, more recently, higher order chromatin structure. Importantly, HCMV, like all herpes viruses, establishes a lifelong latent infection of the host—one major site of latency being the undifferentiated haematopoietic progenitor cells resident in the bone marrow. Crucially, the establishment of latency is concomitant with the recruitment of cellular enzymes that promote extensive methylation of histones bound to the major immediate early promoter. As such, the repressive chromatin structure formed at the major immediate early promoter (MIEP) elicits inhibition of IE gene expression and is a major factor involved in maintenance of HCMV latency. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that a distinct subset of viral genes is also expressed during latency. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms that control the expression of these latency-associated transcripts and illustrate that regulation of these latency-associated promoters is also subject to chromatin mediated regulation and that the instructive observations previously reported regarding the negative regulation of the MIEP during latency are paralleled in the regulation of latent gene expression.
Unsupervised utterance-wise beamformer estimation with speech recognition-level criterion

In this paper, we perform beamforming with a speech recognition-level criterion. A beamformer is usually designed by optimizing signal-level criteria, e.g., by minimizing the beamformer output covariance or by maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Such signal-level criteria do not always guarantee that the optimized beamformer is the best for noise robust automatic speech recognition. Recently, a few approaches have been proposed for performing beamforming with a speech recognition-level criterion. These approaches train beamformers along with an acoustic model by using multichannel training data and a parallel corpus of noisy and clean data. This paper proposes a novel approach for estimating the beamformer for every test utterance with a speech recognition-level criterion. We use an unsupervised acoustic model adaptation scheme to optimize our beamformer. Specifically, we first obtain decoding results with an initialized beamformer, and then we optimize our beamformer using back propagation to minimize the cross entropy between the first-pass decoding results and actual network outputs. With this approach, our beamformer can be trained to discriminate hidden Markov model states more clearly for every test utterance. Experimental results show that our beamformer outperforms a beamformer designed with a signal-level criterion.
A Novel Quasi-Passive, Software-Defined, and Energy Efficient Optical Access Network for Adaptive Intra-PON Flow Transmission

In this paper, we propose, design, and demonstrate a novel Intra-PON Flow transmission with optical reroute using a Quasi-PAssive Reconfigurable (QPAR) node. The network can be reconfigured adaptively according to the monitored traffic status in a software-defined manner. Simulations show that PON with reroute architecture can achieve ~20% higher network capacity comparing to PON without reroute case with the same traffic waiting time or blocking probability requirement. PON with reroute consistently outperforms PON without reroute configuration with 20% larger throughput and 24% less power consumption with the Intra-PON traffic ratio of 0.3. In addition, adaptive Intra-wavelength assignment with a QPAR node can adapt to the subscription rate growth with time, and provide cost and power savings compared to PON without reroute and fixed PON with reroute architectures by approximately 20% and 10%. Moreover, adaptive Intra-PON architecture with a QPAR node can facilitate efficient multicast transmission for video or file backup among multiple serves located in different access networks, which can provide lower traffic waiting time, 14% power saving, and support roughly 30% higher traffic comparing to the fixed PON with reroute design with a multicast ratio of 0.5.
Title Genome sequence reveals that Pseudomonas fluorescens F 113 possesses a large and diverse array of systems for rhizosphere function and host interaction

Background: Pseudomonas fluorescens F113 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) isolated from the sugar-beet rhizosphere. This bacterium has been extensively studied as a model strain for genetic regulation of secondary metabolite production in P. fluorescens, as a candidate biocontrol agent against phytopathogens, and as a heterologous host for expression of genes with biotechnological application. The F113 genome sequence and annotation has been recently reported. Results: Comparative analysis of 50 genome sequences of strains belonging to the P. fluorescens group has revealed the existence of five distinct subgroups. F113 belongs to subgroup I, which is mostly composed of strains classified as P. brassicacearum. The core genome of these five strains is highly conserved and represents approximately 76% of the protein-coding genes in any given genome. Despite this strong conservation, F113 also contains a large number of unique protein-coding genes that encode traits potentially involved in the rhizocompetence of this strain. These features include protein coding genes required for denitrification, diterpenoids catabolism, motility and chemotaxis, protein secretion and production of antimicrobial compounds and insect toxins. Conclusions: The genome of P. fluorescens F113 is composed of numerous protein-coding genes, not usually found together in previously sequenced genomes, which are potentially decisive during the colonisation of the rhizosphere and/or interaction with other soil organisms. This includes genes encoding proteins involved in the production of a second flagellar apparatus, the use of abietic acid as a growth substrate, the complete denitrification pathway, the possible production of a macrolide antibiotic and the assembly of multiple protein secretion systems. * Correspondence: rafael.rivilla@uam.es Equal contributors Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/Darwin, 2, Madrid 28049, Spain Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © 2013 Redondo-Nieto et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Redondo-Nieto et al. BMC Genomics 2013, 14:54 http://www.biomedcentral. com/1471-2164/14/54
Measuring the benefits of social science research

This paper addresses two questions: The first is "What are the benefits of social science research? "; the second is "How should they be measured? " The response to the first is that, as with research in the physical sciences, the benefits should be identified in terms of changes in economic surplus for different groups. It may be useful to use a framework that considers the incidence of the effects of social science research on firms, households, and govenment agencies. The response to the second question is that estimating returns to social science research using conventional econometric techniques may be particularly difficult. Instead, it may be necessary to resort to a case study approach, but care must be taken to ensure that the cases selected for study are genuinely representative.
Auto-calibration and 3D reconstruction with non-central catadioptric sensors using polarization imag

Non-central catadioptric sensors became a mandatory effective tool in a broad range of applications and hence robust modeling and calibration for such sensors are required. One simple and efficient method is to model the catadioptric sensor by its catacaustics. Calibrating the sensor is equivalent to computing its catacaustics which fully geometrically describe the sensor. In this work, we calibrate non-central catadioptric sensors by computing their catacaustics using polarization imaging. We provide stable and accurate results by applying our novel practical method to extract required parameters. We have applied our method on a parabolic, a hyperbolic, and two spherical reflectors. In order to evaluate the calibration quality, 3D reconstructions for multiple real world points were simulated assuming to have configurations with a perspective lens or a telecentric lens. 3D reconstruction simulation from caustics using polarization for various configurations of catadioptric sensors is firstly presented in this work.
Effectors and Effector Delivery in Magnaporthe oryzae

Rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most destructive fungal diseases of rice and a model for studying fungal-plant interactions. The fungus penetrates plant cells with appressoria and develops the narrow primary invasive hyphae (IH) and, subsequently, the bulbous secondary IH. As a hemibiotrophic pathogen, biotrophic IH are enclosed in the extra-invasive-hyphal membrane (EIHM) produced by the plant cells [1]. Like many other fungal pathogens [2], M. oryzae secretes effector proteins to manipulate plant immunity and physiology to promote infection.
Why Is Programming (Sometimes) So Difficult? Programming as Scientific Discovery in Multiple Problem Spaces

Our theoretical framework views programming as search in three problem spaces: rule, instance, and representation. The main objectives of this study are to find out how programmers change representation while working in multiple problem spaces, and how representation change increases the difficulty of programming tasks. Our theory of programming indicates that programming is similar to the way scientists discover and test theories. That is, programmers generate hypotheses in the rule space and test these hypotheses in the instance space. Moreover, programmers change their representations in the representation space when rule development becomes too difficult or alternative representations are available. We conducted three empirical studies with different programming tasks: writing a new program, understanding an existing program, and reusing an old program. Our results indicate that considerable cognitive difficulties stem from the need to change representations in these tasks. We conclude by discussing the implications of viewing programming as a scientific discovery for the design of programming environments and training methods.
Effect of cefodizime and ceftriaxone on phagocytic function in patients with severe infections

Thirty patients with severe bacterial infections were treated with 50 mg of cefodizime per kg of body weight once daily or 50 mg of ceftriaxone per kg once daily for 10 +/- 3 days. The effect of cefodizime and ceftriaxone on the phagocytic capacity and generation of reactive oxygen intermediates after phagocytosis by granulocytes was assessed prior to, during, and after therapy. Flow cytometry was used to study phagocytic capacity by measuring the uptake of fluorescein-labeled bacteria. The generation of reactive oxygen intermediates after phagocytosis was estimated by the quantification of the intracellular conversion of dihydrorhodamine 123 to rhodamine 123. Prior to therapy, patients in both groups exhibited a decreased capacity to phagocytize Escherichia coli and subsequently to generate reactive oxygen intermediates. Granulocyte function increased after the initiation of therapy and normalized within 7 days for the ceftriaxone-treated patients and within 3 days for the cefodizime group (P < 0.05). In the cefodizime group, an enhancement of phagocytic capacity was observed 14 days after the initiation of therapy (P < 0.05). Prior to therapy, phagocytic capacity was significantly correlated with the generation of reactive oxygen products (r = 0.674 and P < 0.005).
Calcium Antagonists, Cerebral Ischemia and Vasospasm

ABSTRACT: The past fifteen years has seen the classification of diverse substances into a group known as calcium antagonists (CAs). They have a common ability to reduce the transmembrane transport of extracellular calcium ions (CAe2+). This flow of calcium into vascular smooth muscle is ultimately associated with the development of tension and vasoconstriction. Some CAs appear to have a predilection for cerebral as opposed to systemic arteries and so may function as specific cerebral arterial vasodilators. It has been proposed that they might be useful in certain types of cerebral ischemia such as that due to arterial occlusion or prolonged vasoconstriction. Animal experiments and initial clinical trials give grounds for cautious optimism that CAs may become as useful in neurology as they have recently become in cardiology.
International labor standards : history, theory and policy options

Part I. Introduction: Kaushik Basu, Henrik Horn, Lisa Roman, Judith Shapiro. Part II: The Evolution of Labor Standards:. 1. The History and Political Economy of International Labor Standards: Stanley Engerman (Rochester University). Commentary 1.1 The Parallels Between the Past and the Present: Jane Humphries (All--Souls College, Oxford University). Commentary 1.2 Legislation Versus Bargaining Power: The Evolution of Scandinavian Labor Standards: Karl--Ove Moene and Michael Wallerstein (Oslo University). Part III: The Theory of International Labor Standards:. 2. The Impact of International Labor Standards. A Survey of Economic Theory: Nirvikar Singh (University of California, Santa Cruz). Commentary 2.1 Old Wine in New Bottles? : T.N. Srinivasan (Yale University). Commentary 2.2 Governing Labor Relations: Tore Ellingsen (Stockholm School of Economics). Part IV: The Issue Of Child Labor:. 3. Child Labor: Theory, Evidence and Policy: Drusilla Brown (Tufts University), Alan Deardorff (Michigan University), and Robert Stern (Michigan University). Commentary 3.1 The Political Economy of Child Labor: Alan Krueger (Princeton University). Commentary 3.2 Social Norms, Coordination and Policy Issues in the Fight Against Child Labor: Luis--Felipe Lopez--Calva (El Colegio de Mexico). Part V: The International Organisation and Enforcement of Labor Standards:. 4. A Role For The WTO: Robert Staiger (University of Wisconsin). Commentary 4.1 Trade and Labor Standards. To Link or Not to Link? : Alan L Winters (University of Sussex). Commentary 4.2 The Need to Micro--Manage Regulatory Diversity: Petros Mavroidis (University of Neuchatel). Index.
Mirroring of attention by neurons in macaque parietal cortex

Macaques, like humans, rapidly orient their attention in the direction other individuals are looking. Both cortical and subcortical pathways have been proposed as neural mediators of social gaze following, but neither pathway has been characterized electrophysiologically in behaving animals. To address this gap, we recorded the activity of single neurons in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) of rhesus macaques to determine whether and how this area might contribute to gaze following. A subset of LIP neurons mirrored observed attention by firing both when the subject looked in the preferred direction of the neuron, and when observed monkeys looked in the preferred direction of the neuron, despite the irrelevance of the monkey images to the task. Importantly, the timing of these modulations matched the time course of gaze-following behavior. A second population of neurons was suppressed by social gaze cues, possibly subserving task demands by maintaining fixation on the observed face. These observations suggest that LIP contributes to sharing of observed attention and link mirror representations in parietal cortex to a well studied imitative behavior.
Coastal deformation and great subduction earthquakes, Isla Santa María, Chile (37°S)

Isla Santa Maria at the active margin of south-central Chile is the result of earthquake-related uplift and deformation in the forearc since at least late Pleistocene time. Field mapping, dating of key depositional horizons, and analysis of seismic-refl ection profi les reveal ongoing deformation in this sector of the Chilean forearc. The 30 km 2 island is located ~12 km above the interplate seismogenic zone and 75 km landward of the trench. It is situated near the southern termination of the Concepcion earthquake rupture segment, where Charles Darwin measured 3 m of coseismic uplift during a M > 8 megathrust earthquake in 1835. Permanent postearthquake deformation from this earthquake and an earlier event in 1751 is registered by emerged, landward-tilted abrasion surfaces. Uplift at ~2 m/k.y. and tilting at ~0.025°/k.y. of the island have been fairly constant throughout the late Quaternary and have resulted in emergence of the island above sea level ~31 k.y. ago. The island is composed of a late Pleistocene upper, tilted surface with two asymmetric tilt domains, and Holocene lowlands characterized by uplifted and tilted strandlines. Industry offshore seismic-refl ection profi les covering an area of ~1800 km 2 and crustal seismicity reveal active reversefault cored anticlines surrounding Isla Santa Maria; the principal fault apparently roots in the plate-interface thrust. These reverse faults in the upper plate result from inversion of late Cretaceous to early Pliocene normal faults and rift structure of the Arauco forearc basin. Positive inversion of these inherited structures started between 3.6 and 2.5 Ma and resulted in continuous shortening rates of ~0.8 mm/yr. The seismic-refl ection profi les show that the asymmetric tilt domains and progressive syntectonic sedimentation are linked to the position of the island in the forelimbs of two converging anticlines, whereas their backlimbs have been removed by cliff retreat. The 2 m uplift contour of the 1835 earthquake is parallel to the strike of active faults and antiforms in the Arauco-Concepcion region. The close relation among the asymmetric uplift and tilt of the island, modern deformation patterns, and reverse faults rooted in the plate interface suggests that slip on the plate interface thrust infl uences, localizes, and segments surface deformation during large interplate earthquakes. Furthermore, the link between positive inversion of pre-existing structures, uplift, and tilt patterns in the forearc emphasizes the importance of inherited structural fabrics in guiding plate-boundary deformation.
Improved Satellite Image Preprocessing and Segmentation using Wavelets and Enhanced Watershed Algorithms

- Satellite imagery consists of photographs of earth or other planets made by means of artificial satellites. Satellite images have many applications in meteorology, agriculture, geology, forestry, biodiversity conservation, regional planning, education, intelligence and warfare. Segmentation is a process of partitioning a satellite image into non-intersection regions and is considered as a vital step in many satellite image processing applications. The performance of the segmentation algorithm is often degraded by the image quality and because of their huge size, is often slow. The current need is an algorithm which can solve both these drawbacks. In this paper, a solution that enhances the image quality through a simultaneous process that corrects intensity, adjusts contrast, enhances edges and removes unwanted noise is proposed. The enhanced image is then segmented using a modified watershed algorithm that uses mean-shift clustering. Experimental results prove that both the proposed enhancement procedure and segmentation algorithm show significant improvement when compared with existing solutions.