Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical Inference and Probabilistic Modelling for Constraint-Based NLP

We present a probabilistic model for constraint-based grammars and a method for estimating the parameters of such models from incomplete, i.e., unparsed data. Whereas methods exist to estimate the parameters of probabilistic context-free grammars from incomplete data (Baum 1970), so far for probabilistic grammars involving context-dependencies only parameter estimation techniques from complete, i.e., fully parsed data have been presented (Abney 1997). However, complete-data estimation requires labor-intensive, error-prone, and grammar-specific hand-annotating of large language corpora. We present a log-linear probability model for constraint logic programming, and a general algorithm to estimate the parameters of such models from incomplete data by extending the estimation algorithm of Della-Pietra, Della-Pietra, and Lafferty (1997) to incomplete data settings.
OBPC Symposium: Maize 2004 & beyond-developmental and molecular genetics of embryogenesis in plants

SummaryEmbryo development is a very key phase in the life cycle of seed plants. At maturity, the embryo contains the complete machinery to elaborate the entire plant body. While the embryogenic process is an innate feature of the zygote, gametic and somatic cells can undergo embryogenesis under the appropriate culture conditions. Embryogenesis is a highly regulated process and the use of mutants, especially in Arabidopsis, has allowed the identification of genes regulating pattern formation during this process. The use of such mutants has revealed the eritical roles of auxin levels and transport in the establishment of embryo axis. Root and shoot apical meristem function and integrity, have been defined by examination of genes involved in their identity and function. Further knowledge of the molecular and biochemical aspects of zygotic embryogenesis should contribute to our understanding of the underlying regulatory pathways and networks and also provide critical insights into unique totipotent features of the plant cell.
Phytoestrogen Content of Foods Consumed in Canada, Including Isoflavones, Lignans, and Coumestan

Abstract: Phytoestrogens may play a role in hormone-related diseases such as cancer, but epidemiological and clinical data are conflicting in part due to inadequate databases used in intake estimation. A database of nine phytoestrogens in foods relevant to Western diets was developed to more accurately estimate intakes. Foods (N = 121) available in Ontario, Canada were prepared as commonly consumed and analyzed for isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, glycitein, formononetin), lignans (secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, pinoresinol, lariciresinol), and coumestan (coumestrol) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods. Data were presented on an as is (wet) basis per 100 g and per serving. Food groups with decreasing levels of total phytoestrogens per 100 g are nuts and oilseeds, soy products, cereals and breads, legumes, meat products, and other processed foods that may contain soy, vegetables, fruits, alcoholic, and nonalcoholic beverages. Soy products contain the highest amounts of isoflavone, followed by legumes, meat products and other processed foods, cereals and breads, nuts and oilseeds, vegetables, alcoholic beverages, fruits, and nonalcoholic beverages. Decreasing amounts of lignans are found in nuts and oilseeds, cereals and breads, legumes, fruits, vegetables, soy products, processed foods, alcoholic, and nonalcoholic beverages. The richest sources of specific phytoestrogens, including coumestrol, were identified. The database will improve phytoestrogen intake estimation in future epidemiological and clinical studies particularly in Western populations.
Online Permutation Routing in Partitioned Optical Passive Star Networks

This paper establishes the state of the art in both deterministic and randomized online permutation routing in the POPS network. Indeed, we show that any permutation can be routed online on a POPS(d, g) network either with O(d/g log g) deterministic slots, or, with high probability, with 5clfloord/grfloor + o(d/g) + O(log log g) randomized slots, where constant c = exp(1 + e-1) ap 3.927. When d = Theta(g), which we claim to be the "interesting" case, the randomized algorithm is exponentially faster than any other algorithm in the literature, both deterministic and randomized ones. This is true in practice as well. Indeed, experiments show that it outperforms its rivals even starting from as small a network as a POPS(2, 2) and the gap grows exponentially with the size of the network. We can also show that, under proper hypothesis, no deterministic algorithm can asymptotically match its performance
AFilter: adaptable XML filtering with prefix-caching suffix-clustering

XML message filtering problem involves searching for instances of a given, potentially large, set of patterns in a continuous stream of XML messages. Since the messages arrive continuously, it is essential that the filtering rate matches the data arrival rate. Therefore, the given set of filter patterns needs to be indexed appropriately to enable real-time processing of the streaming XML data. In this paper, we propose AFilter, an adaptable, and thus scalable, path expression filtering approach. AFilter has a base memory requirement linear in filter expression and data size. Furthermore, when additional memory is available, AFilter can exploit prefix commonalities in the set of filter expressions using a loosely-coupled prefix caching mechanism as opposed to tightly-coupled active state representation of alternative approaches. Unlike existing systems, AFilter can also exploit suffix-commonalities across filter expressions, while simultaneously leveraging the prefix-commonalities through the cache. Finally, AFilter uses a triggering mechanism to prevent excessive consumption of resources by delaying processing until a trigger condition is observed. Experiment results show that AFilter provides significantly better scalability and runtime performance when compared to state of the art filtering systems.
Multi-Satellite MIMO Communications at Ku-Band and Above: Investigations on Spatial Multiplexing for Capacity Improvement and Selection Diversity for Interference Mitigation

This paper investigates the applicability of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology to satellite communications at the Ku-band and above. After introducing the possible diversity sources to form a MIMO matrix channel in a satellite environment, particular emphasis is put on satellite diversity. Two specific different topics from the field of MIMO technology applications to satellite communications at these frequencies are further analyzed: (i) capacity improvement achieved by MIMO spatial multiplexing systems and (ii) interference mitigation achieved by MIMO diversity systems employing receive antenna selection. In the first case, a single-user capacity analysis of a satellite MIMO spatial multiplexing system is presented and a useful analytical closed form expression is derived for the outage capacity achieved. In the second case, a satellite MIMO diversity system with receive antenna selection is considered, adjacent satellite cochannel interference on its forward link is studied and an analytical model predicting the interference mitigation achieved is presented. In both cases, an appropriate physical MIMO channel model is assumed which takes into account the propagation phenomena related to the frequencies of interest, such as clear line-of-sight operation, high antenna directivity, the effect of rain fading, and the slant path lengths difference. Useful numerical results obtained through the analytical expressions derived are presented to compare the performance of multi-satellite MIMO systems to relevant single-input single-output (SISO) ones.
Discourse measures for Basque summary grading

In the context of Learning Technologies, the need to be able to assess the learning and domain comprehension in open-ended learner responses has been present in artificial intelligence and education since its beginnings. The advantage of using summaries is that they allow teachers to diagnose comprehension and the amount of information remembered from text in the learning process. This study addresses the issue of automatically obtaining overall discourse scores from surface discourse measures for Basque language. Global measures have been studied for cohesion, adequacy and use of language. The approach taken was to estimate the presence of the automatically gathered surface discourse measures in expert grading decisions in cohesion, adequacy and use of language. As a consequence, three grading decision-making regression models were obtained to estimate overall grades from text written in Basque. Next, the obtained regression models were tested in corpus-containing summaries written by learners with different degrees of summarisation maturity. The results show that the obtained grading frameworks significantly reflect human decisions and are able to discriminate summarisation maturity differences.
Inclusion of fish meal in the coating of Nile tilapia nuggets

This study evaluated the effect of fish meal in the coating of Nile tilapia nuggets on their physicochemical and sensory characteristics. Nuggets and flours were developed from mechanically separated meat of tilapia. For breading, the nuggets were assigned four types of coating (0, 20, 40, and 60% of fish meal inclusion in the Panko-type coating flour), then pre-fried, frozen, and subsequently subjected to complete frying. In the pre-fried nuggets, the inclusion of fish flour in the coating caused a linear increase in protein, lipid, ash, and caloric value, while in the fried nuggets, there were a linear decrease in moisture and a linear increase in lipids and caloric value. The inclusion of fish meal resulted in a decrease in brightness (L*) and an increase in the intensities of red (a*) and yellow (b*) in the fried nuggets. Adding fish meal to the nuggets’ coating resulted in a linear decrease in hardness, elasticity, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and shear strength, however, without affecting the overall acceptability of the nuggets. Thus, it is concluded that the inclusion of up to 60% of fish meal in the coating of Nile tilapia nuggets is indicated to improve the nutritional profile of the product.
Language Embeddings that Preserve Staging and Safety

We study embeddings of programming languages into one another that preserve what reductions take place at compile-time, i.e., staging. A certain condition -- what we call a 'Turing complete kernel' -- is sufficient for a language to be stage-universal in the sense that any language may be embedded in it while preserving staging. A similar line of reasoning yields the notion of safety-preserving embeddings, and a useful characterization of safety-universality. Languages universal with respect to staging and safety are good candidates for realizing domain-specific embedded languages (DSELs) and 'active libraries' that provide domain-specific optimizations and safety checks.
Coding for the feedback Gel'fand-Pinsker channel and the feedforward Wyner-Ziv source

We consider both channel coding and source coding, with perfect past feedback/feedforward, in the presence of side information. It is first observed that feedback does not increase the capacity of the Gelfand-Pinsker channel, nor does feedforward improve the achievable rate-distortion performance in the Wyner-Ziv problem. We then focus on the Gaussian case showing that, as in the absence of side information, feedback/feedforward allows to efficiently attain the respective performance limits. In particular, we derive schemes via variations on that of Schalkwijk and Kailath. These variants, which are as simple as their origin and require no binning, are shown to achieve, respectively, the capacity of Costa's channel, and the Wyner-Ziv rate distortion function. Finally, we consider the finite-alphabet setting and derive schemes for both the channel and the source coding problems that attain the fundamental limits, using variations on schemes of Ahlswede and Ooi and Wornell, and of Martinian and Wornell, respectively
Minimal social weight user interactions for wearable computers in business suits

This paper presents the e-SUIT, a wearable computer incorporated in a traditional business suit. A key feature of the system is an array of input/output devices integrated into the garment. These devices are connected to a network bus incorporated into the suit jacket. The network connects the jackets sensors and I/O with a Compaq iPAQ/sup TM/ operating Windows CE. The iPAQ is connected to the users personal information systems via a wireless LAN. Demonstrated within is an application allowing the e-SUIT to control the factory installed Microsoft Pocket Outlook/sup /spl reg//. Pocket Outlook is a functioning business class application that allows the proof of concept testing to be performed on an integrated product used in the marketplace.
Ecdysone signaling induces two phases of cell cycle exit in Drosophila cells

ABSTRACT During development, cell proliferation and differentiation must be tightly coordinated to ensure proper tissue morphogenesis. Because steroid hormones are central regulators of developmental timing, understanding the links between steroid hormone signaling and cell proliferation is crucial to understanding the molecular basis of morphogenesis. Here we examined the mechanism by which the steroid hormone ecdysone regulates the cell cycle in Drosophila. We find that a cell cycle arrest induced by ecdysone in Drosophila cell culture is analogous to a G2 cell cycle arrest observed in the early pupa wing. We show that in the wing, ecdysone signaling at the larva-to-puparium transition induces Broad which in turn represses the cdc25c phosphatase String. The repression of String generates a temporary G2 arrest that synchronizes the cell cycle in the wing epithelium during early pupa wing elongation and flattening. As ecdysone levels decline after the larva-to-puparium pulse during early metamorphosis, Broad expression plummets, allowing String to become re-activated, which promotes rapid G2/M progression and a subsequent synchronized final cell cycle in the wing. In this manner, pulses of ecdysone can both synchronize the final cell cycle and promote the coordinated acquisition of terminal differentiation characteristics in the wing. Summary: Pulsed ecdysone signaling remodels cell cycle dynamics, causing distinct primary and secondary cell cycle arrests in Drosophila cells, analogous to those observed in the wing during metamorphosis.
Estimating the Amount of Hemoglobin in the Neuroretinal Rim Using Color Images and OCT

Abstract Purpose: To calculate the amount of hemoglobin (Hb) in the optic nerve head (ONH), using superimposed color fundus images with disc, rim and cup boundaries obtained by OCT-Cirrus. Material and Methods: We examined 100 healthy and 121 glaucomatous eyes using Oculus–Spark perimetry, Cirrus-OCT and Visucam (Zeiss) ONH color images. The Laguna ONhE program was then used to calculate the amount of Hb in the cup and six sectors of the rim. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed and correlations between parameters were calculated. Results: In suspected and confirmed glaucoma, Hb was significantly lower than controls in all rim sectors, especially the inferior and superonasal (p < 0.0001). Mean deviation (MD) of visual field regions showed greater correlation with the amount of Hb in the superior and inferior sectors of the rim than with rim area (p = 0.02) or nerve fiber layer thickness (p < 0.0001). On ROC analysis, the best diagnostic indicators were OCT rim area, vertical cup/disc ratio (C/D) and Glaucoma Discriminant Function (GDF) of Laguna ONhE, without significant differences. Conclusions: The amount of Hb in the ONH seems to have an important relationship with glaucomatous visual field sensitivity. The remaining rim has insufficient perfusion in many cases of glaucoma.
Early Hypertension Is Associated With Reduced Regional Cardiac Function, Insulin Resistance, Epicardial, and Visceral Fat

Mild-to-moderate hypertension is often associated with insulin resistance and visceral adiposity. Whether these metabolic abnormalities have an independent impact on regional cardiac function is not known. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of increased blood pressure, insulin resistance, and ectopic fat accumulation on the changes in peak systolic circumferential strain. Thirty-five male subjects (age: 47±1 years; body mass index: 28.4±0.6 kg.m−2; mean±SEM) included 13 with normal blood pressure (BP: 113±5/67±2 mm Hg), 13 with prehypertension (BP: 130±1/76±2 mm Hg), and 9 newly diagnosed with essential hypertension (BP: 150±2/94±2 mm Hg) who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tagging (MRI) and MRI quantitation of abdominal visceral and epicardial fat. Glucose tolerance, on oral glucose tolerance test, and insulin resistance were assessed along with the serum lipid profile. All of the subjects had normal glucose tolerance, left- and right-ventricular volumes, and ejection fraction. Across the BP groups, left ventricular mass tended to increase, and circumferential shortening was progressively reduced at basal, midheart, and apical segments (on average, from −17.0±0.5% in normal blood pressure to −15.2±0.7% in prehypertension to −13.6±0.8% in those newly diagnosed with essential hypertension; P=0.004). Reduced circumferential strain was significantly associated with raised BP independent of age (r=0.41; P=0.01) and with epicardial and visceral fat, serum triglycerides, and insulin resistance independent of age and BP. In conclusion, regional left ventricular function is already reduced at the early stages of hypertension despite the normal global cardiac function. Insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and ectopic fat accumulation are associated with reduced regional systolic function.
A O(n^8) X O(n^7) Linear Programming Model of the Traveling Salesman Problem

This paper has been withdrawn because Theorem 25 and Corollary 26 are incorrect. The modeling idea is OK but it needs 9-dimensional variables instead of the 8-dimensional variables defined in notations 10.2. Examples of the correct model (with 9-index variables) are: (1) Diaby, M. , "Linear Programming Formulation of the Set Partitioning Problem," International Journal of Operational Research 8:4 (August 2010) pp. 399-427; (2) Diaby, M. , "Linear Programming Formulation of the Vertex Coloring Problem," International Journal of Mathematics in Operational Research 2:3 (May 2010) pp. 259-289; (3) Diaby, M. , "The Traveling Salesman Problem: A Linear Programming Formulation," WSEAS Transactions on Mathematics, 6:6 (June 2007) pp. 745-754.
Aldosterone synthase inhibition improves cardiovascular function and structure in rats with heart failure: a comparison with spironolactone.

AIMS Inhibition of aldosterone synthase, the key enzyme in aldosterone formation, could be an alternative strategy for mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonists in congestive heart failure (CHF), but its effect in CHF is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We compared, in rats with CHF, the effects of a 7 day and a 12 week treatment with the aldosterone synthase inhibitor FAD286 (4 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) with those induced by spironolactone (80 mg kg(-1) day(-1)). FAD286/spironolactone increased cardiac output without modifying arterial pressure. Long-term FAD286 and spironolactone reduced left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure, LV relaxation constant, and LV dilatation, and these effects were more marked with FAD286, whereas both drugs reduced LV hypertrophy and collagen accumulation to the same extent. Long-term FAD286/spironolactone prevented CHF-related enhancement in LV ACE and reduction in LV ACE-2, but only FAD286 prevented the reduction in LV AT(2) receptors. FAD286, but not long-term spironolactone, reduced the CHF-related enhancements in LV reactive oxygen species, reduced-oxidized glutathione ratio, and aortic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity. FAD286 normalized the CHF-induced impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. CONCLUSION In experimental CHF, FAD286 and spironolactone improve LV haemodynamics, remodelling, and function, but only FAD286 persistently normalizes LV 'redox status'. These results suggest that aldosterone synthase inhibition is a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CHF.
Consecutive re-explorations for final resection of initially unresectable pancreatic head carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The lack of high surgical expertise and specialization of the practicing surgeon may lead some patients with pancreatic cancer to die. This study also investigates the role of combined neo and adjuvant locoregional immunochemotherapy in patients considered initially as non-amenable to resection. METHODOLOGY 32 patients underwent re-exploration aiming at pancreatic resection. After the initial diagnostic work-up 22 of them underwent pancreatic resection during the first re-exploration. The remaining 10 patients were judged again as unresectable. All 32 patients had 2 catheters introduced into a side arterial branch of the jejunal artery and vein for locoregional immunochemotherapy. Seven out of 10, considered as unresectable initially, had pancreatic resection after immunochemotherapy regimen. RESULTS All patients survived surgery. Early morbidity included wound infection in 3, bleeding in 1 and leakage of gastric stump in 1 patient. Treatment related toxicity included leukopenia in 4 patients, anemia in 3 and fever and chills in 21. Mean follow-up was 62 +/- 1.2 months. One-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival was 100, 80, 70 and 48% respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results strongly support the necessity for neo and adjuvant locoregional immunochemotherapy and its contribution to prolongation of survival.
Subgroup Discovery with CN2-SD

This paper investigates how to adapt standard classification rule learning approaches to subgroup discovery. The goal of subgroup discovery is to find rules describing subsets of the population that are sufficiently large and statistically unusual. The paper presents a subgroup discovery algorithm, CN2-SD, developed by modifying parts of the CN2 classification rule learner: its covering algorithm, search heuristic, probabilistic classification of instances, and evaluation measures. Experimental evaluation of CN2-SD on 23 UCI data sets shows substantial reduction of the number of induced rules, increased rule coverage and rule significance, as well as slight improvements in terms of the area under ROC curve, when compared with the CN2 algorithm. Application of CN2-SD to a large traffic accident data set confirms these findings.