Multilingual Schema Matching for Wikipedia Infoboxes

Recent research has taken advantage of Wikipedia's multilingualism as a resource for cross-language information retrieval and machine translation, as well as proposed techniques for enriching its cross-language structure. The availability of documents in multiple languages also opens up new opportunities for querying structured Wikipedia content, and in particular, to enable answers that straddle different languages. As a step towards supporting such queries, in this paper, we propose a method for identifying mappings between attributes from infoboxes that come from pages in different languages. Our approach finds mappings in a completely automated fashion. Because it does not require training data, it is scalable: not only can it be used to find mappings between many language pairs, but it is also effective for languages that are under-represented and lack sufficient training samples. Another important benefit of our approach is that it does not depend on syntactic similarity between attribute names, and thus, it can be applied to language pairs that have distinct morphologies. We have performed an extensive experimental evaluation using a corpus consisting of pages in Portuguese, Vietnamese, and English. The results show that not only does our approach obtain high precision and recall, but it also outperforms state-of-the-art techniques. We also present a case study which demonstrates that the multilingual mappings we derive lead to substantial improvements in answer quality and coverage for structured queries over Wikipedia content.Comment: VLDB201

Changes of benthic macroinvertebrates in Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries under polluted conditions with industrial wastewater

The pollution on the Thi Vai River has been spreading out rapidly over the two lasted decades caused by the wastewater from the industrial parks in the left bank of Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries. The evaluation of the benthic macroinvertebrate changes was very necessary to identify the consequences of the industrial wastewater on water quality and aquatic ecosystem of Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries. In this study, the variables of benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality were investigated in Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries, Southern Vietnam. The monitoring data of benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality parameters covered the period from 1989 to 2015 at 6 sampling sites in Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries. The basic water quality parameters were also tested including pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. The biodiversity indices of benthic macroinvertebrates were applied for water quality assessment. The results showed that pH ranged from 6.4 – 7.6 during the monitoring. The DO concentrations were in between 0.20 – 6.70 mg/L. The concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorous ranged from 0.03 – 5.70 mg/L 0.024 – 1.380 mg/L respectively. Macroinvertebrate community in the study area consisted of 36 species of polychaeta, gastropoda, bivalvia, and crustacea, of which, species of polychaeta were dominant in species number. The benthic macroinvertebartes density ranged from 0 – 2.746 individuals/m2 with the main dominant species of Neanthes caudata, Prionospio malmgreni, Paraprionospio pinnata, Trichochaeta carica, Maldane sarsi, Capitella capitata, Terebellides stroemi, Euditylia polymorpha, Grandidierella lignorum, Apseudes vietnamensis. The biodiversity index values during the monitoring characterized for aquatic environmental conditions of mesotrophic to polytrophic. Besides, species richness positively correlated with DO, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. The results confirmed the advantage of using benthic macroinvertebrates and their indices for water quality assessment

High throughput profiling of transcription factors involved in soybean root growth under water deficit

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on February 22, 2011).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Thesis advisor: Dr. Henry T. Nguyen.M. S. University of Missouri--Columbia 2010.Drought is the major abiotic stress factor limiting crop productivity worldwide. Plant root and shoot systems respond to environmental changes by altering the expression of complex gene networks through sensing environmental stresses and modifying signaling and metabolic pathways. Previous work (Yamaguchi et al., 2009) showed that the soybean primary root adapts to low water potential (-1.6 MPa) by maintaining longitudinal expansion in the apical 4 mm (region 1), whereas in the adjacent 4 mm (region 2), longitudinal expansion reaches a maximum in well-watered roots but is progressively inhibited at low water potential. To identify the key transcription factors (TFs) that determine these responses to low water potential, we have conducted high-throughput profiling of root-related TF expression in regions 1 and 2 of water-stressed and well-watered roots using quantitative real-time PCR. 186 root- and stress-related TFs were selected to identify their specific expression patterns in root regions 1 and 2 of well-watered and water-stressed soybean seedlings at four time points (5h, 12h, 24h, and 48h) after transplanting. Several stress-specific and root-region-specific transcripts were identified which may contribute to root responses to water deficits. Among these were zinc-finger protein, MYB-related protein, GmNAC3, GmNAC4, and bZIP transcription factors. These TFs were differentially expressed in distinct root regions, and therefore they can be targeted for functional characterization and further genetic engineering for enhanced drought resistance in soybean.Includes bibliographical references

Time-varying Predictability in Crude Oil Markets: The Case of GCC Countries

This paper uses a time-varying parameter model with generalized autoregressive conditional heteros-cedasticity effects to examine the dynamic behavior of crude-oil prices for the period 1997-2008. Using data from four countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, we find evidence of short-term pre-dictability in oil-price changes over time, except for several short sub-periods. However, the hypothe-sis of convergence towards weak-form informational efficiency is rejected for all markets. In addition, we explore the possibility of structural breaks in the time-paths of the estimated predictability indices and detect only one breakpoint, for the oil markets in Qatar and United Arab Emirates. Our empirical results therefore call for new empirical research to further gauge the predictability characteristics and the determinants of oil-price changes.

La crise de la collecte de lait à Ba Vì : un ajustement au prix du marché ? Aperçu de la situation sur le terrain en mars 2016

La baisse du prix du lait de collecte à Ba Vi qui a eu lieu depuis le début de l'année 2015 a eu un retentissement important, au point d'être qualifiée de " crise du lait " par certains acteurs. Une visite de terrain conduite en mars 2016 montre que cette chute des prix a été doublée par un tassement de la demande en lait par la compagnie IDP, qui est le principal acheteur de lait, et par une concentration de la collecte. Certains fermiers se plaignent aussi de retards de payements et de désaccords avec la compagnie IDP sur l'évaluation de la qualité du lait qui rentre dans le calcul du prix. Cette situation rend compte d'un contexte national particulièrement concurrentiel dans le secteur laitier, dû à l'augmentation rapide de la production laitière et à la baisse des prix du lait en poudre sur le marché international. Nous faisons l'hypothèse que cette crise correspond à la fois à un changement de management de l'entreprise IDP, et à un " ajustement " plus global des prix du lait qui semble gagner l'ensemble du pays.(Résumé d'auteur

Polymorphism of Plasmodium falciparum Na+/H+ exchanger is indicative of a low in vitro quinine susceptibility in isolates from Viet Nam

Abstract Background The Plasmodium falciparum NA+/H+ exchanger (pfnhe1, gene PF13_0019) has recently been proposed to influence quinine (QN) susceptibility. However, its contribution to QN resistance seems to vary geographically depending on the genetic background of the parasites. Here, the role of this gene was investigated in in vitro QN susceptibility of isolates from Viet Nam. Method Ninety-eight isolates were obtained from three different regions of the Binh Phuoc and Dak Nong bordering Cambodia provinces during 2006-2008. Among these, 79 were identified as monoclonal infection and were genotyped at the microsatellite pfnhe1 ms4760 locus and in vitro QN sensitivity data were obtained for 51 isolates. Parasite growth was assessed in the field using the HRP2 immunodetection assay. Results Significant associations were found between polymorphisms at pfnhe1 microsatellite ms4760 and susceptibility to QN. Isolates with two or more DNNND exhibited much lower susceptibility to QN than those harbouring zero or one DNNND repeats (median IC50 of 682 nM versus median IC50 of 300 nM; p = 0.0146) while isolates with one NHNDNHNNDDD repeat presented significantly reduced QN susceptibility than those who had two (median IC50 of 704 nM versus median IC50 of 375 nM; p pfcrt76T and wild-type pfmdr1 (> 95%) thus preventing analysis of associations with these mutations. Interestingly, area with the highest median QN IC50 showed also the highest percentage of isolates carrying the pfnhe1 haplotype 7. Conclusions The haplotype 7 which is the typical Asian profile is likely well-adapted to high drug pressure in this area and may constitute a good genetic marker to evaluate the dissemination of QNR in this part of the world.</p

Vietnamese Mumpreneurs? Middle-class Mothers Negotiating Motherhood and Work in Northern Vietnam

This thesis explores the construction of motherhood in Northern Vietnam and how motherhood influences engagement with digital entrepreneurship. The study relies on 10 in-depth interviews with middle-class mothers of young children in urban areas in Northern Vietnam, who are currently running online businesses through Facebook. Existing literature on motherhood in Vietnam has placed motherhood within the context of the family without references to class differences. Drawing on Bourdieu’s class analysis, intensive mothering ideology and the concept of mumpreneur, this study finds that motherhood in Northern Vietnam is constructed as the primary duty of women and as a result, women are expected to mother intensively and perform more than their husbands within the domestic sphere. Being middle-class influences one’s mothering beliefs and practices in important ways, including through providing women the possibility to negotiate their gender roles and work by delegating care work to qualified external institutions. Engaging in digital entrepreneurship for the mothers in the study is a way of doing meaningful work which provides extra income, enriches one’s social circle and helps validate one’s capabilities to family members

A community participatory intervention model to reduce the health risks from biogas wastewater in Hanam Province, Vietnam

In Vietnam, using biogas to treat livestock waste is common, in particular on small holder farms. However, most small holder farms do not know how to use biogas correctly and wastewater can affect health and the environment. Using a participatory approach with farmers and other stakeholders we developed and implemented a set of interventions in Hanam province to reduce health risks from biogas wastewater. Twenty-four pig farmers were selected as a "core group" to be instrumental in developing the interventions and training other farmers to correctly use biogas. The intervention model was piloted for 6 months. Several outputs were obtained including i) approval and enforcement of a "huong uoc - village law" on environmental protection; ii) training of 24 farmers from the core group in communication skills to share information on using biogas; iii) development of a 6-step program of pig cage cleaning to limit waste loaded to biogas to improve the efficiency of biogas production; iv) a health monitoring books for humans and animals for use by families in the community. The results provided evidence that applying the participatory approach can lead to improved knowledge and practices of farmer using biogas and can reduce the health risks from biogas wastewater

Reaction of Currencies to Trade War

Recently, China has announced plans for reciprocal tariffs on $50 billions of 106 products that imported from the United States as the second response to President Donald Trump’s increasing tariffs on Chinese exports. Only in a few months, the two influential countries have consecutively announced punishment policies on each other’s exports in order to protect their advantages. The economic war between the two most powerful economies have great impact not only on currencies of themselves but also on those of other countries. After each policy was announced, different countries have their currencies fluctuated differently. The change in exchange rate is impacted by a country’s international trading, investment and competitiveness Therefore, the project focuses on the impact of the economic war between the United States and China on the US Dollar, the Chinese Yuan and currencies of some East Asian Countries, which include the Korean Won, the Japanese Yen, the Singapore Dollar, and the Vietnamese Dong. This project will also examine how those East Asian currencies change relatively to the US Dollar and the Chinese Yuan to evaluate their trend, sensitivity and volatility towards punishment policies. The research will also determine the accuracy of predicted factors and whether the United States or China is the aggressor and has more impact on the East Asian currencie