Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disentangling the role of environmental and human pressures on biological invasions across Europe

The accelerating rates of international trade, travel, and transport in the latter half of the twentieth century have led to the progressive mixing of biota from across the world and the number of species introduced to new regions continues to increase. The importance of biogeographic, climatic, economic, and demographic factors as drivers of this trend is increasingly being realized but as yet there is no consensus regarding their relative importance. Whereas little may be done to mitigate the effects of geography and climate on invasions, a wider range of options may exist to moderate the impacts of economic and demographic drivers. Here we use the most recent data available from Europe to partition between macroecological, economic, and demographic variables the variation in alien species richness of bryophytes, fungi, vascular plants, terrestrial insects, aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Only national wealth and human population density were statistically significant predictors in the majority of models when analyzed jointly with climate, geography, and land cover. The economic and demographic variables reflect the intensity of human activities and integrate the effect of factors that directly determine the outcome of invasion such as propagule pressure, pathways of introduction, eutrophication, and the intensity of anthropogenic disturbance. The strong influence of economic and demographic variables on the levels of invasion by alien species demonstrates that future solutions to the problem of biological invasions at a national scale lie in mitigating the negative environmental consequences of human activities that generate wealth and by promoting more sustainable population growth.
Nonbinary quantum stabilizer codes

We define and show how to construct nonbinary quantum stabilizer codes. Our approach is based on nonbinary error bases. It generalizes the relationship between self-orthogonal codes over F/sub 4/ and binary quantum codes to one between self-orthogonal codes over F(q/sup 2/) and q-ary quantum codes for any prime power q.
Brain mechanisms for invariant visual and learning recognition

Mechanisms by which the brain could perform invariant recognition of objects including faces are addressed neurophysiologically, and then a computational model of how this could occur is described. Some neurons that respond primarily to faces are found in the macaque cortex in the anterior part of the superior temporal sulcus (in which region neurons are especially likely to be tuned to facial expression, and to face movement involved in gesture). They are also found more ventrally in the TE areas which form the inferior temporal gyms° Here the neurons are more likely to have responses related to the identity of faces. These areas project on to the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, in which face-selective neurons are also found. Quantitative studies of the responses of the neurons that respond differently to the faces of different individuals show that information about the identity of the individual is represented by the responses of a population of neurons, that is, ensemble encoding is used. The rather distributed encoding (within the class faces) about identity in these sensory cortical regions has the advantages of maximising the information in the representation useful for discrimination between stimuli, generalisation, and graceful degradation. In contrast, the more sparse representations in structures such as the hippocampus may be useful to maximise the number of different memories stored. There is evidence that the responses of some of these neurons are altered by experience so that new stimuli become incorporated in the network, in only a few seconds of experience with a new stimulus. It is shown that the representation that is built in temporal cortical areas shows considerable invariance for size, contrast, spatial frequency and translation. Thus the representation is in a form which is particularly useful for storage and as an output from the visual system. It is also shown that one of the representations which is built is view-invariant, which is suitable for recognition and as an input to associative memory. Another is
Chemical mass balance of size-segregated atmospheric aerosol in an urban area of the Po Valley, Italy

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Chemical mass balance of size-segregated atmospheric aerosol in an urban area of the Po Valley, Italy E. Matta, M. C. Facchini, S. Decesari, M. Mircea, F. Cavalli, S. Fuzzi, J.-P. Putaud, A. Dell’Acqua
Sense of Community and Academic Engagement in the Seminary

ABSTRACT This study examined the associations of sense of community (SOC) and academic engagement in a seminary. The seminarians (N = 300) completed the Classroom Sense of Community Inventory (CSCI)–School Form, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale–Student Version. Results showed that a perception that the seminary provided a positive learning community for the young people. For the sense of social community, the participants’ rating of the seminary was low. Regression results showed that SOC significantly predicted academic engagement. Suggestions are included on how to foster community spirit to become more psychologically meaningful for holistic education in the seminary.
On identifying representative relevant documents

Using relevance feedback can significantly improve the effectiveness of ad hoc (query-based) retrieval. However, retrieval performance can significantly vary with respect to the given set of relevant documents. Our goal is to establish a quantitative analysis of what makes a relevant document a good representative of the relevant-documents set regardless of the retrieval approach employed. That is, we would like to estimate the extent to which a relevant document can effectively help in finding (other) relevant documents using some relevance-feedback method employed over the corpus. We present various representativeness estimates; some of which treat documents independently and some utilize inter-document similarities. Empirical evaluation shows that relevant documents that are centrally located within the similarity space of the relevant-documents set tend to be good representatives. In addition, we show that there exist highly representative clusters of similar relevant documents, and devise methods for ranking clusters based on their presumed representativeness. Finally, we study the connection between representativeness and TREC's gradual relevance judgments.
Hyperbolic measures and commuting maps in low dimension

We study invariant measures with non-vanishing Lyapunov characteristic exponents for commuting diffeomorphisms of compact manifolds. In particular we show that for $k=2,3$ no faithful $\mathbb{Z}^k$ real-analytic action on a $k$-dimensional manifold preserves a hyperbolic measure. In the smooth case similar statements hold for actions faithful on the support of the measure. Generalizations to higher dimension are proved under certain non-degeneracy conditions for the Lyapunov exponents.
A Reconfigurable Photonic Microwave Mixer Using a 90° Optical Hybrid

A reconfigurable photonic microwave mixer is proposed using a 90° optical hybrid. To perform the reconfigurable mixing, an optical carrier is split into two branches. One portion is intensity-modulated by an RF or intermediate frequency signal, and the other is driven by a local oscillator (LO). Each generates an optical sideband. The two sidebands from the two branches are introduced to the signal port and the LO port of an optical hybrid which typically has four output ports, namely, I<sub>1</sub>, I<sub>2</sub>, Q<sub>1</sub>, and Q<sub>2</sub>. When any one of the outputs is detected by a photodetector (PD), a single-ended mixer is obtained. If one of the combinations (I<sub>1</sub>, I<sub>2</sub>) and (Q<sub>1</sub>, Q<sub>2</sub>) is sent to a balanced PD, a balanced mixer is realized. When I<sub>1</sub> (or I<sub>2</sub>) and Q<sub>1</sub> (or Q<sub>2</sub>) are detected by two PDs, an I/Q mixer with quadrature outputs is achieved. When an electrical 90° hybrid is used to combine the two outputs of the I/Q mixer, image-reject mixing is implemented. A theoretical model is established to analyze the proposed mixer, and an experiment is also carried out. The results demonstrate that the proposed mixer can achieve reconfigurable mixing functions by simply changing the photodetection method.
Legal Accountability in the Service‐Based Welfare State: Lessons from Child Welfare Reform

Current trends intensify the longstanding problem of how the rule of law should be institutionalized in the welfare state. Welfare programs are being redesigned to increase their capacities to adapt to rapidly changing conditions and to tailor their responses to diverse clienteles. These developments challenge the understanding of legal accountability developed in the Warren Court era. This article reports on an emerging model of accountable administration that strives to reconcile programmatic flexibility with rule‐of‐law values. The model has been developed in the reform of state child protective services systems, but it has potentially broad application to public law. It also has novel implications for such basic rule‐of‐law issues as the choice between rules and standards, the relation of bureaucratic and judicial control, the proper scope of judicial intervention into dysfunctional public agencies, and the justiciability of “positive” (or social and economic) rights.
Correlations between self-esteem and self-efficacy among master of social work students and bachelor of social work students

This study measured self-esteem among students in a Bachelor of Social Work program and a Master of Social Work program at California State University, San Bernardino. In terms of task performance, high self-esteem has been shown to correlate with high self-efficacy. This study measured how perceived self-esteem influences students' beliefs that they can perform certain social work tasks. Using standardized tests that measure self-esteem and specific task self-efficacy skills, the results of this study indicated similarities between beliefs of■task competence and self-esteem. Students who possess high self-esteem also seem more confident in their professional skill role.
SeamCrop: changing the size and aspect ratio of videos

The resizing of videos is currently in high demand due to the popularity of mobile devices with very small screen sizes. As the screen resolution of these devices increases, the resizing is mostly needed to change the aspect ratio of the videos to fit the display size. In this paper we present a novel and fast approach for the retargeting of videos which combines cropping and seam carving. The idea is to find an optimal cropping window and to get more useful content into it by additionally removing seams. We formulate the search for a cropping window in terms of a 2D rectangle representing the possible positions of the window over all frames. Finding the optimal position can be solved efficiently with dynamic programming. A user study was conducted that compares our approach to a similar state-of-the-art video retargeting technique, showing that our new algorithm has fast computation times while also having a comparable quality of results.
Prognostic Usefulness of Metabolic Syndrome Compared with Diabetes in Korean Patients with Critical Lower Limb Ischemia Treated with Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty

Purpose Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clinical condition that shares many common characteristics with diabetes. However, unlike diabetes, the usefulness of MS as a prognostic entity in peripheral arterial disease is uncertain. This study evaluated the prognostic usefulness of MS in critical lower limb ischemia (CLI) patients. Materials and Methods We compared the 2-year clinical outcomes in 101 consecutive CLI patients (66±14 years; 78% men) with 118 affected limbs treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) according to the presence of MS and diabetes. Results The number of MS patients was 53 (52%), of which 45 (85%) had diabetes. During a 2-year follow-up, the incidence of clinical outcomes, including reintervention, major amputation, minor amputation, and survival, was not significantly different between MS and non-MS patients; however, the incidence of minor amputation was significantly higher in diabetic than in non-diabetic patients (42% vs. 17%; p=0.011). Cox regression analysis for the 2-year primary patency demonstrated no association between MS and 2-year primary patency [hazard ratio (HR), 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.45-2.30; p=0.961], whereas there was a significant association between diabetes and 2-year primary patency (HR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.02-7.72; p=0.046). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed no significant difference in the 2-year primary patency between MS and non-MS patients; however, the 2-year primary patency was lower in diabetic than in non-diabetic patients (p=0.038). Conclusion As a prognostic concept, MS might conceal the adverse impact of diabetes on the prognosis of CLI patients treated with PTA.
Management of Antiviral Resistance in Chronic Hepatitis B

The primary goal of therapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is to prevent liver disease progression. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance or seroconversion is regarded as an optimal endpoint to discontinue treatment. However, HBsAg seroclearance occurs very rarely with nucleos(t)ide analog (NUC) treatment, and long-term, almost indefinite, NUC treatment is required for the majority of patients. In patients with drug-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV), a combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and entecavir (ETV), which is currently regarded as the strongest combination therapy against HBV, would be potentially safe to prevent the emergence of additional HBV resistance mutations. However, long-term tolerance data are lacking, and cost may be an issue for combination therapies. Several recent, well-designed, randomized controlled trials have shown that TDF mono-therapy provides similar antiviral efficacy compared with the combination of TDF and ETV. Furthermore, no additional HBV resistance mutations emerged during TDF monotherapy for up to 96 weeks. Considering a comparable antiviral efficacy, extremely low risk of TDF-resistance, lower cost, and better safety potential, TDF monotherapy would be a reasonable choice for the treatment of drug-resistant patients with CHB.
Age-related changes in hypertensive brain damage in the hippocampi of spontaneously hypertensive rats

The aim of the present study was to investigate the age-related alterations in hypertensive brain damage in the hippocampi of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and the underlying mechanisms. Aging resulted in a significant increase in the number of activated astrocytes and apoptotic cells in the SHR group, which was accompanied by increased expression of oxidative stress markers (iNOS and gp47phox) and apoptotic regulatory proteins (Bax and caspase-3). In addition, the expression of PPAR-γ and Bcl-2 were progressively reduced with increasing age in the SHR group. The 32 and 64-week-old SHRs exhibited significantly increased numbers of apoptotic cells, oxidative stress markers and pro-apoptotic proteins compared with age-matched WKY rats, which was accompanied by reduced expression of PPAR-γ. Compared with the 16 and 32-week-old WKY group, the 64-week-old WKY rats exhibited increased oxidative stress and pro-apoptotic markers, and increased levels apoptotic cells. In conclusion, the present study indicated that both aging and hypertension enhanced brain damage and oxidative stress injury in the hippocampi of SHRs, indicated by an increased presence of apoptotic cells and astrocytes. In addition, reduced expression of PPAR-γ may contribute to the age-related brain damage in SHRs.
Development of a Dual Recombinant Vaccine To Protect Small Ruminants against Peste-des-Petits-Ruminants Virus and Capripoxvirus Infections

ABSTRACT A recombinant capripoxvirus vaccine containing a cDNA of the peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV) fusion protein gene was constructed. A quick and efficient method was used to select a highly purified recombinant virus clone. A trial showed that a dose of this recombinant as low as 0.1 PFU protected goats against challenge with a virulent PPRV strain.
Where are the numbers? Counting museum visitors in France

ABSTRACT In the early twenty-first century, the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. Yet little is known about how visit numbers to French museums developed. Compared to the Anglo-Saxon world, the collection and publication of visit data began late and was initially far from systematic. Some figures were collected in the late nineteenth century, but correspondence from the early twentieth century indicates that not even the Ministry of Fine Arts, overseeing the National Museums, was always aware of them. More complete numbers appeared from 1922 when entrance fees were introduced. However, visitors entering on free days were not yet counted. In the 1930s, data collection for the National Museums was systematized by the Directorate of National Museums, but figures were rarely published. The aim of this article is, therefore, to establish the sources that might be used for a quantitative approach to museum visiting in France and to reflect on the reasons for the initial indifference towards the counting of visitors and the standardisation with international practices over time. The article argues that the triggers for changes in the culture of counting in France were both internal and external. A prolonged debate about the introduction of entrance fees took place from the start of the Third Republic to the interwar years and let to the search for existing numbers in France and abroad. The Fine Arts Administration compiled data about practices in other countries and a number of monographs on the subject were published. The press also frequently referenced foreign examples. These documents provide a fascinating insight into comparisons and emulation of foreign practices at the time, allowing us to rethink the modern obsession with counting as the result of a transnational process.
Equivariant holomorphic Morse inequalities. I. Heat kernel proof

Assume that the circle group acts holomorphically on a compact K\"ahler manifold with isolated fixed points and that the action can be lifted holomorphically to a holomorphic Hermitian vector bundle. We give a heat kernel proof of the equivariant holomorphic Morse inequalities. We use some techniques developed by Bismut and Lebeau. These inequalities, first obtained by Witten using a different argument, produce bounds on the multiplicities of weights occurring in the twisted Dolbeault cohomologies in terms of the data of the fixed points.
The positions mainstream left parties adopt on immigration: A cross-cutting cleavage?

Immigration is often perceived as a political topic that overlaps traditional ideological cleavages. Much research has focused on the positions of the extreme right, and little research has examined mainstream parties and their public stances on immigration. This shortcoming hampers broader understanding of political competition on this issue. Drawing on a political claims analysis of seven countries between 1995 and 2009, we present the salience, position and overall coherence of claims made by mainstream parties on immigration control and immigrant integration. Mainstream left parties adopt a more positive/expansive position on immigration and exhibit higher levels of coherence than centrist and right-wing parties. We also show that the impact of extreme-right parties on the political claims of mainstream left parties seems to be limited. Our conclusions highlight that immigration does not necessarily constitute a cross-cutting cleavage across mainstream left parties: Their ideological preferences remain aligned with their positive/liberal discourse on immigration control and immigrant integration.
Hyperhomocysteinemia Potentiates Hyperglycemia-Induced Inflammatory Monocyte Differentiation and Atherosclerosis

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is associated with increased diabetic cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of HHcy in atherogenesis associated with hyperglycemia (HG) remains unknown. To examine the role and mechanisms by which HHcy accelerates HG-induced atherosclerosis, we established an atherosclerosis-susceptible HHcy and HG mouse model. HHcy was established in mice deficient in cystathionine β-synthase (Cbs) in which the homocysteine (Hcy) level could be lowered by inducing transgenic human CBS (Tg-hCBS) using Zn supplementation. HG was induced by streptozotocin injection. Atherosclerosis was induced by crossing Tg-hCBS Cbs mice with apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE−/−) mice and feeding them a high-fat diet for 2 weeks. We demonstrated that HHcy and HG accelerated atherosclerosis and increased lesion monocytes (MCs) and macrophages (MØs) and further increased inflammatory MC and MØ levels in peripheral tissues. Furthermore, Hcy-lowering reversed circulating mononuclear cells, MC, and inflammatory MC and MC-derived MØ levels. In addition, inflammatory MC correlated positively with plasma Hcy levels and negatively with plasma s-adenosylmethionine–to–s-adenosylhomocysteine ratios. Finally, l-Hcy and d-glucose promoted inflammatory MC differentiation in primary mouse splenocytes, which was reversed by adenoviral DNA methyltransferase-1. HHcy and HG, individually and synergistically, accelerated atherosclerosis and inflammatory MC and MØ differentiation, at least in part, via DNA hypomethylation.
FlowBoost — Appearance learning from sparsely annotated video

We propose a new learning method which exploits temporal consistency to successfully learn a complex appearance model from a sparsely labeled training video. Our approach consists in iteratively improving an appearance-based model built with a Boosting procedure, and the reconstruction of trajectories corresponding to the motion of multiple targets. We demonstrate the efficiency of our procedure on pedestrian detection in videos and cell detection in microscopy image sequences. In both cases, our method is demonstrated to reduce the labeling requirement by one to two orders of magnitude. We show that in some instances, our method trained with sparse labels on a video sequence is able to outperform a standard learning procedure trained with the fully labeled sequence.
Development of students' knowledge about didactics during their first year of the master's programme in didactics

AbstractIn this study, I reflect critically on my own experiences as a university teacher of students’ expressed knowledge about the academic subject of didactics at the beginning and end of their first semester as students in the Master’s Programme in Didactics. My reflections are made using a phenomenographic approach to learning, which regards learning as a qualitatively deeper and different way of understanding content. The results of the study are expected to deepen my understanding of knowledge expressed about didactics in two different student groups, and give insight on what is critical for knowledge development in higher education. The first course design consisted of 12 lectures in total by 12 different teachers representing different fields of didactics, such as general didactics and subject-based didactics in different specializations. The second course design consisted of eight seminars where course literature about didactics was discussed, together with three seminars in smaller groups where.