Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
List of most important changes

Snow instability tests provide valuable information regarding the stability of the snowpack. Test results are key data used to prepare public avalanche forecasts. However, to include them into [. 1 ]operational procedures, a quantitative interpretation scheme is needed. Whereas the interpretation of the Rutschblock test (RB) is well established, a similar detailed classification for the Extended Column Test (ECT) is lacking. Therefore, we develop a 4-class stability interpretation scheme. Exploring a large data set of 1719 ECTs observed at 1226 sites, often performed together with a [. 2 ]RB in the same snow 5 pit, and corresponding slope stability information, we revisit the existing stability interpretations, [. 3 ]and suggest a more detailed classification[. 4 ]. In addition, we consider the interpretation of cases when two ECTs were performed in the same snow pit. Our findings confirm previous research, namely that the crack propagation propensity is the most relevant ECT result and that the loading step required to initiate a crack is of secondary importance for stability assessment. The comparison with the RB showed that the ECT classifies slope stability less reliably than the RB. In some situations, performing a second ECT 10 may be helpful, when the first test did neither indicate rather unstable nor stable conditions. Finally, the data clearly show that false-unstable predictions of stability tests outnumber the correct-unstable predictions in an environment where overall unstable locations are rare.
Count Time Series Modeling with Gaussian Copulas.

This paper develops the theory and methods for copula modeling of a stationary count time series. The techniques use a latent Gaussian process and a distributional transformation to construct stationary series with very flexible correlation features that can have any pre-specified marginal distribution, including the classical Poisson, generalized Poisson, negative binomial, and binomial structures. A Gaussian pseudo-likelihood estimation paradigm, based only on the mean and autocovariance function of the count series, is developed via a new Hermite expansion. Particle filtering methods are used to conduct likelihood estimation. Connections to hidden Markov models are made. The performance of the estimation approaches are evaluated in a simulation study and the methods are used to analyze a count series of weekly retail sales.
Implicit Regularization and Convergence for Weight Normalization

Normalization methods such as batch [Ioffe and Szegedy, 2015], weight [Salimansand Kingma, 2016], instance [Ulyanov et al., 2016], and layer normalization [Baet al., 2016] have been widely used in modern machine learning. Here, we study the weight normalization (WN) method [Salimans and Kingma, 2016] and a variant called reparametrized projected gradient descent (rPGD) for overparametrized least-squares regression. WN and rPGD reparametrize the weights with a scale g and a unit vector w and thus the objective function becomes non-convex. We show that this non-convex formulation has beneficial regularization effects compared to gradient descent on the original objective. These methods adaptively regularize the weights and converge close to the minimum l2 norm solution, even for initializations far from zero. For certain stepsizes of g and w , we show that they can converge close to the minimum norm solution. This is different from the behavior of gradient descent, which converges to the minimum norm solution only when started at a point in the range space of the feature matrix, and is thus more sensitive to initialization.
ATHENA: A Framework based on Diverse Weak Defenses for Building Adversarial Defense

There has been extensive research on developing defense techniques against adversarial attacks; however, they have been mainly designed for specific model families or application domains, therefore, they cannot be easily extended. Based on the design philosophy of ensemble of diverse weak defenses, we propose ATHENA---a flexible and extensible framework for building generic yet effective defenses against adversarial attacks. We have conducted a comprehensive empirical study to evaluate several realizations of ATHENA with four threat models including zero-knowledge, black-box, gray-box, and white-box. We also explain (i) why diversity matters, (ii) the generality of the defense framework, and (iii) the overhead costs incurred by ATHENA.
Strategic Orientation Dimensions: A Critical Review

This research centered on strategic orientation dimensions; a literature review. The paper x-rayed the diverse components of strategic orientations, their features and relevance in organizations. Theoretical research design was adopted. The choice of this design was informed by the conceptual nature of this work as it concentrated on literatures mainly. Major finding revealed that the components of strategic orientation contribute colossally to the development of strategy which is an integrated plan through which an organization accomplishes its goals and objectives. Conclusively, with an effective strategy put in place owing to strategic orientation, the mission and vision of an organization will be surely realized. We recommended that organizations need to review their strategies on regular basis in order to remain competitive in a technologically-sophisticated business environment in which we live.
Coarse-grained entropy production with multiple reservoirs: Unraveling the role of time scales and detailed balance in biology-inspired systems

A general framework to describe a vast majority of biology-inspired systems is to model them as stochastic processes in which multiple couplings are in play at the same time. Molecular motors, chemical reaction networks, catalytic enzymes, and particles exchanging heat with different baths, constitute some interesting examples of such a modelization. Moreover, they usually operate out of equilibrium, being characterized by a net production of entropy, which entails a constrained efficiency. Hitherto, in order to investigate multiple processes simultaneously driving a system, all theoretical approaches deal with them independently, at a coarse-grained level, or employing a separation of time-scales. Here, we explicitly take in consideration the interplay among time-scales of different processes, and whether or not their own evolution eventually relaxes toward an equilibrium state in a given sub-space. We propose a general framework for multiple coupling, from which the well-known formulas for the entropy production can be derived, depending on the available information about each single process. Furthermore, when one of the processes does not equilibrate in its sub-space, even if much faster than all the others, it introduces a finite correction to the entropy production. We employ our framework in various simple and pedagogical examples, for which such a corrective term can be related to a typical scaling of physical quantities in play.
Surrounded by foes: Parasitism in Euglossa spp. (Apidae, Euglossini) caused by six species of natural enemies

Although the tribe Euglossini includes more than 200 described species belonging to five genera, information on natural enemies of those bees is scarce. This paper reports attacks on nests by natural enemies and the parasitism of adult females of species of the genus Euglossa. Euglossa nests were obtained using trap-nests, distributed in different sites among three cities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil: São Carlos, Ribeirão Preto, and Indaiatuba. During the period of study 46 nests of Euglossa were obtained. Euglossa cordata occupied 22 traps, E. townsendi occupied seven traps, and E. truncata Rebêlo & Moure occupied one trap. It was not possible to identify the species of Euglossa from other 16 traps. Three parasitoids and two cleptoparasites were associated with the nests. Cells were attacked by the parasitoid wasp Polistomorpha fasciata (Westwood) (Leucospidae) (3 nests), by the gregarious parasitoid wasp Aximopsis masneri Gates (Eurytomidae) (2 nests) and by the beefly Anthrax oedipus Fabricius (Bombyliidae) (2 nests). Nests were also attacked by two cleptoparasitic bees of the family Megachilidae: Coelioxys costaricensis Cockerell (1 nest) and Hoplostelis nigritula (Friese) (2 nests). Moreover, seven E. cordata females and one E. townsendi female were parasitized by the endoparasitoid fly Melaloncha ronnai Borgmeier (Phoridae).
Gaolejeunea, a new genus from China and new member of subtribe Echinolejeuneinae (Lejeuneaceae, Marchantiophyta)

Abstract A narrowly endemic species known only from the type locality in Shangsi Co., Guangxi, as well as a peculiar member of the Chinese Lejeuneaceae, Cheilolejeunea gaoi has previously been treated as a species of Cheilolejeunea. However, the presence of Allorgella-type denticulations formed by two adjacent cells on leaf and underleaf margins, small ovate leaf lobules without distinct teeth, ental hyaline papilla, and finely segmented oil bodies all suggest that it belongs somewhere else. Maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian analyses of a three marker dataset (nrITS, cpDNA rbcL and trnL−F) derived from 85 accessions of Lejeuneeae and 15 outgroup species revealed that C. gaoi belongs to subtribe Echinolejeuneinae. Based on the results of phylogenetic analyses, combined with morphological data, we suggest here that C. gaoi should be established as a new genus, Gaolejeunea. We strongly recommend in situ or ex situ conservation activity for this species based on the IUCN Red List criteria.
Inter-specific and inter-population variation in individual diet specialization : do bioclimatic factors have a role ? Running Head : Bioclimate and individual specialization

Individual diet specialization (IS) is to date recognized to have important communityand population-level implications and its ecological drivers are actively investigated. Here, to test the hypothesis that bioclimatic factors may successfully predict IS in wild populations, we analyzed the stomach contents of 395 individuals from eight populations of five allopatric species of European cave salamanders (genus Hydromantes). We assessed whether their degree of individual diet specialization i) scaled positively with the respective niche widths, in agreement with Van Valen’s niche variation hypothesis (NVH), and ii) could be predicted by the bioclimatic conditions of the sites where the populations live. Consistent with the NVH, the degree of individual diet specialization increased with the populations’ total niche width. Furthermore, two variables describing local non-tree vegetation cover and habitat heterogeneity successfully predicted the variation in individual specialization across the eight populations. Climatic factors showed a generally low predictive power, with individual specialization in lowand high-elevation populations showing contrasting patterns of co-variation with air temperature in the hottest quarter of the year. However, independently from elevation, specialization peaked under conditions of high non-tree vegetation cover and high precipitation regimes. We discussed the results against two mutually non-exclusive scenarios hypothesizing different mechanisms linking bioclimate with salamanders’ trophic strategy at an individual and population level. We concluded that bioclimatic variables, to date generally adopted to model Grinnellian niches, might also be useful in predicting spatial variations in dietary habits of populations, i.e. their Eltonian niches.
Paris polyphylla ethanol extract induces G2/M arrest and suppresses migration and invasion in bladder cancer

Background Paris polyphylla is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with multiple antitumor activities, but the role of P. polyphylla in bladder cancer (BC) is under investigation. This study aims to examine the antitumor activities of P. polyphylla ethanol extract (PPE) on BC cells and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods Viable cells were counted using the trypan blue exclusion assay. The cell cycle was analyzed using flow cytometry, and scratch wound-healing and transwell assays were used to evaluate cell migration and invasion abilities, respectively. The protein expression levels were determined by western blotting. A xenograft model was used to assess the in vivo inhibitory effect of PPE on BC tumor growth. Results Our results showed that PPE inhibited the growth of BC cells in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, PPE regulated the levels of cell cycle-associated proteins, with PPE-induced G2/M phase arrest occurring through cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 (CDKN1A) accumulation and cyclin B1 (CCNB1)/cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) inhibition. BC tumor growth was also inhibited by PPE treatment. Moreover, the migration and invasion abilities of J82 cells were suppressed through modulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulatory factors with upregulation of cadherin-1 (CDH1) and downregulation of cadherin-2 (CDH2), snail family transcriptional repressor 2 (SNAI2), and twist family bHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST1). Conclusions PPE inhibited cell growth, induced G2/M arrest, and suppressed the migration and invasion of J82 cells. BC tumor growth in vivo was also inhibited by PPE. Our results lay the foundation for further studies on the antitumor mechanisms of PPE.
Embodied interaction: Learning Chinese characters through body movements

This experimental study examined the design and effectiveness of embodied interactions for learning. The researchers designed a digital learning environment integrating body joint mapping sensors to teach novice learners Chinese characters, and examined whether the embodied interaction would lead to greater knowledge acquisition in language learning compared to the conventional mouse-based interaction. Fifty-three adult learners were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The study adopted a pretest, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest on knowledge acquisition. Although higher scores were found for the embodied interaction group in both posttests, only the delayed posttest showed a statistically significant group difference. The findings suggested that active embodied actions lead to better knowledge retention compared with the passive visual embodiment. The body-moving process works as an alternative and complementary encoding strategy for character understanding and memorization by associating the semantic meaning of a character with the construction of a body posture
Vitamin C physiology: the known and the unknown andGoldilocks

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), the antiscorbutic vitamin, cannot be synthesized by humans and other primates, and has to be obtained from diet. Ascorbic acid is an electron donor and acts as a cofactor for fifteen mammalian enzymes. Two sodium-dependent transporters are specific for ascorbic acid, and its oxidation product dehydroascorbic acid is transported by glucose transporters. Ascorbic acid is differentially accumulated by most tissues and body fluids. Plasma and tissue vitamin C concentrations are dependent on amount consumed, bioavailability, renal excretion, and utilization. To be biologically meaningful or to be clinically relevant, in vitro and in vivo studies of vitamin C actions have to take into account physiologic concentrations of the vitamin. In this paper, we review vitamin C physiology; the many phenomena involving vitamin C where new knowledge has accrued or where understanding remains limited; raise questions about the vitamin that remain to be answered; and explore lines of investigations that are likely to be fruitful.
Learning Physics: a Competency-based Curriculum using Modelling Techniques and PBL Approach

Besides these general trends, French “Ecoles d’ingénieurs” are now compelled to define the learning outcomes of their curricula in the form of a targeted knowledge, skills and competencies framework: the national accreditation body “Commission du titre d’ingénieur” proposed, as a reference since 2006, a general “capacities and competencies framework”; and it has now been completed by the European Qualification Framework initiative adopted by European Parliament and Council in 2008, which is supposed to be applied from 2010 onwards.
Occurrence and Anti-Fungal Sensitivity Testing of Candida Species Isolated from Canine Conjunctivitis

Fungal infection in dogs and other domestic pets caused by Candida species have been previously reported. Several available antifungal drugs for treatment of yeast associated infections have been used with diverse effects. This study establishes antifungal susceptibility profile on identified Candida species isolates associated with canine conjunctivitis using disks diffusion method as described by NCCLS (M44-A). The antifungal disks used include Amphotericin-B (20mcg), Nystatin (100units), Itraconazole (10mcg), Ketaconazole (10mcg), Fluconazole (25mcg). The identified Candida species were C. albicans, C. krusei, C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis. Percentage susceptibility was high in both Amphotericin B (77.27%) and Nystatin (58.18%), while Itraconazole showed (54.54%), Ketoconazole (55.45%) and Fluconazole was least (11.82%). The sensitivity ranking showed Amphothericin B > Nystatin > Itraconazole > Ketoconazole > Fluconazole and increased resistance amongst the Azoles especially Fluconazole (70.90%) in comparison with Polyenes. C. albicans showed the highest resistance (84.51%) to both Fluconazole and ketoconazole (67.61%). C. parapsilosis showed 63.64% and 61.54% percentage resistance to Nystatin and Itraconazole respectively. In conclusion, this finding showed that Amphotericin B and Nystatin were most effective against isolated Candida species. Proper diagnosis of the underlying ailment is necessary in conjunction with routine anti-fungal susceptibility testing to avoid drug abuse and resistance.
Framework for Generating Configurable SAT Solvers

The state-of-the-art SAT solvers usually share the same core techniques, for instance: the watched literals structure, conflict clause recording and non-chronological backtracking. Nevertheless, they might differ in the elimination of learnt clauses, as well as in the decision heuristic. This article presents a framework for generating configurable SAT solvers. The proposed framework is composed of the following components: a Base SAT Solver, a Perl Preprocessor, XML files (Solver Description and Heuristics Description files) to describe each heuristic as well as the set of heuristics that the generated solver uses.This solvers may use several techniques and heuristics such as those implemented in BerkMin, and in Equivalence Checking of Dissimilar Circuits, and also in Minisat. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, this article also presents three distinct SAT solver instances generated by the framework to address a complex and challenging industry problem: the Combinational Equivalence Checking problem (CEC). The first instance is a SAT solver that uses BerkMin and Dissimilar Circuits core techniques except the learnt clause elimination heuristic that has been adapted from Minisat; the second is another solver that combines BerkMin and Minisat decision heuristics at run-time; and the third is yet another SAT solver that changes the database reducing heuristic at run-time. The experiments demonstrate that the first SAT solver generated is a faster solver than state-of-the-art SAT solver BerkMin for several instances as well as for Minisat in almost every instance.
ALGORITHMS OF LINEARLY CONSTRAINED BLIND ADAPTIVE SIGNAL PROCESSING IN DIGITAL ARRAYS WITH ODD SYMMETRY

3 Рассматриваются особенности обработки сигналов в адаптивных антенных решетках с нечетной симметрией. Приводятся вычислительные процедуры в арифметике действительных чисел адаптивных линейно-ограниченных алгоритмов, обрабатывающих сигналы с постоянной огибающей информационных символов, принимаемых многолучевой антенной решеткой. Также приводятся результаты математического моделирования, подтверждающие эффективность разработанных алгоритмов. УДК 681.513. 6
Bayesian Experimental Design Without Posterior Calculations: An Adversarial Approach

Most computational approaches to Bayesian experimental design require making posterior calculations, such evidence estimates, repeatedly for a large number of potential designs and/or simulated datasets. This can be expensive and prohibit scaling up these methods to models with many parameters, or designs with many unknowns to select. We introduce an efficient alternative approach without posterior calculations, based on optimising the expected trace of the Fisher information, as discussed by Walker (2016). We illustrate drawbacks of this approach, including lack of invariance to reparameterisation and encouraging designs which are informative about one parameter combination but not any others. We show these can be avoided by using an adversarial approach: the experimenter must select their design while an adversary attempts to select the least favourable parameterisation. We present theoretical properties of this approach and show it can be used with gradient based optimisation methods to find designs efficiently in practice.
Make Lead Bias in Your Favor: Zero-shot Abstractive News Summarization

Lead bias is a common phenomenon in news summarization, where early parts of an article often contain the most salient information. While many algorithms exploit this fact in summary generation, it has a detrimental effect on teaching the model to discriminate and extract important information in general. We propose that the lead bias can be leveraged in our favor in a simple and effective way to pre-train abstractive news summarization models on large-scale unlabeled news corpora: predicting the leading sentences using the rest of an article. We collect a massive news corpus and conduct data cleaning and filtering via statistical analysis. We then apply the proposed self-supervised pre-training to existing generation models BART and T5 for domain adaptation. Via extensive experiments on six benchmark datasets, we show that this approach can dramatically improve the summarization quality and achieve state-of-the-art results for zero-shot news summarization without any fine-tuning. For example, in the DUC2003 dataset, the ROUGE-1 score of BART increases 13.7% after the lead-bias pre-training. We deploy the model in Microsoft News and provide public APIs as well as a demo website for multi-lingual news summarization.
RESEARCH REGARDING SOME PHYSICAL QUALITY VALUES OF JAPANESE QUAIL EGGS OBTAINED AT THE MIDDLE OF THE LAYING STAGE

The Japanese quail is one of the smallest bird subspecies which has been tamed by man, being industrially raised in our days in many states over the world. This avian subspecies produces over 300 eggs, and though there are about 6 races and different varieties, there are very little data in the scientific literature regarding the quality values for eggs of Japanese quail hatching eggs collected from hens at the end of the laying – physical values (pH value of the eggs components, albumen index, yolk index) The present paper wants to bring a series of data regarding some of these indicators. The pH values was determined with an portable pH-oximeter, and to establish the other two quality indexes we used a device fitted with callipers taking into account: height of the dense egg white (albumen), minimum and maximum diameter of the dense and fluid egg white, height and the diameter of the yolk. The albumen pH recorded values of 8.90, and the yolk pH values of 6.07. The statistical mean for the 130 values of albumen index taken in study was 0.048. The mean value of yolk index was 0.399. The obtained results are normal for the period of quail’s life.