Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decomposition dynamics altered by straw removal management in the sugarcane-expansion regions in Brazil

Brazilian bioenergy production based on sugarcane is globally known as a sustainable energy matrix. In order to supply the growing demand for biofuels, the sugarcane area expanded by 46% in the last decade in Brazil. In addition, the industry’s interest in using sugarcane straw as raw material for bioenergy production has recently increased. Thus, understanding the straw decomposition dynamics in these new frontiers is imperative to support decision-making that will define a sustainable straw removal rate. A field experiment was conducted in three sites under a climate and soil gradient (from central to south) within the sugarcane-expansion region (i.e. Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná states) to evaluate the straw decomposition. The amounts of 3, 6 and 12 Mg ha–1 of straw (dry mass, DM) were left on the soil surface after harvesting, representing the straw removal rates of about 75, 50 and 0% respectively. We quantified DM loss, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents and biochemical composition of the straw throughout a crop cycle (300 days). In addition, visual changes in the decomposing straw were evaluated through scanning electron microscopy. An exponential model was efficiently fitted to data of DM loss, describing the pattern of straw decomposition over time. The DM, C losses and cellulose and hemicellulose contents of straw changed over time among sites, reflecting the local edaphoclimatic conditions favourable for decomposition. The C:N ratio decreased from 106:1 to 65:1 for the lowest straw amount and 41:1 for the highest straw amount, and were correlated with the lowest (65%) and highest (76%) DM loss respectively. After the crop cycle, sugarcane straw changed visually, possible due to loss of biochemical compounds. In conclusion, lower straw removal induced an increase in the straw decomposition rate (higher DM loss over time), which could boost positive agronomic impacts such as increased C stock and improved soil quality.
Bolasso: model consistent Lasso estimation through the bootstrap

We consider the least-square linear regression problem with regularization by the l1-norm, a problem usually referred to as the Lasso. In this paper, we present a detailed asymptotic analysis of model consistency of the Lasso. For various decays of the regularization parameter, we compute asymptotic equivalents of the probability of correct model selection (i.e., variable selection). For a specific rate decay, we show that the Lasso selects all the variables that should enter the model with probability tending to one exponentially fast, while it selects all other variables with strictly positive probability. We show that this property implies that if we run the Lasso for several bootstrapped replications of a given sample, then intersecting the supports of the Lasso bootstrap estimates leads to consistent model selection. This novel variable selection algorithm, referred to as the Bolasso, is compared favorably to other linear regression methods on synthetic data and datasets from the UCI machine learning repository.
Broadband asymmetric light transmission via all-dielectric digital metasurfaces.

We demonstrate broadband asymmetric transmission or optical-diode behavior via a digital metasurface, that is, a surface that is digitally patterned at subwavelength dimensions. Enhanced light-matter interactions at the interfaces of the metasurface break the symmetry in the propagation direction, and enables high light-transmission in one direction, while strongly reflecting the light in the opposite direction. We measured a peak extinction ratio of 11.18 dB and peak forward transmission efficiency of 74.3% at the design wavelength of 1. 55μm. The operational bandwidth of the device was 201nm. We further designed, fabricated and experimentally characterized a digital metasurface that enables polarization-independent optical-diode behavior, which we believe is the first device of its kind. Our digital metasurfaces enable the optical-diode behavior in a single layer of sub-wavelength thickness for several input modes and therefore, can perform as a passive, albeit imperfect optical isolator.
In Utero Exposure to Di(n-butyl) Phthalate and Testicular Dysgenesis: Comparison of Fetal and Adult End Points and Their Dose Sensitivity

Background Fetal exposure of male rats to di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) induces reproductive disorders similar to those in human testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS), including infertility, cryptorchidism, focal “dysgenetic areas,” and Sertoli cell–only tubules in the adult testis. Humans are widely exposed to DBP, but at much lower levels than those causing adverse effects in rats. Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate end points affected by DBP action in rats in fetal and adult life that are relevant to human TDS, and to compare their dose sensitivity. Methods Pregnant rats were gavaged daily with corn oil (control) or with 4, 20, 100, or 500 mg/kg DBP. We examined adult end points of TDS (infertility, cryptorchidism) and indicators within the fetal testis of dysgenesis [abnormal Leydig cell (LC) aggregation, multinucleated gonocytes (MNGs)], as well as conditions that may result from these indicators in adulthood (occurrence of focal dysgenetic areas). Fetal testis weight and testicular testosterone levels were also evaluated. Results The fetal end points analyzed (testicular testosterone levels, abnormal LC aggregation, occurrence of MNGs) were most sensitive to disruption by DBP, as all were significantly affected at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day DBP, with a trend toward effects occurring at 20 mg/kg/day DBP; adult end points were affected consistently only by 500 mg/kg/day DBP. Conclusions The fetal end points we evaluated can be objectively quantified and may prove helpful in evaluating the health risk of exposure to DBP and other phthalates, as well as identifying DBP-sensitive fetal events that have adult consequences/end points that are identifiable in human TDS.
Charge Balancing in Functional Electrical Stimulators: A Comparative Study

Charge balancing is a major concern in functional electrical stimulation, since any excess charge accumulation over time leads to electrolysis with electrode dissolution, gazing and tissue destruction. This paper presents an overview on recent advances in this field: passive as well as active charge balancing techniques will be presented concerning their advantages and drawbacks. For closed loop active charge balancers a stability analysis is presented
Increased serum IL-10 in lupus patients promotes apoptosis of T cell subsets via the caspase 8 pathway initiated by Fas signaling

Abstract We sought to investigate the expression of Fas and FasL on T cell surface and caspase 8 involvement in T cell apoptosis promoted by serum IL-10 in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Cells and sera were obtained from 35 SLE patients. Apoptosis of T cells in patients with SLE was increased and associated with the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI). Elevated expression of Fas and FasL on T cell surface contributed to increased apoptosis of T cells. Increased IL-10 in the sera of SLE patients was capable of inducing Fas and FasL expression on CD4+T cell surface, promoting apoptosis of this cell subset. Decreased IL-10 serum levels and low expression of Fas were found in 5 patients of the first follow-up group after 2-month treatment. In another group with one-year treatment, the SLEDAI declined to inactive scores. Serum IL-10 was decreased significantly, and expression of Fas and FasL on T cells was also reduced. Declined apoptosis was predominant only in CD4+T cell subset. When sera with high level of IL-10 were used to culture PBMCs from healthy controls, activated caspase 8 was elevated in CD3+T, CD4+T and CD8+T cells. The study showed that serum IL-10 induced apoptosis of T cell subsets via the caspase 8 pathway initiated by Fas signaling. Increased apoptosis of T cells contributes to autoantigen burden, which is pathogenic in the development of SLE.
Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) for the Therapy of Liver Disease

Silymarin, derived from the milk thistle plant, Silybum marianum, has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for diseases of the liver and biliary tract. As interest in alternative therapy has emerged in the United States, gastroenterologists have encountered increasing numbers of patients taking silymarin with little understanding of its purported properties. Silymarin and its active constituent, silybin, have been reported to work as antioxidants scavenging free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Studies also suggest that they protect against genomic injury, increase hepatocyte protein synthesis, decrease the activity of tumor promoters, stabilize mast cells, chelate iron, and slow calcium metabolism. In this article we review silymarin's history, pharmacology, and properties, and the clinical trials pertaining to patients with acute and chronic liver disease.
Improving search engine retrieval using a compound splitter for Swedish

In this paper we have investigated 128 high frequent Swedish compound queries (6.2 per thousand) with no search results among 1.6 million searches carried out at nine public web sites containing all together 100,000 web pages in Swedish. To these compound queries we added a compound splitter as a pre-processor and we found that after decompounding these queries they gave relevant results in 64 percent of the cases instead of zero percent hits. We give also examples on some rules for optimal compound splitting in a search situation.
Geochemistry and zircon Hf isotopes of the Early Mesozoic intrusive rocks in the south Hunchun, Yanbian area, Northeast China: petrogenesis and implications for crustal growth

ABSTRACT This paper presents major element, trace element, and new zircon Hf isotopic data for the Early Mesozoic intrusive rocks in the south Hunchun, Yanbian area, Northeast China. These data are used to constrain the petrogenesis of these intrusive rocks and their implications for the Phanerozoic continental growth of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Combining geology, geochronology, and whole-rock geochemistry, we identify three distinct episodes of magmatism as Early–Middle Triassic (249–237 Ma), Late Triassic (224–206 Ma), and Early Jurassic (200–187 Ma). The Early–Middle Triassic (249–237 Ma) adakitic tonalite and granodiorite were produced by the partial melting of subducted oceanic slabs, and the melts were contaminated by mantle peridotite during their ascent, whereas the coeval non-adakitic diorite and monzogranite were most likely derived from partial melting of crustal material. The remarkably high zircon Hf isotopic signature (εHf(t) = + 9.4 – +18.9), the enrichment in large-ion lithophile element and light rare earth elements, and the depletion in high field strength element suggest that these 224 Ma gabbros were derived from the partial melting of depleted mantle modified by subduction-related fluids. The 212 Ma monzogranite was most likely derived from juvenile material mixed with old crustal material as evidenced by their high SiO2, low MgO, and low Cr concentrations and variable εHf(t) values (–4.6 to +10.0). Except for the 197 Ma tonalites with affinity to the high silica adakites, the overall geochemical evolution of Early Jurassic (200–187 Ma) rocks was consistent with fractional crystallization from quartz diorite, granodiorite, and monzogranite to syenogranite. Both the Early Jurassic syn-subduction lateral continental growth by accretion of arc complexes and the Late Triassic post-collisional vertical continental growth by accretion of mantle-derived material played an important role in the Phanerozoic continental growth of the CAOB. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Liming of an Andisol of the Michoacan State Purepecha Plateau, Mexico

Soils derived from volcanic ash are acidic cause problems because of the retention of phosphorus and molybdenum, their calcium and magnesium levels are low and those from aluminum high.The objective of this study consisted of determining the agricultural lime dose to reduce the soil acidity of a community of the Michoacán State, Mexico. It was worked in laboratory, greenhouse and field. It was carried out a soil sampling at the depth of 0.20 m to which was determined: pH, exchangeable aluminum, phosphorus retention capacity andcalcite dose to raise its pH to 7.0. Threecalcite dosesand one control was studied in greenhouse in a statistical design completely randomized with 4 replications. As indicator crop bean was used. As variables: days to flowering, dry matter of leaves, stems and petioles, and root length were considered. In the field, one control, two dolomite doses and one of calcite under a design of blocks at random with 4 replications each were studied in an orchard of avocado trees. As the response indicator variable was measured the growth of the avocado tree trunk perimeter. In greenhouse, 7500 kg ha-1of calcite elevated the pH from 5.2 to 6.8 and had the highest yield in total dry matter production. This treatment was statistically the best at the level of significance of 5%. In field, the treatment of 6000 kg ha-1 of dolomite gave the greater growth of the avocado tree trunk perimeter and was the best at the level of significance of 5%.
Voting experts: An unsupervised algorithm for segmenting sequences

We describe a statistical signature of chunks and an algorithm for finding chunks. While there is no formal definition of chunks, they may be reliably identified as configurations with low internal entropy or unpredictability and high entropy at their boundaries. We show that the log frequency of a chunk is a measure of its internal entropy. The Voting-Experts exploits the signature of chunks to find word boundaries in text from four languages and episode boundaries in the activities of a mobile robot.
Design and application key determination (dichotomy) J2ME based forms to help students in practicum biological observations

This paper describes about how a mobile phone can be a piece of equipment or tools used by student to identify various kinds of insect. This mobile application can help their observations and instantly analyzed with quite a lot of data but with a fairly simple method that is a key determinant of insect. Development is usually a key determinant of conventional print media, whether books or sheet form that is not practical to be taken by students. To address these difficulties, the key determination method is developed which is based J2ME mobile that can be installed on mobile phones. The key determination was developed specifically to identify these insects can help students to identify different kinds of Insect found in students and group them with more practical and more attractive than the conventional determination key. With this application, students can immediately identify the insect on the spot. The key determinant of this mobile includes a description of the characteristics of an organism is presented with the opposite character. These characters are presented ranging from the general character of the increasingly more and more specific until eventually leading to the key characters whose show a particular species.
SUCRE: A Modular System for Coreference Resolution

This paper presents SUCRE, a new software tool for coreference resolution and its feature engineering. It is able to separately do noun, pronoun and full coreference resolution. SUCRE introduces a new approach to the feature engineering of coreference resolution based on a relational database model and a regular feature definition language. SUCRE successfully participated in SemEval-2010 Task 1 on Coreference Resolution in Multiple Languages (Recasens et al., 2010) for gold and regular closed annotation tracks of six languages. It obtained the best results in several categories, including the regular closed annotation tracks of English and German.
The nitrogen isotope effect of benthic remineralization-nitrification-denitrification coupling in an estuarine environment

Abstract. The nitrogen (N) stable isotopic composition of pore water nitrate and total dissolved N (TDN) was measured in sediments of the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The study area is characterized by gradients in organic matter reactivity, bottom water oxygen concentrations, as well as benthic respiration rates. N isotope effects on the water column associated with the benthic exchange of nitrate (eapp) and TDN (esed) during benthic nitrification-denitrification coupling were investigated. The sediments were a major sink for nitrate and a source of reduced dissolved N (RDN = DON + NH4+). We observed that both the pore water nitrate and RDN pools were enriched in 15N relative to the water column, with increasing δ15N downcore in the sediments. As in other marine environments, the biological nitrate isotope fractionation of net fixed N loss was barely expressed at the scale of sediment-water exchange, with vapp values
A Prospective, International Cohort Study of Invasive Mold Infections in Children.

BACKGROUND Invasive mold infections (IMIs) are a leading cause of mortality in immunocompromised children, yet there has never been an international epidemiologic investigation of pediatric IMIs. METHODS This international, prospective cohort study was performed to characterize the epidemiology, antifungal therapy, and outcomes of pediatric IMIs. Children (≤18 years) with proven or probable IMIs were enrolled between August 2007 and May 2011 at 22 sites. Risk factors, underlying diagnoses, and treatments were recorded. Outcomes were assessed at 12 weeks after diagnosis using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group response criteria. RESULTS One hundred thirty-one pediatric patients with IMIs were enrolled; the most common IMI was invasive aspergillosis ([IA] 75%). Children with IA and those with other types of IMIs had similar underlying risk factors, except that children with IMIs caused by non-Aspergillus species were more likely to have received mold-active antifungal agents preceding diagnosis. The most commonly used antifungal classes after diagnosis were triazoles (82%) and polyenes (63%). Combination therapy was used in 53% of patients. Use of combination therapy was associated with an increased risk of adverse events (risk ratio, 1.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-3.68; P = .031), although there was no detectable difference in outcome. CONCLUSIONS Although risk factors for IMIs are similar across specific subtypes, preceding antifungal therapy may be an important modifier. Combination antifungal therapy requires further study to determine its true risks and benefits.
Aspen : Buy and Sell Spare CPU Cycles

We describe a system that allows computer owners who have unused cycles to rent out their machines to people who want to run many computational jobs. The system is designed to run 1-2 hour jobs with deterministic results that do not require intermediate communication between nodes or computation checkpoints. 1) We introduce a payment and accounting scheme according to a simple measure of worker machine quality: the speed of computing jobs, 2) we implement policy to detect cheating workers, 3) we safely handle worker node failures through replication jobs across multiple machines, 4) we allow untrusted CPU owners to modify their worker client code, and 5) we check the correctness of clients by comparing replicated results.
Learning together in practice: A survey of interprofessional education in clinical settings in South-East England

This article describes the outcomes of a two-year project, commissioned by the Department of Health, to investigate the development of pre-registration education for the allied health professions in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. A range of data collection methods were adopted in order to identify where and how interprofessional education (IPE) was occurring in clinical settings. It was found that IPE is highly contextualized, and develops according to a variety of situational factors. The types of IPE encountered are described and their respective features, strengths and limitations are discussed.
Glyph: Visualization Tool for Understanding Problem Solving Strategies in Puzzle Games

Understanding player strategies is a key question when analyzing player behavior both for academic researchers and industry practitioners. For game designers and game user researchers, it is important to gauge the distance between intended strategies and emergent strategies; this comparison allows identification of glitches or undesirable behaviors. For academic researchers using games for serious purposes such as education, the strategies adopted by players are indicative of their cognitive progress in relation to serious goals, such as learning process. Current techniques and systems created to address these needs present a few drawbacks. Qualitative methods are difficult to scale upwards to include large number of players and are prone to subjective biases. Other approaches such as visualization and analytical tools are either designed to provide an aggregated overview of the data, losing the nuances of individual player behaviors, or, in the attempt of accounting for individual behavior, are not specifically designed to reduce the visual cognitive load. In this work, we propose a novel visualization technique that specifically addresses the tasks of comparing behavior sequences in order to capture an overview of the strategies enacted by players and at the same time examine individual player behaviors to identify differences and outliers. This approach allows users to form hypotheses about player strategies and verify them. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique through a case study: utilizing a prototype system to investigate data collected from a commercial educational puzzle game. While the prototype’s usability can be improved, initial testing results show that core features of the system proved useful to our potential users for understanding player strategies.
Optogenetics and Epilepsy: Past, Present and Future

The holy grail of epilepsy research is to understand the mechanisms underlying seizures so that patients with epilepsy can receive effective treatment or be cured, ideally with no significant side effects. Recent advances in neuroscience give such hope. Optogenetics is a modern neuroscience research tool that allows precise spatiotemporal control of defined cells and circuits and, thus, dissection of critical players and targeting them for responsive treatments. Here we review the state of the art of these approaches and their applications and implications in epilepsy research.
Neural Algebra of Classifiers

The world is fundamentally compositional, so it is natural to think of visual recognition as the recognition of basic visually primitives that are composed according to well-defined rules. This strategy allows us to recognize unseen complex concepts from simple visual primitives. However, the current trend in visual recognition follows a data greedy approach where huge amounts of data are required to learn models for any desired visual concept. In this paper, we build on the compositionality principle and develop an "algebra" to compose classifiers for complex visual concepts. To this end, we learn neural network modules to perform boolean algebra operations on simple visual classifiers. Since these modules form a complete functional set, a classifier for any complex visual concept defined as a boolean expression of primitives can be obtained by recursively applying the learned modules, even if we do not have a single training sample. As our experiments show, using such a framework, we can compose classifiers for complex visual concepts outperforming standard baselines on two well-known visual recognition benchmarks. Finally, we present a qualitative analysis of our method and its properties.