Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paraphrase Extraction from Validated Question Answering Corpora in Spanish

Basing on the debate around the definition of paraphrase, this work aims to empirically clarify what is considered a paraphrase by humans. The experiment accomplished has its starting point in one of the several campaigns that every year generate large amounts of validated textual data, which can be reused for different purposes. This paper describes in detail a simple method -based on pattern-matching and deletion and insertion operations-, able to extract a remarkable amount of paraphrases from Question Answering assessed corpora. An assessment of the corpus obtained was accomplished by experts, and an analysis of this process is shown. This work has been developed for Spanish.
Effects of group sports on health‐related physical fitness of overweight youth: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Group sports interventions have been developed to improve health‐related physical fitness of overweight/obese youth. However, its benefits are not systematically documented. This study synthesizes the evidence about the effects of group sports on health‐related physical fitness of overweight/obese youth. Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Medline, CINAHL, SportDiscus, and Academic Search Complete were searched in February 2016. Studies assessing the effects of group sports on body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and neuromotor fitness of overweight/obese youth (aged <18 years) were included. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated with Cohen's d and its 95% confidence intervals (CI). Improvements were found in (i) body composition – percentage of fat body mass (pooled ES = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.24–1.10) and waist circumference (ES = 0.69; P = 0.004); (ii) cardiorespiratory endurance – peak oxygen consumption (pooled ES = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.13–0.92) and (iii) muscle strength – hand grip strength (ES = 0.72; P = 0.003). No significant effects were found for body mass index (pooled ES = 0.27; 95% CI = −0.14 to 0.69), percentage of lean body mass (ES = 0.01; P > 0.05), maximal power output (ES from 0 to 0.06; P > 0.05), sit‐and‐reach test (pooled ES = 0.26; 95% CI = −0.16 to 0.68) and agility test (ES = 0; P = 0.48). Group sports improve body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, and hand grip strength of overweight/obese youth. Flexibility and neuromotor fitness do not seem to change following group sports.
A method to detect victims in search and rescue operations using template matching

We present an approach to vision-based person detection in robotic applications that uses template matching. We detect people using templates of the human silhouette. In our approach, we detect borders on each image, then apply a distance transform, and then match templates at different scales. Our system integrates silhouette, corners (point of interest) and skin presence in order to obtain more robust results in the detection of victims in search and rescue operations. Further, we describe the automatic generation of templates from a set of photographs of the object of interest.
Integrated Mobile Robot System for Landmine Detection

In this paper, we discuss the integration process of a mobile robot and multi-channel metal detector system intended for humanitarian demining applications within the EU FP7 TIRAMISU project. The paper describes how a standard tele-operated Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) robot was upgraded with electronics, sensors, computing power, motor control units and power sources, such that it becomes able to execute humanitarian demining tasks. To be able to detect land mines we have integrated with the mobile robot platform a multi-channel metal detector system which is a specialized sensor system for demining platforms developed by Vallon GmbH. In order to evaluate the proposed system integration we have performed first test and validation activities done at the SEDEE-DOVO test field (dummy minefield and UXO test site) of the Belgium Defense. Our first data acquisition results obtained during test and validation activities with the systems are reported. Lessons learned during the work conclude this paper.
Determinants of self-rated health in Spain: differences by age groups for adults.

BACKGROUND Identifying factors associated with self-rated health (SRH) in two age groups (16-49 and ≥ 50 years) in the context of action for health promotion in adults. METHODS The data used came from the household and adults questionnaires of the National Health Survey of Spain for 2006. SRH was categorized as positive (very positive or positive) and negative (fair, poor or very poor). Odds ratios for positive SRH compared with negative SRH were calculated using logistic regression models for complex samples. The determinants of the positive SRH were obtained for the total population and for two age groups. RESULTS Among the population aged ≥ 16 years, 66.6% reports positive SRH, 78.6% in the 16- to 49-year-old group and 47.7% in the ≥ 50-year-old group. SRH worsens with age until the age of 49, whereas 50 years onwards older report better health than the younger. The influence of lifestyle on the SRH varies by age group among adults as well: in the younger age groups, obesity, smoking and non-alcohol are associated with poor SRH; in contrast, physical exercise only in leisure time and enough sleeping hours are associated with positive SRH in the ≥ 50-year-old population. CONCLUSIONS The factors associated with SRH differ across age groups, particularly for lifestyle. Understanding the differences between the factors associated with the positive SRH is highly relevant for the design of specific programmes aimed at improving public health.
MemAxes: Visualization and Analytics for Characterizing Complex Memory Performance Behaviors

Memory performance is often a major bottleneck for high-performance computing (HPC) applications. Deepening memory hierarchies, complex memory management, and non-uniform access times have made memory performance behavior difficult to characterize, and users require novel, sophisticated tools to analyze and optimize this aspect of their codes. Existing tools target only specific factors of memory performance, such as hardware layout, allocations, or access instructions. However, today's tools do not suffice to characterize the complex relationships between these factors. Further, they require advanced expertise to be used effectively. We present MemAxes, a tool based on a novel approach for analytic-driven visualization of memory performance data. MemAxes uniquely allows users to analyze the different aspects related to memory performance by providing multiple visual contexts for a centralized dataset. We define mappings of sampled memory access data to new and existing visual metaphors, each of which enabling a user to perform different analysis tasks. We present methods to guide user interaction by scoring subsets of the data based on known performance problems. This scoring is used to provide visual cues and automatically extract clusters of interest. We designed MemAxes in collaboration with experts in HPC and demonstrate its effectiveness in case studies.
Identity economics and the brain: uncovering the mechanisms of social conflict

Social contexts can have dramatic effects on decisions. When individuals recognize each other as coming from the same social group, they can coordinate their actions towards a common goal. Conversely, information about group differences can lead to conflicts both economic and physical. Understanding how social information shapes decision processes is now a core goal both of behavioural economics and neuroeconomics. Here, we describe the foundations for research that combines the theoretical framework from identity economics with the experimental methods of neuroscience. Research at this intersection would fill important gaps in the literature not addressed by current approaches in either of these disciplines, nor within social neuroscience, psychology or other fields. We set forth a simple taxonomy of social contexts based on the information content they provide. And, we highlight the key questions that would be addressed by a new ‘identity neuroeconomics’. Such research could serve as an important and novel link between the social and natural sciences.
Self-Organising Mixture autoregressive Model for Non-Stationary Time Series Modelling

Modelling non-stationary time series has been a difficult task for both parametric and nonparametric methods. One promising solution is to combine the flexibility of nonparametric models with the simplicity of parametric models. In this paper, the self-organising mixture autoregressive (SOMAR) network is adopted as a such mixture model. It breaks time series into underlying segments and at the same time fits local linear regressive models to the clusters of segments. In such a way, a global non-stationary time series is represented by a dynamic set of local linear regressive models. Neural gas is used for a more flexible structure of the mixture model. Furthermore, a new similarity measure has been introduced in the self-organising network to better quantify the similarity of time series segments. The network can be used naturally in modelling and forecasting non-stationary time series. Experiments on artificial, benchmark time series (e.g. Mackey-Glass) and real-world data (e.g. numbers of sunspots and Forex rates) are presented and the results show that the proposed SOMAR network is effective and superior to other similar approaches.
Land use/land cover and land capability data for evaluating land utilization and official land use planning in Indramayu Regency, West Java, Indonesia

Land utilization in Indonesia is regulated in an official spatial land use planning (OSLUP), stipulated by government regulations. However in fact, land utilizations are often develops inconsistent with regulations. OSLUP itself is also not usually compatible with sustainable land utilizations. This study aims to evaluate current land utilizations and OSLUP in Indramayu Regency, West Java. The methodology used is the integrated analysis using land use and land cover (LU/LC) data, land capability data and spatial pattern in OSLUP. Actual LU/LC are interpreted using SPOT-6 imagery of 2014. The spatial data of land capabilities are derived from land capability classification using field data and laboratory analysis. The confrontation between these spatial data is interpreted in terms of future direction for sustainable land use planning. The results shows that Indramayu regency consists of 8 types of LU/LC. Land capability in research area range from class II to VIII. Only a small portion of the land in Indramayu has been used in accordance with land capability, but most of the land is used exceeding its land capability.
Transcriptionally Repressive Chromatin Remodelling and CpG Methylation in the Presence of Expanded CTG-Repeats at the DM1 Locus

An expanded CTG-repeat in the 3′ UTR of the DMPK gene is responsible for myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1). Somatic and intergenerational instability cause the disease to become more severe during life and in subsequent generations. Evidence is accumulating that trinucleotide repeat instability and disease progression involve aberrant chromatin dynamics. We explored the chromatin environment in relation to expanded CTG-repeat tracts in hearts from transgenic mice carrying the DM1 locus with different repeat lengths. Using bisulfite sequencing we detected abundant CpG methylation in the regions flanking the expanded CTG-repeat. CpG methylation was postulated to affect CTCF binding but we found that CTCF binding is not affected by CTG-repeat length in our transgenic mice. We detected significantly decreased DMPK sense and SIX5 transcript expression levels in mice with expanded CTG-repeats. Expression of the DM1 antisense transcript was barely affected by CTG-repeat expansion. In line with altered gene expression, ChIP studies revealed a locally less active chromatin conformation around the expanded CTG-repeat, namely, decreased enrichment of active histone mark H3K9/14Ac and increased H3K9Me3 enrichment (repressive chromatin mark). We also observed binding of PCNA around the repeats, a candidate that could launch chromatin remodelling cascades at expanded repeats, ultimately affecting gene transcription and repeat instability.
Oxidative Stress Induced Age Dependent Meibomian Gland Dysfunction in Cu, Zn-Superoxide Dismutase-1 (Sod1) Knockout Mice

Purpose The purpose of our study was to investigate alterations in the meibomian gland (MG) in Cu, Zn-Superoxide Dismutase-1 knockout (Sod1 −/−) mouse. Methods Tear function tests [Break up time (BUT) and cotton thread] and ocular vital staining test were performed on Sod1 −/− male mice (n = 24) aged 10 and 50 weeks, and age and sex matched wild–type (+/+) mice (n = 25). Tear and serum samples were collected at sacrifice for inflammatory cytokine assays. MG specimens underwent Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, Mallory staining for fibrosis, Oil Red O lipid staining, TUNEL staining, immunohistochemistry stainings for 4HNE, 8-OHdG and CD45. Transmission electron microscopic examination (TEM) was also performed. Results Corneal vital staining scores in the Sod1 −/− mice were significantly higher compared with the wild type mice throughout the follow-up. Tear and serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels also showed significant elevations in the 10 to 50 week Sod1 −/− mice. Oil Red O staining showed an accumulation of large lipid droplets in the Sod1 −/− mice at 50 weeks. Immunohistochemistry revealed both increased TUNEL and oxidative stress marker stainings of the MG acinar epithelium in the Sod1 −/− mice compared to the wild type mice. Immunohistochemistry staining for CD45 showed increasing inflammatory cell infiltrates from 10 to 50 weeks in the Sod1 −/− mice compared to the wild type mice. TEM revealed prominent mitochondrial changes in 50 week Sod1 −/− mice. Conclusions Our results suggest that reactive oxygen species might play a vital role in the pathogensis of meibomian gland dysfunction. The Sod1 −/− mouse appears to be a promising model for the study of reactive oxygen species associated MG alterations.
A Path Computation Element (PCE)-Based Architecture

Constraint-based path computation is a fundamental building block for traffic engineering systems such as Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) networks. Path computation in large, multi-domain, multi-region, or multi-layer networks is complex and may require special computational components and cooperation between the different network domains. This document specifies the architecture for a Path Computation Element (PCE)-based model to address this problem space. This document does not attempt to provide a detailed description of all the architectural components, but rather it describes a set of building blocks for the PCE architecture from which solutions may be constructed. This memo provides information for the Internet community.
Temporal and Spatial Variability of Annual Rainfall Patterns in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

We analyze a body of rainfall data covering 38 years from five meteorological stations in the Nicoya Peninsula of the Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. The purpose of the analysis is to uncover spatial and temporal variability of rainfall in order to support research into water and sustainability under the FuturAgua project. We use a variety of statistical analysis and modelling techniques. The analysis uncovers a relatively suppressed spatial pattern of rainfall. Rainfall totals for periods shorter than two weeks are dominated by strong stochastic variability, while longer totalizing periods reveal systematic variation. Monthly totals show the strong double peak, and associated midsummer drought that has been previously reported. The annual cycle can be efficiently captured by a double Gaussian model. A simple application of this model to individual years shows large interannual variability, and a strong dependence of the second rainfall peak on the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI). A Bayesian analysis confirms the appropriateness of the double Gaussian model, and quantifies the strength of the dependence on ONI. We discuss the implications of our statistical analyses for research under the FuturAgua project.
Cylindrical Constraint Evolutionary Algorithm for Multiobjective Optimization

This paper introduces a new iterative evolutionary algorit hm, which is able to provide an evenly distributed set of solutions in multiobjective context. The method is different from the other evolutionary algorithms in two perspectives. First, instead of density information in corporated to find a diverse set of solutions, a hyper- cylinder is introduced as a new constraint to the problem. Searching for the solution within this hypercylinder guarantees the evenly generated solutions at the end of the optimization process. Second, a fitness function is constructed to handle the problem constraints and meanwhile minimize the distance of the solution to the true optimum frontier. In addition, the method is developed in such a way that it can be easily implemented in searching the preferable region of the search space. The algorithm behaviour is tested on different test cases and the results are compared in both convergence and diversity to those of other well known approaches to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.
Robust Indoor Localization across Smartphone Models with Ellipsoid Features from Multiple RSSIs

Localization for mobile devices has become important as the basis technology for various ubiquitous computing applications. While GPS is leveraged as the de-facto standard technology in outdoor localization, its accuracy is poor indoors. For twenty years, researchers have tried to investigate indoor localization technology using fingerprinting from received signal strength indicators (RSSIs). With the widespread use of smartphones in the last decade, device dependency (e.g. antenna characteristics) must be considered to avoid performance degradation, while most of the recent localization approaches assume that all the smartphone models have the same device characteristics. In this paper, we propose a novel feature representation based on multiple RSSIs for compensating performance degradation against smartphone models changes. In contrast to the previous feature representation based on a single RSSI, our new feature representation, which we call Ellipsoid features, employs tuples of pair of RSSIs to eliminate device dependence in the path loss model for wave propagation. In contrast to recent advances in machine learning methods such as domain adaptation, multi-task learning, and semi-supervised learning, our approach requires no additional dataset nor retraining for the new target models. This simplicity would promote ubiquity of indoor localization in the era of smartphones. Moreover, our feature representation works well compared to the state-of-the-arts in feature representations based on multiple RSSIs even when only a small number of access points (APs) are available. Experimental result using smartphone devices including Android Nexus5, Nexus5X, Nexus6P, and Xperia X Performance shows that our approach achieves superior performance over the state-of-the-art indoor localization models as well as robust performance against device changes.
Prédiction du SRI à utiliser en fonction des critères linguistiques de la requête

In information retrieval (IR), many techniques are used by systems to improve their efficiency in the retrieval process. In this paper, we consider13 linguistic features for queries clustering (Mothe et al., 2005). Queries are TREC 3, 5, 6 and 7 topics. We then associate to each cluster a system that will be used for all queries in this cluster. Results show that P@15 can be improved for example from 2.31% to 6.81% and up to 16.27% for the MAP measure, depending of the year considered. MOTS-CLES: recherche d'information, fusion de donnees, classification de requetes,
Acoustic parameters underlying the responses of song-specific neurons in the white-crowned sparrow

Songbirds such as the white-crowned sparrow memorize the song of conspecific adults during a critical period early in life and later in life develop song by utilizing auditory feedback. Neurons in one of the telencephalic nuclei controlling song have recently been shown to respond to acoustic stimuli. I investigated the auditory response properties of units in this nucleus using a technique that permitted great flexibility in manipulating complex stimuli such as song. A few of the units exhibited considerable selectivity for the individual's own song. In wild-caught birds, song-specific units exhibited intradialect selectivity. In those birds that sang abnormal songs due to laboratory manipulation of song exposure during the critical period for song learning, units were selective for the abnormal songs. By systematic modification of a song, and by construction of complex synthetic sounds mimicking song, the acoustic parameters responsible for the response selectivity were identified. Song-specific units responded to sequences of two song parts but not to the parts in isolation. Modification of the frequencies of either part of the sequence, or increasing the interval between the parts, varied the strength of the response. Thus, temporal as well as spectral parameters were important for the response. When sequences of synthetic sounds mimicking song were effective in evoking an excitatory response, the response was sensitive to the aforementioned manipulations. Wih these techniques it was possible to elucidate the acoustic parameters required to excite song-specific units. All songs of the repertoire eliciting a strong excitatory response contained the appropriate parameters, which were missing from all weakly effective, ineffective, or inhibitory songs.
Urban Irrigation Suppresses Land Surface Temperature and Changes the Hydrologic Regime in Semi-Arid Regions

Outdoor water use for irrigation constitutes a substantial urban water flux yet its impact on the land surface remains poorly quantified. This study analyzes the impact of irrigation on land surface temperatures and the hydrologic regime of a large, semi-arid urban metropolis. Using remotely sensed products, municipal water use data, and simulations with a coupled land surface-hydrologic model we find significant impacts on both land surface temperatures and the hydrologic dynamics of the study domain, Los Angeles, CA. The analysis of remotely sensed land surface temperature finds a decrease of up to 3.2 ± 0.02 K between low and high irrigation areas of similar land cover. These temperature differences, caused by a human-induced flux, are on par with estimates of the urban heat island effect and regional warming trends; simulations are able to capture this difference but underestimate absolute values throughout. Assessment of change in irrigation volume and timing through simulations show that irrigation timing has a small impact (<±2%) on evapotranspiration and runoff. Furthermore, relatively low irrigation volumes push the semi-arid urban environment into a sub-humid regime.