Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contrasting Effects of Fire Severity on the Regeneration of Pinus halepensis Mill. and Resprouter Species in Recently Thinned Thickets

Many studies have outlined the benefits for growth and reproduction resulting from thinning extremely crowded young forests regenerating after stand replacing wildfires (“thickets”). However, scarce information is available on how thinning may influence fire severity and vegetation regeneration in case a new fire occurs. We investigated the relationship between thinning and fire severity in P. halepensis thickets, and the effects on the establishment of pine seedlings and resprouting vigour in resprouter species the year after the fire. Our results show a positive relationship between forest basal area and fire severity, and thus reserved pines in thinned stands suffered less fire damage than those in un‐thinned sites (respectively, 2.02 ± 0.13 vs. 2.93 ± 0.15 in a scale from 0 to 4). Ultimately, differences in fire severity influenced post‐fire regeneration. Resprouting vigour varied depending on the species and the size of individuals but it was consistently higher in thinned stands. Concerning P. halepensis, the proportion of cones surviving the fire decreased with fire severity. However, this could not compensate the much lower pine density in thinned stands and thus the overall seed crop was higher in un‐thinned areas. Establishment of pine seedlings was negatively affected by the slope and positively driven by the number of cones and thus it was higher in un‐thinned than in thinned stands (respectively, 2581 ± 649 vs. 898 ± 325 seedlings∙ha-1). Thinning decreases fire intensity, and thus it may facilitate fire suppression tasks, but retaining a higher density of pines would be necessary to ensure P. halepensis regeneration after a new fire event.
Atypical antipsychotic augmentation in major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized trials.

OBJECTIVE The authors sought to determine by meta-analysis the efficacy and tolerability of adjunctive atypical antipsychotic agents in major depressive disorder. METHOD Searches were conducted of MEDLINE/PubMed (1966 to January 2009), the Cochrane database, abstracts of major psychiatric meetings since 2000, and online trial registries. Manufacturers of atypical antipsychotic agents without online registries were contacted. Trials selected were acute-phase, parallel-group, double-blind controlled trials with random assignment to adjunctive atypical antipsychotic or placebo. Patients had nonpsychotic unipolar major depressive disorder that was resistant to prior antidepressant treatment. Response, remission, and discontinuation rates were either reported or obtained. Data were extracted by one author and checked by the second. Data included study design, number of patients, patient characteristics, methods of establishing treatment resistance, drug doses, duration of the adjunctive trial, depression scale used, response and remission rates, and discontinuation rates for any reason or for adverse events. RESULTS Sixteen trials with 3,480 patients were pooled using a fixed-effects meta-analysis. Adjunctive atypical antipsychotics were significantly more effective than placebo (response: odds ratio=1.69, 95% CI=1.46-1.95, z=7.00, N=16, p<0.00001; remission: odds ratio=2.00, 95% CI=1.69-2.37, z=8.03, N=16, p<0.00001). Mean odds ratios did not differ among the atypical agents and were not affected by trial duration or method of establishing treatment resistance. Discontinuation rates for adverse events were higher for atypical agents than for placebo (odds ratio=3.91, 95% CI=2.68-5.72, z=7.05, N=15, p<0.00001). CONCLUSIONS Atypical antipsychotics are effective augmentation agents in major depressive disorder but are associated with an increased risk of discontinuation due to adverse events.
Multiple speaker tracking using a microphone array by combining auditory processing and a gaussian mixture cardinalized probability hypothesis density filter

Tracking speakers is an important application in smart environments. Acoustic tracking using microphone arrays is a challenging task due to two major reasons: On the one hand, multiple persons may speak simultaneously and thus the number of speakers varies over time; on the other hand, due to the nature of reverberated speech, the provided position hypotheses contain many gaps and clutter. In the proposed approach, the "glimpsing model" is realized by neurobiologically in spired calculation of robust but sparse position hypotheses in combination with a Gaussian mixture cardinalized probability hypothesis density filter. By iteratively applying the filter to the position hypotheses from multiple frequency bands, good results are achieved. Using a statistical speech model derived from recordings, a real-time capable implementation is used to track multiple speakers in a conference room with significant reverberation.
A 30Gsps 6bit DAC in SiGe BiCMOS technology

A 30GSsps 6bit current-steering digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in SiGe BiCMOS technology is present in this paper. The DAC core works in a double-sampling way, which reduces the maximum clock frequency by half. In order to suppress the frequency spur induced by double-sampling, a duty cycle correction circuit is implemented. 24 high speed serial data receivers running up to 7.5Gbps per-lane and MUX circuits are also integrated to support full data rate operation. According to the measured result, this DAC achieves a SFDR of 44.1dBc at low frequency. The worst SFDR is 28.5dBc up to Nyquist frequency.
Two vocoder techniques for neutral to emotional timbre conversion

In this paper, we describe the application of two vocoder techniques for an experiment of spectral envelope transformation. We processed speech data in a neutral standard reading style in order to reproduce the spectral shapes of two emotional speaking styles: happy and sad. This was achieved by means of conversion functions which operate in the frequency domain and are trained with aligned source-target pairs of spectral features. The first vocoder is based on the source-filter model of speech production and exploits the Mel Log Spectral Approximation filter, while the second is the Phase vocoder. Objective distance measures were calculated in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the conversion framework in predicting the target spectral envelopes. Subjective listening tests also provided interesting elements for the evaluation.
Three-Dimensional Fully Symmetric Inductors, Transformer, and Balun in CMOS Technology

This paper presents novel three-dimensional (3-D) symmetric passive components, including inductors, transformers, and balun. Layout areas of these components are drastically reduced by 32% to 70%, while the symmetry of the input and the output ports is still maintained. The inductance mismatch in the 3-D transformer is less than 0.1%, and the coupling coefficient can be up to 0.77. The 3-D balun manifests less than 0.6-dB gain mismatch for 10-GHz range, and the phase error is less than 7deg from 1- to 10-GHz frequency range according to measurement results. Furthermore, the self-resonant frequency (fSR) of the proposed architecture is improved by 32% to 61% in contrast to their planar counterparts. On the other hand, the quality factor is degraded by less than 2 for the sake of using lower metal layers. The distributed capacitance model is utilized to validate their superiorities in fSR. All the devices are fabricated in a generic 0.18-mum CMOS process.
Oncogenic Kit Triggers Shp2/Erk1/2 Pathway to Down-Regulate the Pro-Apoptotic Protein Bim and to Promote Apoptosis Resistance in Leukemic Cells

Oncogenic mutations leading to persistent kinase activities are implicated in various human malignancies. Thereby, signaling pathway-targeted therapies are powerful customized treatment to eradicate cancer cells. In murine and human leukemia cells harboring mutations in Kit, we previously showed that distinct and independent pathways controlled resistance to apoptosis or cell cycle. A treatment with PI3Kinase inhibitors to reduce cell proliferation combined with inhibitors of Erk1/2 activity to promote apoptosis had synergistic effects allowing eradication of leukemia cell growth. We reported here that BimEL, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl2 family proteins, is the target of Erk1/2 signaling and that its down-regulation is responsible for the apoptosis resistance of murine and human leukemic cells. Downstream of Kit mutant, the tyrosine phosphatase Shp2 maintains BimEL expression at a low level, through Erk/2 activation and proteosomal BimEL degradation. This process is controlled by Shp2 independently of other signaling pathways activated downstream of oncogenic Kit, demonstrating that Shp2 is a key regulator of Bim expression in the context of an oncogenic signaling. The increase in BimEL expression is associated to an increased apoptosis. Moreover, the depletion of Bim overcomes apoptosis associated with Erk1/2 inactivation in UO126-treated leukemic cells, thereby establishing the contribution of Bim to drug-induced apoptosis. These data provide a molecular rationale for using BH3 mimetics in combination with PI3K inhibitors to treat leukemia, especially in the case of an oncogenic signaling refractory to Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors.
Increasing β-catenin/Wnt3A activity levels drive mechanical strain-induced cell cycle progression through mitosis

Mechanical force and Wnt signaling activate β-catenin-mediated transcription to promote proliferation and tissue expansion. However, it is unknown whether mechanical force and Wnt signaling act independently or synergize to activate β-catenin signaling and cell division. We show that mechanical strain induced Src-dependent phosphorylation of Y654 β-catenin and increased β-catenin-mediated transcription in mammalian MDCK epithelial cells. Under these conditions, cells accumulated in S/G2 (independent of DNA damage) but did not divide. Activating β-catenin through Casein Kinase I inhibition or Wnt3A addition increased β-catenin-mediated transcription and strain-induced accumulation of cells in S/G2. Significantly, only the combination of mechanical strain and Wnt/β-catenin activation triggered cells in S/G2 to divide. These results indicate that strain-induced Src phosphorylation of β-catenin and Wnt-dependent β-catenin stabilization synergize to increase β-catenin-mediated transcription to levels required for mitosis. Thus, local Wnt signaling may fine-tune the effects of global mechanical strain to restrict cell divisions during tissue development and homeostasis. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.19799. 001
Numerical Study of Dynamic Behavior of Joule-Heated Pool

In the present numerical study, we consider a low-Prandtl liquid metal heated by Joule effect in a rectangular cavity with an aspect ratio of 2. The direct current provides heat to the process medium by a pair of plate electrodes, located at the cavity sidewalls. The simulations have been carried out using finite volume method for fixed values of the Prandtl number, Pr=0.01, and of the Rayleigh number, Ra=1.5×104, while the Hartmann number, Ha=1410, Comparison between the original noise-free data and cleaned data is explored. More precisely, accurate performances predicted using removing noise from numerical simulation data is obtained to define the inherently complicated nature of the competition of buoyancy with electromagnetic body forces.
LCLS injector drive laser

Requirements for the LCLS injector drive laser present significant challenges to the design of the system. While progress has been demonstrated in spatial shape, temporal shape,UV generation and rep-rate, a laser that meets all of the LCLS specifications simultaneously has yet to be demonstrated. These challenges are compounded by the stability and reliability requirements. The drive laser and transport system has been installed and tested. We will report on the current operational state of the laser and plans for future improvements.
An Innovative Optical Sensor for the Online Monitoring and Control of Biomass Concentration in a Membrane Bioreactor System for Lactic Acid Production

Accurate real-time process control is necessary to increase process efficiency, and optical sensors offer a competitive solution because they provide diverse system information in a noninvasive manner. We used an innovative scattered light sensor for the online monitoring of biomass during lactic acid production in a membrane bioreactor system because biomass determines productivity in this type of process. The upper limit of the measurement range in fermentation broth containing Bacillus coagulans was ~2.2 g·L−1. The specific cell growth rate (µ) during the exponential phase was calculated using data representing the linear range (cell density ≤ 0.5 g·L−1). The results were consistently and reproducibly more accurate than offline measurements of optical density and cell dry weight, because more data were gathered in real-time over a shorter duration. Furthermore, µmax was measured under different filtration conditions (transmembrane pressure 0.3–1.2 bar, crossflow velocity 0.5–1.5 m·s−1), showing that energy input had no significant impact on cell growth. Cell density was monitored using the sensor during filtration and was maintained at a constant level by feeding with glucose according to the fermentation kinetics. Our novel sensor is therefore suitable for integration into control strategies for continuous fermentation in membrane bioreactor systems.
Laplacian Spectral Properties of Graphs from Random Local Samples

The Laplacian eigenvalues of a network play an important role in the analysis of many structural and dynamical network problems. In this paper, we study the relationship between the eigenvalue spectrum of the normalized Laplacian matrix and the structure of `local' subgraphs of the network. We call a subgraph \emph{local} when it is induced by the set of nodes obtained from a breath-first search (BFS) of radius $r$ around a node. In this paper, we propose techniques to estimate spectral properties of the normalized Laplacian matrix from a random collection of induced local subgraphs. In particular, we provide an algorithm to estimate the spectral moments of the normalized Laplacian matrix (the power-sums of its eigenvalues). Moreover, we propose a technique, based on convex optimization, to compute upper and lower bounds on the spectral radius of the normalized Laplacian matrix from local subgraphs. We illustrate our results studying the normalized Laplacian spectrum of a large-scale online social network.
Fourteen-month-old infants use interpersonal synchrony as a cue to direct helpfulness

Musical behaviours such as dancing, singing and music production, which require the ability to entrain to a rhythmic beat, encourage high levels of interpersonal coordination. Such coordination has been associated with increased group cohesion and social bonding between group members. Previously, we demonstrated that this association influences even the social behaviour of 14-month-old infants. Infants were significantly more likely to display helpfulness towards an adult experimenter following synchronous bouncing compared with asynchronous bouncing to music. The present experiment was designed to determine whether interpersonal synchrony acts as a cue for 14-month-olds to direct their prosocial behaviours to specific individuals with whom they have experienced synchronous movement, or whether it acts as a social prime, increasing prosocial behaviour in general. Consistent with the previous results, infants were significantly more likely to help an experimenter following synchronous versus asynchronous movement with this person. Furthermore, this manipulation did not affect infant's behaviour towards a neutral stranger, who was not involved in any movement experience. This indicates that synchronous bouncing acts as a social cue for directing prosociality. These results have implications for how musical engagement and rhythmic synchrony affect social behaviour very early in development.
Driller: Augmenting Fuzzing Through Selective Symbolic Execution

—Memory corruption vulnerabilities are an ever- present risk in software, which attackers can exploit to obtain unauthorized access to conﬁdential information. As products with access to sensitive data are becoming more prevalent, the number of potentially exploitable systems is also increasing, resulting in a greater need for automated software vetting tools. DARPA recently funded a competition, with millions of dollars in prize money, to further research focusing on automated vulnerability ﬁnding and patching, showing the importance of research in this area. Current techniques for ﬁnding potential bugs include static, dynamic, and concolic analysis systems, which each having their own advantages and disadvantages. A common limitation of systems designed to create inputs which trigger vulnerabilities is that they only ﬁnd shallow bugs and struggle to exercise deeper paths in executables. We present Driller, a hybrid vulnerability excavation tool which leverages fuzzing and selective concolic execution in a complementary manner, to ﬁnd deeper bugs. Inexpensive fuzzing is used to exercise compartments of an application, while concolic execution is used to generate inputs which satisfy the complex checks separating the compartments. By combining the strengths of the two techniques, we mitigate their weaknesses, avoiding the path explosion inherent in concolic analysis and the incompleteness of fuzzing. Driller uses selective concolic execution to explore only the paths deemed interesting by the fuzzer and to generate inputs for conditions that the fuzzer cannot satisfy. We evaluate Driller on 126 applications released in the qualifying event of the DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge and show its efﬁcacy by identifying the same number of vulnerabilities, in the same time, as the top-scoring team of the qualifying event.
A Surface-Similarity Based Two-Step Classifier for RITE-VAL

This paper describes the system of the team SKL in the NTCIR-11 RITE-VAL workshop. The system consists of two modules: RTE module and text-search module. The RTE module, which is a modiﬁed version of our previous system for the binary classiﬁcation in the RITE-2 workshop, takes two-step classiﬁcation strategy. The ﬁrst step classi-ﬁes a given text pair into positive or negative entailment class based on an overlap measure. If the pair is classiﬁed into positive class, the second step examines whether the assigned class should be ﬂipped or not by using heuristic rules that detect the mismatch of named entities and numbers. The Fact Validation subtask in this workshop is to determine whether a given hypothesis is true or not based on a given document. For this subtask, we introduce the text-search module that extracts the text segment from the document; the RTE module produces the ﬁnal output from the extracted text segment and the hypothesis.
Active Exploration in Dynamic Environments

Whenever an agent learns to control an unknown environment, two opposing principles have to be combined, namely: exploration (long-term optimization) and exploitation (short-term optimization). Many real-valued connectionist approaches to learning control realize exploration by randomness in action selection. This might be disadvantageous when costs are assigned to "negative experiences". The basic idea presented in this paper is to make an agent explore unknown regions in a more directed manner. This is achieved by a so-called competence map, which is trained to predict the controller's accuracy, and is used for guiding exploration. Based on this, a bistable system enables smoothly switching attention between two behaviors - exploration and exploitation - depending on expected costs and knowledge gain. The appropriateness of this method is demonstrated by a simple robot navigation task.
Gabor Filter Parameters Optimization for Texture Classification Based on Genetic Algorithm

Despite Gabor filtering has emerged as one of the leading techniques for texture classification, a unifying approach to its adoption has not emerged yet. As it is true for Gabor filter bank, the design of a filter bank consists of the selection of a proper set of values for the filter parameters. In this paper, it is intended to find a set of Gabor filter bank parameters optimized for the performance of texture classification system. The application method is suggested to compute Gabor filter parameters based on Genetic Algorithm (GA). The parameters are optimized according to each group of textures. We tested the proposed method with several texture images using a standard database. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed approach as the overall success is about 97.5%.
Fusarium mycotoxins in corn and corn products in a high-risk area for gastric cancer in Shandong Province, China.

Consumption of fermented, but not unfermented, corn pancakes has been linked with elevated stomach cancer mortality rates in rural Linqu County in Shandong Province, China. Previous surveys of fungal contamination of corn in China have detected fumonisins, which are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium moniliforme. To determine whether mycotoxins might account for the increased risk of cancer among those consuming fermented pancakes, we obtained specimens of corn, cornmeal, unfermented and fermented pancake batter, and cooked fermented pancakes from each of 16 households in Linqu County for analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Fumonisins B1, B2, and B3 were detected (> or = 0.5 microgram/g) in 19, 25, and 6% of the corn specimens, respectively, as well as in various corn products. No type A trichothecenes were detected; however, the type B trichothecenes deoxynivalenol and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol were detected (> or = 0.5 microgram/g) in 58 and 17% of the corn specimens, respectively, and zearalenone was detected (> or = 0.5 microgram/g) in 15% of the cornmeal specimens. The mycotoxins were detected only at low levels (< 10 micrograms/g), which did not increase with fermentation. These findings do not support the hypothesis that mycotoxin contamination increases the risk of gastric cancer among those who consume fermented Chinese pancakes.
An object-oriented Realtime Framework for distributed control systems

This paper presents the 'Realtime Framework', a package of software modules for building distributed real-time control systems in robotics and automation. The Realtime Framework covers the areas of client-server communication, control of program flow and modality through messaging and state machines, and low-level input/output. In addition, it contains a real-time utilities package and wrappers for operating system calls, which shield any operating system dependence from the application built on top of the Framework. Software design patterns were used to document solutions for recurring problems in control systems involving several related classes. The Realtime Framework is mostly aimed at increasing software modularity, portability and reusability, thereby reducing software development costs. This paper gives an overview of the major features of the Realtime Framework and summarizes practical experiences from applying it to a mobile robot control system.