Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
When War Adversaries Talk: The Experimental Effect of Engagement Rules on Postconflict Deliberation

Abstract A set of discussion groups including leftist ex-guerrillas and rightist ex-paramilitaries in Colombia shows the limits for democratic deliberation in postconflict societies, but also points to ways that outcomes closer to the deliberative ideal might be obtained. A total of 342 ex-combatants agreed to sit down and talk politics under a number of experimental conditions, using three different protocols of engagement. Results show that consensus rule fosters simultaneously a more reasoned and common-good–oriented, and less self-interested type of discussion when compared to majority rule and unstructured “free talk. ” Nevertheless, while it might be desirable to promote a better quality of deliberation in divided societies, it does not necessarily prevent antagonists’ tendency to polarize.
Decomposing ability of filamentous fungi on litter is involved in a subtropical mixed forest

The abilities of 10 filamentous fungi, isolated from Pinus massoniana-Liquidambar formasana mixed forest (PLF), to decompose fresh, fallen needle and leaf litter were studied with pure-culture tests. The results showed that all fungi except Mucor sp. and Chaetomium bostrychodes could drive mass loss of L. formasana leaf litter significantly more than that of P. massoniasa. Mass loss of litter in the first 5 wk of the study was higher than that in the last 5 wk. The decomposition rate was negatively correlated to the original lignin/nitrogen (L/N) and carbohydrate/nitrogen (C/N) ratios. Based on the mass loss of litter (W), carbohydrate (C) and lignin (L), and the mutual relationship between L/W and L/C ratio, we concluded that Mucor sp. had the lowest decomposing ability on P. Massoniana and L. formasana litter and that it could not use lignin. The Chaetomium bostrychodes were lignin and carbohydrate decomposers but preferred lignin. Trichoderma sp. 1 and Cladosporium herbarum were carbohydrate-decomposing fungi. Trichoderma sp. 2, Aspergillus fumigatus, Alternaria sp. and Penicillium sp. 2 were able to decompose lignin and carbohydrate but preferred carbohydrate and had high ability to decompose litter. Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. 1 were able to decompose lignin and carbohydrate only in the early phase of the study. The decomposing ability of fungi varied even within genus. No direct relationship was found between the frequency of isolation and the decomposing ability of fungi.
GMM adaptation based online speaker segmentation for spoken document retrieval

This paper proposes an online speaker segmentation approach based on Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) adaptation for spoken document retrieval. In the conventional approach using the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), two single Gaussian models are respectively constructed for two divided speech streams in an analysis window, and the dissimilarity between the two models is estimated according to the BIC principle. This approach has been widely applied to speaker segmentation. However, its performance may deteriorate when speakers change frequently, since the single Gaussian model hardly represent the speaker's explicit characteristics for short speech data. To overcome this limitation, we propose an approach to use adapted GMMs instead of single Gaussian models. The method proposed herein constructs a local UBM for speech in an analysis window and adapts the local UBM to each of two divided speech streams in the same window. Upon the two adapted GMMs obtained from the adaptation, the likelihood of the respective speech stream is estimated and change of speaker is determined according to our criterion based on local maxima of BIC. On speaker segmentation experiments based on HUB4, a well-known broadcast news corpus, the proposed method exhibited superior performance compared to the conventional approaches.
Realistic synthesis of novel human movements from a database of motion capture examples

Presents a system that can synthesize novel motion sequences from a database of motion capture examples. This is achieved through learning a statistical model from the captured data which enables the realistic synthesis of new movements by sampling the original captured sequences. New movements are synthesized by specifying the start and end keyframes. The statistical model identifies segments of the original motion capture data to generate novel motion sequences between the keyframes. The advantage of this approach is that it combines the flexibility of keyframe animation with the realism of motion capture data.
Local Buffer Management Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks with Mobile Collectors

In wireless Sensor Networks(WSNs), the energy for the sensor nodes that are close to the base station will be quickly depleted due to their high data transmission activities. To address the problem, the concept of Mobile Collectors(MC) is introduced, but in spite of it, local buffer management algorithm is needed, which is our main concern in this paper. At first, each sensor only transmits its gathered data with a MC. If a raw data shows regularity two consecutive periods according to criterion, the value will be stored in a different form. To do so, local buffer is divided into two parts : Correct Data(CD) and Differential Data(DD). In this way, the data needs less storage without the loss of data accuracy. We have implemented a simulator to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. From the results, we come to know our algorithm is fairly efficient compared with the normal form.
Valutazione della performance dei network attentivi in pazienti schizofrenici con sintomi positivi e negativi

SUMMARY. Aim. The aim of the present study was to examine the anterior (Experiment 1) and posterior (Experiment 2) attention systems in schizophrenic patients with predominantly negative or positive symptoms, in order to evidence possible differences in symptomatology. Materials and methods. The schizophrenic sample was divided into two subgroups: nega tive (n=13) versus positive symptoms (n=10). The anterior and posterior attention systems in schizophrenic patients were as sessed through two experiments: a dual-task paradigm evaluating executive functions, in particular planning and coordina tion, and a Simon task evaluating automatic shifting of visual attention. Results. Our study showed specific attention deficits in the presence of negative symptoms. These findings suggest that negative schizophrenics have a deficit that affects function ing of both anterior and posterior attention systems, whereas positive schizophrenics showed a selective deficit only for the posterior attention system, with a pattern that is in the opposite direction compared to that of negative schizophrenics. Dis cussion. Our results demonstrate that specific symptom dimensions or patterns are associated with specific cognitive impair ments. Notably, negative schizophrenics exhibited clear abnormalities, whereas positive schizophrenics performed very similarly to healthy controls.
I MPROVING P HONEME S ET D ISCOVERY FOR D OCUMENTING U NWRITTEN L ANGUAGES ∗

: Many of the 7,000 living languages in the world are currently threatened by extinction. In order to preserve these languages and the cultural heritage linked with them, they need to be documented. This is a challenging and time consuming task, even for trained specialists. Helping linguists in language documentation is the goal of the French-German ANR-DFG project BULB. The ﬁrst step in documenting a language is the discovery of the phonetic inventory. We aim at assisting linguists during this step by proposing a segmentation of audio data into phoneme-like units and by clustering these units using articulatory features. In this work, we reﬁne our existing approach by the use of Deep Bidirectional LSTM networks (DBLSTM), by which we could increase the recognition accuracy for articulatory features.
Contradiction Detection for Rumorous Claims

The utilization of social media material in journalistic workflows is increasing, demanding automated methods for the identification of mis- and disinformation. Since textual contradiction across social media posts can be a signal of rumorousness, we seek to model how claims in Twitter posts are being textually contradicted. We identify two different contexts in which contradiction emerges: its broader form can be observed across independently posted tweets and its more specific form in threaded conversations. We define how the two scenarios differ in terms of central elements of argumentation: claims and conversation structure. We design and evaluate models for the two scenarios uniformly as 3-way Recognizing Textual Entailment tasks in order to represent claims and conversation structure implicitly in a generic inference model, while previous studies used explicit or no representation of these properties. To address noisy text, our classifiers use simple similarity features derived from the string and part-of-speech level. Corpus statistics reveal distribution differences for these features in contradictory as opposed to non-contradictory tweet relations, and the classifiers yield state of the art performance.
Biologically Important Eremophilane Sesquiterpenes from Alaska Cedar Heartwood Essential Oil and Their Semi-Synthetic Derivatives

The essential oil of Alaska cedar heartwood is known to contain compounds which contribute to the remarkable durability of this species. While previous research has identified several compounds, a complete description of this oil has not been undertaken. In this research a profile of the oil is given in which the major components are identified by GC, isolation and spectroscopic techniques. The major components of the steam distilled essential oil were identified as nootkatin, nootkatone, valencene, nootaktene, carvacrol, methyl carvacrol, nootkatol (2), and eremophil-1(10),11-dien-13-ol (3). The last two compounds were isolated for the first time from Alaska cedar in this research. The absolute stereochemistry at C-2 of nootkatol was shown to have the (S) configuration using the Mosher ester method. Assignment of stereochemistry for valencene-13-ol (3) was established by synthesis from valencene (6). Finally, two related sesquiterpenoids were synthesized from nootkatone and valencene. These sesquiterpenoids were nootkatone-1,10-11,12-diepoxide (5) and valencene-13-aldehyde (4), respectively.
Somatic hypermutation analysis in follicular lymphoma provides evidence suggesting bidirectional cell migration between lymph node and bone marrow during disease progression and relapse

In follicular lymphoma, somatic hypermutation of the immunoglobulin heavy chain genes facilitates the identification of different lymphoma cell clones, and the construction of genealogical trees. To investigate the dissemination of lymphoma cells, and the role of bone marrow in disease progression, we simultaneously analyzed the somatic hypermutation patterns of lymph node and bone marrow specimens taken from three patients at onset and relapse of their disease. Immunoglobulin heavy chain genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, cloned and sequenced. Mutational pedigrees were constructed in a hierarchical order. When direct transition of one mutation pattern into that of a successor clones was not feasible, hypothetical predecessor clones were created, and a probability measurement calculation was introduced. Eighty-five sequenced clones were generated. The average mutation rates were 13.45% for the lymph node specimens, and 9.78% for the bone marrow ones. Forty-two hypothetical predecessor clones were introduced into inter-compartment pedigrees. The genealogical trees showed that early lymphoma clones with a low mutational load quickly migrate from lymph nodes into the bone marrow. Bi-directional lymphoma cell migration was detectable between the two compartments. In one case of follicular lymphoma, a clone identical to the initial lymph node clone was detected 2 years later in the bone marrow. The newly introduced algorithm allows the evaluation of both time and direction of follicular lymphoma cell migration. We found evidence that follicular lymphoma originates in the lymph node, and infiltrates the bone marrow early in the course of the disease. Moreover, inter-compartment migration between lymph nodes and bone marrow occurs in both directions.
Z4‐Kerdock Codes, Orthogonal Spreads, and Extremal Euclidean Line‐Sets

When m is odd, spreads in an orthogonal vector space of type Ω+(2m + 2,2) are related to binary Kerdock codes and extremal line‐sets in 2m + 1 with prescribed angles. Spreads in a 2m‐dimensional binary symplectic vector space are related to Kerdock codes over Z4 and extremal line‐sets in \CC2m with prescribed angles. These connections involve binary, real and complex geometry associated with extraspecial 2‐groups. A geometric map from symplectic to orthogonal spreads is shown to induce the Gray map from a corresponding Z4‐Kerdock code to its binary image. These geometric considerations lead to the construction, for any odd composite m, of large numbers of Z4‐Kerdock codes. They also produce new Z4‐linear Kerdock and Preparata codes. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification: primary 94B60; secondary 51M15, 20C99.
A novel flexographic printed strain gauge on paper platform

A novel flexible printed strain gauge was fabricated successfully on a flexible paper substrate using flexography printing process. Silver (Ag) ink was printed on the paper substrate as metallization layer. The performance of the printed device was investigated by subjecting the strain gauge to a 3-point bend test, with a displacement of 1 mm and 2 mm at 3 Hz operating frequency for 500 cycles. The electro-mechanical response of the strain gauge for the 1 mm displacement demonstrated an overall resistance change of 6.4 % and 6.5 % for the base resistance and bend resistance, respectively after 500 cycles of bending. Similarly an overall resistance change of 87.97 % and 28.8 % was observed for the base resistance and bend resistance, respectively after 500 cycles of bending for 2 mm displacement. The response of the fabricated strain gauge, as a function of electrical resistance, is analyzed and presented in this paper.
Significance of educational and vocational counselling in low-skilled people's narratives

ABSTRACT In the contemporary world, many people find themselves confused and challenged by unpredictability of life paths, labour market instability and necessary revisions to vocational careers. They may be helped by professional support institutions. For some people, seeking professional help when facing a predicament is evidence of resourcefulness. Others, however, perceive a request for help as expressive of vulnerability and a lack of self-reliance in coping with life problems. In this article, we examine 15 interviews with low-skilled and low-educated people in Poland about their experiences with educational and vocational counselling as well as the relevance they attribute to past meetings with counsellors. Concluding, we formulate recommendations for Polish educational and vocational counselling.
Cloning and sequence of Bacillus subtilis purA and guaA, involved in the conversion of IMP to AMP and GMP

Bacillus subtilis genes purA, encoding adenylosuccinate synthetase, and guaA, coding for GMP synthetase, appear to be lethal when cloned in multicopy plasmids in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequences of purA and guaA were determined from a series of gene fragments isolated by polymerase chain reaction amplification, library screening, and plasmid rescue techniques. Identifications were based on amino acid sequence alignments with enzymes from other organisms. Comparison of the 5'-flanking regions of purA and guaA with the pur operon suggests similarities in mechanisms for gene regulation. Nucleotide sequences are now available for all genes involved in the 14-step pathway for de novo purine nucleotide synthesis in B. subtilis.
NONLINEAR CHARACTERISTICS SYSTEMATIC STUDY IN PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS

This paper points the main nonlinear characteristics in pneumatic actuators and presents how to address its in mathematical modeling. The pneumatic actuator is very common in industrial application because it has the following advantages: it maintenance is easy and simple, relatively low cost, self cooling properties, good power density (power/dimension rate), fast acting with high accelerations and installation flexibility. Also, compressed air is available in almost all industry plants. However, they have difficulties of control due to various nonlinear characteristics of the system, as servovalve dead zone, air flow-pressure relationship through valve orifice, air compressibility and friction effects between contact surfaces in actuator seals. The main paper contribution is to systematize its nonlinear characteristics. This systematize is important to help researches in the modeling and precision control success.
AutoPaG: towards automated software patch generation with source code root cause identification and repair

Software patch generation is a critical phase in the life-cycle of a software vulnerability. The longer it takes to generate a patch, the higher the risk a vulnerable system needs to take to avoid from being compromised. However, in practice, it is a rather lengthy process to generate and release software patches. For example, the analysis on 10 recent Microsoft patches (MS06-045 to MS06-054) shows that, for an identified vulnerability, it took 75 days on average to generate and release the patch. In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of AutoPaG, a system that aims at reducing the time needed for software patch generation. In our current work, we mainly focus on a common and serious type of software vulnerability: the out-of-bound vulnerability which includes buffer overflows and general boundary condition errors. Given a working out-of-bound exploit which may be previously unknown, AutoPaG is able to catch on the fly the out-of-bound violation, and then, based on data flow analysis, automatically analyzes the program source code and identifies the root cause - vulnerable source-level program statements. Furthermore, within seconds, AutoPaG generates a fine-grained source code patch to temporarily fix it without any human intervention. We have built a proof-of-concept system in Linux and the preliminary results are promising: AutoPaG is able to successfully identify the root cause and generate a source code patch within seconds for every vulnerability test in the Wilander's buffer overflow benchmark test-suite. In addition, the evaluation with a number of real-world out-of-bound exploits also demonstrates its effectiveness and practicality in automatically identifying (vulnerable) source code root causes and generating corresponding patches.
Alkyl Hydroperoxide Reductases C and D Are Major Antigens Constitutively Expressed by Mycobacterium aviumsubsp. paratuberculosis

ABSTRACT Antigens characteristic for Mycobacterium aviumsubspecies paratuberculosis were identified by crossed immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) and by absorbing out cross-reactive antigens by using a polyclonal and polyvalent Mycobacterium avium subspecies avium antiserum. Two antigens were present in M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis and not detected in Mycobacterium avium subsp.avium. They were identified as antigens 17 and 20 in a CIE reference system for M. avium subsp.paratuberculosis antigens. Purified antigen 20 was identified as alkyl hydroperoxide reductase C (AhpC) while the N-terminal part of purified antigen 17 showed 80% homology with alkyl hydroperoxide reductase D (AhpD) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. AhpC had a nonreduced mobility in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis corresponding to a molecular mass of 45 kDa and is probably a homodimer linked with disulfide bridges in its native form. AhpD had a mobility corresponding to 19 kDa. Monospecific rabbit antiserum against AhpC and AhpD reacted with 9 strains of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis but not with 20 other mycobacterial strains except for aMycobacterium gordonae strain, against which a weak cross-reactive band was produced. Goats experimentally infected withM. avium subsp. paratuberculosis had strong gamma interferon (IFN-γ) responses toward both AhpC and AhpD, and they also had antibodies against AhpC. The ability of AhpC and AhpD to induce IFN-γ production shows that these proteins potentially could be used in future vaccines or in diagnostic assays. These results further show that AhpC and AhpD are immunologically important proteins which are constitutively and highly expressed in M. aviumsubsp. paratuberculosis without the bacteria being submitted to oxidative stress and that the specificities of antigens can be a matter of different levels of protein expression in various species as well as distinct structural differences.
The effect of hypoxia on facial shape variation and disease phenotypes in chicken embryos

SUMMARY Craniofacial anomalies can arise from both genetic and environmental factors, including prenatal hypoxia. Recent clinical evidence correlates hypoxia to craniofacial malformations. However, the mechanisms by which hypoxia mediates these defects are not yet understood. We examined the cellular mechanisms underlying malformations induced by hypoxia using a chicken (Gallus gallus) embryo model. Eggs were incubated in either hypoxic (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 or 19% O2) or normoxic (21% O2) conditions. Embryos were photographed for morphological analysis at days 3–6. For analysis of skeletal development, 13-day embryos were cleared and stained with alcian blue and alizarin red for cartilage and bone, respectively. Quantitative analysis of facial shape variation was performed on images of embryos via geometric morphometrics. Early-stage embryos (day 2) were analyzed for apoptosis via whole-mount and section TUNEL staining and immunostaining for cleaved caspase-3, whereas later-stage embryos (days 4–6) were sectioned in paraffin for analysis of cell proliferation (BrdU), apoptosis (TUNEL) and metabolic stress (phospho-AMPK). Results demonstrate that survival is reduced in a dose-dependent manner. Hypoxic embryos displayed a spectrum of craniofacial anomalies, from mild asymmetry and eye defects to more severe frontonasal and cephalic anomalies. Skull bone development was delayed in hypoxic embryos, with some skeletal defects observed. Morphometric analysis showed facial shape variation relative to centroid size and age in hypoxic groups. Hypoxia disrupted cell proliferation and, in early-stage embryos, caused apoptosis of neural crest progenitor cells. Hypoxic embryos also displayed an increased metabolic stress response. These results indicate that hypoxia during early embryonic craniofacial development might induce cellular oxidative stress, leading to apoptosis of the neural crest progenitor cells that are crucial to normal craniofacial morphogenesis.
Novel Driver Behavior Model Analysis using Hidden Markov Model to increase Road Safety in Smart Cities

The ability to categorize the driver behavior is very essential for advance driver assistance system (ADAS). A method for identifying driver's behavior is important to assist operative mode transition between the driver and autonomous vehicles. We propose a driver behavior recognition method in terms of steering and brake using Hidden Markov Model (HMM). We are also proposing a HMM-based actuation behavior model for obstacle avoidance using collision avoidance algorithm. We plan to analyze different driver behaviors based on HMM model and produce the results. After generating results, we intend to empower it further with Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) in order to improve system's performance and accuracy.