Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Une nouvelle méthode pour la mesure du flux de sève brute dans le tronc des arbres

La methode decrite dans cet article utilise un capteur thermique compose de deux sondes inserees radialement dans le bois d'aubier du tronc. Une de ces sondes est chauffee a puissance constante, l'autre sert de reference de temperature. Une equation simple permet de calculer le flux de seve en fonction de la difference de temperature entre les deux elements. Un etalonnage a ete effectue sur des echantillons de tronc de differentes essences. Le faible cout et la sensibilite de ce systeme doivent permettre d'aborder la mesure quantitative de la transpiration et de sa variabilite en foret
UAV-Enabled Secure Communications: Joint Trajectory and Transmit Power Optimization

This paper studies the physical layer security of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) network, where a UAV base station (UAV-B) transmits confidential information to multiple information receivers (IRs) with the aid of a UAV jammer (UAV-J) in the presence of multiple eavesdroppers. We formulate an optimization problem to jointly design the trajectories and transmit power of UAV-B and UAV-J in order to maximize the minimum average secrecy rate over all IRs. The optimization problem is non-convex and the optimization variables are coupled, which leads to the optimization problem being mathematically intractable. As such, we decompose the optimization problem into two subproblems and then solve it by employing an alternating iterative algorithm and the successive convex approximation technique. Our results show that the average secrecy rate performance of the proposed scheme provides about 20% and 150% performance gains over the joint trajectory and transmit power optimization without UAV-J scheme and the transmit power optimization with fixed trajectory scheme at flight period $T=150$ s, respectively.
Width and Inference Based Planners: SIW, BFS (f), and PROBE

We entered the planners SIW, BFS(f), and PROBE to the agile-track of the 2014 International Planning Competition, and an anytime planner for the satisficing track that runs both SIW and BFS(f). SIW and BFS(f) are classical planners that make use of the notion of width (Lipovetzky and Geffner 2012), while PROBE is a standard bestfirst search planner that augments the expansion of a node by throwing an “intelligent” probe which either reaches the goal or terminates quickly in low polynomial time (Lipovetzky and Geffner 2011). The basic building block of SIW is the Iterative Width Procedure (IW) for achieving one atomic goal at a time. IW runs in time exponential in the problem width by performing a sequence of pruned breadth first searches. The planner BFS(f) integrates a novelty measure from IW with helpful-actions, landmarks and deleterelaxation heuristics in a Greedy Best-Fist search. In the following sections we introduce the basic notions of the algorithms and the implementation.
Analysis of genetic diversity in some black gram cultivars using ISSR

The objective of the present study was to assess th e extent of genetic diversity and the relationships among the 4 black gram varieties based on DNA data. A total num ber of 10 ISSR primers that produced polymorphic an d reproducible fragments were selected to amplify gen omic DNA of the urd bean genotypes under investigat ion. Ten primers amplified a total number of 269 bands under 103 loci across four genotypes. The cultivars exhi bited an overall 65.05% polymorphism. The value of Jacaard’s similarity coefficient ranged from 0.557 to 0.697. The four urd bean cultivars were grouped into 3 clusters at 55.7 per cent similarity. In comparison to other cultivars, Gautam showed most genetic variability, suggesting utiliza tion of this species over others namely Sulata, Kal indi and Sarada for breeding programme and in transferring the char acters into different urd bean cultivars. Overall, a high degree of genetic diversity among the urd bean cultivars w as recorded. It could be concluded that black gram has sufficient amount of genetic diversity and a wide range in gen etic base of the studied genotypes which can be use d for crop improvement.
Ecological constraints and distribution of the primitive and enigmatic endemic Mexican butterfly Baronia brevicornis (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Abstract Baronia brevicornis Salvin (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) is one of the most enigmatic butterflies in the world and possibly represents the most ancient lineage among the superfamily Papilionoidea. Its geographic distribution is remote from that of all its potential close relatives and many of its biological and ecological characteristics are unique among the suborder Rhopalocera. One of its particularities is that the occurrence plots of this species seem to be independent, each representing individual populations, despite the fact that the host plant: Acacia cochliacantha Humboldt and Bonpland ex Willdenow (Fabaceae), is one of the most common Mexican Fabaceae species. Our results show that no B. brevicornis populations occur if the host plant does not cover at least two-thirds of the locality. Even in the most favourable zones, the landscape occupancy of the butterfly does not exceed 2.5% of the available habitat even when its host plant covers 50% of the area. The average density of adults was 840 individuals/ha in favourable habitats, frequently on areas of around 3 ha, below of 1400 m. Using the BIOMOD2 package and the largest available set of abiotic conditions for Mexico implemented in the WorldClim database, we propose a revised potential distribution and discuss the results of our model with field occurrence data. Evolutionary and conservation issues are discussed in the light of our results. Résumé Baronia brevicornis Salvin (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) est l’un des papillons les plus énigmatiques au monde et semble représenter la lignée évolutive la plus ancienne des Papilionoidea. Sa répartition géographique diffère de façon marquée de celle des espèces les plus proches. De plus, de nombreuses caractéristiques biologiques et écologiques sont uniques parmi les Rhopalocera. Une particularité notable est que chaque zone de présence de cette espèce semble représenter une population individualisée et ce malgré que la plante hôte, Acacia cochliacantha Humboldt and Bonpland ex Willdenow (Fabaceae), soit l’une des plus communes, et largement répandue au Mexique. Même dans les zones les plus favorables, ce papillon n’occupe pas plus de 2,5% de l’habitat disponible alors que sa plante hôte peut recouvrir 50% de la même zone. Dans chaque population, la densité moyenne des adultes est de 840 individus/ha. La surface moyenne des zones de présence est de 3 ha elles se trouvent toujours en dessous de 1400 m. Une modélisation de la distribution théorique de cette espèce a été réalisée à l’aide du paquet BIOMOD2 et de la plus complète base de données dans WorldClim disponible pour le Mexique. La simulation est comparée aux données de présence de terrain. À la lumière des résultats obtenus, des hypothèses concernant l’évolution de l’espèce et des mesures de conservation sont proposées.
ELiRF-UPV en TASS 2014: análisis de sentimientos, detección de tópicos y análisis de sentimientos de aspectos en Twitter

espanolEn este trabajo se describe la participacion del equipo del grupo de investigacion ELiRF de la Universitat Politecnica de Valencia en el Taller TASS2014. Este taller es un evento enmarcado dentro de la XXX edicion del Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Espanola para el Procesamiento del Lenguaje Natural. Este trabajo presenta las aproximaciones utilizadas para las cuatro tareas del taller, los resultados obtenidos y una discusion de los mismos. EnglishThis paper describes the participation of the ELiRF research group of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia at TASS2014 Workshop. This workshop is a satellite event of the XXX edition of the Annual Conference of the Spanish Society for Natural Language Processing. This work describes the approaches used for the four tasks of the workshop, the results obtained and a discussion of these results.
Variable patterns of density-dependent survival in social bacteria

In numerous species of social animals and social microorganisms, fitness is positively dependent on population density, at least in some environments and over some density ranges. This "Allee effect" is observed in the cooperative bacterium Myxococcus xanthus during multicellular fruiting body development, during which the standard laboratory genotype sporulates less efficiently at lower population densities and produces no spores below a minimum threshold density. Here we demonstrate significant quantitative variation in Allee patterns among distinct natural isolates of M. xanthus. Isolates with similar developmental performance at intermediate population densities exhibit stark variation in performance at both very low and very high densities. Such variation has implications for evolutionary performance under fluctuating natural environments. It also suggests that distinct intraspecific populations of social animals and other social microbes with different selective histories may vary in the effects of density on social fitness. Copyright 2006.
ALLOZYME VARIATION AMONG BREEDING POPULATIONS OF RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS: THE CALIFORNIA CONUNDRUM

ABS? RC? --We examined allozyme variation in 10 breeding populations of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) across the United States, which represented samples from 9 of 14 putative subspecies in North America. Variation at 13 of 28 resolvable loci revealed a high level of genetic similarity for all seven populations from Florida and New York through the Great Plains to Oregon and northeastern California (pairwise Nei's distances, all _<0.004). Differences in allozyme frequencies we found suggest that fewer subspecies exist in the continental United States than are currently recognized. The most interesting result was that the genetic distance between the populations sampled at Sacramento and San Francisco Bay national wildlife refuges, which are only 214 km apart, had a Nei's distance approximately 10 times as great as the genetic distance between Florida and Oregon populations. Salton Sea, California, the remaining population sampled, was also highly differentiated. Strong site fidelity, the nonmigratory behavior of populations at Salton Sea and San Francisco, or both probably explain their relative allozyme distinctness, but the possibility that the brackish environment in which these birds live enforces a selective regime that reduces successful immigration or emigration to other habitats is intriguing. Received 20 August 1990, accepted 10 January 1991.
A Blockchain based Witness Model for Trustworthy Cloud Service Level Agreement Enforcement

Traditional cloud Service Level Agreement (SLA) suffers from lacking a trustworthy platform for automatic enforcement. The emerging blockchain technique brings in an immutable solution for tracking transactions among business partners. However, it is still very challenging to prove the credibility of possible violations in the SLA before recording them onto the blockchain. To tackle this challenge, we propose a witness model using game theory and the smart contract techniques. The proposed model extends the existing service model with a new role called “witness” for detecting and reporting service violations. Witnesses gain revenue as an incentive for performing these duties, and the payoff function is carefully designed in a way that trustworthiness is guaranteed: in order to get the maximum profit, the witness has to always tell the truth. This is analyzed and proved through game theory using the Nash equilibrium principle. In addition, an unbiased sortition algorithm is proposed to ensure the randomness of the independent witnesses selection from the decentralized witness pool, to avoid possible unfairness or collusion. An auditing mechanism is also introduced in the paper to detect potential irrational or malicious witnesses. We have prototyped the system leveraging the smart contracts of Ethereum blockchain. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed model and indicate good performance in accordance with the design expectations.
Suspension culture and plant regeneration of Typha latifolia

Additional index words. cattail, tissue culture, growth curve, wetlands, plant regeneration Abstract. Typha latifolia L. (broadleaf cattail) callus was initiated from leaf sections, as well as from pistillate and staminate spikes. Two basal media in combination with three growth regulator regimes were tested for their capacity to induce callus from the explants. Pistillate spikes maintained in the dark on B5 medium supplemented with 5 mg·L -1 dicamba and 1 mg·L -1 BA produced the fastest growing cell line compared to other explants and media combinations. A growth curve in suspension culture was generated for this cell line on B5 medium. The mass of the callus increased by 150% by the end of the growth curve. Upon transfer of the callus to MS medium without growth regulators but with 3% sucrose and 3% phytagel, plants could be regenerated from 22% of the cultures. Chemical names used: 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid (dicamba); N 6 -benzyladenine (BA).
Evaluation of a Computer-assisted Photograph-matching System to Monitor Naturally Marked Harbor Seals at Tugidak Island, Alaska

Abstract Monitoring the dynamics and status of populations of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) requires efficient methods for estimating population parameters from mark–resight data. We used a test set of photographs from 182 individuals identified by flipper tags, scars, or unique pelage markings to test whether individuals could be identified accurately by their ventral pelage markings; to document efficiency and misidentification error rate associated with a computer-assisted photograph-matching system; and to test for bias in mark–recapture survival estimates resulting from misidentification errors. Pelage patterns of seals that were not of dark-intermediate or intermediate color phase were unique and stable from birth until 6–8 years, and from year to year as adults. The computer-assisted system greatly improved efficiency of photograph matching: 93.3% of good photographs and 69.9% of all photographs ranked 1st, and 95.2% of good photographs ranked in the top 0.3% of the ordered list for visual checking. Additional visual matching error averaged <3.0% for good photographs, and overall misidentification error rate was low at 1.8%, due to the availability of multiple photographs for matching. Inclusion of poor-quality photographs reduced ranking success by ∼20% and increased additional visual matching error up to 20%. Bias in survival estimates was −7.0% for a misidentification rate of 8.8%, but was ≤1.1% for misidentification rates of <2.7%, achieved by restricting data to only good photos. Our study suggests that estimation of misidentification error rate, inclusion of only high-quality photographs, or use of models that account for misidentification error, are required to prevent bias in mark–recapture survival estimates when using data from natural-marking studies.
Cytokines secreted by human Wharton's jelly stem cells inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer (OVCAR3) cells in vitro

Cytokines enhance tumour cell recognition via cytotoxic effector cells and are therefore effectively used in cancer immunotherapy. Mesenchymal stem cells have efficient homing potential and have been used to target and inhibit various types of cancer mediated by the release of soluble/bioactive factors. Initial evaluation of the human Wharton's jelly stem cell conditioned medium (hWJSC-CM) and cell lysate (hWJSC-CL) against an ovarian cancer cell line (OVCAR3) demonstrated their inhibitory effect in vitro. The secreted cytokine profile was then studied to understand whether the OVCAR3 inhibitory effect was mediated by the cytokines. Expression of cytokines in OVCAR3 following 48 h treatment with hWJSC extracts, namely the hWJSC-CM (50%) and hWJSC-CL (10 µg/ml), was evaluated using multiplex cytokine assay. Paclitaxel (5 nM) was used as a positive control. Cytokines tumour necrosis factor α, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, IL-1β and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, reported to be involved in tumour growth, invasion and migration, were significantly decreased. Cytokines with antitumour effects, namely IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), IL-2, IL-2 receptor, IL-5, IL-7, IL-12, IL-15, interferon (IFN)-α and IFN-γ, were mildly increased or decreased. Only the increases in IL-1RA (with paclitaxel, hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (with hWJSC-CL) were statistically significant. The chemokines monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β and Regulated Upon Activation, Normally T-Expressed, and Secreted were significantly decreased while monokine induced by IFN-γ, IFN-γ induced protein 10 and Eotaxin demonstrated mild decreases. The growth factors basic fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor were significantly decreased. Heatmaps demonstrated differential fold changes in cytokines and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed 3 major and 7 minor sub-clusters of associated cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. In conclusion, the hWJSC extracts decreased the expression of oncogenic cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, which mediated the inhibition of OVCAR3 cells in vitro.
Changes in vegetation types and Ellenberg indicator values after 65 years of fertilizer application in the Rengen Grassland Experiment, Germany.

Question: How does semi-natural grassland diversify after 65 years of differential application of Ca, N, P, and K fertilizers? Is fertilizer application adequately reflected by the Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs)? Location: Eifel Mountains, West Germany. Methods: The Rengen Grassland Experiment (RGE) was established in an oligotrophic grassland in 1941. Six fertilizer treatments (Ca, CaN, CaNP, CaNP-KCl, CaNP-K2SO4, and unfertilized control) were applied annually in five complete randomized blocks. Species composition of experimental plots was sampled in 2006 and compared with constancy tables representing grassland types in a phytosociological monograph of a wider area. Each plot was matched to the most similar community type using the Associa method. Mean EIVs were calculated for each treatment. Results: The control plots supported oligotrophic Nardus grassland of the Polygalo-Nardetum association (Violion caninae alliance). Vegetation in the Ca and CaN treatments mostly resembled montane meadow of Geranio-Trisetetum (Polygono-Trisetion). Transitional types between Poo-Trisetetum and Arrhenatheretum (both from the Arrhenatherion alliance) developed in the CaNP treatment. In the CaNP-KCl and CaNP-K2SO4 treatments, vegetation corresponded to the mesotrophic Arrhenatheretum meadow. Major discontinuity in species composition was found between control, Ca, and CaN treatments, and all treatments with P application. EIVs for both nutrients and soil reaction were considerably higher in P treatments than in Ca and CaN treatments. Surprisingly, the control plots had the lowest EIVs for continentality and moisture, although these factors had not been manipulated in the experiment. Conclusions: Long-term fertilizer application can create different plant communities belonging to different phytosociological alliances and classes, even within a distance of a few meters. Due to their correlated nature, EIVs can erroneously indicate changes in factors that actually did not change, but co-varied with factors that did change. In P-limited ecosystems, EIVs for nutrients may indicate availability of P rather than N.
FVT: A Fragmented Video Tutor for "Dubbing" Software Development Tutorials

Rapid growth of online resources provides massive supports for developers to fulfill their learning tasks. Text tutorial and video tutorial, as the two most common forms of online resources, may not be sufficient to meet developers' specific learning needs if used individually. Text tutorials are well-structured and easy to be navigated, however, digesting the text description may not be always pleasant. Video tutorials are intuitive and easy to follow, however, the pre-determined teaching flow can be very distracting if a specific piece of knowledge is targeted. In this study, we proposed a novel method and its supporting tool — Fragmented Video Tutor (FVT), to facilitate the learning tasks with specific objectives, aiming at augmenting the strengths of both forms of tutorials while offsetting the weaknesses inherent to use each form of tutorials by itself. Specifically, FVT leverages the code snippets extracted from video tutorials as the bridge to link the video fragments in a video tutorial to the relevant sections in text tutorials. The preliminary evaluation results demonstrate that the FVT is a feasible approach to link two forms of tutorials and improve the learning effectiveness and efficiency for developers.
Modal analysis of a parallel kinematic machine: Freehex.

Parallel Kinematic Machines (PKM) are mechanical systems utilized to produce precise operations at high speeds compared to serial machines. Its applications cover a wide range of operations in the automotive and aerospace industry. These machines can be affected by oscillatory effects such as resonant frequencies, which can produce adverse effects on the performance and the useful life of the systems. Therefore the determination of these characteristics is an important element in the design and operation of these machines. The research developed in this thesis addresses the identification of these resonant frequencies in the possible working volumes of a PKM called FreeHex. This machine is used to perform high speed machining operations and in situ rapair of aerospace equipment. Two methods are developed and described to estimate the resonant frequencies.The first is formulated through the Finite Element Method (FEM), and given the initial configuration of the FreeHex is capable to estimate the resonant frequencies within the working volume of that configuration. The second method is intended to validate the model described by the FEM. As the FreeHex is able to achieve a several configurations the analysis is performed to a single one and then the experimental and the finite element analysis model are compared. The experimental results are obtained by impact testing trough Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) method on the structure. The average error between the FEA models and experimental results lies in a value of 3.94 % showing a good correlation between both methods and making possible to implement the algorithms here developed.