Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Challenges in modelling of water quantity and quality in two contrasting meso-scale catchments in Poland

Abstract This study presents an application of the SWAT model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) in two meso-scale catchments in Poland (Upper Narew and Barycz), contrasting in terms of human pressures on water quantity and quality. The main objective was multi-variable and multi-site calibration and validation of the model against daily discharge, sediment and nutrient loads as well as discussion of challenges encountered in calibration phase. Multi-site calibration and validation gave varied results ranging from very good (daily discharge) to acceptable (sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus loads in most of gauges) and rather poor (individual gauges for all variables) in both catchments. The calibrated models enabled spatial quantification of water yield, sediment and nutrient loads, indicating areas of special concern in terms of pollution, as well as estimation of contribution of pollution from different sources, indicating agriculture as the most important source in both catchments. During the calibration process a number of significant issues were encountered: (i) global vs. local parametrization, (ii) simulation of different pools of water quality parameters in reservoirs and streams and (iii) underestimation of NO3-N loads in winter due to farmers practices. Discussion of these issues is hoped to aid SWAT model users in Poland in a deeper understanding of mechanisms of multi-variable and multi-site calibration.
A Cost-Benefit analysis model for technical debt management considering uncertainty and time

In the last few years, technical debt has been used as a useful means for making the intrinsic cost of the internal software quality weaknesses visible. This visibility is made possible by quantifying this cost. Specifically, technical debt is expressed in terms of two main concepts: principal and interest. The principal is the cost of eliminating or reducing the impact of a, so called, technical debt item in a software system; whereas the interest is the recurring cost, over a time period, of not eliminating a technical debt item. Previous works about technical debt are mainly focused on estimating principal and interest, and on performing a cost-benefit analysis. This cost-benefit analysis allows one to determine if to remove technical debt is profitable and to prioritize which items incurring in technical debt should be fixed first. Nevertheless, for these previous works technical debt is flat along the time. However the introduction of new factors to estimate technical debt may produce non flat models that allow us to produce more accurate predictions. These factors should be used to estimate principal and interest, and to perform cost-benefit analysis related to technical debt. In this paper, we take a step forward introducing the uncertainty about the interest, and the time frame factors so that it becomes possible to depict a number of possible future scenarios. Estimations obtained without considering the possible evolution of the interest over time may be less accurate as they consider simplistic scenarios without changes.
FipsOrtho: A spell checker for learners of French

This paper presents FipsOrtho, a spell checker targeted at learners of French, and a corpus of learners’ errors which has been gathered to test the system and to get a sample of specific language learners’ errors. Spell checkers are a standard feature of many software products, however they are not designed for specific language learners’ errors. After a brief review of the state of the art, we describe the system’s architecture and interfaces. Then we describe our error typology and detail the techniques used to retrieve words and to order proposals appropriately: alphacode, phoneticization, ad-hoc, capitalization, apostrophe, and word separation error methods. Proposals are sorted by a score depending on the method(s) used to retrieve them, on the expected lexical category, gender, number and person, and on the string proximity with the unknown word. Then the test results are presented: a list of individual words containing errors was submitted to the alphacode and phoneticization methods; a corpus of authentic learners’ errors was gathered and analyzed. Finally we conclude the paper with some limitations of the system and ideas for future research.
طراحی مدل نوین پشتیبانی تصمیمگیری جهت ارزیابی و انتخاب پیمانکاران عمرانی در مناقصهها (در ایران

Contractor evaluation and selection is one of the most important decision making problems that many regulations and methods have been introduced for it. In Iran, "Planning and Management Organization" is responsible for classification and prequalification of contractors and due to this responsibility, this organization edit the Contractors Classification and Prequalification Regulation regularly. This regulation should be applied in Public sector and project owners should fulfill their tenders with respect to the article of tenders by law. In general, the current system is a multistage process in which, the best contractor will be selected according to its propositional price for tenders, in final step. In this paper, a multi criteria decision making model is introduced which can consider all of quantitative and qualitative factors that may affect on contractor selection in tenders. Six general criteria are considered in this model as the most effective factors on selecting a contractor; some of these criteria have their own sub criteria. A Fuzzy MADM method (by using linguistic variables) is used to rank the contractors and to select the best contractor in tenders.
Effectiveness of Two-Stage Control Strategies for Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) Varies by Initial Clump Size

Abstract Japanese barberry is listed as an invasive shrub in 20 states and four Canadian provinces. Control of Japanese barberry was evaluated using several two-step processes over 16 mo using a total of 1,100 clumps at six study areas. Initial treatments in spring (prescribed burning, mechanical mowing with a brush saw or rotary wood shredder) reduced the size of established barberry clumps. Follow-up treatments in midsummer to kill new ramets that developed from surviving root crowns were foliar applications of triclopyr or glyphosate, directed heating with a propane torch, and untreated controls. Mortality was defined as the absence of ramets from a root crown and not the mortality of individual ramets of a given clump. Clump mortality and size of new ramets did not differ among initial treatments. However, larger clumps had higher survival and larger sprouts than smaller clumps 16 mo after initial treatment. Effectiveness of follow-up treatments varied by clump size. Two follow-up treatments of directed heating using propane torches were as effective as herbicides for clumps that were initially smaller than 120 cm. For clumps with pretreatment sizes of 120 cm and larger, clump mortality following herbicide treatments (90%) and directed heating (65%) was greater than for clumps that had no follow-up treatments (35%). Although clump sizes did not differ between follow-up methods 1 yr after treatment, both follow-up treatments resulted in smaller clumps than untreated controls. Effective control of Japanese barberry can be achieved in a single growing season by integrating an early-season initial treatment (prescribed fire or mechanical) that kills the aboveground tissues with a midseason follow-up treatment such as directed heating or targeted herbicide application. Nomenclature: Glyphosate; triclopyr; Japanese barberry, Berberis thunbergii DC. BEBTH.
Facilitating an Ethical Disposition (Hexis) as “Care of the Soul” in a Unique Ontological Vision of Socratic Education

This essay adopts a Continental philosophical approach to reading Plato’s Socrates in terms of a “third way” that cuts a middle path between doctrinal and esoteric readings of the dialogues. It presents a portrait of Socratic education that is at odds with contemporary views in education and curriculum that view Plato’s Socrates as either the teacher of a truth-finding method or proto-fascist authoritarian. It argues that the crucial issue of attempting to foster an ethical disposition (hexis) is a unique form of education, in terms of “care of the soul,” that unfolds only within the context of sustained dialectic interrogation. Education is a “difficult” process that entails the “turning” of the soul back to itself in an enlightened form, which is bound up with an ontological relationship of distance to the so-called “truth” of the virtues that appear in limited and dissembling ways to Socrates and the interlocutors. Ultimately, it is shown that “care of the soul” is grounded in the attunement (a pathos and deinon) that locates the human being in the world in such a way that “not-knowing” is the most original way in which our Being-in-the-world unfolds, and to embrace this “difficult” truth is to at once set oneself on the arduous but rewarding educative path toward the potential development of an ethical disposition (hexis).
A group-theoretic characterization of quantized control systems

In this paper we consider the reachability problem for quantized control systems, i.e. systems that take inputs from a finite set of symbols. Previous work addressed this problem for linear systems and for some specific classes of nonlinear driftless systems. In this paper we attack the study of more general nonlinear systems. To do so we find it useful to pose the problem in more abstract terms, and make use of the wealth of tools available in group theory, which enables us to proceed in our agenda of better understanding effects of quantization of inputs on dynamic systems.
Dynamic output-feedback passivity control for fuzzy systems under variable sampling

This paper concerns the problem of dynamic output-feedback control for a class of nonlinear systems with nonuniform uncertain sampling via Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy control approach. The sampling is not required to be periodic, and the state variables are not required to be measurable. A new type fuzzy dynamic output-feedback sampled-data controller is constructed, and a novel time-dependent Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional is chosen for fuzzy systems under variable sampling. By using Lyapunov stability theory, a sufficient condition for very-strict passive analysis of fuzzy systems with nonuniform uncertain sampling is derived. Based on this condition, a novel fuzzy dynamic output-feedback controller is designed such that the closed-loop system is very-strictly passive. The existence condition of the controller can be solved by convex optimization approach. Finally, a numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
"Fulfilling the Needs of Gray-Sheep Users in Recommender Systems, A Clustering Solution"

Recommender systems apply data mining techniques for filtering unseen information and can predict whether a user would like a given item. This paper focuses on graysheep users problem responsible for the increased error rate in collaborative filtering based recommender systems algorithms. The main contribution of this paper lies in showing that (1) the presence of gray-sheep users can affect the performance— accuracy and coverage—of collaborative filtering based algorithms, depending on the data sparsity and distribution; (2) graysheep users can be identified using clustering algorithms in offline fashion, where the similarity threshold to isolate these users from the rest of clusters can be found empirically; (3) contentbased profile of gray-sheep users can be used for making accurate recommendations. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is tested on the MovieLens dataset and community of movie fans in the FilmTrust Website, using mean absolute error, receiver operating characteristic sensitivity, and coverage.
Cooperative effects in molecular conduction

Current experimental and theoretical studies on the effect of intermolecular interactions on molecular conduction appear to be in conflict with each other. In particular, some experimental results, e.g., the observation of 2-dimensional free-particle character for interface bound electrons indicate strong intermolecular interactions while other observations indicate an additive character of conduction properties. In this paper we use a generic tight binding model with a physically motivated choice of parameters in order to examine this issue. The model encompasses direct intermolecular interactions as well as through-metal interactions and can be solved exactly to yield spectral properties (surface density of states) and transport characteristics (transmission coefficients and current-voltage behaviors) for single molecule junctions, molecular islands and molecular layers. We find linear scaling of conduction properties with the number of conducting molecules in junctions characterized by molecular layers when the probe (STM tip) addresses different numbers of molecules; however, the conduction per molecule can differ significantly from that of an isolated single molecule. When a junction involves finite molecular islands of varying sizes, linear scaling sets in only beyond a certain molecular island size, of the order of a few tens of molecules. Implications for current observation of linear scaling behaviors are discussed.
Alterations in blood plasma and milk fatty acid profiles of lactating Holstein cows in response to ruminal infusion of a conjugated linoleic acid mixture

The production of intermediates during hydrogenation of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers was determined by infusing a CLA mixture (41% cis9,trans11-18:2 and 44% trans10,cis12-18:2) into the rumen of lactating cows. Four Holstein cows fed a basal diet were infused for 48 h with doses of 0, 45, 90, or 180 g CLA . d -1 into the rumen. Treatments were ran- domly assigned in a 4 〈 4 Latin square with 4-d experimental periods, and a 7-d transition between periods. Milk samples were obtained at -12 and 0 h before infusion, and at 12 h intervals from 0 to 96 h after infusion. Milk yield and DMI were not affected by treatment. Milk fat concentration was 12% lower, causing an 18% decrease in fat yield, when 180 g CLA.d -1 was infused. Concentration of trans11-18:1 in blood plasma increased in proportion to CLA dose. Trans10-18:1 concentration in blood plasma also increased, and was 240% greater when CLA was infused at 180 g.d -1 . Trans10,cis12-18:2 was strictly a function of exogenous CLA input into the rumen, and ranged from 0.2 to 0.7 mg.g -1 of total plasma fatty acids. Yields of saturated 6:0 to 16:0 in milk fat decreased by 87 g.d -1 when 180 g CLA.d -1 was infused. Stearic acid concentration and yield increased by 25 and 6%, but cis9-18:1 yield decreased, in response to increasing dose of CLA. Yields of trans11-18:1 and cis9,trans11-18:2 increased in proportion to CLA dose infused. Transfer rates of infused cis9,trans 11-18:2 or trans10,cis12-18:2 into milk fat averaged 3% at the highest dose of CLA infused. Milk fat yields of trans10-18:1 and trans10,cis12-18:2 also increased in proportion to CLA input. Lower normalized ratios of cis9-18:1 to 18:0 and cis9,trans11-18:2 to trans11-18:1 in milk fat when CLA was infused suggested CLA reduced desaturation in the mammary gland. Results provide additional evidence that enhanced flow of trans10-18:1 or trans10,cis12-18:2 from the rumen may decrease milk fat yield by reducing de novo synthesis and desaturation.
A skill assessment of the biogeochemical model REcoM2 coupled to the Finite Element Sea Ice–Ocean Model (FESOM 1.3)

Abstract. In coupled biogeochmical–ocean models, the choice of numerical schemes in the ocean circulation component can have a large influence on the distribution of the biological tracers. Biogeochemical models are traditionally coupled to ocean general circulation models (OGCMs), which are based on dynamical cores employing quasi-regular meshes, and therefore utilize limited spatial resolution in a global setting. An alternative approach is to use an unstructured-mesh ocean model, which allows variable mesh resolution. Here, we present initial results of a coupling between the Finite Element Sea Ice–Ocean Model (FESOM) and the biogeochemical model REcoM2 (Regulated Ecosystem Model 2), with special focus on the Southern Ocean. Surface fields of nutrients, chlorophyll a and net primary production (NPP) were compared to available data sets with a focus on spatial distribution and seasonal cycle. The model produces realistic spatial distributions, especially regarding NPP and chlorophyll a, whereas the iron concentration becomes too low in the Pacific Ocean. The modelled NPP is 32.5 Pg C yr−1 and the export production 6.1 Pg C yr−1, which is lower than satellite-based estimates, mainly due to excessive iron limitation in the Pacific along with too little coastal production. The model performs well in the Southern Ocean, though the assessment here is hindered by the lower availability of observations. The modelled NPP is 3.1 Pg C yr−1 in the Southern Ocean and the export production 1.1 Pg C yr−1. All in all, the combination of a circulation model on an unstructured grid with a biogeochemical–ocean model shows similar performance to other models at non-eddy-permitting resolution. It is well suited for studies of the Southern Ocean, but on the global scale deficiencies in the Pacific Ocean would have to be taken into account.
Learners' Willingness to Communicate in Face-to-Face versus Oral Computer-Mediated Communication.

Department of Languages and Literatures University of San Diego, USA The present study had two main goals: to explore performance differences in a taskbased environment between face-to-face (ftf) and oral computer-mediated communication (ocmc) groups, and to investigate the relationship between trait-like willingness to communicate (wtc) and performance in the ftf and ocmc groups. Students from two intact intermediate university Spanish classes carried out two decision-making tasks in random groups of three; one task was carried out via Skype and the other was performed ftf. To determine l2 wtc, participants completed a wtc questionnaire, adapted from Cao and Philp (2006). Results showed that learners initiated a significantly higher number of speaking turns in ocmc. Additionally, the significant positive correlation found between wtc and the number of turns and words spoken in the ftf setting did not hold for the ocmc group. In other words, number of turns and words produced reflected wtc in the ftf mode but not in the ocmc mode. This reveals that learners indeed interact differently through ocmc and ftf, which could pose certain advantages for L2 teaching and learning.
Memetic approach for matching sketches with digital face images

One of the important cues in solving crimes and apprehending criminals is matching sketches with digital f ace images. This paper presents an automated algorithm that ext racts discriminating information from local regions of both sketches and digital face images. Structural information along with the minute details present in local facial regions are encod ed using multi-scale circular Weber’s Local descriptor. Further, an evolutionary memetic optimization is proposed to assign op timal weights to every local facial region to boost the identificat ion performance. Since, forensic sketches or digital face imag es can be of poor quality, a pre-processing technique is used to enhance the quality of images and improve the identificationperformance. Comprehensive experimental evaluation on diffe r nt sketch databases show that the proposed algorithm yields be tt r identification performance compared to existing algorithms and two commercial face recognition systems.
2 Genetic Variations for Cell Wall Digestibility in Cereals 2 . 1 Devising an Estimate of Cell Wall Digestibility

Forage plants are the basis of ruminant nutrition. Among cereal forages, maize cropped for silage making is the most widely used. Much research in genetics, physiology, and molecular biology of cereal forages is thus devoted to maize, even if silage of sorghum or immature small-grain cereals and straws of small-grain cereals are also given to cattle. Cell wall digestibility is the limiting factor of forage feeding value and is, therefore, the first target for improving their feeding value. Large genetic variation for cell wall digestibility was proven from both in vivo and in vitro experiments in numerous species. Among the regular maize hybrids [excluding brown-midrib (bm) ones], the cell wall digestibility nearly doubled from 32.9% to 60.1%. Genetic variation has also been proven in cell wall digestibility of sorghum and wheat, barley or rice forage, or straw, with lower average values than in maize. Despite lignin content is well known as an important factor making cell wall indigestible, breeding for a higher digestibility of plant needs the use of specific traits estimating the plant cell wall digestibility. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, studies of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) feeding value traits relationships, studies of mutants and deregulated plants, and expression studies will contribute to the comprehensive knowledge of the lignin pathway and cell wall biogenesis. Plant breeders will then be able to choose the best genetic and genomic targets for the improvement of plant digestibility. Favorable alleles or favorable QTL for cereal cell wall digestibility will thus be introgressed in elite lines through marker-assisted introgression. Efficient breeding of maize and others annual forage plants demands a renewing of genetic resources because only a limited number of lines are actually known with a high cell wall digestibility. Among bm genes, the bm3 mutant in maize and the bmr12 (and possibly bmr18) mutant in sorghum, which are both altered in the caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity, appeared as the most efficient in cell wall digestibility improvement. Genetic engineering is both an inescapable tool in mechanism understanding and an efficient way in cereal breeding for improved feeding value. Moreover, gene mining and genetic engineering in model plant Y. Barriére(*) Unité de Génétique et d’Amélioration des Plantes Fourragéres, INRA, Route de Saintes, BP6, F-86600 Lusignan, France, e-mail: yves.barriere@lusignan.inra. fr M.J. Carena (ed.), Cereals, DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-72297-9, # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009 367 and systems (Arabidopsis, Zinnia, Brachypodium, . . .) are also essential complementary approaches for improvement of cell wall digestibility in grass and cereal forage crops.
The Influence of Colonic Irrigation on Human Intestinal Microbiota

It has been documented that the intestinal tract is inhabited by more than 1012 bacterial cells per gram of dry matter (Hayashi et al., 2002a; Langendijk et al., 1995; Suau et al., 1999), which is comprised of an estimated 400 to 500 bacterial species (Moor & Holdeman, 1974). The composition and activities of the indigenous intestinal microbiota are of paramount importance in human immunity, nutrition, and pathological processes, and therefore, the health of the individual (Van der Waaij et al., 1971). It is well established that the intestine is an important site of local immunity, and recent reports have suggested that it is a major site of extrathymic T cell differentiation (Cerf-Bensussan et al., 1985; Guy-Grand et al., 1991; Iiai eta al., 2002; Uchiyama-Tanaka, 2009). Numerous activated and quiescent lymphocytes are produced within gut-associated lymphatic tissues (GALT), such as Peyer’s patches (Takahashi et al., 2005). Thus, it has been speculated that people who suffer from constipation and who harbor fecal residues in the intestine may have decreased local immune system function.