Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactive reconciliation with low-density parity-check codes

Efficient information reconciliation is crucial in several scenarios, being quantum key distribution a remarkable example. However, efficiency is not the only requirement for determining the quality of the information reconciliation process. In some of these scenarios we find other relevant parameters such as the interactivity or the adaptability to different channel statistics. We propose an interactive protocol for information reconciliation based on low-density parity-check codes. The coding rate is adapted in real time by using simultaneously puncturing and shortening strategies, allowing it to cover a predefined error rate range with just a single code. The efficiency of the information reconciliation process using the proposed protocol is considerably better than the efficiency of its non-interactive version.
Interactions of nisin and pediocin PA-1 with closely related lactic acid bacteria that manifest over 100-fold differences in bacteriocin sensitivity

The natural variation in the susceptibilities of gram-positive bacteria towards the bacteriocins nisin and pediocin PA-1 is considerable. This study addresses the factors associated with this variability for closely related lactic acid bacteria. We compared two sets of nonbacteriocinogenic strains for which the MICs of nisin and pediocin PA-1 differed 100- to 1,000-fold: Lactobacillus sake DSM20017 and L. sake DSM20497 and Pediococcus dextrinicus and Pediococcus pentosaccus. Strikingly, the bacteriocin-sensitive and -insensitive strains showed a similar concentration-dependent dissipation of their membrane potential (delta psi) after exposure to these bacteriocins. The bacteriocin-induced dissipation of delta psi below the MICs for the insensitive strains did not coincide with a reduction of intracellular ATP pools and glycolytic rates. This was not observed with the sensitive strains. Analysis of membrane lipid properties revealed minor differences in the phospho- and glycolipid compositions of both sets of strains. The interactions of the bacteriocins with strain-specific lipids were not significantly different in a lipid monolayer assay. Further lipid analysis revealed higher in situ membrane fluidity of the bacteriocin-sensitive Pediococcus strain compared with that for the insensitive strain, but the opposite was found for the L. sake strains. Our results provide evidence that the association of bacteriocins with the cell membrane and their subsequent insertion take place in a similar way for cells that have a high or a low natural tolerance towards bacteriocins. For insensitive strains, overall membrane constitution rather than mere membrane fluidity may preclude the formation of pores with sufficient diameters and lifetimes to ultimately cause cell death.
Synthetic images of natural waters: the CORDIS system

The creation and rendering of realistic water scenes is one of the challenging tasks in Computer Graphics. To reproduce the illumination and color inside water bodies an algorithm capable of dealing with media with anisotropic and multiple scattering has to be used. We have developed a simulation system, CORDIS, based in the discrete ordinates method to solve the problem of light transport in general participating media. The system is adequate to treat complex participating medium such as natural waters as it is prepared to deal with, not only anisotropic, but highly-peaked phase functions as well as to considered the spectral behavior of the medium’s characteristic parameters. It is also able to generate not only synthetic images but detailed quantitative illumination information, so as the amount of light that reaches the medium boundaries or the amount of light absorbed in each of the medium voxels. The system considers objects and light sources inside the water, works with realistic spectral medium parametrizations (bio-optical models) and can be extended to consider not only elastic but inelastic processes such as fluorescence.
A Mobile Robot for Visual Measurements in Architectural Applications

This paper describes a method to perform distance measurements inside buildings using a single video camera mounted on a mobile robot. This algorithm is designed specifically to create architectural floor plans with accurate measurements. Several issues associated with architectural surveying are discussed in detail, such as the visibility of features and the accuracy in calibration. Results of the edge reconstruction in an indoor scene are presented and compared to an architect's drawing of the building. Applications of this method include the verification of constructed buildings, the update or creation of civil engineering CAD models, and the acquisition of data for architectural graphics simulations.
Conduction Mechanism of Valence Change Resistive Switching Memory: A Survey

Resistive switching effect in transition metal oxide (TMO) based material is often associated with the valence change mechanism (VCM). Typical modeling of valence change resistive switching memory consists of three closely related phenomena, i.e., conductive filament (CF) geometry evolution, conduction mechanism and temperature dynamic evolution. It is widely agreed that the electrochemical reduction-oxidation (redox) process and oxygen vacancies migration plays an essential role in the CF forming and rupture process. However, the conduction mechanism of resistive switching memory varies considerably depending on the material used in the dielectric layer and selection of electrodes. Among the popular observations are the Poole-Frenkel emission, Schottky emission, space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC), trap-assisted tunneling (TAT) and hopping conduction. In this article, we will conduct a survey on several published valence change resistive switching memories with a particular interest in the I-V characteristic and the corresponding conduction mechanism.
Yet another Feature Selection Study for Microarrays

Two histopathologically different kinds of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) -alveolar and embryonal RMSare associated with distinct clinical characteristics and different cytogenetic properties. Affymetrix microarrays (U133A/B) were used to characterize the 74 tumoral tissues of both kinds. For consistency with previous work, 8801 genes have been considered in our analysis. Also, the train/test division had been fixed to 56 training and 18 test data. Feature Selection (FS) is both useful for enhancing the classification performance and, more importantly, to discover biologically relevant genes. Therefore, FS is a hot topic in the application of machine learning to the analysis of microarray data [1,2].
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine Leadership Is the Essential Non-technical Skill in the Trauma Team -results of a Qualitative Study

Background: Trauma is the leading cause of death for young people in Norway. Studies indicate that several of these deaths are avoidable if the patient receives correct initial treatment. The trauma team is responsible for initial hospital treatment of traumatized patients, and team members have previously reported that non-technical skills as communication, leadership and cooperation are the major challenges. Better team function could improve patient outcome. The aim of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding of which non-technical skills are important to members of the trauma team during initial examination and treatment of trauma patients.
Need for Elective PCI Prior to Noncardiac Surgery: High Risk Through the Eyes of the Beholder

It has been estimated that nearly 1 million adverse cardiac events occur each year following noncardiac operations. [1][1] Having a myocardial infarction (MI) after surgery, even when the only manifestation is an isolated biomarker (ie, troponin) elevation, increases the risk of long-term death. [2][2
Proinflammatory Activities of S100: Proteins S100A8, S100A9, and S100A8/A9 Induce Neutrophil Chemotaxis and Adhesion 1

S100A8 and S100A9 are small calcium-binding proteins that are highly expressed in neutrophil and monocyte cytosol and are found at high levels in the extracellular milieu during inflammatory conditions. Although reports have proposed a proinflammatory role for these proteins, their extracellular activity remains controversial. In this study, we report that S100A8, S100A9, and S100A8/A9 caused neutrophil chemotaxis at concentrations of 10−12–10−9 M. S100A8, S100A9, and S100A8/A9 stimulated shedding of L-selectin, up-regulated and activated Mac-1, and induced neutrophil adhesion to fibrinogen in vitro. Neutralization with Ab showed that this adhesion was mediated by Mac-1. Neutrophil adhesion was also associated with an increase in intracellular calcium levels. However, neutrophil activation by S100A8, S100A9, and S100A8/A9 did not induce actin polymerization. Finally, injection of S100A8, S100A9, or S100A8/A9 into a murine air pouch model led to rapid, transient accumulation of neutrophils confirming their activities in vivo. These studies 1) show that S100A8, S100A9, and S100A8/A9 are potent stimulators of neutrophils and 2) strongly suggest that these proteins are involved in neutrophil migration to inflammatory sites.
Evaluation of the presence of streambed vegetation on storage and run‐off in hillslope streams in a High Arctic environment

Polar Bear Pass, located on Bathurst Island (75°40′N, 98°30′W) in the Canadian High Arctic, is a large ecologically important, low‐lying wetland that receives water inputs from streams in the surrounding hillslopes. Most of these hillslope streams are gravel‐bed streams; however, some streambeds are moss lined. One of these vegetated streams was selected to determine how vegetation influences run‐off processes (e.g. water storage and streamflow) in comparison with a similar‐sized gravel‐bed hillslope stream. During the 2009 and 2010 field seasons, snow cover, melt and streamflow measurements were collected in both streams. Frost table and soil moisture conditions were monitored weekly along four cross‐sectional transects in each stream basin, and vegetation inventories were conducted in July 2010. The active layer developed more quickly in 2010 than in 2009, yet the thaw depth remained thinner in the vegetated stream in both years. In 2009, prolonged rainfall of low intensity and meltwater inputs from long‐lasting valley snowbeds maintained streamflow. Warmer and drier conditions in 2010 caused the stream to eventually cease flow, only regenerating after intense rainfall. Moss plays an important role in modifying streamflow later in the season when low‐flow conditions persist, acting as a barrier to streamflow as the moisture deficit of the vegetation must be satisfied before streamflow can regenerate. Results indicate that there is a threshold that determines whether vegetation promotes or hinders streamflow and that this factor will have important implications in response to changing climate conditions for this site and other arctic landscapes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Possible Causes of a Harbour Porpoise Mass Stranding in Danish Waters in 2005

An unprecedented 85 harbour porpoises stranded freshly dead along approximately 100 km of Danish coastline from 7–15 April, 2005. This total is considerably above the mean weekly stranding rate for the whole of Denmark, both for any time of year, 1.23 animals/week (ranging from 0 to 20 during 2003–2008, excluding April 2005), and specifically in April, 0.65 animals/week (0 to 4, same period). Bycatch was established as the cause of death for most of the individuals through typical indications of fisheries interactions, including net markings in the skin and around the flippers, and loss of tail flukes. Local fishermen confirmed unusually large porpoise bycatch in nets set for lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) and the strandings were attributed to an early lumpfish season. However, lumpfish catches for 2005 were not unusual in terms of season onset, peak or total catch, when compared to 2003–2008. Consequently, human activity was combined with environmental factors and the variation in Danish fisheries landings (determined through a principal component analysis) in a two-part statistical model to assess the correlation of these factors with both the presence of fresh strandings and the numbers of strandings on the Danish west coast. The final statistical model (which was forward selected using Akaike information criterion; AIC) indicated that naval presence is correlated with higher rates of porpoise strandings, particularly in combination with certain fisheries, although it is not correlated with the actual presence of strandings. Military vessels from various countries were confirmed in the area from the 7th April, en route to the largest naval exercise in Danish waters to date (Loyal Mariner 2005, 11–28 April). Although sonar usage cannot be confirmed, it is likely that ships were testing various equipment prior to the main exercise. Thus naval activity cannot be ruled out as a possible contributing factor.
Synaptic Plasticity Can Produce and Enhance Direction Selectivity

The discrimination of the direction of movement of sensory images is critical to the control of many animal behaviors. We propose a parsimonious model of motion processing that generates direction selective responses using short-term synaptic depression and can reproduce salient features of direction selectivity found in a population of neurons in the midbrain of the weakly electric fish Eigenmannia virescens. The model achieves direction selectivity with an elementary Reichardt motion detector: information from spatially separated receptive fields converges onto a neuron via dynamically different pathways. In the model, these differences arise from convergence of information through distinct synapses that either exhibit or do not exhibit short-term synaptic depression—short-term depression produces phase-advances relative to nondepressing synapses. Short-term depression is modeled using two state-variables, a fast process with a time constant on the order of tens to hundreds of milliseconds, and a slow process with a time constant on the order of seconds to tens of seconds. These processes correspond to naturally occurring time constants observed at synapses that exhibit short-term depression. Inclusion of the fast process is sufficient for the generation of temporal disparities that are necessary for direction selectivity in the elementary Reichardt circuit. The addition of the slow process can enhance direction selectivity over time for stimuli that are sustained for periods of seconds or more. Transient (i.e., short-duration) stimuli do not evoke the slow process and therefore do not elicit enhanced direction selectivity. The addition of a sustained global, synchronous oscillation in the gamma frequency range can, however, drive the slow process and enhance direction selectivity to transient stimuli. This enhancement effect does not, however, occur for all combinations of model parameters. The ratio of depressing and nondepressing synapses determines the effects of the addition of the global synchronous oscillation on direction selectivity. These ingredients, short-term depression, spatial convergence, and gamma-band oscillations, are ubiquitous in sensory systems and may be used in Reichardt-style circuits for the generation and enhancement of a variety of biologically relevant spatiotemporal computations.
L'impact de la crise financière internationale sur les transferts des migrants : le cas des travailleurs tadjiks

Recently, migrants' remittances have become more and more important for many developing countries. Tajikistan, a landlocked country in Central Asia is no exception. Indeed, remittances sent by Tajik migrants in Russia reached more than 45% of Tajikistan's GDP in 2008 (World Bank, 2009). However, these transfers show a significant decline since the last quarter of 2008. The aim of this paper is to show that this decline is a consequence of the global financial crisis that began in the United States in 2007. The study of the determinants of Tajik transfers supports this thesis by highlighting the role of the Russian economic activity. Remittances seem to depend heavily on changes in Russian production and its rate of unemployment. However, the current crisis affecting these variables, indirectly impacts the Tajik economy through remittances. The hypothesis of countercyclicality of remittances should be rejected here, since remittances seem to be determined more by host country's variables than the origin country's ones. This result is explained by two main factors: Tajik migration flows are nearly unidirectional, thus, Tajikistan is highly dependant on its unique destination country; and the prevalence of altruistic motive. The global financial crisis seems to affect Tajikistan indirectly through the recession in Russia.
Comparison of Diurnal Variations in Precipitation Systems Observed by TRMM PR, TMI, and VIRS

Abstract Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data during June–August 1998–2003 are used to investigate diurnal variations of rain and cloud systems over the tropics and midlatitudes. The peak time of the coldest minimum brightness temperature derived from the Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) and the maximum rain rate derived from the Precipitation Radar (PR) and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) are compared. Time distributions are generally consistent with previous studies. However, it is found that systematic shifts in peak time relative to each sensor appeared over land, notably over western North America, the Tibetan Plateau, and oceanic regions such as the Gulf of Mexico. The peak time shift among PR, TMI, and VIRS is a few hours. The relationships among the amplitude of diurnal variation, convective frequency, storm height, and rain amount are further investigated and compared to the systematic peak time shifts. The regions where the systematic shift appears correspond to large amplitude of .
The role of snow on the thermal dependence of microwave backscatter over sea ice

Our understanding of snow distribution in the polar regions is severely restricted owing to the heterogeneity, both in space and time, of this solid precipitate. Processes such as vapor and mass fluxes across the interface are, to a large extent, controlled by the presence and geophysical state of the snow cover on sea ice. Numerous studies have shown the importance of snow cover in ecosystem processes and particularly in photosynthetically active radiation extinction. Researchers are currently exploiting developments in electromagnetic interaction theory in an attempt to measure snow thickness distributions remotely. In this paper, we investigate the dependence of radar backscatter on snow thickness over smooth first-year ice. We use data from the Seasonal Sea Ice Monitoring and Modeling Site located in the Canadian Archipelago. Results show that the thermodynamics of the snow cover affect wave propagation, attenuation, and scattering through the control that brine volume exerts on interfacial characteristics of the snow and ice layers. The effect is subtle and specific to certain ranges of salinity, surface roughness and thickness of sea ice. We describe the phenomenon responsible for this effect using a microwave model consistently for both complex effective permittivities and backscatter coefficients coupled to a one-dimensional model. We validate the physical principles using in situ field data. We then discuss the potential of synthetic aperture radar in estimating snow thickness distributions under these specific conditions using both observed and modeled microwave scattering.
A Constrained Line Search Optimization Method for Discriminative Training of HMMs

In this paper, we propose a novel optimization algorithm called constrained line search (CLS) for discriminative training (DT) of Gaussian mixture continuous density hidden Markov model (CDHMM) in speech recognition. The CLS method is formulated under a general framework for optimizing any discriminative objective functions including maximum mutual information (MMI), minimum classification error (MCE), minimum phone error (MPE)/minimum word error (MWE), etc. In this method, discriminative training of HMM is first cast as a constrained optimization problem, where Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD) between models is explicitly imposed as a constraint during optimization. Based upon the idea of line search, we show that a simple formula of HMM parameters can be found by constraining the KLD between HMM of two successive iterations in an quadratic form. The proposed CLS method can be applied to optimize all model parameters in Gaussian mixture CDHMMs, including means, covariances, and mixture weights. We have investigated the proposed CLS approach on several benchmark speech recognition databases, including TIDIGITS, Resource Management (RM), and Switchboard. Experimental results show that the new CLS optimization method consistently outperforms the conventional EBW method in both recognition performance and convergence behavior.
Fracture roughness: The key to relating seismic velocities, seismic attenuation and permeability to reservoir pressure and saturation

Summary: The roughness of a fracture surface plays a role in the fracture permeability, the fracture compliance and the pressure dependence of the fracture aperture. Ultimately these properties of fractures are related to the time-dependent properties of a fractured reservoir. Since all reservoirs are fractured to some extent, these properties of fractures may have a more general application than is generally believed. It is proposed here that the fracture roughness also controls the seismic attenuation associated with fluid motion within fractures during the passage of a seismic P- or S-wave through a fractured reservoir. In fact, a shear wave can become more sensitive to fluid content than P-waves as a result of fracture roughness. A fracture modeling procedure is presented that can be used to relate seismic velocities and attenuation to the permeability and the pressure dependence of the permeability tensor for fractured reservoirs. Issues of scale and frequency dependence are discussed.
Extra-sliding puzzles: Experiments in Cognitive Modeling and Representation for Problem Solving

We are studying the well known problem of the sliding puzzle or Npuzzle and we are modeling a number of consecutive extensions and their solution based on the known algorithmic solution. The usual approach to date has been to find optimal solutions (move sequences) to the N-puzzle with the aid of sophisticated special-purpose search methods. Our goal is to study it from a bottom up perspective and to do cognitive modeling of the scalable algorithmic solution that finds suboptimal move sequences but that can do so consistently for a large number of extensions with practically no increase in polynomial complexity. This approach claims both to model for fundamental cognitive skills that are exerted on top of existing intelligent problem-solving methods as well as to identify modules of reasoning that should be included in any scalably intelligent system.