Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promoting Citizenship Competence in Italian Vocational Education and Training through Assessment

European VET is becoming increasingly important in promoting inclusiveness, social justice, and democratic citizenship. “Citizenship competence”, which has been recently introduced in Italian initial VET (iVET), can contribute to the pursuit of these objectives. Based on the assumption that assessment can be formative and thus can help to improve learning processes, this research aims to develop an ad hoc assessment tool for Citizenship competence in Italian iVET inspired by formative assessment principles. The research methodology adopts a mixed methods perspective. The first qualitative phase aimed at understanding iVET institution’s characteristics, needs, and objectives and teaching strategies related to Citizenship competence. Next, based on these data, the quantitative phase aimed to develop and validate a set of standardized assessment instruments. Despite data from the quantitative instruments still being analyzed, the exploratory phase provided meaningful data on how iVET teachers are promoting Citizenship competence and the role of citizenship education in Italian iVET.
Generic Contract Descriptions for Web Services Implementations

The basic building blocks of SOA systems are web services. The domain specific language SOAL developed by the authors has a Java and C#-like syntax for describing web service interfaces and BPEL processes. The paper introduces an extended version of the language that supports Design by Contract. From the service contract specifications software artifacts are generated that check preand post-conditions on the server side at runtime, applying the delegation pattern. The proposed solution provides Design by Contract for both JAX-WS and WCF technologies used in most SOA products in the industry. Keywords-SOA; web services; Design-by-Contract; modelling; DSL.
Ex Vivo and In Silico Approaches of Tracheal Relaxation through Calcium Channel Blockade of 6-Aminoflavone and Its Toxicological Studies in Murine Models

Asthma is a condition in which a person’s airways become inflamed, narrowed, and produce greater amounts of mucus than normal. It can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing, or wheezing. In some cases, symptoms may be exacerbated. Thus, the current study was designed to determine the mechanism of action of 6-aminoflavone (6-NH2F) in ex vivo experiments, as well as to determine its toxicity in acute and sub-chronic murine models. Tissues were pre-incubated with 6-NH2F, and concentration–response curves to carbachol-induced contraction were constructed. Therefore, tracheal rings pre-treated with glibenclamide, 2-aminopyridine, or isoproterenol were contracted with carbachol (1 µM), then 6-NH2F relaxation curves were obtained. In other sets of experiments, to explore the calcium channel role in the 6-NH2F relaxant action, tissues were contracted with KCl (80 mM), and 6-NH2F was cumulatively added to induce relaxation. On the other hand, tissues were pre-incubated with the test sample, and after that, CaCl2 concentration–response curves were developed. In this context, 6-NH2F induced significant relaxation in ex vivo assays, and the effect showed a non-competitive antagonism pattern. In addition, 6-NH2F significantly relaxed the contraction induced by KCl and CaCl2, suggesting a potential calcium channel blockade, which was corroborated by in silico molecular docking that was used to approximate the mode of interaction with the L-type Ca2+ channel, where 6-NH2F showed lower affinity energy when compared with nifedipine. Finally, toxicological studies revealed that 6-NH2F possesses pharmacological safety, since it did not produce any toxic effect in both acute and sub-acute murine models. In conclusion, 6-aminoflavone exerted significant relaxation through calcium channel blockade, and the compound seems to be safe.
Induced Spawning and Stocking Density of Tripneustus gratilla for aquaculture Proposes in the Red Sea, Egypt

1 National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Aquaculture Division, (NIOF), Egypt 2 Marine Biology Dept., Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Egypt 3 Zoology Dept., Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Egypt 4 Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona (UB). Avinguda Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain *Corresponding Author: esraa.elsayed@windowslive.com _______________________________________________________________________________
Sample-Efficient Mapspace Optimization for DNN Accelerators with Bayesian Learning

—Achieving high performance for machine learning domain-specific accelerators requires the careful choice of a mapping from the algorithm to the accelerator. Most algorithms for finding mappings either optimize over a coarse performance model or experimentally evaluate the performance of a large number of different mappings on the space. However the number of samples required by these empirical models can be prohibitive in settings (e.g. when using cycle-accurate simulators) where evaluations are expensive. This paper evaluates the use of Bayesian optimization based approaches for finding mappings for hardware accelerators in settings where high sample efficiency is required. Our approaches converge to mappings comparable to that of Timeloop’s mapper while requiring an order of magnitude fewer iterations. Furthermore, our method produces surrogate models that can be used for transfer learning to new hardware configurations, further reducing the sample complexity by roughly a factor of 2 .
Untangling Macropore Formation and Current Facilitation in P2X7

Macropore formation and current facilitation are intriguing phenomena associated with ATP-gated P2X7 receptors (P2X7). Macropores are large pores formed in the cell membrane that allow the passage of large molecules. The precise mechanisms underlying macropore formation remain poorly understood, but recent evidence suggests two alternative pathways: a direct entry through the P2X7 pore itself, and an indirect pathway triggered by P2X7 activation involving additional proteins, such as TMEM16F channel/scramblase. On the other hand, current facilitation refers to the progressive increase in current amplitude and activation kinetics observed with prolonged or repetitive exposure to ATP. Various mechanisms, including the activation of chloride channels and intrinsic properties of P2X7, have been proposed to explain this phenomenon. In this comprehensive review, we present an in-depth overview of P2X7 current facilitation and macropore formation, highlighting new findings and proposing mechanistic models that may offer fresh insights into these untangled processes.
Continual Invariant Image Mapping from Randomized Simulations for Sim2real Transfer in Robotic Manipulation

—Currently, deep reinforcement learning algorithms require large amounts of training data to learn a specific task, which makes them infeasible to train directly on real robotic systems. To overcome this obstacle, one usually relies on training in simulation and randomizes aspects of the simulation to compensate for the mismatch between the simulator and the real system. However, it is not always clear which aspect of the simulation requires randomization and usually enabling an additional randomization parameter or simulation modifications require model retraining from scratch. To address this problem, in this paper we explore how continual state representation learning can be combined with parameter randomization for vision-based reinforcement learning of robotic tasks, to minimize the need for complete model retraining. To this end, we use variational autoencoder (VAE) to continually learn to reconstruct invariant image representation from sequentially randomized/augmented simulation images. Independently, a reinforcement learning model is trained on the invariant image representation to solve a robotic manipulation task. Then, the VAE is used to translate randomized/augmented simulation images or real-world images to the invariant representation images on which the RL agent can operate. Initial results show that the VAE can continually learn reconstruction to invariant images and it can also be used to bridge the sim2real gap by reconstructing correctly real camera images.
Wintertime lake drainage cascade triggers large-scale ice flow response in Greenland

Surface melt forces summertime ice-flow accelerations on glaciers and ice sheets. Here, we show that large meltwater-forced accelerations also occur in winter in Greenland. We document supraglacial lakes (SGLs) draining in cascades at unusually high elevation, causing an expansive flow acceleration over a ̃5200 km2 region during winter. The 3-component interferometric surface velocity field and decomposition modeling reveals the underlying flood propagation with unprecedented detail as it traveled over 160 km from the drainage site to the margin, providing novel constraints on subglacial water pathways, drainage morphology, and links with basal sliding. The triggering SGLs continuously grew over 40 years and suddenly released decades of stored meltwater into regions of the bed never previously forced, demonstrating surface melt can impact dynamics well beyond its production. We show these events are common and thus their cumulative impact on dynamics should be further evaluated. Hosted file Fig1_animation. gif available at https://authorea.com/users/564703/articles/611600-wintertimelake-drainage-cascade-triggers-large-scale-ice-flow-response-in-greenland
Taxonomy, distribution and host plants of some southern European and North African Sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta)

New taxonomic, biological and faunistic data are presented for some species of sawflies occurring in southern Europe and North Africa. Pamphilius mediterraneus sp. nov. is described from Italy (Sicily). It belongs to the alternans sub-group of the alternans species group. Pristiphora omalos sp. nov. is described from Greece (Crete). It belongs to the depressa species group. New junior synonyms are Calameuta tazzekae Lacourt, 1991 of Calameuta gaullei (Konow, 1896), and Emphytus leucostomus Costa, 1890 of Allantus cingulatus (Scopoli, 1763). Periclista rufiventris Zombori, 1979 is moved from the subgenus Periclista to the subgenus Neocharactus . Ametastegia ( Protemphytus ) persica Khayrandish, Talebi & Blank, 2015 is recorded for the first time in Europe, from Italy (Sicily), and a key to West Palaearctic Protemphytus species provided. Allantus enslini (Forsius, 1918) is more widespread in southern Europe than previously recorded. An identification key distinguishes it from its closer West Palaearctic relatives. New hostplant records are for Halidamia affinis (Fallén, 1807) ( Rubia peregrina ), Janus compressus (Fabricius, 1793) ( Sorbus torminalis ), and Macrophya albicincta (Schrank, 1776) ( Centranthus ruber ). New distribution records are given for a few other species.
Transcription Pattern of Neurotrophic Factors and Their Receptors in Adult Zebrafish Spinal Cord

In vertebrates, neurotrophins and their receptors play a fundamental role in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Several studies reported that each neurotrophin/receptor signalling pathway can perform various functions during axon development, neuronal growth, and plasticity. Previous investigations in some fish species have identified neurotrophins and their receptors in the spinal cord under physiological conditions and after injuries, highlighting their potential role during regeneration. In our study, for the first time, we used an excellent animal model, the zebrafish (Danio rerio), to compare the mRNA localization patterns of neurotrophins and receptors in the spinal cord. We quantified the levels of mRNA using qPCR, and identified the transcription pattern of each neurotrophin/receptor pathway via in situ hybridization. Our data show that ngf/trka are the most transcribed members in the adult zebrafish spinal cord.
YUSEG: Yolo and Unet is all you need for cell instance segmentation

Cell instance segmentation, which identifies each specific cell area within a microscope image, is helpful for cell analysis. Because of the high computational cost brought on by the large number of objects in the scene, mainstream instance segmentation techniques require much time and computational resources. In this paper, we proposed a two-stage method in which the first stage detects the bounding boxes of cells, and the second stage is segmentation in the detected bounding boxes. This method reduces inference time by more than 30% on images that image size is larger than 1024 pixels by 1024 pixels compared to the mainstream instance segmentation method while maintaining reasonable accuracy without using any external data.
THE MOTION MAKER TM: A REHABILITATION SYSTEM COMBINING AN ORTHOSIS WITH CLOSED-LOOP ELECTRICAL MUSCLE STIMULATION

The aim of this paper is to present an active functional device using Closed-Loop Electrical Muscle Stimulation liable to rehabilitate spinal cord injury and hemiplegic individuals. "MotionMakerTM" is a stationary programmable test and training system for the lower limbs developed at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. It is composed of two orthoses comprising motors and sensors, and a control unit managing the electrical stimulation with real-time regulation. This allows leg movements with the desired characteristics of position, speed and torque. Initial tests have been carried out. The results provide elements for an objective and quantitative evaluation of the performances of the MotionMakerTM, which ensure a reliable contribution to the diagnosis, assessment and recovery of functions during the rehabilitation process.
Mortgage Supply and Capital Regulation in a Low Interest Rate Environment

Low-for-long nominal interest rates have resulted in strong growth in mortgage lending and real house prices in Switzerland. Domestically-oriented, small banks have mostly contributed to this expansion in mortgage lending while the two big, global systemic banks (UBS and Credit Suisse) have lost market share. We develop a model with two types of banks and monopolistic competition in the deposit and mortgage market, which we calibrate to the Swiss banking sector. In this model, a contemporaneous expansion in the housing market and change in market shares as in the data emerges only if the monetary policy rate is reduced and capital requirements on the big banks are tightened. Any of the two policies in isolation fails to match the empirical evidence. ∗Chair of International Finance, EPFL, e-mail: luisa.lambertini@epfl.ch †Chair of International Finance, EPFL, e-mail: yu.wu@epfl.ch 1
Survey of Scientific Rigor Studied in Machine Learning

The concern that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are entering a “reproducibility crisis” has spurred significant research in the past few years. Yet with each paper, it is often unclear what someone means by “reproducibility” and where it fits in the larger scope of what we will call the “scientific rigor” literature. Ultimately, the lack of clear rigor standards can affect the manner in which businesses seeking to adopt AI/ML implement such capabilities. In this survey, we will use 66 papers published since 2017 to construct a proposed set of 8 high-level categories of scientific rigor, what they are, and the history of work conducted in each. Our proposal is that these eight rigor types are not mutually exclusive and present a model for how they influence each other. To encourage more to study these questions, we map these rigors to the adoption process in real-world business use cases. In doing so, we can quantify gaps in the literature that suggest an under focus on the issues necessary for scientific rigor research to transition to practice
Proposal of Model for Evaluation of Viral Kinetics of African/Asian/Brazilian—Zika virus Strains (Step Growth Curve) in Trophoblastic Cell Lines

The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic brought new discoveries regarding arboviruses, especially flaviviruses, as ZIKV was described as sexually and vertically transmitted. The latter shows severe consequences for the embryo/fetus, such as congenital microcephaly and deficiency of the neural system, currently known as Congenital ZIKV Syndrome (CZS). To better understand ZIKV dynamics in trophoblastic cells present in the first trimester of pregnancy (BeWo, HTR-8, and control cell HuH-7), an experiment of viral kinetics was performed for African MR766 low passage and Asian-Brazilian IEC ZIKV lineages. The results were described independently and demonstrated that the three placental cells lines are permissive and susceptible to ZIKV. We noticed cytopathic effects that are typical in in vitro viral infection in BeWo and HTR-8. Regarding kinetics, MR766lp showed peaks of viral loads in 24 and 48 hpi for all cell types tested, as well as marked cells death after peak production. On the other hand, the HTR-8 lineage inoculated with ZIKV-IEC exhibited increased viral production in 144 hpi, with a peak between 24 and 96 hpi. Furthermore, IEC had peak variations of viral production for BeWo in 144 hpi. Considering such in vitro results, the hypothesis that maternal fetal transmission is probably a way of virus transmission between the mother and the embryo/fetus is maintained.
Whole-Genome Resequencing Reveals the Diversity of Patchouli Germplasm

As an important medicinal and aromatic plant, patchouli is distributed throughout most of Asia. However, current research on patchouli’s genetic diversity is limited and lacks genome-wide studies. Here, we have collected seven representative patchouli accessions from different localities and performed whole-genome resequencing on them. In total, 402,650 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 153,233 insertions/deletions (INDELs) were detected. Based on these abundant genetic variants, patchouli accessions were primarily classified into the Chinese group and the Southeast Asian group. However, the accession SP (Shipai) collected from China formed a distinct subgroup within the Southeast Asian group. As SP has been used as a genuine herb in traditional Chinese medicine, its unique molecular markers have been subsequently screened and verified. For 26,144 specific SNPs and 16,289 specific INDELs in SP, 10 of them were validated using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) following three different approaches. Further, we analyzed the effects of total genetic variants on genes involved in the sesquiterpene synthesis pathway, which produce the primary phytochemical compounds found in patchouli. Eight genes were ultimately investigated and a gene encoding nerolidol synthetase (PatNES) was chosen and confirmed through biochemical assay. In accession YN, genetic variants in PatNES led to a loss of synthetase activity. Our results provide valuable information for understanding the diversity of patchouli germplasm resources.
Sliding Mode Control of LLC Resonant DC-DC Converter for Wide Output Voltage Range in Battery Charging

In this paper, a sliding mode control of the LLC resonant dc-dc converter low voltage and high current to the battery charger for electric vehicles is presented. The proposed controller operates at two fixed switching frequencies with sliding mode control implementation. In resonant converter, because of the soft-switching process, switching loss is negligible and converters can be designed at high frequencies to decline their size, weight and price. To analyze this convertor the harmonic approximation method with state space equation is used. Taking advantage of the approximations used in order to avoid uncertainty, sliding mode control method is used. The mentioned convertor with the proposed controlled is exploited within three switching frequency bands that are lower than resonant frequency, resonant frequency and above resonant frequency. Due to the robustness of the sliding mode control, the output voltage regulation occurs with minimum distortion under a wide variation of input voltage, output voltage and output current. As a result, the battery life increases. In order to verify the results and effectiveness of the proposed converters, the prototype of LLC resonant converters Simulation and experimental results for the input voltage (300-420Vdc), output voltage (36-72Vdc) and current output (0-11A) is presented. The prototype achieves a peak efficiency value of 96%.
Enhancing Multilingual Document-Grounded Dialogue Using Cascaded Prompt-Based Post-Training Models

The Dialdoc23 shared task presents a Multilingual Document-Grounded Dialogue Systems (MDGDS) challenge, where system responses are generated in multiple languages using user’s queries, historical dialogue records and relevant passages. A major challenge for this task is the limited training data available in low-resource languages such as French and Vietnamese. In this paper, we propose Cascaded Prompt-based Post-training Models, dividing the task into three subtasks: Retrieval, Reranking and Generation. We conduct post-training on high-resource language such as English and Chinese to enhance performance of low-resource languages by using the similarities of languages. Additionally, we utilize the prompt method to activate model’s ability on diverse languages within the dialogue domain and explore which prompt is a good prompt. Our comprehensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods, which achieved the first place on the leaderboard with a total score of 215.40 in token-level F1, SacreBleu, and Rouge-L metrics.
FaceZip: Automatic Texture Compression for Facial Blendshapes

Recently, numerous cinematic and interactive entertainment production companies have adopted advanced capture systems to acquire faithful facial geometries and corresponding textures. However, it is difficult to animate these models in a controllable manner for real-time applications. Although blendshape is typically used for parameterizing facial geometries, dynamically changing the texture of the geometry is challenging. Because texture data are significantly larger than the vertex coordinates of the meshes, storing the texture of all the blendshape meshes is impractical. We present a method to compress texture data in a manner compatible with blendshape for real-time applications such as video games. Our method takes advantage of the locality of facial texture differences by blending a few textures with spatially different weights. Our method achieved a more accurate reconstruction of the original textures compared with the baseline principal component analysis.
Prediction of Antigenic Distance in Influenza A Using Attribute Network Embedding

Owing to the rapid changes in the antigenicity of influenza viruses, it is difficult for humans to obtain lasting immunity through antiviral therapy. Hence, tracking the dynamic changes in the antigenicity of influenza viruses can provide a basis for vaccines and drug treatments to cope with the spread of influenza viruses. In this paper, we developed a novel quantitative prediction method to predict the antigenic distance between virus strains using attribute network embedding techniques. An antigenic network is built to model and combine the genetic and antigenic characteristics of the influenza A virus H3N2, using the continuous distributed representation of the virus strain protein sequence (ProtVec) as a node attribute and the antigenic distance between virus strains as an edge weight. The results show a strong positive correlation between supplementing genetic features and antigenic distance prediction accuracy. Further analysis indicates that our prediction model can comprehensively and accurately track the differences in antigenic distances between vaccines and influenza virus strains, and it outperforms existing methods in predicting antigenic distances between strains.