pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Assessment of gridded observations used for climate model validation in the Mediterranean region: the HyMeX and MED-CORDEX framework

International audienceThis letter assesses the quality of temperature and rainfall daily retrievals of the European Climate Assessment and Dataset (ECA&D) with respect to measurements collected locally in various parts of the Euro-Mediterranean region in the framework of the Hydrological Cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX), endorsed by the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP). The ECA&D, among other gridded datasets, is very often used as a reference for model calibration and evaluation. This is for instance the case in the context of the WCRP Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) and its Mediterranean declination MED-CORDEX. This letter quantifies ECA&D dataset uncertainties associated with temperature and precipitation intra-seasonal variability, seasonal distribution and extremes. Our motivation is to help the interpretation of the results when validating or calibrating downscaling models by the ECA&D dataset in the context of regional climate research in the Euro-Mediterranean region
Punctual versus continuous auction coordination for multi-robot and multi-task topological navigation

International audienceThis paper addresses the interest of using Punctual versus Continuous coordination for mobile multi-robot systems where robots use auction sales to allocate tasks between them and to compute their policies in a distributed way. In Continuous coordination, one task at a time is assigned and performed per robot. In Punctual coordination, all the tasks are distributed in Rendezvous phases during the mission execution. However , tasks allocation problem grows exponentially with the number of tasks. The proposed approach consists in two aspects: (1) a control architecture based on topo-logical representation of the environment which reduces the planning complexity and (2) a protocol based on Sequential Simultaneous Auctions (SSA) to coordinate Robots' policies. The policies are individually computed using Markov Decision Processes oriented by several goal-task positions to reach. Experimental results on both real robots and simulation describe an evaluation of the proposed robot architecture coupled wih the SSA protocol. The efficiency of missions' execution is empirically evaluated regarding continuous planning
Relationship between the occurrence of filamentous bacteria on Bathymodiolus azoricus shell and the physiological and toxicological status of the vent mussel

En libre-accès sur Archimer : http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6821.pdfInternational audienceThe edifice walls of the Eiffel Tower hydrothermal vent site (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Lucky Strike vent field) are populated with dense communities of dual symbioses harboring vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus, some of which are covered by white filamentous mats belonging to sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Mussels were collected in both the presence and absence of the filamentous bacteria. A sample of the filamentous bacteria was collected and water measurements of temperature, CH4 and H2S were recorded at the collection area. The whole soft tissues were analyzed for total lipid, carbohydrate and total protein. Metallothioneins and metals (Cu, Fe and Zn) levels were determined in the major organs. The results showed no significant physiological and toxicological evidence that emphasizes the influence of associated sulfur-oxidizing filamentous bacteria on B. azoricus mussel shells. However, B. azoricus mussel seems to be well adapted to the assorted physico-chemical characteristics from the surrounding environment since it is able to manage the constant fluctuation of physico-chemical compounds
Indoor airborne particle sources and semi-volatile partitioning effect of outdoor fine PM in offices

To date, few studies have focused on PM air quality in offices, despite the fact that a lot of people spend\ud
many working hours a day in such offices. The aim of the present study is to investigate PM1 and PM2.5\ud
in offices in Milan (Northern Italy) and in the air outside those offices. The PM samples were analyzed to\ud
determine the entity of certain compounds with possible direct or indirect adverse effects on human\ud
health: PAHs, BpA, and water soluble inorganic ions.\ud
A good correlation between outdoor and indoor PM mass concentrations emerged (R2 w0.87). The\ud
maximum I/O concentration ratiowas 0.92, suggesting that the indoor PM levelwas always lower than the\ud
outdoor level. The average infiltration factor, FINF,was 0.55, showing that about a half of the outdoor PMhad\ud
come indoors. The indoor-generated particles, Cig, had values ranging from 0 to 4.4 mg m3 (<25% of the\ud
indoor PM), showing that PM indoor sources had only made a limited contribution to total indoor PM.\ud
The results of the indoor-to-outdoor comparisons for the aforementioned chemical compounds\ud
demonstrate that the offices were characterized by the absence of effective indoor sources of particulatebound\ud
PAHs and inorganic ions, whereas Cig was around 58% of the indoor concentration for BpA. Our\ud
analysis of the FINF data pointed to the presence of a volatilization effect from PM for semi-volatile\ud
compounds like ammonium nitrate and 4- or 5-ring PAHs, which affected the measurement of their\ud
FINF. We propose the introduction of a new and simple parameter, called volatilization correction, to take\ud
account of this effect
Mantle to surface degassing of alkalic magmas at Erebus volcano, Antarctica

International audienceContinental intraplate volcanoes, such as Erebus volcano, Antarctica, are associated with extensional tectonics, mantle upwelling and high heat flow. Typically, erupted magmas are alkaline and rich in volatiles (especially CO2), inherited from low degrees of partial melting of mantle sources. We examine the degassing of the magmatic system at Erebus volcano using melt inclusion data and high temporal resolution open-path Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements of gas emissions from the active lava lake. Remarkably different gas signatures are associated with passive and explosive gas emissions, representative of volatile contents and redox conditions that reveal contrasting shallow and deep degassing sources. We show that this unexpected degassing signature provides a unique probe for magma differentiation and transfer of CO2-rich oxidised fluids from the mantle to the surface, and evaluate how these processes operate in time and space. Extensive crystallisation driven by CO2 fluxing is responsible for isobaric fractionation of parental basanite magmas close to their source depth. Magma deeper than 4 kbar equilibrates under vapour-buffered conditions. At shallower depths, CO2-rich fluids accumulate and are then released either via convection-driven, open-system gas loss or as closed-system slugs that ascend and result in Strombolian eruptions in the lava lake. The open-system gases have a reduced state (below the QFM buffer) whereas the closed-system gases preserve their deep oxidised signatures (close to the NNO buffer)
Tetramethylammonium hydroxide thermochemolysis for the analysis of cellulose and free carbohydrates in a peatbog

International audienceWe have compared TMAH thermochemolysis with the classical method using acid hydrolysis for carbohydrates analysis in a peat core. Even if TMAH thermochemolysis does not analyse hemicellulosic carbohydrates and discriminate each individual carbohydrate sensu stricto, it allows the analysis of a cellulose pool hidden to acid hydrolysis and the specific analysis of free and terminal carbohydrates. Simple direct comparisons of thermochemolysis data with data generated from acid hydrolysis cannot be done because of the different mechanisms involved in each process. TMAH thermochemolysis must be viewed and used as a pertinent and complementary method for the analysis of carbohydrates protected and trapped by the organic matter in complex environmental systems
Solute distribution in porous rhyolite as evaluated by sequential centrifugation

International audiencePore water in a porous rhyolite, having a porosity of 27% and pore radii ranging from >25 μm to 0.008 μm, was centrifugally extracted stepwise with increasing centrifugal speed to examine the potential variations of the compositions of pore water and their relationships to reaction and transport occurring in the rock. The rock was soaked for from 1 h to 7 days in an aqueous solution prior to centrifugation. To evaluate the effect of adsorption under minimum effect of dissolution, Li+ and Br− were added to the solution as tracer ions. As centrifugal speed increased, water was extracted in order of large to small pores and the thickness of residual water film became thinner. The concentrations of ions dissolving from the rock (Na+, K+, Ca2+, etc.) after 7 days of immersion were relatively constant in pores of 1−10 μm radii and exponentially increased by 3−100 fold with decreasing pore radius to 0.1 μm. These ions are dissolved from the rock and transported toward the exterior of the rock by diffusion. The calculation using a reactive-transport equation showed that the observed concentration changes reflect the change in solute distribution profile with pore size. The concentration of Si after 7 days of immersion was approximately constant or slightly decreased with increasing centrifugal speed, which appears to be controlled by the solubility. The concentration of Li+ decreased with increasing centrifugal speed after 1 h of immersion but the trend changed after 7 days of reaction. Initial behaviour of Li+ is explained by adsorption on pore walls, and the change of trend is explained by desorption of that previously adsorbed, slight amounts of dissolution, and inflow from the outside of the rock. The change in concentration of Br− with increasing centrifugal speed was small, probably because Br− was not adsorbed on the surfaces. The sequential centrifugation thus provides information on the solute distribution associated with reaction and transport occurring in rock pores
Multiple melting stages and refertilization as indicators for ridge to subduction formation: The New Caledonia ophiolite

International audienceThe origin of the New Caledonia ophiolite (South West Pacific), one of the largest in the world, is controversial. This nappe of ultramafic rocks (300 km long, 50 km wide and 2 km thick) is thrust upon a smaller nappe (Poya terrane) composed of basalts from mid-ocean ridges (MORB), back arc basins (BABB) and ocean islands (OIB). This nappe was tectonically accreted from the subducting plate prior and during the obduction of the ultramafic nappe. The bulk of the ophiolite is composed of highly depleted harzburgites (± dunites) with characteristic U-shaped bulk-rock rare-earth element (REE) patterns that are attributed to their formation in a forearc environment. In contrast, the origin of spoon-shaped REE patterns of lherzolites in the northernmost klippes was unclear. Our new major element and REE data on whole rocks, spinel and clinopyroxene establish the abyssal affinity of these lherzolites. Significant LREE enrichment in the lherzolites is best explained by partial melting in a spreading ridge, followed by near in-situ refertilization from deeper mantle melts. Using equilibrium melting equations, we show that melts extracted from these lherzolites are compositionally similar to the MORB of the Poya terrane. This is used to infer that the ultramafic nappe and the mafic Poya terrane represent oceanic lithosphere of a single marginal basin that formed during the late Cretaceous. In contrast, our spinel data highlights the strong forearc affinities of the most depleted harzburgites whose compositions are best modeled by hydrous melting of a source that had previously experienced depletion in a spreading ridge. The New Caledonian boninites probably formed during this second stage of partial melting. The two melting events in the New Caledonia ophiolite record the rapid transition from oceanic accretion to convergence in the South Loyalty Basin during the Late Paleocene, with initiation of a new subduction zone at or near the ridge axis
Why can't I measure the external quantum efficiency of the Ge subcell of my multijunction solar cell?

The measurement of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of low bandgap subcells in a multijunction solar cell can be sometimes problematic. In particular, this paper describes a set of cases where the EQE of a Ge subcell in a conventional GaInP/GaInAs/Ge triple-junction solar cell cannot be fully measured. We describe the way to identify each case by tracing the I-V curve under the same light-bias conditions applied for the EQE measurement, together with the strategies that could be implemented to attain the best possible measurement of the EQE of the Ge subcell
Quantum interference of high-order harmonics from mixed gases

We present a theoretical study about the interference of the harmonics generated by a mixture of two gases, He-Ne. Our model is based on the electron quantum paths, a discrete number of electron trajectories, and continuum-bound transitions. A laser with intensity around 1014W/cm2 that interacts with a mixture of gases, He-Ne, produces an interference that is destructive at the low-order harmonics and oscillates between constructive and destructive near to cutoff. This destructive interference at high-order harmonics may be used to explore other transitions, which are currently hidden. At low-order harmonic frequencies, our numerical results are in very good agreement with experimental data. At higher-order harmonics, where there are no experimental data, comparison is with a Schrödinger solver
Pituitary Tumor-Transforming Gene 1 Enhances Proliferation and Suppresses Early Differentiation of Keratinocytes

The epidermis is a self-renewing tissue, the homeostasis of which is dependent upon the tight balance between proliferation and differentiation based on appropriate regulation of the cell cycle. The cell cycle regulation is dependent on the interactions among a number of cell cycle regulatory molecules, including the pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1 (PTTG1), also known as securin, a regulator of sister chromatid separation and transition from metaphase to anaphase. This study was conducted to clarify the less-known functions of PTTG1 in the epidermis by the use of keratinocytes cultured under two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) conditions. Forced overexpression of PTTG1 caused upregulation of cyclin B1, cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), and c-Myc, resulting in enhanced proliferation and suppression of early differentiation without apparent alterations in terminal differentiation, and the exogenous PTTG1 was downregulated in association with cell cycle exit. In contrast, depletion of PTTG1 caused their downregulation and constrained proliferation with retention of differentiation capacity. These findings suggested that PTTG1 could alter the proliferation status by modulating the expression levels of the other cell cycle regulatory proteins, and excess PTTG1 primarily affects early differentiation of keratinocytes under the stability regulation associated with cell cycle exit
Piezo-force and vibration analysis of ZnO nanowire arrays for sensor application

To estimate the potential of ZnO nanostructures for force sensing applications, arrays of single nanowires and arrays of nanowire bundles have been fabricated by wet chemical growth method. The piezoelectrical and electrical properties of the single nanowires have been investigated by atomic force microscopy based techniques. The piezoelectric constant d(33) = 15 pm/V has been determined from vibration analyses. The electrical response in the range up to 400 fA upon applying force between 40 nN and 1 mu N has been recorded. The nanowire bundles were studied by electro-mechanical macro probing technique within the force range 1 - 10 mN, where a reproducible response in pA range has been measured
Analysis of long-term corrosion behavior in mortars containing recycled ladle furnace slag using computerized tomography and SEM

A series of mortars subjected to accelerated corrosion in a humid environment form the basis for this study. In particular, we studied the corrosion behavior of steel reinforcement bars that were embedded in cement mortars that contained white ladle furnace slag (LFS) in partial substitution for fines and cement. The effects were observed using computerized axial tomography and scanning electron microscopy. Zones with fissures resulting from corrosion and the degree of damage due to passivation were identified from the imaging analysis
Transition systems and non-standard employment in early career: comparing Japan and Switzerland

Even though Japan and Switzerland are characterised by comparatively low youth unemployment rates, non-standard forms of employment are on the rise, posing a risk to the stable integration of young labour market entrants. Drawing on the French approach of societal analysis, this paper investigates how country-specific school-to-work transition systems stratify the risk of non-standard employment in early career differently in Japan and Switzerland. Our results reveal that in Japan young entrants who completed university education are least at risk of becoming employed in non-standard work. On the contrary, it is the highly educated university graduates who mainly enter the labour market via non-standard employment in Switzerland, where vocational education promotes smooth transitions into standard employment relationships. Our findings suggest that the transition systems of the two countries differ in the way they revert to non-standard forms of employment. However, while job insecurities may not endanger labour market integration of highly skilled university graduates holding good career prospects in Switzerland, they may go hand in hand with social exclusion processes for the low-educated young entrants lacking bargaining power in the segmented Japanese labour market
Performance analysis of randomised search heuristics operating with a fixed budget

Jansen, T., Zarges, C. (2013). Performance analysis of randomised search heuristics operating with a fixed budget. Theoretical Computer Science, 545, 39-58When for a difficult real-world optimisation problem no good problem-specific algorithm is available often randomised search heuristics are used. They are hoped to deliver good solutions in acceptable time. The theoretical analysis usually concentrates on the average time needed to find an optimal or approximately optimal solution. This matches neither the application in practice nor the empirical analysis since usually optimal solutions are not known and even if found cannot be recognised. More often the algorithms are stopped after some time. This motivates a theoretical analysis to concentrate on the quality of the best solution obtained after a pre-specified number of function evaluations called budget. Using this perspective two simple randomised search heuristics, random local search and the (1+1) evolutionary algorithm, are analysed on some well-known example problems. Upper and lower bounds on the expected quality of a solution for a fixed budget of function evaluations are proven. The analysis shows novel and challenging problems in the study of randomised search heuristics. It demonstrates the potential of this shift in perspective from expected run time to expected solution quality.authorsversionPeer reviewe
Index ordering by query-independent measures

Conventional approaches to information retrieval search through all applicable entries in an inverted file for a particular collection in order to find those documents with the highest scores. For particularly large collections this may be extremely time consuming.\ud
A solution to this problem is to only search a limited amount of the collection at query-time, in order to speed up the retrieval process. In doing this we can also limit the loss in retrieval efficacy (in terms of accuracy of results). The way we achieve this is to firstly identify the most “important” documents within the collection, and sort documents within inverted file lists in order of this “importance”. In this way we limit the amount of information to be searched at query time by eliminating documents of lesser importance, which not only makes the search more efficient, but also limits loss in retrieval accuracy. Our experiments, carried out on the TREC Terabyte collection, report significant savings, in terms of number of postings examined, without significant loss of effectiveness when based on several measures of importance used in isolation, and in combination. Our results point to several ways in which the computation cost of searching large collections of documents can be significantly reduced
Acceptor and donor ionization energy levels in O-doped ZnTe

The O-doped ZnTe (ZnTe1−xOx) alloys present induce levels through O doping into the host semiconductor gap. ZnTe usually crystallizes in the zinc-blend structure and ZnO in the wurtzite structure under normal conditions. Therefore two possible ZnTe1−xOx phases may coexist, although in different proportions, depending on experimental growth conditions. We present total energy calculations and analyze some of their electronic properties with respect to: the two ordered wurtzite and zinc-blende structures, the concentration (x from 0.0078 to 0.5), the localized basis set (from single-zeta to quadruple-zeta with polarization basis sets), and the variation of the ionization levels with x and with the distance O–Zn
The use of direct boundary element method for gaining insight into complex seismic site response

The boundary element method is specially well suited for the analysis of the seismic response of valleys of complicated topography and stratigraphy. In this paper the method’s capabilities are illustrated using as an example an irregularity stratified (test site) sedimentary basin that has been modelled using 2D discretization and the Direct Boundary Element Method (DBEM).\ud
\ud
Site models displaying different levels of complexity are used in practice. The multi-layered model’s seismic response shows generally good agreement with observed data amplification levels, fundamental frequencies and the high spatial variability. Still important features such as the location of high frequencies peaks are missing. Even 2D simplified models reveal important characteristics of the wave field that 1D modelling does not show up
Estimation and Regularization Techniques for Regression Models with Multidimensional Prediction Functions

Boosting is one of the most important methods for fitting
regression models and building prediction rules from
high-dimensional data. A notable feature of boosting is that the
technique has a built-in mechanism for shrinking coefficient
estimates and variable selection. This regularization mechanism
makes boosting a suitable method for analyzing data characterized by
small sample sizes and large numbers of predictors. We extend the   
existing methodology by developing a boosting method for prediction 
functions with multiple components. Such multidimensional functions 
occur in many types of statistical models, for example in count data
models and in models involving outcome variables with a mixture
distribution. As will be demonstrated, the new algorithm is suitable
for both the estimation of the prediction function and
regularization of the estimates. In addition, nuisance parameters
can be estimated simultaneously with the prediction function.