Evaluation of contextual embeddings on less-resourced languages

The current dominance of deep neural networks in natural language processing is based on contextual embeddings such as ELMo, BERT, and BERT derivatives. Most existing work focuses on English; in contrast, we present here the first multilingual empirical comparison of two ELMo and several monolingual and multilingual BERT models using 14 tasks in nine languages. In monolingual settings, our analysis shows that monolingual BERT models generally dominate, with a few exceptions such as the dependency parsing task, where they are not competitive with ELMo models trained on large corpora. In cross-lingual settings, BERT models trained on only a few languages mostly do best, closely followed by massively multilingual BERT models

The role of metabolism in understanding the altitudinal segregation pattern of two potentially interacting lizards

Sympatric species from the same ecological guild, that exhibit partial altitudinal segregation, can potentially interact in areas of syntopic occurrence. Besides general species' ecology, physiology can provide important answers about species interactions reflected in altitudinal patterns. Lizards Podarcis muralis and Iberolacerta horvathi exhibit partial altitudinal segregation, while they strongly resemble in overall morphology and ecology (diet, daily and seasonal activity pattern), but show certain degree of physiological dissimilarity. They have similar mean preferred body temperatures and patterns of seasonal and daily variations but differ in the magnitude of seasonal variation. Since an ectotherm metabolism is highly dependent on body temperature, thermoregulation is expected to directly affect their metabolism. We compared metabolic rates of adult males from an area of sympatry, measured under two temperature regimes (20°C and 28°C). Both species increased metabolic rates with temperature in a similar pattern. We also compared electron transport activity from tail tissues which provide values of species' potential metabolic activity (enzymatic capacity). Species clearly differed in potential metabolic activity; I. horvathi attained higher values than P. muralis. No difference was detected in how species exploited this potential (calculated from the ratio of electron transport activity and metabolic rates). However, we observed higher potential metabolic activity I. horvathi which together with the ability to thermoregulate more precisely could represent a higher competitive advantage over P. muralis in thermally more restrictive environments such as higher altitudes. Understanding of metabolism seems to provide valuable information for understanding recent distributional patterns as well as species interactions

Chemical recycling of plastics assisted by microwave multi-frequency heating

Handling plastic waste through recycling allows extending the life of polymeric materials, avoiding recurrence to incineration or landfilling. In contrast with traditional mechanical recycling technologies, chemical recycling enables the obtention of the virgin monomers by means of depolymerisation to create new polymers with the same mechanical and thermal properties as the originals. Research presented in this paper is part of the polynSPIRE project (Horizon 2020 European funding programme) and develops and scales-up a heated reactor to carry out the depolymerisation of polyamide-6 (PA6), polyamide-6, 6 (PA66) and polyurethane (PU) using microwave (MW) technology as the heating source. The purpose is to design and optimize a MW reactor using up to eight ports emitting electromagnetic waves. Finite element method (FEM) simulation and optimisation are used to design the reactor, considering as parameters the data obtained from experimental dielectric testing and lab-scale characterisation of the processes and materials studied. Two different COMSOL Multiphysics modules are involved in this work: Radio Frequency (RF) and Chemical Reaction Engineering (RE), to simulate the reactor cavity using two frequency levels (915 MHz and 2.45 GHz) with a power level of 46 kW, and the chemical depolymerisation process, respectively. A sensitivity study has been performed on key parameters such as the frequency, the number of ports, and position inside the reactor to consolidate the final design. It is expected that these results assist in the design and scale-up of microwave technology for the chemical recycling of plastics, and for the large-scale deployment of this sustainable recovery alternative. © 2021 The Author

Environmental factors influence cross-talk between a heat shock protein and an oxidative stress protein modification in the lizard Gallotia galloti

Better understanding how organisms respond to their abiotic environment, especially at the biochemical level, is critical in predicting population trajectories under climate change. In this study, we measured constitutive stress biomarkers and protein post-translational modifications associated with oxidative stress in Gallotia galloti, an insular lizard species inhabiting highly heterogeneous environments on Tenerife. Tenerife is a small volcanic island in a relatively isolated archipelago off the West coast of Africa. We found that expression of GRP94, a molecular chaperone protein, and levels of protein carbonylation, a marker of cellular stress, change across different environments, depending on solar radiation-related variables and topology. Here, we report in a wild animal population, cross-talk between the baseline levels of the heat shock protein-like GRP94 and oxidative damage (protein carbonylation), which are influenced by a range of available temperatures, quantified through modelled operative temperature. This suggests a dynamic trade-off between cellular homeostasis and oxidative damage in lizards adapted to this thermally and topologically heterogeneous environment

Otkriće najjužnije populacije velebitske gušterice (Iberolacerta horvathi) tijekom istraživanja gmazova planine Dinare (Hrvatska)

The article presents results from a reptile survey conducted between 14 and 16 June 2013 in a montane and subalpine belt of the western part of Dinara Mountain in Croatia. The most interesting result is the southernmost finding of Horvath’s Rock lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi). In the survey area we also recorded eight other reptile species: Anguis fragilis, Lacerta agilis, L. viridis sensu lato, Podarcis muralis, P. melissellensis, Coronella austriaca, Zamenis longissimus, and Vipera ammodytes.U radu su iznijeti rezultati istraživanja gmazova između 14. i 16. lipnja 2013. godine u gorskom i pretplaninskom pojasu zapadnog dijela planine Dinare u Hrvatskoj. Najznačajniji je dosad najjužniji nalaz velebitske gušterice (Iberolacerta horvathi). U istraženom području zabilježeno je i osam drugih vrsta gmazova: Anguis fragilis, Lacerta agilis, L. viridis sensu lato, Podarcis muralis, P. melissellensis, Coronella austriaca, Zamenis longissimus i Vipera ammodytes

Evaluation of the high resolution WRF-Chem (v3.4.1) air quality forecast and its comparison with statistical ozone predictions

An integrated modelling system based on the regional online coupled meteorology–atmospheric chemistry WRF-Chem model configured with two nested domains with horizontal resolutions of 11.1 and 3.7 km has been applied for numerical weather prediction and for air quality forecasts in Slovenia. In the study, an evaluation of the air quality forecasting system has been performed for summer 2013. In the case of ozone (O3) daily maxima, the first- and second-day model predictions have been also compared to the operational statistical O3 forecast and to the persistence. Results of discrete and categorical evaluations show that the WRF-Chem-based forecasting system is able to produce reliable forecasts which, depending on monitoring site and the evaluation measure applied, can outperform the statistical model. For example, the correlation coefficient shows the highest skill for WRF-Chem model O3 predictions, confirming the significance of the non-linear processes taken into account in an online coupled Eulerian model. For some stations and areas biases were relatively high due to highly complex terrain and unresolved local meteorological and emission dynamics, which contributed to somewhat lower WRF-Chem skill obtained in categorical model evaluations. Applying a bias correction could further improve WRF-Chem model forecasting skill in these cases

The effect of a medicinal herb mouthwash on inflamed gingival tissue

Ispitivano je djelovanje »Rastlinske ustne vode za desni« (Biljna voda za usta i desni) na upalno promijenjeno tkivo gingive. U grupi A ispitanika primijenjivana je samo biljna voda, bez dodatne parodontne terapije i uočen pad PI indeksa od 2,8 na 1,4 a KS indeksa sa 2,7 na 1,9. Određivanje KS indeksa u grupe B pacijenata kod koje je uporedo vršena parodontna terapija a gornja čeljust služila kao kontrolna, pokazuje podjednak pad vrijednosti za kontrolnu (2,5 na 1,8) i eksperimentalnu (2,3 na 1,7). U grupi C ispitanika, od kojih je kod polovine vršeno svakodnevno tuširanje razrijeđenom biljnom vodom, a u kontrolnoj grupi običnom vodom, pokazao se relativno sporiji pad PI vrijednosti na kontrolnoj grupi (2,1 na 1,7) u odnosu na pad vrijednosti eksperimentalne grupe (2,2 na 1,2). Vrijednost KS indeksa pala je u eksperimentalne grupe od 2,6 na 2,1, dok su u kontrolnoj grupi padale nešto sporije, od 2,5 na 2,3. Rezultati ispitivanja ukazuju da se u toku primjene ovog preparata, uz odgovarajuće terapijske mjere, kliničko stanje parodonta poboljšalo, te se usna voda priređena iz ljekovitog bilja može uvrstiti među preparate koji se mogu preporučiti.The effect of »Rastlinska ustna voda za desni« (Medicinal Herb Mouthwash) on inflamed gingival tissue has been investigated. In Group A, where the examinees used the mouthwash only, without receiving parodontal therapy, the PI index fell from 2.8 to 1.4, and the SB index from 2.7 to 1.9. In Group B, where the patients received parallel parodontal therapy and the upper jaw served as control, the decrease in the SB index was approximately equal in the control (2.5 to 1.8) and the experimental jaw (2.3 to 1.7). In Group C, where half of the examinees rinsed their mouths daily with the diluted herbal mouthwash and the other half with tap water (control group), there was a relatively slower decrease in the PI values in the control group (2.1 to 1.7) compared to the decrease in the experimental group (2.2 to 1.2). The values of the SB index decreased from 2.6 to 2.1 in the experimental group, while in the control group there was a somewhat slower decrease - from 2.5 to 2.3. The results have shown that the clinical condition of the parodontium miproved during the application of this preparation when adequate therapeutic measures were also used, and that this mouthwash, prepared from medicinal herbs, can be included among recommended preparations