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Največkrat prenešene datoteke tedna (zadnjih 7 dni).

1.
Transfer learning in robotics
Noemie Jaquier, Michael C. Welle, Andrej Gams, Kunpeng Yao, Bernardo Fichera, Aude Billard, Aleš Ude, Tamim Asfour, Danica Kragič, 2024

Opis: Transfer learning is a conceptually-enticing paradigm in pursuit of truly intelligent embodied agents. The core concept— reusing prior knowledge to learn in and from novel situations—is successfully leveraged by humans to handle novel situations. In recent years, transfer learning has received renewed interest from the community from different perspectives, including imitation learning, domain adaptation, and transfer of experience from simulation to the real world, among others. In this paper, we unify the concept of transfer learning in robotics and provide the first taxonomy of its kind considering the key concepts of robot, task, and environment. Through a review of the promises and challenges in the field, we identify the need of transferring at different abstraction levels, the need of quantifying the transfer gap and the quality of transfer, as well as the dangers of negative transfer. Via this position paper, we hope to channel the effort of the community towards the most significant roadblocks to realize the full potential of transfer learning in robotics
Objavljeno: 07.10.2024; Ogledov: 35; Prenosov: 502
.pdf Celotno besedilo (1,69 MB)
Prenosov v tednu: 502

2.
Antiviral respiratory masks with plasma-functionalized polypropylene textiles for optimal adsorption of antiviral substance
Mark Zver, David Dobnik, Rok Zaplotnik, Miran Mozetič, Alenka Vesel, Arijana Filipić, Polona Kogovšek, Katja Fric, Alja Štern, Gregor Primc, 2024

Opis: During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks were the first line of defense against the spread of infection. However, infectious viruses may remain on medical textiles, potentially serving as an additional source of infection. Due to their chemical inertness, many textiles cannot be enhanced with antiviral functionalities. Through treatment with low-pressure gaseous plasma, we have activated the surface of a medical-grade melt-blown, non-woven polypropylene textile so that it can absorb sodium dodecyl sulfate, an antimicrobial surfactant. Within two hours of contact time, the functionalized textile has been able to inactivate over 7 log10 PFU mL−1 of bacteriophage phi6, a surrogate of enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, and it has retained its antiviral properties for over 100 days. The functionalized material has not disrupted facial mask filtration efficiency or breathability. In addition, the in vitro biocompatibility testing in accordance with ISO 10993-5 for testing of medical devices has demonstrated that the selected formulation causes no adverse effects on the mouse fibroblast cell line L-929. With the treatment processes that have been completed within seconds, the method seems to have great potential to produce antiviral textiles against future outbreaks.
Ključne besede: surgical face masks, plasma functionalization, antiviral materials, virus filtration, breathability
Objavljeno: 07.10.2024; Ogledov: 38; Prenosov: 318
.pdf Celotno besedilo (4,16 MB)
Prenosov v tednu: 301

3.
Exact upper bound for copulas with a given diagonal section
Damjana Kokol-Bukovšek, Blaž Mojškerc, Nik Stopar, 2024

Opis: We answer a 15-year-old open question about the exact upper bound for bivariate copulas with a given diagonal section by giving an explicit formula for this bound. As an application, we determine the maximal asymmetry of bivariate copulas with a given diagonal section and construct a copula that attains it. We derive a formula for the maximal asymmetry that is simple enough to be used by practitioners.
Ključne besede: mathematical statistics, mathematical analysis, mathematical methods
Objavljeno: 02.10.2024; Ogledov: 58; Prenosov: 296
.pdf Celotno besedilo (1,97 MB)
Prenosov v tednu: 277

4.
5.
Water-templated growth of interfacial superglue polymers for tunable thin films and in situ fluid encapsulation
Venkata Subba R. Jampani, Miha Škarabot, Urban Mur, Damien Baigl, Ulrich Jonas, Jan P. F. Lagerwall, Miha Ravnik, Manos Anyfantakis, 2024

Opis: Thin polymer films (TPFs) are indispensable elements in numerous technologies ranging from liquid encapsulation to biotechnology to electronics. However, their production typically relies on wet chemistry involving organic solvents or chemical vapor deposition, necessitating elaborate equipment and often harsh conditions. Here, an eco-friendly, fast, and facile synthesis of water-templated interfacial polymers based on cyanoacrylates (superglues, CAs) that yield thin films with tailored properties is demonstrated. Specifically, by exposing a cationic surfactant-laden water surface to cyanoacrylate vapors, surfactant-modulated anionic polymerization produces a manipulable thin polymer film with a thickness growth rate of 8 nm min−1. Furthermore, the shape and color of the film are precisely controlled by the polymerization kinetics, wetting conditions, and/or exposure to patterned light. Using various interfaces as templates for film growth, including the free surface of drops and soap bubbles, the developed method advantageously enables in situ packaging of chemical and biological cargos in liquid phase as well as the encapsulation of gases within solidified bubbles. Simple, versatile, and biocompatible, this technology constitutes a potent platform for programmable coating and soft/smart encapsulation of fluids.
Ključne besede: thin polymer films, fluid encapsulation
Objavljeno: 07.10.2024; Ogledov: 39; Prenosov: 257
.pdf Celotno besedilo (16,18 MB)
Prenosov v tednu: 241

6.
7.
Conservation of molecular responses upon viral infection in the non-vascular plant Marchantia polymorpha
Eric Ros-Moner, Tamara Jiménez-Góngora, Luis Villar-Martin, Lana Vogrinec, Víctor M. González-Miguel, Denis Kutnjak, Ignacio Rubio-Somoza, 2024

Opis: After plants transitioned from water to land around 450 million years ago, they faced novel pathogenic microbes. Their colonization of diverse habitats was driven by anatomical innovations like roots, stomata, and vascular tissue, which became central to plant-microbe interactions. However, the impact of these innovations on plant immunity and pathogen infection strategies remains poorly understood. Here, we explore plant-virus interactions in the bryophyte Marchantia polymorpha to gain insights into the evolution of these relationships. Virome analysis reveals that Marchantia is predominantly associated with RNA viruses. Comparative studies with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) show that Marchantia shares core defense responses with vascular plants but also exhibits unique features, such as a sustained wound response preventing viral spread. Additionally, general defense responses in Marchantia are equivalent to those restricted to vascular tissues in Nicotiana, suggesting that evolutionary acquisition of developmental innovations results in re-routing of defense responses in vascular plants.
Ključne besede: plant-virus interactions, bryophytes, virome analysis, high-throughput sequencing, virology, pathogenic, innovations, interactions, RNA viruses, plant defense response, botany
Objavljeno: 02.10.2024; Ogledov: 103; Prenosov: 220
.pdf Celotno besedilo (3,00 MB)
Prenosov v tednu: 202

8.
Testing woodchips for their efficiency in stimulating aquatic nutrient uptake at different experimental and spatial scales
Elmira Akbari, Tjaša Matjašič, Anna-Lisa Dittrich, Katrin Attermeyer, Rebecca Hood-Nowotny, Gabriele Weigelhofer, 2024

Opis: Introduction: Woodchips as a source of particulate organic carbon (POC) are proposed as a nature-based solution to enhance nutrient uptake and retention in agricultural streams. However, the effective implementation of woodchips for nutrient removal in streams requires an advanced understanding of their potential and limits, considering their performance under various environmental conditions. This study tested the efficiency of woodchips on the uptake of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and ammonium (N-NH4) across different experimental scales and complexity. We investigated whether the presence of woodchips can increase SRP and N-NH4 uptake in laboratory flumes under controlled conditions, outdoor flumes under semi-controlled conditions, and agricultural streams. Additionally, we examined how the effects of woodchips will change over time via a 6-week incubation in the outdoor flumes. Methods: The woodchips were pre-colonized for four weeks to allow the growth of biofilms. We performed short-term nutrient additions without (control) and with (treatment) woodchips in all three experimental setups. Uptake parameters were determined via concentration changes over time in the laboratory flumes and concentration changes over travel distance in the outdoor flumes and the stream channels. The effects of woodchips on SRP and N-NH4 uptake rates were analyzed using an effect size model. Results: We found positive effects of woodchips on nutrient uptake only in the laboratory flumes but no or even negative effects in the outdoor flumes and the agricultural streams. Over the 6-week incubation in the outdoor flumes, we did not observe significant changes in the effects of woodchips on nutrient uptake. Discussion: These findings highlight that considering experimental scales and influencing environmental conditions is crucial when testing the application of woodchips as nature-based solutions to mitigate nutrient loads in agricultural streams.
Ključne besede: biofilms, nutrient uptake, particulate organic carbon (POC), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), ammonium (N-NH4), woodchips, experimental scales
Objavljeno: 02.10.2024; Ogledov: 81; Prenosov: 206
.pdf Celotno besedilo (2,53 MB)
Prenosov v tednu: 189

9.
A chimeric vector for dual use in cyanobacteria and Escherichia coli, tested with cystatin, a nonfluorescent reporter protein
Mojca Juteršek, Marko Dolinar, 2021

Opis: Background Developing sustainable autotrophic cell factories depends heavily on the availability of robust and well-characterized biological parts. For cyanobacteria, these still lag behind the more advanced E. coli toolkit. In the course of previous protein expression experiments with cyanobacteria, we encountered inconveniences in working with currently available RSF1010-based shuttle plasmids, particularly due to their low biosafety and low yields of recombinant proteins. We also recognized some drawbacks of the commonly used fluorescent reporters, as quantification can be affected by the intrinsic fluorescence of cyanobacteria. To overcome these drawbacks, we envisioned a new chimeric vector and an alternative reporter that could be used in cyanobacterial synthetic biology and tested them in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Methods We designed the pMJc01 shuttle plasmid based on the broad host range RSFmob-I replicon. Standard cloning techniques were used for vector construction following the RFC10 synthetic biology standard. The behavior of pMJC01 was tested with selected regulatory elements in E. coli and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 for the biosynthesis of the established GFP reporter and of a new reporter protein, cystatin. Cystatin activity was assayed using papain as a cognate target. Results With the new vector we observed a significantly higher GFP expression in E. coli and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 compared to the commonly used RSF1010-based pPMQAK1. Cystatin, a cysteine protease inhibitor, was successfully expressed with the new vector in both E. coli and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Its expression levels allowed quantification comparable to the standardly used fluorescent reporter GFPmut3b. An important advantage of the new vector is its improved biosafety due to the absence of plasmid regions encoding conjugative transfer components. The broadhost range vector pMJc01 could find application in synthetic biology and biotechnology of cyanobacteria due to its relatively small size, stability and ease of use. In addition, cystatin could be a useful reporter in all cell systems that do not contain papain-type proteases and inhibitors, such as cyanobacteria, and provides an alternative to fluorescent reporters or complements them.
Ključne besede: bacteria, cyanobacteria, synthetic biology, proteolytic cleavage, cystatin
Objavljeno: 19.07.2024; Ogledov: 236; Prenosov: 332
.pdf Celotno besedilo (3,66 MB)
Prenosov v tednu: 85

10.
Phytoplankton morphological traits and biomass outline community dynamics in a coastal ecosystem (Gulf of Trieste, Adriatic Sea)
Ivano Vascotto, Patricija Mozetič, Janja Francé, 2024

Opis: Trait-based ecology has recently gained increasing importance in phytoplankton research. In particular, the taxonomic and morphological traits, such as size and shape of phytoplankton cells, can help to unveil the ecological processes and their drivers in the pelagic domain. Our study aims to shed light on the trophodynamics of phytoplankton communities in a coastal ecosystem in the northern Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Trieste) using data on individual traits such as biomass, size and shape of phytoplankton taxa during a one-year study. The phytoplankton parameters were investigated at the levels of the whole community, groups, and individual cells, analysing also the probability distributions of biomass and size of the latter level. The results showed good agreement between abundance and biomass data, as well as individual size and biomass with differences partly explained by cell shapes. We have emphasized the role of the local freshwater source in bottom-up control, alternating with top-down control of phytoplankton dynamics through taxonomic and morphological diversity. The predominant bimodal and non-power law distribution, especially during and around the biomass peaks, confirmed the importance of nano- and microphytoplankton size classes and the role of blooms in destabilizing the trophic webs. We suggest that the analyses of distribution types of individual cell size and biomass can be appropriate to spot ecological processes driving to unconstrained phytoplankton proliferation or to periods of trophic web stability.
Ključne besede: phytoplankton, biomass, taxonomic traits, morphological traits, Northern Adriatic, trophodynamics, pelagic domain
Objavljeno: 08.10.2024; Ogledov: 37; Prenosov: 81
.pdf Celotno besedilo (3,13 MB)
Prenosov v tednu: 75