Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Masked Shoreline Erosion at Large Spatial Scales as a Collective Effect of Beach Nourishment

Sea‐level rise along low‐lying coasts of the world's passive continental margins should, on average, drive net shoreline retreat over large spatial scales (>102 km). A variety of natural physical factors can influence trends of shoreline erosion and accretion, but trends in recent rates of shoreline change along the U.S. Atlantic Coast reflect an especially puzzling increase in accretion, not erosion. A plausible explanation for the apparent disconnect between environmental forcing and shoreline response along the U.S. Atlantic Coast is the application, since the 1960s, of beach nourishment as the predominant form of mitigation against chronic coastal erosion. Using U.S. Geological Survey shoreline records from 1830–2007 spanning more than 2,500 km of the U.S. Atlantic Coast, we calculate a mean rate of shoreline change, prior to 1960, of −55 cm/year (a negative rate denotes erosion). After 1960, the mean rate reverses to approximately +5 cm/year, indicating widespread apparent accretion despite steady (and, in some places, accelerated) sea‐level rise over the same period. Cumulative sediment input from decades of beach‐nourishment projects may have sufficiently altered shoreline position to mask “true” rates of shoreline change. Our analysis suggests that long‐term rates of shoreline change typically used to assess coastal hazard may be systematically underestimated. We also suggest that the overall effect of beach nourishment along of the U.S. Atlantic Coast is extensive enough to constitute a quantitative signature of coastal geoengineering and may serve as a bellwether for nourishment‐dominated shorelines elsewhere in the world.
Path-based vs. Distributional Information in Recognizing Lexical Semantic Relations

Recognizing various semantic relations between terms is beneficial for many NLP tasks. While path-based and distributional information sources are considered complementary for this task, the superior results the latter showed recently suggested that the former’s contribution might have become obsolete. We follow the recent success of an integrated neural method for hypernymy detection (Shwartz et al., 2016) and extend it to recognize multiple relations. The empirical results show that this method is effective in the multiclass setting as well. We further show that the path-based information source always contributes to the classification, and analyze the cases in which it mostly complements the distributional information.
Massive Protostars in the Infrared Dark Cloud MSXDC G034.43+00.24

We present a multiwavelength study of the infrared dark cloud MSXDC G034.43+00.24. Dust emission, traced by millimeter/submmillimeter images obtained with the IRAM, JCMT, and CSO telescopes, reveals three compact cores within this infrared dark cloud with masses of 170-800 M☉ and sizes <0.5 pc. Spitzer 3.6-8.0 μm images show slightly extended emission toward these cores, with a spectral enhancement at 4.5 μm that probably arises from shocked H2. In addition, the broad line widths (ΔV ~ 10 km s-1) of HCN (4-3) and CS (3-2) and the detection of SiO (2-1), observed with the JCMT and IRAM telescopes, also indicate active star formation. Spitzer 24 μm images reveal that each of these cores contains a bright, unresolved continuum source; these sources are most likely embedded protostars. Their millimeter-to-mid-IR continuum spectral energy distributions reveal very high luminosities, 9000-32,000 L☉. Because such large luminosities cannot arise from low-mass protostars, MSXDC G034.43+00.24 is actively forming massive (~10 M☉) stars.
Modulation of TLR signalling by the C‐terminal Src kinase (Csk) in macrophages

In macrophages and monocytes, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) triggers the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokine through Toll‐like receptor (TLR) 4. Although major TLR signalling pathways are mediated by serine or threonine kinases including IKK, TAK1, p38 and JNKs, a number of reports suggested that tyrosine phosphorylation of intracellular proteins is involved in LPS signalling. Here, we identified several tyrosine‐phosphorylated proteins using mass spectrometric analysis in response to LPS stimulation. Among these proteins, we characterized C‐terminal Src kinase (Csk), which negatively regulates Src‐like kinases in RAW 264.7 cells using RNAi knockdown technology. Unexpectedly, LPS‐induced CD40 activation and the secretion of pro‐inflammatory cytokine such as IL‐6 and TNF‐α, was down‐regulated in Csk knockdown cells. Furthermore, overall cellular tyrosine phosphorylation and TLR4‐mediated activation of IκB‐α, Erk and p38 but not of JNK, were also down‐regulated in Csk knockdown cells. The protein expression levels of a tyrosine kinase, Fgr, were reduced in Csk knockdown cells, suggesting that Csk is a critical regulator of TLR4‐mediated signalling by modifying the levels of Src‐like kinases.
EgoSampling: Fast-forward and stereo for egocentric videos

While egocentric cameras like GoPro are gaining popularity, the videos they capture are long, boring, and difficult to watch from start to end. Fast forwarding (i.e. frame sampling) is a natural choice for faster video browsing. However, this accentuates the shake caused by natural head motion, making the fast forwarded video useless. We propose EgoSampling, an adaptive frame sampling that gives more stable fast forwarded videos. Adaptive frame sampling is formulated as energy minimization, whose optimal solution can be found in polynomial time. In addition, egocentric video taken while walking suffers from the left-right movement of the head as the body weight shifts from one leg to another. We turn this drawback into a feature: Stereo video can be created by sampling the frames from the left most and right most head positions of each step, forming approximate stereo-pairs.
Endothelial Microparticle Formation by Angiotensin II Is Mediated via Ang II Receptor Type I/NADPH Oxidase/ Rho Kinase Pathways Targeted to Lipid Rafts

Objective—Circulating microparticles are increased in cardiovascular disease and may themselves promote oxidative stress and inflammation. Molecular mechanisms underlying their formation and signaling are unclear. We investigated the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS), Rho kinase, and lipid rafts in microparticle formation and examined their functional significance in endothelial cells (ECs). Methods and Results—Microparticle formation from angiotensin II (Ang II)–stimulated ECs and apolipoprotein E−/− mice was assessed by annexin V or by CD144 staining and electron microscopy. Ang II promoted microparticle formation and increased EC generation and Rho kinase activity. Ang II–stimulated effects were inhibited by irbesartan (Ang II receptor type I blocker) and fasudil (Rho kinase inhibitor). Methyl-&bgr;-cyclodextrin and nystatin, which disrupt lipid rafts/caveolae, blocked microparticle release. Functional responses, assessed in microparticle-stimulated ECs, revealed increased production, enhanced vascular cell adhesion molecule/platelet-EC adhesion molecule expression, and augmented macrophage adhesion. Inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor blocked the prooxidative and proinflammatory effects of microparticles. In vitro observations were confirmed in apolipoprotein E−/− mice, which displayed vascular inflammation and high levels of circulating endothelial microparticles, effects that were reduced by apocynin. Conclusion—We demonstrated direct actions of Ang II on endothelial microparticle release, mediated through NADPH oxidase, ROS, and Rho kinase targeted to lipid rafts. Microparticles themselves stimulated endothelial ROS formation and inflammatory responses. Our findings suggest a feedforward system whereby Ang II promotes EC injury through its own endothelial-derived microparticles.
Fiscal Dynamics in Ethiopia: The Cointegrated VAR Model with Quarterly Data

This paper uses the cointegrated vector autoregressive (CVAR) model to assess the dynamic relationship between foreign aid inflows, public expenditure, revenue and domestic borrowing in Ethiopia. It departs from the existing literature by using a unique quarterly fiscal dataset (1993-2008) and providing new insights into the formulation of testable fiscal hypotheses. The paper also derives and interprets structural shocks and places a strong focus on model specification. The results suggest the presence of three long-run relationships: the government budget constraint, a donor disbursement rule, and a financing trade-off. Foreign aid grants adjust to the level of development spending, which can be seen as an indication of (procyclical) aid conditionality. Moreover, domestic borrowing often compensates for lower levels of revenue and grants, highlighting the cost of aid unpredictability and revenue volatility. The policy implication is that if foreign aid flows are to be made more effective, they should be provided in a predictable and countercyclical fashion in order to smooth exogenous shocks.
Personal Exposure to Air Pollution for Various Modes of Transport in Auckland, New Zealand

This paper investigates the carbon monoxide (CO) doses received while commuting by different modes (car, bus, train, motorcycle, bicycle and running), taking into account the commute time as well as the level of physical activity required. While the participants were constrained to travel at specific peak traffic times and between designated start and end points, they were free to choose a route appropriate for their mode of transport. The results of this study suggest that the lowest exposures (concentrations of pollutants) are experienced by train commuters, largely a reflection of the routes being removed from any significant road traffic. Motorcyclists experienced significantly higher average concentrations as a result of high-concentration and very-short-duration peaks not seen in the traces of car and bus commuters travelling on the same road. Travel by bus along a dedicated busway was also found to be effective in reducing commuter air pollution exposure compared to travel by car on a congested stretch of motorway. The average concentrations to which cyclists and runners were exposed were found to be not significantly different for those travelling by car or bus (except when on dedicated pedestrian/cycleways). However, when the increased physical activity that is required is taken into account (leading to higher volumes of air breathed) along with the increased commuting time (especially in the case of runners), the air pollution doses (as estimated by the product of the concentration, commute time and breathing factor) were found to be significantly higher than for the motorised modes. The results suggest that separate pedestrian/cycleways go some way towards providing healthier options for cyclists and pedestrians.
Porphyrobacter colymbi sp. nov. isolated from swimming pool water in Tokyo, Japan.

The genus Porphyrobacter was proposed by Fuerst et al. (1993) and, at the time of this writing, comprises six recognized species: P. neustonensis (Fuerst et al., 1993), P. tepidarius (Hanada et al., 1997), P. sanguineus (Hiraishi et al., 2002), P. cryptus (Rainey et al., 2003), P. donghaensis (Yoon et al., 2004) and P. dokdonensis (Yoon et al., 2006). Colonies of Porphyrobacter species are red or orange in color and synthesize bacteriochlorophyll a (Fuerst et al., 1993; Hanada et al., 1997; Hiraishi et al., 2002; Rainey et al., 2003; Yoon et al., 2004, 2006). These strains have been isolated from various environments of fresh water (Fuerst et al., 1993), hot spring water (Hanada et al., 1997; Rainey et al., 2003) and sea water (Hiraishi et al., 2002; Yoon et al., 2004, 2006). In this study, we describe the morphological, physiological and genetic characteristics of the new isolate TPW-24T isolated from swimming pool water and propose that this strain represents a new species in the genus Porphyrobacter, Porphyrobacter colymbi. Strain TPW-24T was isolated from swimming pool water (free residual chlorine: 0.4 mg/L) from Metropolitan Tokyo, Japan in August of 2009 using a plating method with standard agar medium (Nissui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) at 37°C for 24 h. The isolated strain was preserved in the Microbank (Iwaki & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) and stored at -80°C. The almost complete sequence of the 16S rRNA gene was determined using the MicroSeq 16S rRNA gene bacterial identification kit (Applied Biosystems). A multiple sequence alignment analysis was performed using the CLUSTAL W software program (Thompson et al., 1994) and gaps and unidentified base positions were deleted using the BioEdit (Hall, 1999) software package. Evolutionary distances were calculated using Kimura’s two-parameter model (Kimura, 1980) without alignment gaps and unidentified base positions were taken into account during distance calculations. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using the neighbor-joining method (Saitou and Nei, 1987) and the bootstrap values were calculated on the basis of 1,000 replications (Felsenstein, 1985). The quantitative microplate DNA-DNA hybridization test on the TPW-24T strain and P. donghaensis KCTC 12229T was performed at the TechnoSuruga Laboratory in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, as previously described (Ezaki et al., 1989). The methods used to isolate and purify DNA have been previously described (Hamamoto and Nakase, 1995). The levels of DNA reJ. Gen. Appl. Microbiol. , 59, 245‒250 (2013)
The PIDDosome mediates delayed death of hippocampal CA1 neurons after transient global cerebral ischemia in rats

A brief period of global brain ischemia, such as that induced by cardiac arrest or cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, causes cell death in vulnerable hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons days after reperfusion. Although numerous factors have been suggested to account for this phenomenon, the mechanisms underlying it are poorly understood. We describe a cell death signal called the PIDDosome, a protein complex of p53-induced protein with a death domain (PIDD), receptor-interacting protein–associated ICH-1/CED-3 homologous protein with a death domain (RAIDD), and procaspase-2. We induced 5 min of transient global cerebral ischemia (tGCI) using bilateral common carotid artery occlusion with hypotension. Western blot analysis showed that expression of twice-cleaved fragment of PIDD (PIDD-CC) increased in the cytosolic fraction of the hippocampal CA1 subregion and preceded procaspase-2 activation after tGCI. Caspase-2 cleaved Bid in brain homogenates. Co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescent studies demonstrated that PIDD-CC, RAIDD, and procaspase-2 were co-localized and bound directly, which indicates the formation of the PIDD death domain complex. Furthermore, we tested inhibition of PIDD expression by using small interfering RNA (siRNA) treatment that was initiated 48 h before tGCI. Administration of siRNA against PIDD decreased not only expression of PIDD-CC, but also activation of procaspase-2 and Bid, resulting in a decrease in histological neuronal damage and DNA fragmentation in the hippocampal CA1 subregion after tGCI. These results imply that PIDD plays an important role in procaspase-2 activation and delayed CA1 neuronal death after tGCI. We propose that PIDD is a hypothetical molecular target for therapy against neuronal death after tGCI.
Population density of Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica) in Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu

The Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica, an endemic species to India, is widely distributed from the evergreen to moist and dry deciduous forests of Western and Eastern Ghats and the central Indian hills. Although several studies were conducted on the ecology of this species all over India, little is known on the density and distribution of this species from this region. In the present study an attempt has been made to study the population density and distribution of the Indian Giant Squirrel at Sivilliputhur Grizzled giant squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary which is a part of the Periyar-Agasthyamalai landscape of Southern Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, southern India, during 2011-12. The study results revealed that the present mean population density of Indian giant squirrel 6.9 ± 2.9 individuals / Sq Km in Srivilliputtur Wildlife Sanctuary and this density estimates from this area will provide baseline data for future study. Present study is also addressed the issue of urgent need of survey the status, distribution and abundance of Indian giant squirrel in Srivilliputtur Wildlife Sanctuary.
Growth Hormone Improves Lean Body Mass, Physical Performance, and Quality of Life in Subjects With HIV-Associated Weight Loss or Wasting on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Abstract:HIV-associated wasting is defined as ≥10% involuntary weight loss and includes declines in both lean and fat mass. This large (757 subjects), randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in 2 doses—0.1 mg/kg up to a maximum of 6 mg daily (DD) or alternate days (AD)—in the treatment of wasting and weight loss in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-treated HIV-infected subjects. The evaluable population for ergometry comprised 555 subjects, 87.6% of whom were receiving HAART. At 12 weeks, median maximum work output increased by 2.4 and 2.6 kJ in the AD and DD groups, respectively. The median treatment difference was 2.9 kJ for DD vs. placebo (P < 0.0001). Body weight increased by 2.2 and 2.9 kg in the AD and DD groups, respectively. Corresponding median treatment differences vs. placebo were 1.5 and 2.2 kg (P < 0.0001). Lean body mass (LBM), by bioelectric impedance spectroscopy, increased by 3.3 and 5.2 kg, respectively (P < 0.0001 vs. placebo; P = 0.0173 DD vs. AD), and fat mass, predominately truncal, decreased. Quality of life (QoL) improved significantly in both rhGH groups. Fluid-retention adverse effects and hyperglycemia were more common in the DD than in the AD group. No significant changes in HIV viral load or CD4 cell count occurred. In conclusion, over the 12-week course of therapy, rhGH, 0.1 mg/kg DD, was superior to placebo in improving physical function, body weight, body composition, and QoL and was superior to AD dosing in restoring LBM.
Synergic Effect of Genotype Changes in Pertussis Toxin and Pertactin on Adaptation to an Acellular Pertussis Vaccine in the Murine Intranasal Challenge Model

ABSTRACT The Bordetella pertussis pertussis toxin and pertactin (Prn) are protective antigens and are contained in acellular pertussis vaccines. Polymorphisms in the A subunit of pertussis toxin (PtxA) and pertactin have been proposed to mediate vaccine resistance and contribute to pertussis reemergence. To test this hypothesis, previous studies compared clinical isolates expressing different alleles for the proteins. However, other virulence factors or virulence factor expression levels also may vary, confounding the analysis. To overcome these limitations, we constructed isogenic mutants of B. pertussis Tohama expressing the alleles ptxA1 or ptxA2 and prn1 or prn2 and compared the efficacies of an acellular pertussis vaccine against the mutants in a mouse model. While the vaccine was effective against all of the B. pertussis strains regardless of the allele expression pattern, the strain expressing ptxA1 and prn2 displayed a survival advantage over the other strains. These results suggest that an allele shift to the ptxA1 prn2 genotype may play a role in the emergence of pertussis in vaccinated populations.
Impact of hot carrier stress on the defect density and mobility in double-gated graphene field-effect transistors

We study the impact of hot-carrier degradation (HCD) on the performance of graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) for different polarities of HC and bias stress. Our results show that the impact of HCD consists in a change of both charged defect density and carrier mobility. At the same time, the mobility degradation agrees with an attractive/repulsive scattering asymmetry and can be understood based on the analysis of the defect density variation.
First Search for Lorentz and CPT Violation in Double Beta Decay with EXO-200

A search for Lorentz- and CPT-violating signals in the double beta decay spectrum of ^(136)Xe has been performed using an exposure of 100 kg⋅yr with the EXO-200 detector. No significant evidence of the spectral modification due to isotropic Lorentz-violation was found, and a two-sided limit of −2.65×10^(−5) GeV < â^((3))_(of) < 7.60×10^(−6) GeV (90% C.L.) is placed on the relevant coefficient within the Standard-Model Extension (SME). This is the first experimental study of the effect of the SME-defined oscillation-free and momentum-independent neutrino coupling operator on the double beta decay process.
The Nataf-Beta Random Field Classifier: An Extension of the Beta Conjugate Prior to Classification Problems

This paper presents the Nataf-Beta Random Field Classier , a discriminative approach that extends the applicability of the Beta conjugate prior to classication problems. The approach’s key feature is to model the probability of a class conditional on attribute values as a random eld whose marginals are Beta distributed, and where the parameters of marginals are themselves described by random elds. Although the classication accuracy of the approach proposed does not statistically outperform the best accuracies reported in the literature, it ranks among the top tier for the six benchmark datasets tested. The Nataf-Beta Random Field Classier is suited as a general purpose classication approach for real-continuous and real-integer attribute value problems.
Minimax hypothesis testing for curve registration

This paper is concerned with the problem of goodness-of-fit for curve registration, and more precisely for the shifted curve model, whose application field reaches from computer vision and road traffic prediction to medicine. We give bounds for the asymptotic minimax separation rate, when the functions in the alternative lie in Sobolev balls and the separation from the null hypothesis is measured by the l2-norm. We use the generalized likelihood ratio to build a nonadaptive procedure depending on a tuning parameter, which we choose in an optimal way according to the smoothness of the ambient space. Then, a Bonferroni procedure is applied to give an adaptive test over a range of Sobolev balls. Both achieve the asymptotic minimax separation rates, up to possible logarithmic factors.
Signature of hydrophobic hydration in a single polymer

Hydrophobicity underpins self-assembly in many natural and synthetic molecular and nanoscale systems. A signature of hydrophobicity is its temperature dependence. The first experimental evaluation of the temperature and size dependence of hydration free energy in a single hydrophobic polymer is reported, which tests key assumptions in models of hydrophobic interactions in protein folding. Herein, the hydration free energy required to extend three hydrophobic polymers with differently sized aromatic side chains was directly measured by single molecule force spectroscopy. The results are threefold. First, the hydration free energy per monomer is found to be strongly dependent on temperature and does not follow interfacial thermodynamics. Second, the temperature dependence profiles are distinct among the three hydrophobic polymers as a result of a hydrophobic size effect at the subnanometer scale. Third, the hydration free energy of a monomer on a macromolecule is different from a free monomer; corrections for the reduced hydration free energy due to hydrophobic interaction from neighboring units are required.