Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate Change at Yucca Mountain : Lessons from Earth History

Yucca Mountain's suitability as a nuclear waste repository stems largely from its very dry climate and deep water table (Bodvarsson et al. 1999). The facility's ultimate goal is to isolate waste materials for more than ten thousand years (Whipple 1996). And there lies a crucial question: How can we tell whether the climate and hydrologic conditions at Yucca Mountain will be stable enough beyond the next ten millennia so that the site remains a safe repository for radioactive materials? If one were planning for the next decade or two, one might look at instrumental records of precipitation and river discharge from the southwestern United States to determine the range of climate variability in the region. But if one must consider the future climate over thousands of years, the historical record is not as useful; climate fluctuations, such as catastrophic floods, may occur so infrequently that they are not captured in the last century or so of human observations. An alternative method for evaluating future climate and hydrologic conditions is to consider the geologic record of climate change. This record comes from a variety of archives. Sedimentary cements and deposits that form from groundwater in caves tell us about temperature, rainfall, and recharge. Remains of flora and fauna in sedimentary layers record details about moisture and climate. Flood and lake deposits hold information about water levels, shorelines, floods, and droughts. Such geologic and geochemical information on past climates may not be as precise as historical observations , but it has the advantage of extending the time scale of observations back over thousands or even millions of years. This approach has been applied to the assessment of Yucca Mountain by investigating climate variations over the last few hundred thousand years (U.S. Geological Survey 2000). Proponents of this method of assessment argue that because climate is cyclic, the variability observed over this period of time should provide a good indication of what could happen beyond the next ten thousand years. In this chapter,
Why Are U.S. Firms Using More Short-Term Debt?

We show that corporate use of long-term debt has decreased in the US over the past three decades and that this trend is heterogeneous across firms. The median percentage of debt maturing in more than 3 years decreased from 53% in 1976 to 6% in 2008 for the smallest firms but did not decrease for the largest firms. The decrease in debt maturity was generated by firms with higher information asymmetry and new firms issuing public equity in the 1980s and 1990s. Finally, we show that demand-side factors do not fully explain this trend and that public debt markets' supply-side factors play an important role. Our findings suggest that the shortening of debt maturity has increased the exposure of firms to credit and liquidity shocks.
The smartphone’s role in the contemporary backpacking experience

In this study we explore the smartphone’s role in the contemporary international backpacking experience. This paper will examine backpackers’ perceived changes in mediated interaction and personal attitudes towards phone use in co-present situations pre-trip, on-trip, and post-trip. John Urry and Jonas Larsen’s theory on tourist performances as well as Cody M. Paris et al.’s experiences of technology induced anxieties and tensions while traveling provide a conceptual framework for the analysis. A sample of 11 backpackers were interviewed at youth dormitories in Indonesia and Malaysia. Post-trip interviews were conducted primarily online through Skype. The findings suggest that there is an ideal of staying offline while traveling. Yet, backpackers report connecting daily with their smartphones and reveal a travel-time legitimacy for sharing updates and receiving attention on social media. After the trip, backpackers perceived a reduction in their own phone use and an increased tolerance for others’ phone use in their presence.
Chronic restraint stress induces sperm acrosome reaction and changes in testicular tyrosine phosphorylated proteins in rats

Background: Stress is a cause of male infertility. Although sex hormones and sperm quality have been shown to be low in stress, sperm physiology and testicular functional proteins, such as phosphotyrosine proteins, have not been documented. Objective: To investigate the acrosome status and alterations of testicular proteins involved in spermatogenesis and testosterone synthesis in chronic stress in rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, male rats were divided into 2 groups (control and chronic stress (CS), n=7). CS rats were immobilized (4 hr/day) for 42 consecutive days. The blood glucose level (BGL), corticosterone, testosterone, acrosome status, and histopathology were examined. The expressions of testicular steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR), cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage (CYP11A1), and phosphorylated proteins were analyzed. Results: Results showed that BGL (71.25±2.22 vs. 95.60±3.36 mg/dl), corticosterone level (24.33±4.23 vs. 36.9±2.01 ng/ml), acrosome reacted sperm (3.25±1.55 vs. 17.71±5.03%), and sperm head abnormality (3.29±0.71 vs. 6.21±1.18%) were significantly higher in CS group in comparison with control. In contrast, seminal vesicle (0.41±0.05 vs. 0.24±0.07 g/100g), testosterone level (3.37±0.79 vs. 0.61±0.29 ng/ml), and sperm concentration (115.33±7.70 vs. 79.13±3.65×106 cells/ml) of CS were significantly lower (p<0.05) than controls. Some atrophic seminiferous tubules and low sperm mass were apparent in CS rats. The expression of CYP11A1 except StAR protein was markedly decreased in CS rats. In contrast, a 55 kDa phosphorylated protein was higher in CS testes. Conclusion: CS decreased the expression of CYP11A, resulting in decreased testosterone, and increased acrosome-reacted sperm, assumed to be the result of an increase of 55 kDa phosphorylated protein.
A bacterial reporter panel for the detection and classification of antibiotic substances

The ever‐growing use of pharmaceutical compounds, including antibacterial substances, poses a substantial pollution load on the environment. Such compounds can compromise water quality, contaminate soils, livestock and crops, enhance resistance of microorganisms to antibiotic substances, and hamper human health. We report the construction of a novel panel of genetically engineered Escherichia coli reporter strains for the detection and classification of antibiotic substances. Each of these strains harbours a plasmid that carries a fusion of a selected gene promoter to bioluminescence (luxCDABE) reporter genes and an alternative tryptophan auxotrophy‐based non‐antibiotic selection system. The bioreporter panel was tested for sensitivity and responsiveness to diverse antibiotic substances by monitoring bioluminescence as a function of time and of antibiotic concentrations. All of the tested antibiotics were detected by the panel, which displayed different response patterns for each substance. These unique responses were analysed by several algorithms that enabled clustering the compounds according to their functional properties, and allowed the classification of unknown antibiotic substances with a high degree of accuracy and confidence.
Consumer Behavior Prediction Analysis Based on Rationalism and Understanding About Consequences Towards Pirated Digital Products

This research is conducted to examine consumer perception related with rationalization and understanding of risk consequences and their advantages by predicting desires related with digital product piracy. The motivation to conduct digital piracy is reinforced with understanding the advantages obtained and consumer behavior towards digital product piracy. Various rationalization techniques also support reinforcing their motivation to engage in piracy. Interestingly, that motivation can be hindered with perceptions about the consequences or social norm regulations and moral responsibilities. Analytical results reveal that consumer intention to use pirated digital products can continuously increase, because it is influenced by the understanding of the advantages obtained, the rational techniques used, their attitudes toward piracy, and perceptions in controlling behavior. On another side, moral responsibilities and social norms also play a role in reducing the intensity of using pirated digital products.
Cumulative Results of Extended Forecast Experiments

-A series of 2-week predictions were made with a general circulation model for 12 winter cases selected from the period 1964-69. All were January cases. The same prediction model-the most sophisticated and probably the most realistic model of those we tested in 1967-was used throughout. The model was hemispheric and had an N=40 grid (grid size of about 270 km at mid-latitudes) with nine vertical levels. A detailed description of the model’s performance is attempted by making statistical analyses of the forecast results compared with observed data. The analyses also provide useful insight into the dynamical behavior of the long waves in the middle latitude zone. The verification study reveals the practical limit of predictability with the 1967 version of the Geo-physical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory model. For example, the correlation coefficient between prediction and observation of the 500-mb geopotential deviation from January normal stays above zero until the 10th day. A spectral study of the planetary and cyclone waves was also made. The behavior of the ultralong wave in this model is disap-pointing, but cyclone waves are reasonably well predicted until the eighth day.
Multi-Mode Tensor Representation of Motion Data

JVRB, 5(2008), no. 5. - In this paper, we investigate how a multilinear model can be used to represent human motion data. Based on technical modes (referring to degrees of freedom and number of frames) and natural modes that typically appear in the context of a motion capture session (referring to actor, style, and repetition), the motion data is encoded in form of a high-order tensor. This tensor is then reduced by using N-mode singular value decomposition. Our experiments show that the reduced model approximates the original motion better then previously introduced PCA-based approaches. Furthermore, we discuss how the tensor representation may be used as a valuable tool for the synthesis of new motions.
Mapping between Lexical Tones and Musical Notes in Thai Pop Songs

The aim of this paper is to examine the parallelism between tonal transitions and musical note transitions in Thai pop songs based on the data from 30 current pop songs. The results suggest that there is a statistically significant parallelism between tonal transitions and musical note transitions. Interestingly, the results show that both contour tones, RISING and FALLING, typically pattern with HIGH with respect to the mapping between tonal transitions and note transitions. Nevertheless, when two FALLING occur consecutively, the offset of the second one is used for mapping. Our results seem to find further support for decomposability of contour tones in Thai. Furthermore, they suggest that Thai pop music composition does not strive to maximize parallel transitions but prefer to avoid opposing transitions.
Positive quaternionic Kaehler manifolds and symmetry rank

A quaternionic K\"ahler manifold M is called {\it positive} if it has positive scalar curvature. The main purpose of this paper is to prove several connectedness theorems for quaternionic immersions in a quaternionic K\"ahler manifold, e.g. the Barth-Lefschetz type connectedness theorem for quaternionic submanifolds in a positive quaternionic K\"ahler manifold. As applications we prove that, among others, a 4m-dimensional positive quaternionic K\"ahler manifold with symmetry rank at least (m-2) must be either isometric to \Bbb HP^m or Gr_2(\Bbb C^{m+2}), if m\ge 10.
Comparison of Component-Resolved Diagnosis by Using Allergen Microarray With the Conventional Tests in Allergic Rhinitis Patients: The First Using in Korea

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the component-resolved diagnosis using a microarray allergen chip (Immuno Solid-phase Allergen Chip, ImmunoCAP ISAC) and to compare this new diagnostic tool with the established ImmunoCAP methods for allergen-specific IgE detection in allergic rhinitis patients. Methods One hundred sixty-eight allergic rhinitis patients were included in this study. All the patients were diagnosed with allergic rhinitis according to their clinical symptoms, physical examination and a positive skin prick test. We analyzed their specific IgEs for house dust mites (Dermatophagoides farine [DF] and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus [DP]), Alternaria alternata, birch, and mugwort using ImmunoCAP and ImmunoCAP ISAC in the same patient sample. We compared the sensitivity and correlation between the two tests. Results In cases of allergies to DP and DF, the sensitivity of the specific IgE was 80% and that of the allergen microarray was 78.9%. The correlation between the two tests was significant for both DP and DF (P<0.001). For the A. alternata, birch and mugwort allergens, the sensitivity of ImmunoCAP ISAC was slightly lower than that of ImmunoCAP. Conclusion These results suggest that the allergen microarray chip method is a reliable new method to diagnose the components of an allergen in patients with allergic rhinitis sensitive to house dust mites. Further study about the utility of the allergen microarray is needed.
Big Five personality traits and job satisfaction

Employing the dispositional approach and a national sample, this study reexamines the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and job satisfaction to establish whether its findings may challenge the current literature. To achieve this, a large national sample of 7662 respondents from the United Kingdom was used. Hierarchical regressions were employed to investigate the impact of the Big Five traits on job satisfaction among male, female, young, middle-aged and elderly subsamples. The results show that extraversion has no significant impact on job satisfaction in any group of employees, while up to four other traits are significantly linked to job satisfaction in subgroups. The younger the employees are, the larger the number of traits they display that have a significant impact (both positively and negatively) on job satisfaction. This study also shows differences in this relationship between male and female employees. These findings imply that the relationships among the Big Five traits and job satisfaction are more complex than shown in the literature. Therefore, using the dispositional approach to job satisfaction, managers should take different approaches to age and gender because job satisfaction is likely to vary among different ages and genders.
The Effects of Accessory Stimuli on Information Processing: Evidence from Electrophysiology and a Diffusion Model Analysis

People typically respond faster to a stimulus when it is accompanied by a task-irrelevant accessory stimulus presented in another perceptual modality. However, the mechanisms responsible for this accessory-stimulus effect are still poorly understood. We examined the effects of auditory accessory stimulation on the processing of visual stimuli using scalp electrophysiology (Experiment 1) and a diffusion model analysis (Experiment 2). In accordance with previous studies, lateralized readiness potentials indicated that accessory stimuli do not speed motor execution. Surface Laplacians over the motor cortex, however, revealed a bihemispheric increase in motor activation—an effect predicted by nonspecific arousal models. The diffusion model analysis suggested that accessory stimuli do not affect parameters of the decision process, but expedite only the nondecision component of information processing. Consequently, we conclude that accessory stimuli facilitate stimulus encoding. The visual P1 and N1 amplitudes on accessory-stimulus trials were modulated in a way that is consistent with multisensory energy integration, a possible mechanism for this facilitation.
Using a social semiotic approach to multimodality : researching learning in schools, museums and hospitals

The aim of this paper is to show how a substantive area of social research –learning– can be investigated using a multimodal social semiotic approach. We apply the approach to three different institutions – a school, a museum and a hospital, illustrating key concepts and addressing issues around pedagogy and technology in contemporary society. A multimodal social semiotic approach focuses on meaning-making, in all modes. It is a theoretical perspective that brings all socially organized resources that people use to make meaning into one descriptive and analytical domain. These resources include modes such as image, writing, gesture, gaze, speech, posture; and media such as screens, 3 D forms of various kinds, books, notes and notebooks. All of these modes and media are also used in environments designed for learning. That makes a multimodal social semiotic approach particularly apt for studying learning.
Television News Content of Minority Groups as Contextual Factor of the Differences between Specific Prejudices

In this study, the main goal is to assess whether individuals differentiate in their attitudes toward minorities, and to ascertain whether distinct patterns in television news coverage for minority groups offer an explanation for these differences in prejudice. We evaluate this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between the content (tone, framing) of television news coverage of five minority groups (LGBT, Jews, Eastern Europeans, North Africans and Roma) and prejudice in Flanders, i.e. the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. Results confirm that a hierarchy in prejudice exists: people differentiate between minority groups. The content analysis offers an indication that this hierarchy in prejudice is indeed reflected by patterns of media coverage for these minority groups: minorities that are most negatively evaluated by the public, receive the most negative media coverage, are consistently problematized, and are associated with threatening news frames, such as crime. Multilevel analyses show that a negative tone for minorities on television news is associated with more prejudice, whereas a positive tone is associated with less prejudice. Especially when news stories on minorities are framed through a criminal threat angle, prejudice toward that group is very high. The conclusion is that media content is an important contextual factor that should not be overlooked as it can contribute to the explanation of differences in prejudice.
An integrated strategy for prediction uncertainty analysis

Motivation: To further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying biochemical pathways mathematical modelling is used. Since many parameter values are unknown they need to be estimated using experimental observations. The complexity of models necessary to describe biological pathways in combination with the limited amount of quantitative data results in large parameter uncertainty which propagates into model predictions. Therefore prediction uncertainty analysis is an important topic that needs to be addressed in Systems Biology modelling. Results: We propose a strategy for model prediction uncertainty analysis by integrating profile likelihood analysis with Bayesian estimation. Our method is illustrated with an application to a model of the JAK-STAT signalling pathway. The analysis identified predictions on unobserved variables that could be made with a high level of confidence, despite that some parameters were non-identifiable. Availability and implementation: Source code is available at: http://bmi.bmt. tue.nl/sysbio/software/pua.html. Contact: j.vanlier@tue.nl Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
BODY MASS INDEX, RELATIVE BODY FAT AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE OF HUNGARIAN ROMA BOYS

The aim of the present comparison of Roma and non-Roma prepubertal boys was to analyse if there were differences in some anthropometric measures and in running performance to see if Roma children fall behind their non-Roma peers in growth and development, and if so, to what extent. Until now no larger child sample of exclusively Roma ethnicity has been investigated concerning their basic somatic and motor performance attributes. Kinanthropometric data collection was carried out in 1,149 volunteer Roma boys aged between 7 and 14. For a control group exactly the same number of non-Roma subjects was selected randomly from each age group of the same region. Height, body mass, BMI, relative body fat content and the time scores in 30m dash and 1,200m run were compared. The Roma children were found to be significantly shorter and lighter than their non-Roma peers. There were no consistent differences between the BMI means, but relative body fat content was consistently greater in the Roma sample. The running performances were better in the non-Roma boys. The greater relative fat content and also the poorer running scores of the Roma children were attributed to a more hypoactive lifestyle and qualitative and quantitative dietary faults. Since the proportion of GDP that might be used for governmental welfare protection keeps being limited, their necessary integration is getting increasingly difficult. Instead of an educational, social and economic catch-up process further issues of segregation can be predicted.
ANALISIS PENGARUH DUKUNGAN PIMPINAN DAN DUKUNGAN ORGANISASI PADA KINERJA DAN KOMITMEN AFEKTIF KARYAWAN PT INKA MADIUN

The purposes of this study were (1) analyze and test the effect of leadership support to the organization support in the PT INKA Madiun (2) analyze and test the effect of leadership support on affective commitment of employees of PT INKA Madiun, (3) analyze and test the effect of leadership support on performance employees of PT INKA Madiun, (4) analyze and test the effect of organizational support on employee affective commitment PT INKA, and (5) analyze and test the effect of organizational support on the performance of employees of PT INKA. Population in this research are PT INKA Madiun employees. The samples were 200 respondents with stratified random sampling technique sampling. Hypothesis testing using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of analysis of research data analysis support the influence of the leadership and support organization in the performance of employee affective commitment dam PT INKA Madiun was concluded: (1) leadership support positive effect on organizational support in PT INKA Madiun (2) support the leadership did not affect employee affective commitment PT INKA Madiun, (3) support the leadership does not affect the performance of employees of PT INKA Madiun, (4) organizational support has positive influence on employee affective commitment PT INKA, (5) organizational support positive effect on employee performance of PT INKA, (6) organizational support mediate the effect of leadership support on affective commitment of employees of PT INKA Madiun, (7) organizational support mediate the effect of leader support on the performance of employees of PT INKA Madiun.