Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectral properties and hydraulic conductance of soil crusts formed by raindrop impact

In this study, a controlled spectral investigation of the properties of structural crust, using infiltration rate as an indicator, was carried out, on a grumusol (typic chromoxerets) soil. The scope of this paper is to investigate the spectral relationship between structural crust and the infiltration rate and some related properties of a grumusol soil. Structural crust is a thin compact layer generated on the soil's surface after rainstorm events due to raindrop energy. The crust, which is a result of physical segregation and rearrangement of soil particles, affects some of the soil's physical properties, such as infiltration, run-off and soil erosion. A set of soil samples was subjected in the laboratory to increased levels of cumulative energy from a simulated rainstorm, while measuring the infiltration rate. The result was a set of soil samples with increased levels of crusting and correspondingly reduced infiltration rates. After drying the soil samples, their spectral parameters across the SWIR region (1.2 w m-2.4 w m) were studied in the laboratory. Empirical relations were found between the infiltration rate and reflectance values (either in raw or in first derivative domains). A spectral ratio manipulation, using a fog type rain treatment (characterized as having no rain energy) as reference, confirmed that, within the spectrum, changes in both albedo and absorption enabled the crust to be detected using reflectance radiation. This is basically because fine (mostly clay) mineral enrichment processes occurred at the surface of the crusted soil. These minerals (montmorillonite, calcite) are spectrally active across the selected spectral region. Although further study is required to fully account for other soils, rainstorm energies and water qualities, this technique suggests great potential as a tool for rapid, non-destructive, in situ assessment of crusted soil properties.
Potential Use of Stem Cells for Kidney Regeneration

Significant advances have been made in stem cell research over the past decade. A number of nonhematopoietic sources of stem cells (or progenitor cells) have been identified, including endothelial stem cells and neural stem cells. These discoveries have been a major step toward the use of stem cells for potential clinical applications of organ regeneration. Accordingly, kidney regeneration is currently gaining considerable attention to replace kidney dialysis as the ultimate therapeutic strategy for renal failure. However, due to anatomic complications, the kidney is believed to be the hardest organ to regenerate; it is virtually impossible to imagine such a complicated organ being completely rebuilt from pluripotent stem cells by gene or chemical manipulation. Nevertheless, several groups are taking on this big challenge. In this manuscript, current advances in renal stem cell research are reviewed and their usefulness for kidney regeneration discussed. We also reviewed the current knowledge of the emerging field of renal stem cell biology.
M-Type Pyruvate Kinase Isoforms and Lactate Dehydrogenase A in the Mammalian Retina: Metabolic Implications.

PURPOSE Like cancer cells, photoreceptor cells produce lactate aerobically, requiring lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A). Cancer cells also use glycolytic intermediates for biosynthesis. The molecular switch controlling glycolytic flow is thought to be an isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase (PKM2). Here, we determined the expression and localization of PKM2 and LDH-A in mammalian retina and make comparisons with the brain. METHODS Single- and double-labeling immunohistochemistry for PKM2, pyruvate kinase M1 (PKM1), and LDH-A were performed using retinal sections from C57BL/6 mice, Sprague-Dawley rats, rabbits, marmosets, and humans. Pyruvate kinase M1 and PKM2 mRNA and protein expression levels were quantified in rodent retina and brain by using qPCR and immunoblotting. The quaternary forms of PKM2 in rat retina were also determined. RESULTS Pyruvate kinase M2 was present in some glial cells and rod and cone photoreceptors in the retina of all species but was exclusively localized to glia in the brain. Pyruvate kinase M1 was confined to neurons in the retina and brain. Lactate dehydrogenase A was principally found in photoreceptors and inner portion of the avascular rabbit retina. Western blotting and qPCR confirmed high levels of PKM2 and LDH-A in the retina. There was a 6- to 9-fold greater expression of PKM2 mRNA in the rodent retina than in the brain. Both the dimeric (inactive, biosynthesis-driving form) and the active tetrameric (glycolytic-driving) forms of PKM2 were present in retina but not in brain. CONCLUSIONS Mammalian photoreceptors contain dimeric and tetrameric PKM2 and LDH-A. This is consistent with the ability to switch between energy production and biosynthesis like a proliferating tissue, possibly due to demands of opsin synthesis.
Temperature‐based and radiance‐based validations of the V5 MODIS land surface temperature product

[1] The V5 level 2 land surface temperature (LST) product of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was validated over homogeneous rice fields in Valencia, Spain, and the Hainich forest in Germany. For the Valencia site, ground LST measurements were compared with the MOD11_L2 product in the conventional temperature-based (T-based) method. We also applied the alternative radiance-based (R-based) method, with in situ LSTs calculated from brightness temperatures in band 31 through radiative transfer simulations using temperature and water vapor profiles and surface emissivity data. At the Valencia site, profiles were obtained from local radiosonde measurements and from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) data. The R-based method was applied at the Hainich site using radiosonde profiles from a nearby sounding station and NCEP profiles. The T-based validation showed average bias (MODIS minus ground) of −0.3 K, standard deviation of 0.6 K and root mean square error (RMSE) of ±0.7 K. For the R-based method, the quality of the atmospheric profiles was assessed through the difference δ(T31–T32) between the actual MODIS and the profile-based calculated brightness temperature difference in bands 31 and 32. For the cases where −0.3 K < δ(T31–T32) < 0.5 K, the R-based method yielded LST errors with small biases and RMSE = ±0.6 K for the two sites. These results show the high accuracy and precision of the MODIS LST product for the two sites studied. The good performance of the R-based method opens the possibility for a more complete validation including heterogeneous surfaces where the T-based method is not feasible.
Australia's unique influence on global sea level in 2010–2011

In 2011, a significant drop in global sea level occurred that was unprecedented in the altimeter era and concurrent with an exceptionally strong La Niña. This analysis examines multiple data sets in exploring the physical basis for the drop's exceptional intensity and persistence. Australia's hydrologic surface mass anomaly is shown to have been a dominant contributor to the 2011 global total, and associated precipitation anomalies were among the highest on record. The persistence of Australia's mass anomaly is attributed to the continent's unique surface hydrology, which includes expansive arheic and endorheic basins that impede runoff to ocean. Based on Australia's key role, attribution of sea level variability is addressed. The modulating influences of the Indian Ocean Dipole and Southern Annular Mode on La Niña teleconnections are found to be key drivers of anomalous precipitation in the continent's interior and the associated surface mass and sea level responses.
Ocular growth and refractive error development in premature infants without retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE This investigation studied the factors involved in the development of refractive error (RE) in premature infants unaffected by retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). METHODS Premature infants enrolled in the national ROP screening program were recruited and examined at 32, 36, 40, 44, and 52 weeks' postmenstrual age. At each examination, axial length (AXL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and lens thickness (LT) were measured on the A-scan biometer. Corneal curvature (CC) was recorded with a video-ophthalmophakometer, and refractive state was determined with routine cycloplegic refraction. Multilevel modeling techniques were used to determine the relationships between all the variables throughout the study period, as well as individual growth rates. RESULTS Sixty-eight premature infants were included. AXL and ACD showed linear patterns of growth, whereas LT changed little over the study period. CC showed a quadratic growth pattern, and unlike the previous variables, correlated well with refractive state. Premature infants were myopes at the start of the study, with refraction becoming emmetropic as they neared full term and then hypermetropic toward the end of the study. CONCLUSIONS Most of the components of refractive status showed linear patterns of growth during this early phase of ocular development. CC displayed a more complex pattern of growth, which correlated well with refractive state. Compared with full-term infants examined around term, this group has shorter AXLs, shallower anterior chambers, and more highly curved corneas. In addition, less of the expected hypermetropia developed in the premature group, which seems mainly due to the differences in ACD and corneal curvature.
Rates of Evolution in Ancient DNA from Adélie Penguins

Well-preserved subfossil bones of Adélie penguins,Pygoscelis adeliae, underlie existing and abandoned nesting colonies in Antarctica. These bones, dating back to more than 7000 years before the present, harbor some of the best-preserved ancient DNA yet discovered. From 96 radiocarbon-aged bones, we report large numbers of mitochondrial haplotypes, some of which appear to be extinct, given the 380 living birds sampled. We demonstrate DNA sequence evolution through time and estimate the rate of evolution of the hypervariable region I using a Markov chain Monte Carlo integration and a least-squares regression analysis. Our calculated rates of evolution are approximately two to seven times higher than previous indirect phylogenetic estimates.
Intersexual Arms Race? Genital Coevolution in Nephilid Spiders (Araneae, Nephilidae)

Genital morphology is informative phylogenetically and strongly selected sexually. We use a recent species-level phylogeny of nephilid spiders to synthesize phylogenetic patterns in nephilid genital evolution that document generalized conflict between male and female interests. Specifically, we test the intersexual coevolution hypothesis by defining gender-specific indices of genital complexity that summarize all relevant and phylogenetically informative traits. We then use independent contrasts to show that male and female genital complexity indices correlate significantly and positively across the phylogeny rather than among sympatric sister species, as predicted by reproductive character displacement. In effect, as females respond to selection for fecundity-driven fitness via giantism and polyandry (perhaps responding to male-biased effective sex ratios), male mechanisms evolve to monopolize females (male monogamy) via opportunistic mating, pre- and postcopulatory mate guarding, and/or plugging of female genitalia to exclude subsequent suitors. In males morphological symptoms of these phenomena range from self-mutilated genitalia to total castration. Although the results are compatible with both recently favored sexual selection hypotheses, sexually antagonistic coevolution, and cryptic female choice, the evidence of strong intersexual conflict and genitalic damage in both sexes is more easily explained as sexually antagonistic coevolution due to an evolutionary arms race.
Parallel Distractor Rejection as a Binding Mechanism in Search

The relatively common experimental visual search task of finding a red X amongst red O’s and green X’s (conjunction search) presents the visual system with a binding problem. Illusory conjunctions (ICs) of features across objects must be avoided and only features present in the same object bound together. Correct binding into unique objects by the visual system may be promoted, and ICs minimized, by inhibiting the locations of distractors possessing non-target features (e.g., Treisman and Sato, 1990). Such parallel rejection of interfering distractors leaves the target as the only item competing for selection; thus solving the binding problem. In the present article we explore the theoretical and empirical basis of this process of active distractor inhibition in search. Specific experiments that provide strong evidence for a process of active distractor inhibition in search are highlighted. In the final part of the article we consider how distractor inhibition, as defined here, may be realized at a neurophysiological level (Treisman and Sato, 1990).
The effects of habitat type and disturbance on the species-richness of fruit- feeding butterflies at the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology in Costa Rica

The fruit-feeding guild of nymphalid butterflies was sampled at the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology (FCRE) in southwestern Costa Rica to investigate the effects of four habitat types on species-richness. Species-richness was expected to differ among riparian forest, secondary forest, bamboo forest and pastureland. Over two years and 53 sampling days, 1456 fruit-feeding nymphalid butterflies in 56 species and five subfamilies were caught at the FCRE. Observed species-richness was lowest in the riparian and highest in the secondary forest and pasture, but unequal samples were collected in each habitat. Rarefaction analysis showed that the pasture was the most species-rich and the bamboo the least species-rich. The observed species value in the riparian habitat fell along the rarefaction curve, indicating that the riparian zone may contain more species than indicated by raw data, although a species estimator predicted the riparian habitat to be the most species-poor. Species accumulation curves are still rising in each of the four habitats, indicating that additional fruit-feeding nymphalid species are present but have not yet been recorded. Greater species-richness in the most disturbed habitat suggests that highly disturbed habitats that are often overlooked may contribute greatly to the conservation of butterfly biodiversity.
Granitic batholiths: from pervasive and continuous melting in the lower crust to discontinuous and spaced plutonism in the upper crust

Abstract The generation of granitic magmas begins with melting in the lower crust, under active participation of the underlying mantle. Thermally driven, melting is a pervasive and continuous process that develops over a wide region. In contrast, the building of a granitic pluton is highly discontinuous in time and space. Several inputs of magma, sometimes with a different chemical compositions, are focused toward a region where they accumulate, forming a large pluton, often separated by some 50 km from an adjacent one. The switch from a continuous to a discontinuous process represents a fundamental point of magma generation. It gives place to the modified model m(M-SAE), in which the mantle (m) and Melting (M) are separated from the Segregation (S), Ascent (A) and Emplacement (E) modes. Discontinuities result from non-linear processes that develop during segregation and ascent of the magma. They rely on the non-linear rheology of partially molten rocks. Thresholds control the change from a solid-like to liquid-like behaviour of the magma. In between, the rheology exhibits sudden jumps between states. Because two phases continuously coexist (matrix and melt), strain is highly partitioned between them. This may induce highly discontinuous melt segregation, which needs both pure and simple shear to develop. Melt focusing is controlled by the viscosity contrast between the two phases. It gives rise to different compaction lengths depending on the region, a partially melting source or a nearly brittle crust, where it develops. Because ascent and emplacement are discontinuous in time, this allows the crust to relax, avoiding the room problem for a pluton intruding the upper crust. Intermediate magma chambers could develop with different temperature and magma composition. They could be the place of enhanced magma mixing. Finally, the stress conditions, which differ for each tectonic setting, influence the shape of the granitic body.
Device Caching for Network Offloading: Delay Minimization With Presence of User Mobility

A delay-optimal caching problem in device-to-device networks with mobility is modeled. The problem arises in the context of offloading using device caching, and the offloading effect is represented by the expected network load ratio (NLR) which is the percentage of data that has to be downloaded from the network. Compared with the related studies, this letter considers minimizing delay with NLR guarantee in mobility scenarios. A lower bound of global optimum is derived, thus enabling performance benchmarking of any sub-optimal algorithm. For problem-solving, an effective search algorithm (ESA) is proposed based on the bound. Simulations are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the ESA algorithm.
Biclustering of Expression Data

An efficient node-deletion algorithm is introduced to find submatrices in expression data that have low mean squared residue scores and it is shown to perform well in finding co-regulation patterns in yeast and human. This introduces "biclustering", or simultaneous clustering of both genes and conditions, to knowledge discovery from expression data. This approach overcomes some problems associated with traditional clustering methods, by allowing automatic discovery of similarity based on a subset of attributes, simultaneous clustering of genes and conditions, and overlapped grouping that provides a better representation for genes with multiple functions or regulated by many factors.
Economic valuation of protected areas : the Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve case study.

Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve as a natural area preserved from the more disruptive forms of economic activity, provides a multitude ofbenefits classified as either on-site use values or non-use values . This research addressed the problem of estimating the recreation use value of Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve. Two methodologies for valuing non-market benefits, the travel cost and contingent valuation methods are applied to evaluate the economic value ofthe reserve . The study reviews recent literature and highlights particular methodological issues characteristic of these techniques. The data from an on-site survey in the area permitted a description of visitors' socioeconomic characteristics and their trip patterns. Visitor attitudes, both to the recreational activities in Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve and to the proposals for the improvements of recreation provision were identified. Travel cost method results showed significant statistical relationships between number of trips, travel costs and socioeconomic variables. The consumer surplus value was estimated to be R95 800 in 1998. The contingent valuation method produced a true annual willingness-to-pay ofR66 336 for entrance fees expressed by day visitors. The analysis ofdata from overnight visitors in the cottages revealed that 63 % ofvisitors were willing to pay up to R75 per person per night. Finally, the research emphasized the importance and the potential use of economic value in assisting the development of economically sustainable policies for the provision of recreation. Whilst Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve is under no immediate threat, having an indication of the economic value of recreational opportunities within the reserve will aid future planning and decision-making.
Asymmetric Information , Perceived Risk and Trading Patterns : The Options Market

Asymmetric information models are tested using options implied volatility and volume of trade in eight international markets. We explore the relations between the trading break time duration, the quality of public information, the discretion of options liquidity traders to postpone their trades, and the interday and intraday implied volatility and volume of trade in options. Although asymmetric information is generally related to the underline asset, we find that it strongly affects the investment strategies adopted by the various options traders which, in turn, affect implied volatility and options’ volume of trade. The current analysis sheds new light on those strategies and their interrelations with the stock market. The introduction of futures on implied volatility in 2004 is also explored. JEL Classification Numbers: D82, G12, G14
Improved Methods of Maximum a Posteriori Restoration

An improved numerical solution method for maximum a posteriori image restoration is presented. Results of the use of this method are shown to be superior to previous MAP restorations and equal or better than some common linear restorations. A natural convergence criterion is defined and shown to be a good indicator of restoration quality. The effects of the parameters of the MAP restorations are discussed.
Origins of Pupillary Hippus in the Autonomic Nervous System.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the relative roles of the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) in pupillary hippus. Methods We used a paired-eye control study design with three cohorts receiving either 1.0% tropicamide (PNS antagonist) in light (TL), 1.0% tropicamide in dark (TD), or 10% phenylephrine (SNS) in light (PL), n = 12 in each. Each subject received one drop to the randomly determined treatment eye, while the other eye served as control. Bilateral measures of pupil size and dynamics were made over 2.6 seconds using an infrared eye-tracker sampling at 500 Hz. Measures were taken at baseline, then every 5 minutes for 40 minutes. Hippus, analyzed in both time and frequency domains, was compared between eyes and cohorts. Results Pupillary hippus with a distinct dominant frequency was present in all measures at baseline (mean: 0.62 Hz, SD: 0.213 Hz), and that frequency did not change in any group (P = 0.971). Hippus magnitude (treatment eye relative to control eye) decreased in the TL (-72.8 ± 4.7%, P < 0.0001) and TD (-71.3 ± 2.6%, P < 0.0001) groups, but did not change in the PL (+5.4 ± 13.7%, P = 0.173) group, despite PL pupils dilating to a proportion similar to TD. Conclusions Pupillary hippus can be extinguished by antagonizing the PNS, whereas agonizing the SNS dilates the pupil without affecting hippus. This suggests that hippus originates from central PNS activity, and not from SNS activity, or oscillations in the balance between PNS and SNS at the pupil.