Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soil Moisture Response to Snowmelt and Rainfall in a Sierra Nevada Mixed‐Conifer Forest

Using data from a water‐balance instrument cluster with spatially distributed sensors we determined the magnitude and within‐catchment variability of components of the catchment‐scale water balance, focusing on the relationship of seasonal evapotranspiration to changes in snowpack and soil moisture storage. Co‐located, continuous snow depth and soil moisture measurements were deployed in a rain–snow transition catchment in the mixed‐conifer forest in the Southern Sierra Nevada. At each elevation sensors were placed in the open, under the canopy, and at the drip edge on both north‐ and south‐facing slopes. Snow sensors were placed at 27 locations, with soil moisture and temperature sensors placed at depths of 10, 30, 60, and 90 cm beneath the snow sensor. Soils are weakly developed (Inceptisols and Entisols) and formed from decomposed granite with properties that change with elevation. The soil–bedrock interface is hard in upper reaches of the basin (>2000 m) where glaciers have scoured the parent material approximately 18,000 yr ago. Below an elevation of 2000 m soils have a paralithic contact (weathered saprolite) that can extend beyond a depth of 1.5 m, facilitating pathways for deep percolation. Soils are wet and not frozen in winter, and dry out in the weeks following spring snowmelt and rain. Based on data from two snowmelt seasons, it was found that soils dry out following snowmelt at relatively uniform rates; however, the timing of drying at a given site may be offset by up to 4 wk because of heterogeneity in snowmelt at different elevations and aspects. Spring and summer rainfall mainly affected sites in the open, with drying after a rain event being faster than following snowmelt. Water loss rates from soil of 0.5 to 1.0 cm d−1 during the winter and snowmelt season reflect a combination of evapotranspiration and deep drainage, as stream baseflow remains relatively low. About one‐third of annual evapotranspiration comes from water storage below the 1‐m depth, that is, below mapped soil. We speculate that much of the deep drainage is stored locally in the deeper regolith during periods of high precipitation, being available for tree transpiration during summer and fall months when shallow soil water storage is limiting. Total annual evapotranspiration for water year 2009 was estimated to be approximately 76 cm.
Correction to “Dispersion of the volcanic sulfate cloud from a Mount Pinatubo‐like eruption”

[1] In the paper “Dispersion of the volcanic sulfate cloud from a Mount Pinatubo-like eruption” by V. Aquila et al. (Journal of Geophysical Research, 117, D06216, doi:10.1029/2011JD016968, 2012), the values of the sulfate mass mixing ratio presented in Figure 4 are wrong by a factor 8. The error resulted from a typographic error in the script used to calculate the ensemble average. Additionally, the caption of Figure 4 and section 3.2 erroneously assign the left bottom panel to 31 December 1991, instead of 1 December 1991, as correctly indicated in the figure body. The corrected figure and caption are reported here. These errors do not affect the conclusions presented by the authors. [2] We thank Christoph Bruehl for exposing the error in Figure 4.
An economic evaluation of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) multisite implementation program for colorectal surgery in Alberta

BACKGROUND In February 2013, Alberta Health Services established an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) implementation program for adopting the ERAS Society colorectal guidelines into 6 sites (initial phase) that perform more than 75% of all colorectal surgeries in the province. We conducted an economic evaluation of this initiative to not only determine its cost-effectiveness, but also to inform strategy for the spread and scale of ERAS to other surgical protocols and sites. METHODS We assessed the impact of ERAS on patients’ health services utilization (HSU; length of stay [LOS], readmissions, emergency department visits, general practitioner and specialist visits) within 30 days of discharge by comparing pre- and post-ERAS groups using multilevel negative binomial regressions. We estimated the net health care costs/savings and the return on investment (ROI) associated with those impacts for post-ERAS patients using a decision analytic modelling technique. RESULTS We included 331 pre- and 1295 post-ERAS patients in our analyses. ERAS was associated with a reduction in all HSU outcomes except visits to specialists. However, only the reduction in primary LOS was significant. The net health system savings were estimated at $2 290 000 (range $1 191 000–$3 391 000), or $1768 (range $920–$2619) per patient. The probability for the program to be cost-saving was 73%–83%. In terms of ROI, every $1 invested in ERAS would bring $3.8 (range $2.4–$5.1) in return. CONCLUSION The initial phase of ERAS implementation for colorectal surgery in Alberta is cost-saving. The total savings has the potential to be more substantial when ERAS is spread for other surgical protocols and across additional sites.
Self-generation as a means of maximizing learning in multiple sclerosis: an application of the generation effect.

OBJECTIVE To examine the generation effect, the observation that items generated by subjects are better remembered than items provided, as a means of maximizing new learning in multiple sclerosis (MS). DESIGN Prospective between-group design. SETTING Private, nonprofit research facility. PARTICIPANTS Population-based sample of 31 subjects with MS (MS group) and 17 healthy controls (control group), matched for age and education. INTERVENTION Immediate, thirty-minute and 1-week assessments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Neuropsychologic tests assessing language, executive functioning, working memory, long-term memory, and the generation effect were administered. Recall and recognition of generation effect stimuli was tested immediately, 30 minutes, and 1-week after presentation. RESULTS Recall and recognition of generated stimuli were significantly higher than provided stimuli across testing sessions. This effect was observed equally across the control and MS groups. Recall performance for generated stimuli correlated significantly with indices of episodic memory, information processing, and language but not executive control. Memory for the source of the information was deficient for generated words compared with provided words. CONCLUSIONS The generation effect was present in MS and control subjects and may be a viable way of maximizing new learning in MS.
Late Chadian–early Arundian high-resolution biostratigraphy in the Ogmore-by-Sea section (South Wales–Mendip shelf) and the mid-Avonian unconformity

The study of the foraminiferal fauna in the Ogmore section in south Wales produced a detailed late Chadian–early Arundian biostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy with a higher resolution than in the Arundian stratotype in Hobbyhorse Bay. The earliest Visean (late Chadian) pedogenic horizon close to the Gully Oolite and Caswell Bay Mudstone boundary (MFZ9) corresponds to the mid-Avonian unconformity. The entry of primitive archaediscids of MFZ10 within the Caswell Bay Mudstone is followed by more advanced archaediscids of MFZ11 at the base of the High Tor Limestone. The mid-Avonian unconformity at the Chadian–Arundian boundary is not confined to the London–Brabant Massif, but is also present in central Europe, the East European Platform, the Urals, west Siberia and probably also in Kuzbass and North America. The global extent of the the mid-Avonian unconformity suggests that it is a consequence of early to mid-Visean glacioeustacy.
Lipreading approach for isolated digits recognition under whisper and neutral speech

Whisper is a speech production mode normally used to protect confidential information. Given the differences in the acoustic domain, the performance of automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems decreases with whisper speech. An appealing approach to improve the performance is the use of lipreading. This study explores the use of visual features characterizing the lips’ geometry and appearance to recognize digits under normal and whisper speech conditions using hidden Markov models (HMMs). We evaluate the proposed features on the digit part of the audiovisual whisper (AVW) corpus. While the proposed system achieves high accuracy in speaker dependent conditions (80.8%), the performance decreases when we evaluate speaker independent models (52.9%). We propose supervised adaptation schemes to reduce the mismatch between speakers. Across all conditions, the performance of the classifiers remain competitive even in the presence of whisper speech, highlighting the benefits of using visual features. Index Terms: Lipreading, whisper speech, multimodal corpus
Cone Penetration in Cemented Sands: Bearing Capacity Interpretation

Two bearing‐capacity theories are used to predict cone‐penetration tip resistance and sleeve friction in weakly cemented sands. These theories use the rigid‐plastic assumption for stress‐deformation behavior of soils. Both theories provided good predictions of tip resistance when compared with experimental values obtained in limited penetration tests conducted in the laboratory. Laboratory tests were conducted on artificially cemented specimens of Monterey No. 0/30 sand prepared in rigid molds. A curing period of 14 days was used. The confinement was due only to the self‐weight, rendering very low confining stresses. Predicting sleeve friction with bearing‐capacity theories necessitated an estimate of the lateral earth pressures. The recorded sleeve‐friction values implied higher lateral pressures than the Ko state of stress. Tip resistance and friction resistances predicted by these theories are used to propose a preliminary classification, identification, and analysis scheme for cemented sand deposits.
Massive MIMO for crowd scenarios: A solution based on random access

This paper presents a new approach to intra-cell pilot contamination in crowded massive MIMO scenarios. The approach relies on two essential properties of a massive MIMO system, namely near-orthogonality between user channels and near-stability of channel powers. Signal processing techniques that take advantage of these properties allow us to view a set of contaminated pilot signals as a graph code on which iterative belief propagation can be performed. This makes it possible to decontaminate pilot signals and increase the throughput of the system. The proposed solution exhibits high performance with large improvements over the conventional method. The improvements come at the price of an increased error rate, although this effect is shown to decrease significantly for increasing number of antennas at the base station.
The pharmacogenetics of antidepressant-induced mania: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Antidepressant-induced mania (AIM) has been associated with the serotonin-transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism in some studies but not in others. We conducted a meta-analysis of those studies and other studies of genetic predictors of AIM. METHODS MEDLINE-based searches of genetic studies of AIM were conducted, and a meta-analysis of six studies of 5-HTTLPR was performed. Other polymorphisms were insufficiently studied to allow for meta-analysis. RESULTS There was an association of the short (s) variant of 5-HTTLPR and AIM [risk ratio (RR) = 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.76, p=0.02]. There was a higher frequency of s carriers (sl and ss genotypes) in those who developed AIM [RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 0.98-1.93), p=0.06]. CONCLUSION The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism appears to have a moderate effect size association with AIM in patients with bipolar disorder.
Visual Analysis of Sets of Heterogeneous Matrices Using Projection‐Based Distance Functions and Semantic Zoom

Matrix visualization is an established technique in the analysis of relational data. It is applicable to large, dense networks, where node‐link representations may not be effective. Recently, domains have emerged in which the comparative analysis of sets of matrices of potentially varying size is relevant. For example, to monitor computer network traffic a dynamic set of hosts and their peer‐to‐peer connections on different ports must be analysed. A matrix visualization focused on the display of one matrix at a time cannot cope with this task.
Counterregulatory Hormone Responses to Hypoglycemia in the Elderly Patient with Diabetes

In patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), the risk of severe or fatal hypoglycemia associated with the use of oral agents or insulin increases exponentially with age. We conducted this study with the hypothesis that this increased susceptibility to hypoglycemia is caused by alterations in release of counterregulatory hormones and psychomotor performance during hypoglycemia. Ten healthy nonobese elderly subjects (74 ± 1 years of age; body mass index, 24.5 ± 0.6 kg/m2) and 10 nonobese elderly NIDDM subjects (72 ± 1 years of age; body mass index, 25.6 ± 0.9 kg/m2) underwent two hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp studies (insulin infusion, 60 mU·m₋2 · min₋1). In the control study, glucose was maintained at 5 mM for 5 h; in the hypoglycemic study, glucose was kept at 5 mM for 1 h and then lowered in a stepwise fashion to 4.4, 3.8, 3.3, and 2.8 mM in each subsequent hour. At regular intervals in each study, neuropsychological tests were performed, counterregulatory hormones were measured, and a hypoglycemic symptom questionnaire was administered. At a glucose level of 2.8 mM, NIDDM patients had reduced incremental glucagon (normal subjects, 114 ± 18 ng/l; NIDDM subjects, 63 ± 9 ng/l; P < 0.05) and growth hormone responses (normal subjects, 13.8 ± 1.0 micrograms/l; NIDDM subjects, 7.0 ± 2.0 micrograms/l; P < 0.01) and increased epinephrine (normal subjects, 925 ± 198 pM; NIDDM subjects, 4175 ± 824 pM; P < 0.001) and cortisol responses (normal subjects, 291 ± 49 nM; NIDDM subjects, 524 ± 92 mM; P < 0.05). Symptom scores were similar in both groups at all levels of glycemia. at all levels of glycemia. At a glucose level of 2.8 mM, NIDDM patients had a greater impairment on the simple (normal subjects, ₋ 10 ± 24 ms; NIDDM subjects, 108 ± 18 ms; P < 0.001) and choice (normal subjects, 20 ± 18 ms; NIDDM subjects, 111 ± 18 ms; P < 0.01) reaction time tests. We conclude that the elderly NIDDM patients have altered release of counterregulatory hormones and altered psychomotor performance during hypoglycemia.
Urbanization effects in large-scale temperature records, with an emphasis on China

[1] Global surface temperature trends, based on land and marine data, show warming of about 0.8°C over the last 100 years. This rate of warming is sometimes questioned because of the existence of well-known Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). We show examples of the UHIs at London and Vienna, where city center sites are warmer than surrounding rural locations. Both of these UHIs however do not contribute to warming trends over the 20th century because the influences of the cities on surface temperatures have not changed over this time. In the main part of the paper, for China, we compare a new homogenized station data set with gridded temperature products and attempt to assess possible urban influences using sea surface temperature (SST) data sets for the area east of the Chinese mainland. We show that all the land-based data sets for China agree exceptionally well and that their residual warming compared to the SST series since 1951 is relatively small compared to the large-scale warming. Urban-related warming over China is shown to be about 0.1°C decade−1 over the period 1951–2004, with true climatic warming accounting for 0.81°C over this period.
Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions using the modern analogue technique: the effects of sample size and decision rules

Palaeoenvironmental information is often extracted from pollen records using the modem analogue technique (MAT). It is largely unknown how sensitive the MAT is to subsampling-induced variation in pollen assemblages, or to the decision rules used to reconstruct climate and vegetation. We examine these issues in a Monte Carlo framework in which simulated pollen assemblages at eight count sizes were created from four fossil pollen assemblages. Simulated and fossil assemblages are compared with modern data sets at squared chord distance cut-off values between 0.05 and 0.55 to: (1) quantify count-size-induced variation in pollen assemblages, and (2) determine how count-size-induced variation affects analogue selection and climate reconstruction. The effects of sample size and decision rules on vegetation reconstructions are examined using two analogue selection schemes and two levels of minimum required analogues. The results show that decision rules have as much impact on reconstruction precision and accuracy as do large differences in count size. At counts of 150 grains, the best-performing cut-off values yield annual precipitation estimates within 75 mm of those produced by the reference fossil assemblages, and January and July temperature estimates within 0.75C. Counts as low as 150 grains yield vegetation reconstruction accuracies of? 90% using the best-case reconstruction rules; the worst-case reconstruction rules may not achieve this accuracy at 1000 grain counts. Although larger count sizes do lead to greater reconstruction precision and accuracy, the results indicate that analyses of the kind presented here can inform count-size decisions and allow significant re-allocation of analytical effort.
Phased array detectors and an automated intensity‐correction algorithm for high‐resolution MR imaging of the human brain

Two‐ and four‐coil phased array detectors were developed to increase the sensitivity and resolution of MR imaging of the human brain cortex, especially for detecting cortical dysplasias in pediatric epilepsy patients. An automated intensity correction algorithm based on an edge‐completed, low‐pass filtered image was used to correct the image intensity for the inhomogenous reception profile of the coils. Seven phased array coils were constructed and tested. The sensitivity of these coils was up to 600% higher at the surface of the cortex than that achieved with a conventional head coil and up to 30% greater at the center of the head. The sensitivity obtained was comparable with that of a conventional small surface coil, but extended over the larger dimensions of the array and previously inaccessible areas such as the top of the head. The advantages of the improved sensitivity are demonstrated with high resolution images of the brain.
Cenozoic provenance history of synorogenic conglomerates in western Argentina (Famatina belt): Implications for Central Andean foreland development

In Famatina, at the modern northern flat-slab segment of the Central Andean belt, synorogenicconglomeratefaciesprovideaunique opportunity to reconstruct paleogeography and tectonic setting. Stratigraphically constrained provenance analyses record a multi-event history of the Andean foreland and a complex pattern of exhumed uplands, which, in turn, controlled the depocenter history. Western and eastern sources can be differentiated. The western domain was composed of equigranular granitoids and lower and upper Paleozoic volcano-sedimentary and sedimentary units, whereas the eastern domain was mainly formed by porphyrytic granitoids and minor slightly metamorphosed lower Paleozoic clastic rocks. The surrounding regions expose medium- to high-grade metamorphic rocks, which are not recorded in any Cenozoic conglomerate of Famatina. Unroofing sequences can be deduced from the compositional trends. Conglomerate composition and paleocurrent data show input from intraba-sinal sources and important participation of basement since the beginning of the Neogene. We infer an early Miocene broken foreland during deposition of the Del Creston Formation.A significant source inversion, with clasts supplied from the eastern basement domain, is recorded ∼2000 m from the base, within the middle Miocene Del Abra Formation; reactivation of western granitic thrust sheets occurred by the late middle Miocene and late Miocene, as indicated by provenance studies of the Santo Domingo and El Durazno Formations. In contrast to simple asymmetric foreland models, provenance analysis documents early participation of crystalline rocks, suggesting early development of intrafore-land basement highs within the southern Central Andes. At a regional scale, basement thrusting and associated intermontane basin development were diachronous. This interpretation is supported by broad propagation of basement thrusting from the northern Sierras Pampeanas (and Famatina) toward the central and eastern Sierras Pampeanas between early-middle Miocene and late Miocene–Pliocene time. Early Miocene reconstructions of the Juan Fernandez Ridge position on the Central Andean margin suggest that during this interval, shallow subduction was likely unrelated to oceanic plateau subduction under the Sierras Pampeanas.
Where to look: a study of human-robot engagement

This paper reports on a study of human subjects with a robot designed to mimic human conversational gaze behavior in collaborative conversation. The robot and the human subject together performed a demonstration of an invention created at our laboratory; the demonstration lasted 3 to 3.5 minutes. We briefly discuss the robot architecture and then focus the paper on a study of the effects of the robot operating in two different conditions. We offer some conclusions based on the study about the importance of engagement for 3D IUIs. We will present video clips of the subject interactions with the robot at the conference.
Out of Their Depth? Isolated Deep Populations of the Cosmopolitan Coral Desmophyllum dianthus May Be Highly Vulnerable to Environmental Change

Deep sea scleractinian corals will be particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, facing loss of up to 70% of their habitat as the Aragonite Saturation Horizon (below which corals are unable to form calcium carbonate skeletons) rises. Persistence of deep sea scleractinian corals will therefore rely on the ability of larvae to disperse to, and colonise, suitable shallow-water habitat. We used DNA sequence data of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the mitochondrial ribosomal subunit (16S) and mitochondrial control region (MtC) to determine levels of gene flow both within and among populations of the deep sea coral Desmophyllum dianthus in SE Australia, New Zealand and Chile to assess the ability of corals to disperse into different regions and habitats. We found significant genetic subdivision among the three widely separated geographic regions consistent with isolation and limited contemporary gene flow. Furthermore, corals from different depth strata (shallow <600 m, mid 1000–1500 m, deep >1500 m) even on the same or nearby seamounts were strongly differentiated, indicating limited vertical larval dispersal. Genetic differentiation with depth is consistent with the stratification of the Subantarctic Mode Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water, the Circumpolar Deep and North Pacific Deep Waters in the Southern Ocean, and we propose that coral larvae will be retained within, and rarely migrate among, these water masses. The apparent absence of vertical larval dispersal suggests deep populations of D. dianthus are unlikely to colonise shallow water as the aragonite saturation horizon rises and deep waters become uninhabitable. Similarly, assumptions that deep populations will act as refuges for shallow populations that are impacted by activities such as fishing or mining are also unlikely to hold true. Clearly future environmental management strategies must consider both regional and depth-related isolation of deep-sea coral populations.