Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ice stream influence on West Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics during the Last Glacial Maximum

This paper investigates the processes governing bedrock bedform evolution in ice sheet and ice stream areas in central West Greenland, and explores the evidence for a cross‐shelf ice stream at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). To the east of Sisimiut the formation of streamlined bedforms with high elongation ratios and high bedform density has been controlled by geological structure and topography in slow‐flowing ice sheet areas. At the coast, the effects of regional flow convergence, caused by coastal fjord orientation, routed ice into the Sisimiut/Itilleq area where it formed an ice stream onset zone. This funnelled ice into an offshore trough (Holsteinsborg Dyb), resulting in a southwesterly regional ice flow direction and the formation of a topographically routed ice stream (Holsteinsborg Isbrae). To the south of this, striae and bedform evidence show that local valley glaciers initially flowed east to west across the coast, but were later redirected by the Itilleq Fjord ice which turned southwestward due to diffluent flow and deflection by Holsteinsborg Isbrae. Roches moutonnées in this area have low elongation ratios and high bedform density, but do not provide unequivocal support for ice streaming, as they are a product of both bedrock structure and changes in ice flow direction, rather than enhanced flow velocities. Cosmogenic surface exposure ages limit maximum ice sheet surface elevation to ca. 755–810 m above sea level in this region. Such ice thickness enabled Holsteinsborg Isbrae to reach the mid/outer continental shelf during the LGM, and to contribute to the formation of a trough mouth fan and the Outer Hellefisk moraines. Initial deglaciation across this region was driven by rising sea level and increasing air temperatures prior to the Bølling Interstadial at ca. 14.5 cal. ka BP. Between 12 and 10 cal. ka BP both increased air and ocean temperatures post the Younger Dryas, and peak sea‐level rise up to the marine limit, caused accelerated thinning and marginal retreat through calving, although dating evidence suggests ice streams remained along the inner shelf/coast boundary until at least ca. 10 cal. ka BP, their longevity maintained by increased ice thickness and ice discharge. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bounds on variances of recovery times of decision feedback equalizers

New upper and lower bounds on the variances of the recovery times of decision feedback equalizers are derived. The analysis is based on generalizing a difference equation technique, used previously only for first-order moments, to second-order moments. The different error recovery time variances resulting from random channel errors and from the reset or startup condition are both investigated. The cases of noisy and noiseless operating conditions are studied and the influence of the closing of the sampling eye is investigated.
Forebrain GABAergic projections from the dorsal raphe nucleus identified by using GAD67–GFP knock‐in mice

The dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) contains serotonergic (5‐HT) neurons that project widely throughout the forebrain. These forebrain regions also receive innervation from non–5‐HT neurons in the DR. One of the main groups of non–5‐HT neurons in the DR is γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic, but their projections are poorly understood due to the difficulty of labeling these neurons immunohistochemically. To identify GABAergic projection neurons within the DR in the current study, we used a knock‐in mouse line in which expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) is controlled by the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)67 promotor. Projections of GAD67–GFP neurons to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), nucleus accumbens (NAC), and lateral hypothalamus (LH) were evaluated by using retrograde tract tracing. The location of GAD67–GFP neurons projecting to each of these areas was mapped by rostrocaudal and dorsoventral location within the DR. Overall, 16% of DR neurons projecting to either the PFC or NAC were identified as GAD67–GFP neurons. GAD67–GFP neurons projecting to the PFC were most commonly found ventrally, in the rostral two‐thirds of the DR. NAC‐projecting GAD67–GFP neurons had an overlapping distribution that extended dorsally. GAD67–GFP neurons made a larger contribution to the projection of the DR to the LH, accounting for 36% of retrogradely labeled neurons, and were widespread throughout the DR. The current data indicate that DR GABAergic neurons not only may have the capacity to influence local network activity, but also make a notable contribution to DR output to multiple forebrain targets. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:4157–4167, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mechanical Stretch Inhibits Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein-induced Apoptosis in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells by Up-regulating Integrin αVβ3 and Stablization of PINCH-1*

To determine the mechanisms involved in regulating the balance between apoptosis and survival in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), we studied anti-apoptotic stimuli that can counteract pro-apoptotic events in the process of early atherosclerotic lesions formation. Such a process involves VSMC accumulation even in the presence of oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL). In the arch of the aorta, we find that integrin β3 is higher than in descending arteries. In the advanced atherosclerosis lesion, we found an inverse correlation between the level of integrin β3 and apoptosis (deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling-positive). We also found an increase in integrin αVβ3 (but not integrin β1) expression in VSMC that are subjected to cyclic stretch. VSMC subjected to stretch as well as VSMC with forced expression of αVβ3 were demonstrated to be resistant to Ox-LDL-induced cytoskeleton disruption and apoptosis. The anti-apoptotic effect of stretch was abolished by treatment of VSMC with small interfering RNA against integrin β3 as well as VSMC isolated from integrin β3 knock-out mice. Disruption of the cytoskeleton abolished the protective effect of stretch or αVβ3 overexpression on Ox-LDL-induced activation of Bax and apoptosis. We also demonstrated that stretch-mediated protection of Ox-LDL-induced apoptosis involved stabilization of PINCH-1; Ox-LDL decreased the level of PINCH-1, but the application of mechanical stretch or overexpression of either integrin β1 or integrin β3 prevented its down-regulation. In the arteries of integrin β3 null mice, there were lower levels of PINCH-1 and ILK-1. Moreover, deletion of integrin β3 in VSMC abolished the stretch protective effect on PINCH-1. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of PINCH-1 disrupted the cytoskeleton and caused apoptosis of VSMC. These findings provided experimental evidence that mechanical stretch acted as a survival factor in the arches of aortas. Furthermore, mechanical stretch prevented VSMC from apoptosis via a mechanism that involves αVβ3 integrin expression, stabilization of PINCH-1, and remodeling of the cytoskeleton.
WiFi-NC : WiFi Over Narrow Channels

The quest for higher data rates in WiFi is leading to the development of standards that make use of wide channels (e.g., 40MHz in 802.11n and 80MHz in 802.11ac). In this paper, we argue against this trend of using wider channels, and instead advocate that radios should communicate over multiple narrow channels for efficient and fair spectrum utilization. We propose WiFi-NC, a novel PHY-MAC design that allows radios to use WiFi over multiple narrow channels simultaneously. To enable WiFi-NC, we have developed the compound radio, a single wideband radio that exposes the abstraction of multiple narrow channel radios, each with independent transmission, reception and carrier sensing capabilities. The architecture of WiFi-NC makes it especially suitable for use in white spaces where free spectrum may be fragmented. Thus, we also develop a frequency band selection algorithm for WiFi-NC making it suitable for use in white spaces. WiFi-NC has been implemented on an FPGA-based software defined radio platform. Through real experiments and simulations, we demonstrate that WiFi-NC provides better efficiency and fairness in both common WiFi as well as future white space scenarios.
Microclimate of Arctic Tree Line 2. Soil Microclimate of Tundra and Forest

Forest and tundra soils display distinctive microclimates for a climatically normal year at Churchill. Forest soils are substantially warmer in the active layer than those of the tundra but the tundra active layer is deeper. Forest soils are much wetter than those of the tundra. This results from the deep winter snow pack, which provides abundant meltwater to already thawed soils. The soils remain wet throughout the year, and the large latent heat release delays the freezing of forest soils until a snow pack is established. As a result, soils stay relatively warm throughout winter and thaw rapidly and deeply before snow pack melting in the spring. The thaw period in the tree rooting zone is about 6 months, compared to 4 months at the same depth in tundra. The magnitude of soil heat storage is large, comprising 18% and 16% of net radiation in tundra and forest, respectively, during the thaw season. During freeze back it is the dominant heat exchange process. Between 80% and 90% of the total soil heat storage is involved in the latent heat exchange accompanying thawing and freezing. Soil heat flux plates strongly underestimate the ground heat exchange and are unreliable in permafrost terrain.
A New Ocean Model for Studying the Tropical Oceanic Aspects of ENSO

Abstract A 21/2-layer ocean model is developed to investigate the role of the first two baroclinic modes in determining the interannual variations of the sea surface temperature (SST) associated with the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. Rather than simply adding an additional mode to the ocean component of the Zebiak–Cane coupled atmosphere–ocean model, it proved necessary to completely rethink all parts of the model. This allowed the external parameters to be specified more realistically. For example, the drag coefficient used in calculating the surface wind stress in the model is now consistent with that empirically derived, and the temperature of the water entrained in the surface layer that affects SST is now more carefully parameterized. When forced by observed wind stress anomalies for 1961–93, the ocean model reproduces the interannual variations of SST satisfactorily. The quantitative discrepancies between the model hindcast and observed SST anomalies are limited to an excessive coo.
In-network caching of Internet-of-Things data

The recent forecast of billions of devices, all connected to the Internet and generating low-rate monitoring, measurement, or automation data that many end-users/applications frequently request, signifies the need for applying in-network caching techniques to Internet-of-Things (IoT) traffic. Although time delay is not critically important for small-sized IoT content, the expected total traffic load on the Internet from a large number of devices is significant. However, the main challenge as opposed to the typically cached content at content routers, e.g. multimedia files, is that IoT data are transient and therefore require different caching policies. This paper studies in-network caching of IoT data at content routers in the Internet. An IoT data item is uniquely defined not only by its time and location tags, but also a time-range value set by end-users/applications. We provide a model for the trade-off between multihop communication costs and the freshness of a transient data item. Results show that the model can successfully capture the effect of data transiency and can accurately represent the expected gains of a caching system: considerable savings in terms of reduction of network load, especially for highly requested data items.
Merging Alternate Remotely-Sensed Soil Moisture Retrievals Using a Non-Static Model Combination Approach

Soil moisture is an important variable in the coupled hydrologic and climate system. In recent years, microwave-based soil moisture products have been shown to be a viable alternative to in situ measurements. A popular way to measure the performance of soil moisture products is to calculate the temporal correlation coefficient (R) against in situ measurements or other appropriate reference datasets. In this study, an existing linear combination method improving R was modified to allow for a non-static or nonstationary model combination as the basis for improving remotely-sensed surface soil moisture. Previous research had noted that two soil moisture products retrieved using the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM) algorithms from the same Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) sensor are spatially complementary in terms of R against a suitable reference over a fixed period. Accordingly, a linear combination was proposed to maximize R using a set of spatially-varying, but temporally-fixed weights. Even though this approach showed promising results, there was room for further improvements, in particular using non-static or dynamic weights that take account of the time-varying nature of the combination algorithm being approximated. The dynamic weighting was achieved by using a moving window. A number of different window sizes was investigated. The optimal weighting factors were determined for the data lying within the moving window and then used to dynamically combine the two parent products. We show improved performance for the dynamically-combined product over the static linear combination. Generally, shorter time windows outperform the static approach, and a 60-day time window is suggested to be the optimum. Results were validated against in situ measurements collected from 124 stations over different continents. The mean R of the dynamically-combined products was found to be 0.57 and 0.62 for the cases using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis-Interim (ERA-Interim) and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Land (MERRA-Land) reanalysis products as the reference, respectively, outperforming the statically-combined products (0.55 and 0.54).
The Concentration and Partitioning of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments of the Maharlu Lake, SW Iran

In this study, an assessment is made of the environmental impacts of heavy metal concentration and fractionation in bed sediments of the saline Maharlu Lake, SW Iran. Total elemental analysis indicated that sediments were highly enriched in Pb and Cd. Sequential extraction analysis revealed that salt of the lake is probably highly contaminated with Cd, Pb, and Co. Due to the oxidizing conditions of the lake, the organic matter fraction of the elements was not significant. In all sediments, Cd, Pb, Co, Mn, and Zn were strongly associated with exchangeable plus carbonate fractions, with mean percentage of 76.4%, 65.3%, 56%, 40.9%, and 34.3%, respectively. On average, the percentage of Ni associated with the sum of the exchangeable and carbonate fractions was 19.8%. Cr, Fe, and Cu fractionation indicated that these metals are environmentally inert and immobile. Statistical relationships among metal fractions and sediment properties showed that Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, and Mn were mainly from recent anthropogenic sources, while such sources were less important for Cr, Cu, and Fe. The latter metals represented natural geochemical levels.
The ASTRODEEP Frontier Fields catalogues - II. Photometric redshifts and rest frame properties in Abell-2744 and MACS-J0416

Aims. We present the first public release of photometric redshifts, galaxy rest frame properties and associated magnification values in the cluster and parallel pointings of the first two Frontier Fields, Abell-2744 and MACS-J0416. The released catalogues aim to provide a reference for future investigations of extragalactic populations in these legacy fields: from lensed high-redshift galaxies to cluster members themselves. Methods. We exploit a multiwavelength catalogue, ranging from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to ground-based K and Spitzer IRAC, which is specifically designed to enable detection and measurement of accurate fluxes in crowded cluster regions. The multiband information is used to derive photometric redshifts and physical properties of sources detected either in the H-band image alone, or from a stack of four WFC3 bands. To minimize systematics, median photometric redshifts are assembled from six different approaches to photo-z estimates. Their reliability is assessed through a comparison with available spectroscopic samples. State-of-the-art lensing models are used to derive magnification values on an object-by-object basis by taking into account sources positions and redshifts. Results. We show that photometric redshifts reach a remarkable ~3–5% accuracy. After accounting for magnification, the H-band number counts are found to be in agreement at bright magnitudes with number counts from the CANDELS fields, while extending the presently available samples to galaxies that, intrinsically, are as faint as H ~ 32−33, thanks to strong gravitational lensing. The Frontier Fields allow the galaxy stellar mass distribution to be probed, depending on magnification, at 0.5–1.5 dex lower masses with respect to extragalactic wide fields, including sources at M_(star) ~ 10^7–10^8 M_⊙ at z > 5. Similarly, they allow the detection of objects with intrinsic star formation rates (SFRs) >1 dex lower than in the CANDELS fields reaching 0.1–1 M_⊙/yr at z ~ 6–10.
Double filtration plasmapheresis in a dog with multiple myeloma and hyperviscosity syndrome

A 12 year old, 38 kg, mix-breed, intact male dog presented with a 20 day history of clinical signs consistent with hyperviscosity syndrome secondary to multiple myeloma. The dog received three double filtration plasmapheresis treatments on day 0, 7 and 22 after presentation. A significant (p<0.05) reduction in serum total protein, alpha-2 and gamma globulins was found following each treatment. These reductions were accompanied by a complete resolution, although temporary, of the clinical signs of hyperviscosity syndrome. The present study reported for the first time the use of double filtration plasmapheresis to reduce clinical signs of hyperviscosity syndrome in a dog with multiple myeloma.
North Brazil Current retroflection and transports

[1] A subset of data collected as a part of a larger program, the North Brazil Current Rings (NBCR) Experiment, is analyzed to study the variability of the transport of the North Brazil Current (NBC) and its relation with the shedding of rings. It is concluded that there is a direct relation between the latitude of penetration, the number of rings shed, and the intensity of the NBC. The data set consists of dynamic height time series derived from three inverted echo sounders and a shallow pressure gauge deployed along a section perpendicular to the South American coast between the continent and 7°N, and between 48° and 45°W. Velocity and hydrographic data collected during the NBCR cruises are also analyzed and used to validate the results. The 15-month mean transport of the NBC is 16 ± 2 Sv. The 18-month mean of the retroflected southeastward flow is 22 ± 2 Sv. Both flows display considerable variability. The retroflected southeast flow reaches its maximum value during September 1999, near the time when the climatological North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) reaches its maximum strength and it is minimum when the climatological NECC reverses or is not present in the basin. The mean difference between the NBC flow and the retroflected flow during August–December 1999 when the NECC is fully established is −7 Sv. The excess in the retroflected flow is due to North Atlantic water joining the retroflected flow from the South Atlantic. The combination of both flows constitutes the NECC.
THE SANDWICH ( ROBUST COVARIANCE MATRIX ) ESTIMATOR

The sandwich estimator, often known as the robust covariance matrix estimator or the empirical covariance matrix estimator, has achieved increasing use with the growing popularity of generalized estimating equations. Its virtue is that it provides consistent estimates of the covariance matrix for parameter estimates even when a parametric model fails to hold, or is not even specified. Surprisingly though, there has been little discussion of the properties of the sandwich method other than consistency. We investigate the sandwich estimator in quasilikelihood models asymptotically, and in the linear case analytically. We show that when the quasilikelihood model is correct, the sandwich covariance matrix estimate is often far more variable than the usual parametric variance estimate, and its coverage probabilities can be abysmal. The increased variance is a fixed feature of the method, and the price one pays to obtain consistency even when the parametric model fails. We make some simple suggestions for modifying the method which improve coverage probabilities.
Doubly Robust Off-policy Evaluation for Reinforcement Learning

We study the problem of evaluating a policy that is different from the one that generates data. Such a problem, known as off-policy evaluation in reinforcement learning (RL), is encountered whenever one wants to estimate the value of a new solution, based on historical data, before actually deploying it in the real system, which is a critical step of applying RL in most real-world applications. Despite the fundamental importance of the problem, existing general methods either have uncontrolled bias or suffer high variance. In this work, we extend the so-called doubly robust estimator for bandits to sequential decision-making problems, which gets the best of both worlds: it is guaranteed to be unbiased and has low variance, and as a point estimator, it outperforms the most popular importance-sampling estimator and its variants in most occasions. We also provide theoretical results on the hardness of the problem, and show that our estimator can match the asymptotic lower bound in certain scenarios.