Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Sedimentation in Bays and Reefs below Developed versus Undeveloped Watersheds on St. John, US Virgin Islands

Coral stress response to sedimentation depends on the type and the quantity of sediment. Here we present preliminary data from an ongoing study to evaluate if development on St John, US Virgin Islands has impacted the quantity, quality, and spatial variability of sedimentation in four bays with fringing reefs—one below a developed watershed (Fish Bay; Fig. 1D) and three below undeveloped watersheds located within the VI National Park (Great Lameshur, Reef, and Hawksnest Bays; Fig. 1 C, E, F, G). We targeted our sampling to examine locations with monitored reefs and locations that were sampled 20 years ago by Hubbard et al. (1987). St. John, USVI is an ideal location to study the impacts of sedimentation on coral reefs because: a) there is a distinct delineation between developed and undeveloped watersheds due to the VINP; b) sediment originating from land (terrigenous & siliceous) is mineralogically distinct from marine (carbonate) due to the lack of terrestrial carbonate sources; and c) the fringing reefs on the island are well monitored.
A Meta-analysis Study of Mind Mapping Techniques and Traditional Learning Methods

Abstract This paper aims to determine the effects of mind mapping techniques on learners’ academic achievements, attitudes and retention scores through the meta-analysis method. Collected from national and international sources between the years 2005 to 2013, studies which have been applied to the pretest-post-test control group model were chosen for the paper. In this context, 15 studies were included in the meta-analysis, based on the inclusion criteria. For analyses, Comprehensive Meta Analysis and the MetaWin statistical program were used. When the studies of mind mapping concerning random effects model were analyzed, the effect size values of academic achievement, attitude and retention scores were found to be respectively 1.057, 0.627 and 0.431. Thus, the effect size value with regard to academic achievement was found to be large; attitude was medium; and retention was small according to Cohen’s classification. The meta-analytic results indicate that mind mapping has a positive effect on academic achievement, attitude and retention.
Functional response regression with funBART: an analysis of patient-specific stillbirth risk

This article introduces BART with Targeted Smoothing, or tsBART, a new Bayesian tree-based model for nonparametric regression. The goal of tsBART is to introduce smoothness over a single target covariate t, while not necessarily requiring smoothness over other covariates x. TsBART is based on the Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) model, an ensemble of regression trees. TsBART extends BART by parameterizing each tree's terminal nodes with smooth functions of t, rather than independent scalars. Like BART, tsBART captures complex nonlinear relationships and interactions among the predictors. But unlike BART, tsBART guarantees that the response surface will be smooth in the target covariate. This improves interpretability and helps regularize the estimate. After introducing and benchmarking the tsBART model, we apply it to our motivating example: pregnancy outcomes data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Our aim is to provide patient-specific estimates of stillbirth risk across gestational age (t), based on maternal and fetal risk factors (x). Obstetricians expect stillbirth risk to vary smoothly over gestational age, but not necessarily over other covariates, and tsBART has been designed precisely to reflect this structural knowledge. The results of our analysis show the clear superiority of the tsBART model for quantifying stillbirth risk, thereby providing patients and doctors with better information for managing the risk of perinatal mortality. All methods described here are implemented in the R package tsbart.
The mass-ratio and eccentricity distributions of barium and S stars, and red giants in open clusters

Context. A complete set of orbital parameters for barium stars, including the longest orbits, has recently been obtained thanks to a radial-velocity monitoring with the HERMES spectrograph installed on the Flemish Mercator telescope. Barium stars are supposed to belong to post-mass-transfer systems. Aims. In order to identify diagnostics distinguishing between pre- and post-mass-transfer systems, the properties of barium stars (more precisely their mass-function distribution and their period – eccentricity ( P − e ) diagram) are compared to those of binary red giants in open clusters. As a side product, we aim to identify possible post-mass-transfer systems among the cluster giants from the presence of s -process overabundances. We investigate the relation between the s -process enrichment, the location in the ( P − e ) diagram, and the cluster metallicity and turn-o ﬀ mass. Methods. To invert the mass-function distribution and derive the mass-ratio distribution, we used the method pioneered by Bo ﬃ n et al. (1992) that relies on a Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithm. The derivation of s -process abundances in the open-cluster giants was performed through spectral synthesis with MARCS model atmospheres. Results. A fraction of 22% of post-mass-transfer systems is found among the cluster binary giants (with companion masses between 0.58 and 0.87 M (cid:12) , typical for white dwarfs), and these systems occupy a wider area than barium stars in the ( P − e ) diagram. Barium stars have on average lower eccentricities at a given orbital period. When the sample of binary giant stars in clusters is restricted to the subsample of systems occupying the same locus as the barium stars in the ( P − e ) diagram, and with a mass function compatible with a WD companion, 33% ( = 4 / 12) show a chemical signature of mass transfer in the form of s -process overabundances (from rather moderate – about 0.3 dex – to more extreme – about 1 dex). The only strong barium star in our sample is found in the cluster with the lowest metallicity in the sample (i.e. star 173 in NGC 2420, with [Fe / H] = − 0 . 26), whereas the barium stars with mild s -process abundance anomalies (from 0.25 to ∼ 0 . 6 dex) are found in the clusters with slightly subsolar metallicities. Our ﬁnding conﬁrms the classical prediction that the s -process nucleosynthesis is more e ﬃ cient at low metallicities, since the s -process overabundance is not clearly correlated with the cluster turn-o ﬀ (TO) mass; such a correlation would instead hint at the importance of the dilution factor. We also ﬁnd a mild barium star in NGC 2335, a cluster with a large TO mass of 4.3 M (cid:12) , which implies that asymptotic giant branch stars that massive still operate the s -process and the third dredge-up.
Evolutionary choice of markets

We consider an economy where a finite set of agents can trade on one of two asset markets. Due to endogenous participation the markets may differ in the liquidity they provide. Traders have idiosyncratic preferences for the markets, e.g.due to differential time preferences for maturity dates of futures contracts. For a broad range of parameters we find that no trade, trade on both markets (individualization) as well as trade on one market only (standardization) is supported by a Nash equilibrium. By contrast, whenever the number of traders becomes large, the evolutionary process selects a unique stochastically stable state which corresponds to the equilibrium with two active markets and coincides with the welfare maximizing market structure.
Reactivity of the sulfur chains of the tetrasulfane silane Si 69 and the disulfane silane TESPD

In this paper the different reactivities of the di- and polysulfane chains of the silanes TESPD and Si 69 in model systems and under various reaction conditions, similar to those during rubber processing, are described. Due to the different reactivities the polysulfanes of Si 69 limit the upper processing temperature while the stable TESPD tolerates excessive mixing temperatures. The reaction of the disulfane with the polymer is possible only under curing conditions and due to the different reactivities of the di- and polysulfanes the vulcanisation characteristics of silica compounds with Si69 and TESPD are changed. Nevertheless the in-rubber performance of such compounds are similar and hence the disulfane silane has an improved processing safety.
An inventory of river anomalies in the Po Plain, Northern Italy: evidence for active blind thrust faulting

The Po Plain is a low-relief area characterised by active shortening accommodated by blind thrust faulting. In this almost flat region depositional rates are similar to tectonic rates and deformation is seldom expressed by noticeable surface anticlines. We adopted a geomorphological approach based on the detailed analysis of the drainage network to identify the location of active thrust faults. A total of 36 anomalies represented by sudden river diversions and shifts in channel pattern were accurately mapped. After comparison with the location of subsurface buried anticlines and of historical seismicity, these anomalies could be related to a tectonic origin and included in a database. Their distribution highlights the activity of the buried outer thrust fronts of both the Southern Alps and the Northern Apennines. Among all the anomalies, we identified one related to the seismogenic source responsible for the 12 May 1802 earthquake (Me 5.7), which struck the Oglio River Valley near Soncino (Cremona). We propose that this earthquake was generated by an east-west trending, north-dipping, blind thrust fault that roots into the Alpine system. If this inference is correct, other faults along the Southern Alpine margin are potentially seismogenic.
Defect formation in graphene nanosheets by acid treatment: an x-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory study

In-plane defects have been introduced into graphene nanosheets by treatment with hydrochloric acid. Acid treatment induces bond cleavage in the C–C network via electrophilic attack. These resultant vacancy sites will then undergo further reactions with the surrounding ambient to produce C–O and C–H bonds. A σ* resonance at 287 eV in the carbon K-edge x-ray absorption spectra is observed with acid treatment and is assigned to C–O states. Theoretical modelling of a di-vacancy in a graphene bilayer reproduces all essential features of this resonance and in addition predicts a metallic conductivity of states around this vacancy. The possibility of engineering the properties of graphene via the routes explored here is an important step towards establishing strategies for building devices based on this material.
Wastewater Treatment by Using Polyurethane Foams Modified with Bis-[2-ethylhexyl] Phosphoric Acid: Kinetics, Equilibrium and Desorption Studies

Background: Water pollution is an important environmental problem, undoubtedly, the presence of toxic heavy metals forms the main source of water contamination. Sorption characteristics of polyurethane foams modified with bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (DEHPA) for the removal of zinc, lead and cadmium ions from contaminated solutions
Selection rules and line strengths of Zeeman-split dark resonances

In a weak magnetic field coherent dark resonances in cesium vapor are split into up to 15 resolved components, depending on field direction and laser polarizations. We find that the selection rules are different for vapor cells with and without buffer gas due to a change in multipolarity of the two-photon coupling. At low laser intensities or sufficiently high buffer-gas pressure optical pumping between different dark resonances can be neglected so that a simple model allows one to calculate the relative line strengths, giving complete agreement with the experimental spectra. @S1050-2947~98! 00907-X#
Immunopathogenesis Based Adamantiades- Behcet Disease Vasculitis Treatment

All immune cell lineages arise from the multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow. The development and regulation of immune system cells (immune homeostasis) depends on the programmed appearance of specific cell surface molecules (e.g. receptors) and responsiveness to certain cytokines and chemokines. After maturation, the immune system cells include antigen presenting cells (APCs), other phagocytic cells like neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils and lymphocytes which include T lymphocytes, Β lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. Depending on an initial stimulus and the microenvironmental conditions at a given time, each lymphocyte lineage can be subdivided to different populations with discrete specialized functions. Subpopulations of crucial importance are CD4+ T cells (mainly Th1, Th2, Th17 and T regulatory cells) and CD8+ T cells, CD16and CD16+ NK cells and CD5+ and CD5B cells. As a structure, the immune system consists of central locations of immune cell production and differentiation (bone marrow and thymus) and peripheral organs, where encounter with antigen and response to it occurs, that is the spleen, lymph nodes, tonsils and mucosaassociated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Mucosal surfaces and the skin provide the main primary access for foreign antigens to meet cells of the immune system, where they first react primarily with APCs. Innate immunity includes skin and mucosal barriers, as well as the innate immune cells that are triggered and react in minutes after they encounter ‘foreign’ material. The innate immune system, as it represents the first line of host defense against foreign entities, is regarded as a nonspecific system and its main role is to engulf and eliminate pathogens, trigger pro-inflammatory responses and present antigens to adaptive immune cells, which are subsequently activated. More recently it has been shown that the innate immune system has a necessary degree of specificity that enables it to discriminate between self and foreign particles (e.g. microorganisms). Germline encoded and constitutively expressed pattern recognition receptors (PRRs)like Toll receptors on innate immune cells, help them to discriminate highly conserved pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which activate specific signaling pathways that lead to robust but well-defined innate immune responses. Research on innate immunity is progressively uncovering molecular and cellular mechanisms by which it recognizes environment and reacts to it, leading to protective or
Compressibility and residual shear strength of smectitic clays: influence of pore aqueous solutions and organic solvents

Summary This paper reports experimental results relative to the influence of pore fluid composition on liquid limit, compressibility and residual shear strength of three clayey soils: the Ponza bentonite, a commercial bentonite, the Bisaccia clay. Compressibility was evaluated by means of oedometer tests and the residual shear strength was determined by means of direct shear and ring shear tests. The soils were powdered and tested dry and reconstituted with distilled water, salt solutions at various concentrations and organic fluids with different dielectric constants, both lower and higher than that of water. In order to evaluate the influence of pH, some tests were carried out by using HCl solutions. The results show that the effects of so different fluids can be compared directly with reference to their static dielectric constant D. As D increases from 1 to 80, liquid limit and compression index increase and the residual shear strength decreases. The liquid limit of the materials prepared with formamide (D = 110) assumes values very close to those obtained with distilled water, whereas the compression index is slightly lower and the residual shear strength much higher than in water.
Influence of environmental and clinical factors on nasal mucociliary clearance of the students of the Medical University of Silesia

Introduction: Mucociliary transport (MCT) plays a fundamental role in the defense and cleansing of the mucous membranes in the nose and paranasal sinuses. The mechanism of this transport makes the lining of the nose and paranasal sinuses constantly covered with a fresh and moist layer of mucus, which is renewed every 10-15 minutes. The transport tends to be impaired in states of inflammatory and allergic rhinitis, such as chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal polyps, deviated nasal septum, in the presence of air pollutants and other environmental factors. The aim of study was to evaluate the function of the mucous membrane transport manifested as velocity of the substance used in the study (aspartame) from the vestibule of the nose to oropharynx structures. Material and methods: The study was conducted in a group of students (172 females, 49 males) of the Medial University (mean age 22.18 +2.05). Non-variable conditions of temperature and humidity were sustained. Aspartame (pills, 48 mg) was administered to the nostril with subsequent measurement of the appearance of the characteristic sweet taste sensations within the structures of the throat and tongue. Results: The average transport time of the active substance for the study group was 22.77 +13.42 minutes, women 21.36 +13.24 minutes, men 26.51 +12.53 minutes. Conclusion: Extension of transport is directly proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked and duration of smoking. The assessment of mucocilliary clearance is crucial, as its dysfunction may be associated with an increased incidence of chronic diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract in the future, such as chronic sinusitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Making Slovenian Citizens: The Problem of the Former Yugoslav Citizens and Asylum Seekers Living in Slovenia.

Despite the relatively rapid progress made by Slovenia in its post-communist transformation (i.e. statehood building, democratisation, economic reform and Euro-Atlantic integration), several important problems remain regarding the citizenship status and equal treatment of some of its societal groups. Particularly pressing has been the issue of the former Yugoslav citizens and asylum seekers who had resided in the country before its national independence in the early 1990s. It is hypothesised that the current difficulties with providing citizenship to these groups of foreign nationals is due to a certain weakness of the Slovenian state. Moreover, it is assumed that a combination of historical, cultural and transitional, international (global) factors has rendered the state administration unable of dealing with its citizenship problems. Four analytical perspectives towards explaining how the weakness of Slovenian state vis-a-vis domestic and international actors impedes the solution of a particular citizenship issue (i.e. of foreign residents in Slovenia aspiring to obtain citizenship) will be presented. These perspectives are the nation-building (historical/cultural), the democratisation (political), the proceduralconstitutional (legal) and the European (international) perspectives.
Salinity and Alkaline pH in Irrigation Water Affect Marigold Plants: II. Mineral Ion Relations

Scarcity of good-quality water for landscape irrigation is a major concern in arid and semiarid regions as a result of the competition with the urban population. Competing claims from urban, agricultural, environmental, and industrial groups leaves lesswaterorwateroflowerqualityforuseinlandscapemaintenance.Althoughdegraded waters, high in both salinity and alkaline pH, may challenge plant establishment and growth, these waters must be considered as valuable alternatives to the use of fresh water resources for landscape sites. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of irrigation with saline water, with and without pH control, on the mineral ion relations of three marigold cultivars: Flagstaff, Yellow Climax, and French Vanilla. Treatments were five electrical conductivities of irrigation water (ECw): 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 dSm -1 , and two pH levels: 6.4 and 7.8. Plants of 'French Vanilla' and flowering stems of 'Flagstaff' and 'Yellow Climax' were harvested atflower maturity. Leaves of the taller cultivars, Flagstaff and Yellow Climax, were collected separately from the main axis and from the lateral stems, whereas in 'French Vanilla', leaves were combined. Total sulfur,
Summer and winter diet of four carnivorous copepod species around South Georgia

The natural diets of adult female Euchaeta antarctica, E. farrani, E. rasa and E. biloba, as well as male and female copepod stage V E. antarctica, were compared through gut content analyses. Copepods of variable size dominated the diet of all predators during both seasons (46 to 99 % of all food items). Mean number of prey per predator (0.9 to 8.6), as well as the distribution of predators with different numbers of prey in the gut, indicated no general decrease in feeding by Euchaeta spp. during the Antarctic winter. Diet of adults was broad and overlapping in both seasons. During summer, copepod nauplii and the small copepods Drepanopus forcipatus and Oithona spp. dominated the diet of CV E antarctica in the upper 200 m. Nauplii were hardly taken at all by adult E. antarctica in that depth interval. During winter D. forcipatus dominated the diets of both CV and adult E antarctica, and of E. biloba. Among CV female E. antarctica 13 % of individuals took 44 % of all food items during winter. This emphasises the patchy nature of feeding in the sea and indicates the importance of adequate sampling scales and sample size in feeding studies.
Further determinations of strong scintillation effects on GNSS signals using the Hybrid Scintillation Propagation Model

The effect of strong scintillation conditions on GNSS transionospheric paths of propagation is further investigated employing the most recent update of the Hybrid Scintillation Propagation Model (HSPM). The variation of various parameters including spectral indices and other statistical moments of the field is studied as a function of the severity of the signal fluctuations. The correlation time of the complex amplitude of the field is found to rapidly decrease as the scintillation severity increases, but by contrast, the intensity correlation time stays almost constant over a wide range of S4 showing only slight decrease in the model's range of validity. The dependence of the spectral indices of both phase and amplitude on S4 is also determined, and the spectral index of the phase fluctuations tends to 2 for the most severe scintillation, as expected from both experiment and theory. The effect of “canonical fading” is also studied, when, in the conditions of strong scintillation, fast phase changes occur along with deep amplitude fades. The probability of the effect of the “canonical fading” is studied for the conditions of strong scintillation, and the mean time between cycle slips shows a significant decrease as S4 increases. A comparison is also presented between calculated results of S4, spectral indices, and the correlation radii of the complex field and field intensity, utilizing both the HPSM and equivalent phase screen model for both weak and strong scintillation conditions. These show the differences that can occur which can also depend on the equivalent phase screen height.