Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution and Abundance of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) in Southwestern Louisiana

Abstract The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a brackish-water turtle ranging from Texas to Massachusetts, as well as an isolated population on the island of Bermuda. Louisiana likely holds the most available habitat of any other state for the species (over 650,000 ha of brackish and salt marshes), yet little is known about terrapin distribution and abundance throughout coastal Louisiana. Knowledge is particularly scant in southwestern Louisiana, where only 12 specimen records exist, the most recent record being from 1972. We wanted to determine whether 1) terrapin populations persist in historical collection localities, 2) terrapin populations are present in additional coastal marsh localities, and 3) terrapin abundance differs among sites in southwestern Louisiana. We sampled for diamondback terrapins during 2011–2013 at 16 sites across southwestern Louisiana; all sites were near historical localities or other apparently suitable brackish or salt marsh habitats. We used unbaited fyke nets with 7.6- and 15.2-m leads to capture terrapins and manually searched tidal ponds by airboat. Terrapins (n = 490) were captured at 13 of 16 sample sites, with terrapin site abundance varying considerably (CPUE mean: 1.06 terrapins per net day; CPUE range: 0–7.06). High terrapin abundance was always associated with large expanses of unimpounded brackish and salt marshes, whereas low abundance was typically associated with smaller marsh sizes, channels, or bayous that no longer connected to the Gulf of Mexico, and the presence of crab traps. All sites with terrapin captures represent either a new locality or the first record for a locality in over 40 yrs. The results of this study underscore the continued need for better distribution and abundance data for poorly studied portions of a species' range, especially those that are of conservation concern.
Carpe noctem: the importance of bats as bioindicators

: The earth is now subject to climate change and habitat deterioration on unprecedented scales. Monitoring climate change and habitat loss alone is insufficient if we are to understand the effects of these factors on complex biological communities. It is therefore important to identify bioindicator taxa that show measurable responses to climate change and habitat loss and that reflect wider-scale impacts on the biota of interest. We argue that bats have enormous potential as bioindicators: they show taxonomic stability, trends in their populations can be monitored, short- and long-term effects on populations can be measured and they are distributed widely around the globe. Because insectivorous bats occupy high trophic levels, they are sensitive to accumulations of pesticides and other toxins, and changes in their abundance may reflect changes in populations of arthropod prey species. Bats provide several ecosystem services, and hence reflect the status of the plant populations on which they feed and pollinate as well as the productivity of insect communities. Bat populations are affected by a wide range of stressors that affect many other taxa. In particular, changes in bat numbers or activity can be related to climate change (including extremes of drought, heat, cold and precipitation, cyclones and sea level rise), deterioration of water quality, agricultural intensification, loss and fragmentation of forests, fatalities at wind turbines, disease, pesticide use and overhunting. There is an urgent need to implement a global network for monitoring bat populations so their role as bioindicators can be used to its full potential.
Re-evaluating the 1940s CO 2 plateau

Abstract. The high-resolution CO2 record from Law Dome ice core reveals that atmospheric CO2 concentration stalled during the 1940s (so-called CO2 plateau). Since the fossil-fuel emissions did not decrease during the period, this stalling implies the persistence of a strong sink, perhaps sustained for as long as a decade or more. Double-deconvolution analyses have attributed this sink to the ocean, conceivably as a response to the very strong El Nino event in 1940–1942. However, this explanation is questionable, as recent ocean CO2 data indicate that the range of variability in the ocean sink has been rather modest in recent decades, and El Nino events have generally led to higher growth rates of atmospheric CO2 due to the offsetting terrestrial response. Here, we use the most up-to-date information on the different terms of the carbon budget: fossil-fuel emissions, four estimates of land-use change (LUC) emissions, ocean uptake from two different reconstructions, and the terrestrial sink modelled by the TRENDY project to identify the most likely causes of the 1940s plateau. We find that they greatly overestimate atmospheric CO2 growth rate during the plateau period, as well as in the 1960s, in spite of giving a plausible explanation for most of the 20th century carbon budget, especially from 1970 onwards. The mismatch between reconstructions and observations during the CO2 plateau epoch of 1940–1950 ranges between 0.9 and 2.0 Pg C yr−1, depending on the LUC dataset considered. This mismatch may be explained by (i) decadal variability in the ocean carbon sink not accounted for in the reconstructions we used, (ii) a further terrestrial sink currently missing in the estimates by land-surface models, or (iii) LUC processes not included in the current datasets. Ocean carbon models from CMIP5 indicate that natural variability in the ocean carbon sink could explain an additional 0.5 Pg C yr−1 uptake, but it is unlikely to be higher. The impact of the 1940–1942 El Nino on the observed stabilization of atmospheric CO2 cannot be confirmed nor discarded, as TRENDY models do not reproduce the expected concurrent strong decrease in terrestrial uptake. Nevertheless, this would further increase the mismatch between observed and modelled CO2 growth rate during the CO2 plateau epoch. Tests performed using the OSCAR (v2.2) model indicate that changes in land use not correctly accounted for during the period (coinciding with drastic socioeconomic changes during the Second World War) could contribute to the additional sink required. Thus, the previously proposed ocean hypothesis for the 1940s plateau cannot be confirmed by independent data. Further efforts are required to reduce uncertainty in the different terms of the carbon budget during the first half of the 20th century and to better understand the long-term variability of the ocean and terrestrial CO2 sinks.
Quantifying water diffusion in high-viscosity and glassy aqueous solutions using a Raman isotope tracer method

Abstract. Recent research suggests that under certain temperature and relative humidity conditions atmospheric aerosol may be present in the form of a glassy solid. In order to understand the impacts that this may have on aerosol–cloud interactions and atmospheric chemistry, knowledge of water diffusion within such aerosol particles is required. Here, a method is described in which Raman spectroscopy is used to observe D2O diffusion in high-viscosity aqueous solutions, enabling a quantitative assessment of water diffusion coefficients, Dwater, as a function of relative humidity. Results for sucrose solutions compare well with literature data at 23.5 ± 0.3 °C, and demonstrate that water diffusion is slow (Dwater ~5 × 10−17 m2 s−1), but not arrested, just below the glass transition at a water activity of 0.2. Room temperature water diffusion coefficients are also presented for aqueous levoglucosan and an aqueous mixture of raffinose, dicarboxylic acids and ammonium sulphate: at low humidity, diffusion is retarded but still occurs on millisecond to second timescales in atmospherically relevant-sized particles. The effect of gel formation on diffusion in magnesium sulfate solutions is shown to be markedly different from the gradual decrease in diffusion coefficients of highly viscous liquids. We show that using the Stokes–Einstein equation to determine diffusion timescales from viscosity leads to values which are more than 5 orders of magnitude too big, which emphasises the need to make measurements of diffusion coefficients. In addition, comparison of bounce fraction data for levoglucosan with measured diffusion data reveals that even when particles bounce the diffusion timescales for water are a fraction of a second for a 100 nm particle. This suggests a high bounce fraction does not necessarily indicate retarded water diffusion.
Particle Filter Networks with Application to Visual Localization

Particle filtering is a powerful approach to sequential state estimation and finds application in many domains, including robot localization, object tracking, etc. To apply particle filtering in practice, a critical challenge is to construct probabilistic system models, especially for systems with complex dynamics or rich sensory inputs such as camera images. This paper introduces the Particle Filter Network (PFnet), which encodes both a system model and a particle filter algorithm in a single neural network. The PF-net is fully differentiable and trained end-to-end from data. Instead of learning a generic system model, it learns a model optimized for the particle filter algorithm. We apply the PF-net to a visual localization task, in which a robot must localize in a rich 3-D world, using only a schematic 2-D floor map. In simulation experiments, PF-net consistently outperforms alternative learning architectures, as well as a traditional model-based method, under a variety of sensor inputs. Further, PF-net generalizes well to new, unseen environments.
Human-Guided Learning for Probabilistic Logic Models

Advice-giving has been long explored in the artificial intelligence community to build robust learning algorithms when the data is noisy, incorrect or even insufficient. While logic based systems were effectively used in building expert systems, the role of the human has been restricted to being a “mere labeler” in recent times. We hypothesize and demonstrate that probabilistic logic can provide an effective and natural way for the expert to specify domain advice. Specifically, we consider different types of advice-giving in relational domains where noise could arise due to systematic errors or class-imbalance inherent in the domains. The advice is provided as logical statements or privileged features that are thenexplicitly considered by an iterative learning algorithm at every update. Our empirical evidence shows that human advice can effectively accelerate learning in noisy, structured domains where so far humans have been merely used as labelers or as designers of the (initial or final) structure of the model.
Wetland eco-engineering: Measuring and modeling feedbacks of oxidation processes between plants and clay-rich material

Abstract. Interest is growing in using soft sediment as a foundation in eco-engineering projects. Wetland construction in the Dutch lake Markermeer is an example: here, dredging some of the clay-rich lake-bed sediment and using it to construct wetland will soon begin. Natural processes will be utilized during and after construction to accelerate ecosystem development. Knowing that plants can eco-engineer their environment via positive or negative biogeochemical plant–soil feedbacks, we conducted a 6-month greenhouse experiment to identify the key biogeochemical processes in the mud when Phragmites australis is used as an eco-engineering species. We applied inverse biogeochemical modeling to link observed changes in pore water composition to biogeochemical processes. Two months after transplantation we observed reduced plant growth and shriveling and yellowing of foliage. The N : P ratios of the plant tissue were low, and these were affected not by hampered uptake of N but by enhanced uptake of P. Subsequent analyses revealed high Fe concentrations in the leaves and roots. Sulfate concentrations rose drastically in our experiment due to pyrite oxidation; as reduction of sulfate will decouple Fe-P in reducing conditions, we argue that plant-induced iron toxicity hampered plant growth, forming a negative feedback loop, while simultaneously there was a positive feedback loop, as iron toxicity promotes P mobilization as a result of reduced conditions through root death, thereby stimulating plant growth and regeneration. Given these two feedback mechanisms, we propose the use of Fe-tolerant species rather than species that thrive in N-limited conditions. The results presented in this study demonstrate the importance of studying the biogeochemical properties of the situated sediment and the feedback mechanisms between plant and soil prior to finalizing the design of the eco-engineering project.
Parental Awareness of Oral Function and Development of Children with Down Syndrome– An Online Questionnaire Study

While most case-control studies on children with DS tend to use convenience based sampling, the matching of children with DS to unaffected siblings allows researchers to view with greater depth the problems of these individuals from a parental perspective [14]. There is currently no study in literature that has attempted to describe the oral function and development of children in Saudi Arabia in this manner. Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability, occurring in approximately 1 in 700 live births [1]. The prevalence of DS in Saudi Arabia is considerably higher, and has been estimated at 1 in 554 live births [2]. The characteristic oral features of DS [3,4], dental problems of these individuals [5,6], and the importance of oral care for individuals with DS [7,8] are topics that have been studied and reviewed in detail. It has been noted that though several studies have focused extensively on the prevalence and management of oral diseases in several countries the concept of oral function has received far less attention [9]. Despite the high prevalence of DS in Saudi Arabia, the studies on the oral health of children with DS have been limited and have focused on access to dental care and oral hygiene practices rather than oral function and development [10,11].
Evaluating the importanceenvironmental drivers of Species variability and connectivity in the deep sea : evaluating effects of spatial heterogeneity variability in and forand hydrodynamicsfree-living nematode assemblagess in the deep seaalong the Portuguese margin 5

Understanding processes responsible for shaping biodiversity patterns on continental margins is an important requirement for 20 comprehending anthropogenic impacts in these environments. Continental margins perform crucial functions which are mainly structured by hydrodynamic effects and surface primary productivityproductivity and POC flux to the seafloor, but also by heterogeneity in seafloor characteristics. However, to what extent these processes control benthic local and regional biodiversity remains unclear. In this study, we focused on two isobathic parallel transects to test if food resources arriving at the seafloor and habitat sediment heterogeneityhydrodynamic effects affect nematode alpha and beta diversity at different 25 depths in similar ways. We also examined the potential role of connectednesstivity between both depths as a result of dispersal. This is the first study applying integrative approaches using molecular and morphological techniques in combination with environmental factors to unravel spatial variability and connectivity in relation to depth in the deep sea along the margin. Results revealed that high variability in resource availability is directly linked to high alpha diversity and spatial heterogeneity, and that communities dwelling in deeper regions are able to use resources complementarily promoting species coexistence. 30 Our study also demonstrated that higher hydrodynamics bottom stress at the shallower habitats near the shelf break, as inferred from the high sediment heterogeneity, promoted variation in community structure across stations (higher beta diversity)
Implementation of SEMIZENTRAL: An Integrated Infrastructure Approach for Fast-Growing Cities

SEMIZENTRAL is an integrated, district-related infrastructure approach that has been developed for fast-growing cities, in order to meet their challenges in regard to the supply of water and the treatment of biowaste and wastewater. SEMIZENTRAL is characterised by high resource efficiency. In Qingdao (People’s Republic of China), the SEMIZENTRAL Resource Recovery Centre (RRC) has been implemented for the first time worldwide, in full-scale. Water being reused for toilet flushing and irrigation is derived from greywater and blackwater from the catchment area of the RRC. Due to the integration of food waste into the anaerobic sludge treatment, the production of biogas and electricity within the RRC is increased, thus enabling an energy self-sufficient operation. The effects of source separation of wastewater and the integration of food waste on process design, energy balance, and discharged nutrient loads are evaluated. Water reuse can save energy, compared to alternative water resources. The discharged nutrient load from the wastewater treatment to the receiving water bodies decreases considerably. Nevertheless, the effort required for wastewater treatment increases.
Modeling analysis of the seasonal characteristics of haze formation in Beijing

Abstract. The air quality modeling system RAMS-CMAQ (Regional Atmospheric Modeling System–Community Multiscale Air Quality), coupled with an aerosol optical property scheme, was applied to simulate the meteorological field, major aerosol components (sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, black carbon, organic carbon, dust, and sea salt), and surface visibility over the North China Plain (NCP) in 2011. The modeled results in February and July 2011 were selected and analyzed to obtain an in-depth understanding of the haze formation mechanism in Beijing for different seasons. The simulation results showed that the visibility was below 10 km for most regions of the NCP, and dropped to less than 5 km over the megacities of Beijing and Tianjin, the whole of Hebei Province, and the northwest part of Shandong Province during pollution episodes in February and July. The heavy mass concentration of PM2.5 ranged from 120 to 300 μg m−3 and was concentrated in the areas with low visibility. The haze formation mechanism in Beijing in winter was different from that in summer. The mass concentration of PM2.5 was higher, and the components more complicated, in winter. While the mass concentration of PM2.5 in summer was lower than that in winter, the mass concentrations of hygroscopic inorganic salts were comparable with those in winter, and the relative humidity was, as expected, higher. Therefore, the water uptake of hygroscopic aerosols played a key role in summer. Moreover, the analysis showed that the influence of the PM2.5 mass burden on visibility was very weak when its value was larger than 100 μg m−3. Only when the mass burden of PM2.5 decreased to a certain threshold interval did the visibility increase rapidly. This indicates that, when emission reduction measures are taken to control haze occurrence, the mass burden of PM2.5 must be cut to below this threshold interval. The relationship between the threshold of haze occurrence and the relative humidity in Beijing was fitted by an exponential function, and the resulting fitting curves could provide a new theoretical basis to understand and control haze formation in Beijing.
The onset of convection in horizontally partitioned porous layers

In this paper, the onset of convection in a horizontally partitioned porous layer is investigated. Two identical sublayers are separated by a thin impermeable barrier. There exists a background horizontal flow in one of the layers or, equivalently, flows of half that strength in each sublayer but in opposite directions. A linearised stability analysis is performed where the horizontal component of the disturbance is factored into separate Fourier modes, leaving an ordinary differential eigenvalue problem for the critical Darcy-Rayleigh number as a function of the wavenumber. The dispersion relation is derived and the neutral stability curves are obtained for a wide range of horizontal flow rates. The presence of the horizontal flow alters the morphology of the neutral curves from that which occurs when there is no flow and travelling modes may arise. We also determine the condition under which the most dangerous disturbance changes from a stationary mode to travelling mode. Some three-dimensional aspects are also considered.
The role of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

This chapter is concerned with the role of physical activity and exercise prescription as components in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. First, the evidence for the diabetes-specific health benefits of physical activity is summarised and the physiological mechanisms are pointed out. Studies of medical comorbidities of diabetes are discussed. Recommendations for physical activity and exercise in the prevention and control of type 2 diabetes are provided, and challenges in the implementation of such strategies are discussed.
Effects of Systolic Blood Pressure on Brain Integrity in Multiple Sclerosis

Background: In MS patients, hypertension is associated with a delayed diagnosis and an increased risk of progression. Understanding the mechanisms of this association could potentially lead to improved prevention of disease progression. We aimed to establish whether high blood pressure contributes to white-matter injury and brain atrophy in MS. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 95 patients with RRMS. Estimates of fractional anisotropy, gray-matter volume and lesion load were obtained from 3T MRI. We used fractional anisotropy voxel-based statistics to establish the effect of blood pressure on white matter tracts. Additionally, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to study the effect on gray matter integrity. Results: Only 29.5% had normal blood pressure levels, with 52.6% suffering from prehypertension and 17.9% with hypertension. Increasing systolic blood pressure was associated with damage to posterior white-matter tracts as well as greater levels of gray matter atrophy, in particular in the frontal cortex. Age-adjusted linear regression indicated that neither lesion volume (β = 0.002, 95%CI: 0.02–0.02; p = 0.85) or lesion number (β = −0.004, 95%CI: 0.03–0.02; p = 0.74) were associated with systolic blood pressure. Conclusions: Prehypertension and hypertension are frequent in MS. Increased blood pressure is related to white- and gray-matter integrity, both related to MS disability outcomes. These findings suggest attention to the control of blood pressure in MS patients.
A cross-linguistic corpus-assisted discourse analysis

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