Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Suspended Particle Characteristics and Composition in Navigation Pool 19 of the Upper Mississippi River

Suspended particles are an essential component of large rivers influencing channel geomorphology, biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, and food web resources. The Upper Mississippi River is a large floodplain river that exhibits pronounced spatiotemporal variation in environmental conditions and biota, providing an ideal environment for investigating dynamics of suspended particles in large river ecosystems. Here we investigated two questions: (i) How do suspended particle characteristics (e.g. size and morphology) vary temporally and spatially? and (ii) What environmental variables have the strongest association with particle characteristics? Water sampling was conducted in June, August, and September of 2013 and 2014 in Navigation Pool 19 of the Upper Mississippi River. A FlowCAM® (Flow Cytometer and Microscope) particle imaging system was used to enumerate and measure particles 53–300 μm in diameter for size and shape characteristics (e.g. volume, elongation, and symmetry). Suspended particle characteristics varied considerably over space and time and were strongly associated with discharge and concentrations of nitrate + nitrite (NO3−) and soluble reactive phosphorus. Particle characteristics in backwaters were distinct from those in other habitats for most of the study period, likely due to reduced hydrologic connectivity and higher biotic production in backwaters. During low discharge, phytoplankton and zooplankton made up relatively greater proportions of the observed particles. Concurrently during low discharge, concentrations of chlorophyll, volatile suspended solids, and total phosphorus were higher. Our results suggest that there are complex interactions among space, time, discharge, and other environmental variables (e.g. water nutrients), which drive suspended particle dynamics in large rivers. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bad and good news for Strassen's laser method: Border rank of the 3x3 permanent and strict submultiplicativity

We determine the border ranks of tensors that could potentially advance the known upper bound for the exponent $\omega$ of matrix multiplication. The Kronecker square of the small $q=2$ Coppersmith-Winograd tensor equals the $3\times 3$ permanent, and could potentially be used to show $\omega=2$. We prove the negative result for complexity theory that its border rank is $16$, resolving a longstanding problem. Regarding its $q=4$ skew cousin in $ C^5\otimes C^5\otimes C^5$, which could potentially be used to prove $\omega\leq 2.11$, we show the border rank of its Kronecker square is at most $42$, a remarkable sub-multiplicativity result, as the square of its border rank is $64$. We also determine moduli spaces $\underline{VSP}$ for the small Coppersmith-Winograd tensors.
The Role of Il-4 −590 (C>T) Gene As A Diagnostic Biomarker Of Hashimoto Thyroiditis Disease Patients In Al-Najaf Provenance /Iraq

: The study of interleukin 4 (IL-4) genotyping in Hashimoto patients is considered one of the challenges of sustainable development. Hashimoto disease is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the cells of the thyroid gland, causing the death of the cells that produce thyroid hormones, and thus leading to chronic hypothyroidism. the current study aims to determine the genotyping of IL-4 -590C>T in the DNA of Hashimoto patients and compared it with healthy subjects. To achieve this goal, blood samples were collected from 54 Hashimoto's disease patients and 25 healthy as control groups, during the period from March 2022 to September 2022. Genomic DNA was obtained from blood samples for molecular analysis to investigate the IL-4 -590 C/T gene polymorphism in patients and the control groups. Genotyping is done by using Amplification Refractory Mutation System – Polymerase Chain Reaction (ARMS-PCR) technique. The current study, included 50/54 females and 4/54 males with Hashimoto thyroiditis with ages ranging from 20-59 years old. The results showed that the age group 40-49 years were the most affected, Also, the body mass index was had increased among patients. The CT genotype is present in 74% of Hashimoto patients while 16% of controls. The C allele was found at a high rate in both patients and control with percentages of 100% and 96% respectively. The Hashimoto patients have more frequency of CT genotyping of IL-4 -590 C>T than control, while C Allele was high in both Hashimoto patients and controls. The - 590 CC genotype in the IL4 gene may consider to be a strong predictive factor for the development of hypothyroidism in Hashimoto disease ( HD).
Survival of Fishes in a Stormwater Retention Pond at the Survival of Fishes in a Stormwater Retention Pond at the Watershed Nature Center

A study of the Upper Pond at the Edwardsville Watershed Nature Center (WNC) was conducted to discover the potential cause of fish kills in the small stormwater retention pond and to determine how the current populations of bluegill ( Lep-omis macrochirus ), redear sunfish ( Lepomis microlophus ), common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) and largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) can survive in the pond based on prevailing environmental conditions. Dissolved oxygen (DO) was measured from June 19 to December 5, 2019 at a site in the center of the open lake (4 m deep) and from a dock near the shore (1.1 m deep). Water temperature was measured intermittently at both sites from June 19 to November 4. In the open lake, oxygen levels reached a peak of 11.6 mg/L at the surface on July 2. Below 2.5 m DO remained less than 1.5 mg/L until Oct. 8 when it slowly began to rise reaching a high of 10.8 on Nov. 20. The dock station had similar oxygen levels. Temperature varied from a high of 31.2 °C on July 21 to a low of 6.5° C on November 3. The low DO in the pond results from a nearly continuous cover of duckweed ( Lemna sps) which prevents interchange of oxygen with the atmosphere. It is likely that the low oxygen levels select for fish species that are physiologically and behaviorally capable of surviving hypoxia.
Association of PCSK-9 with the Biomarkers of Type-2 Diabetes and its Complications in the Indian Population: a Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type-9 (PCSK-9) is a serine protease with profound effects on plasma LDL-C, the major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, plasma PCSK-9 level and its association with the biomarkers of CVDs, diabetes, and associated complications have not yet been reported in the northeastern population of India. METHODS Of the total cohort (n = 233), we analyzed healthy controls (HC; n = 50), freshly diagnosed type-2-diabetes mellitus (T2DM-FD; n = 46), T2DM treated (T2DM-T; n = 49), diabetic nephropathy (T2DM-N; n = 43), and diabetic dyslipidemia (T2DM-DL; n = 45) subjects. Plasma PCSK-9 and other biological determinants associated with T2DM, CVD, and nephrotic dysfunction were assessed. RESULTS The level of plasma PCSK-9 in HC, T2DM-FD, T2DM-T, T2DM-N, and T2DM-DL groups was found to be 184.1 ± 13.83, 183.1 ± 24.4. 3, 241.8 ± 75.42, 403.7 ± 85.94, and 641.3 ± 135.5 ng/mL, respectively, indicating its role in the severity of the here-mentioned complications. Moreover, plasma PCSK-9 levels further showed a significant correlation with the biomarkers of hyperglycemia, particularly HbA1c, as well as LDL-C in T2DM-FD, T2DM-N, and T2DM-DL subjects of the Indian population, while moderate association in T2DM-T subjects. CONCLUSIONS Our first-of-its-kind clinical study aiming to quantify the circulatory PCSK-9 level in the Indian population concluded that elevated PCSK-9 was significantly associated with the severity of diabetes and associated complications. Moreover, such elevation in PCSK-9 might be attributed to the lipid- and glucoselowering medication-induced SREBP-2-dependent mechanisms. Since our conclusion is based on a pilot study, further cohort studies in larger populations of India are required to get a generalization regarding the role of PCSK-9 in DM and associated complications.
Vote budgets and Dodgson’s method of marks

We examine voting rules that are inspired by Dodgson’s method of marks (to be distinguished from the procedure that is commonly referred to as Dodgson’s rule) by means of two criteria. Each voter decides how to allocate a vote budget (which is common to all voters, and need not be exhausted) to the candidates. Our first criterion is a richness condition: we demand that, for any possible preference ordering a voter may have, there is a feasible allocation of votes that reflects these preferences. A (tight) lower bound on the vote budget is established. Adding a strategy-proofness condition as a second criterion, we recommend that the vote budget be given by the lower bound determined in our first result.
Studies on sporo-pollen and environment of Late Quaternary on the front edge of Changjiang River Delta

Six palynological assemblages were distinguished through an intensive study on pollen and spores from Cores G2 and XT2 at the front edge of the Changjiang River Delta. Combined with the data from other cores nearby, six stages about the evolution of vegetation and climate were reconstructed for the Late Quaternary on this area as follows: mixed sparse forest of conifers and deciduous broad-leave trees, reflecting a cold and dry climate (Late Pleistocene); mixed forest of conifers and broad-leave trees-grassland, reflecting a temperate and little moist climate(sub-arctic period); mixed forest of conifers and broad-leave trees with a few evergreen broad-leave trees, reflecting a temperate and slightly dry climate(the boreal period); evergreen broad-leave forest being mainly composed of Castanopsis and Quercus(evergreen), indicating a hot and moist climate(the Atlantic period); mixed forest of conifers and broad-leave trees, indicated by Quercus, Pinus and Artemisia as main element in palynological assemblages, reflecting a warm and little dry climate (the sub-boreal period); mixed forest of deciduous broad-leaves, evergreen broad-leaves and conifers, Quercus(deciduous, evergreen) and pines, being the main components, reflecting a warm and wet climate (the sub-Atlantic period). These fluctuations coincide with the global climatic changes. The present study provides reliable evidence for biostratigraphy and reconstructions of paleovegetaton, paleoclimate and paleoenvironment in this area from the Late Quaternary on.
E-cigarette aerosol exposure of pulmonary surfactant 1 impairs its surface tension reducing function. 2

31 E-cigarette (EC) and vaping use continue to remain popular amongst teenage and young adult 32 populations, despite several reports of vaping associated lung injury. This popularity is due in 33 part to the vast variety of appealing flavours and nicotine concentrations easily accessible on the market. One of the first compounds that EC aerosols comes into contact within the lungs during 35 a deep inhalation is pulmonary surfactant. This lipid protein mixture lines the alveoli, reducing 36 surface tension and preventing alveolar collapse. Impairment of surfactant’s critical surface 37 tension reducing activity can contribute to lung dysfunction. Currently, information on how EC 38 aerosols impacts pulmonary surfactant remains limited. We hypothesized that exposure to EC 39 aerosol impairs the surface tension reducing ability of surfactant. Bovine Lipid Extract 40 Surfactant (BLES) was used as a model surfactant in a direct exposure syringe system. BLES 41 (2ml) was placed in a syringe (30ml) attached to an EC. The generated aerosol was drawn into 42 the syringe and then expelled, repeated 30 times. Biophysical analysis after exposure was 43 completed using a constrained drop surfactometer (CDS). Minimum surface tensions increased 44 after exposure to the EC aerosol. Variation in device used, addition of nicotine, or temperature of 45 the aerosol had no additional effect. Two e-liquid flavours, menthol and red wedding, had further 46 detrimental effects, resulting in higher surface tension than the vehicle exposed BLES. Alteration 47 of surfactant properties through interaction with the produced aerosol was observed with a basic 48 e-liquid vehicle, however additional compounds produced by added flavourings appeared to be 49 able to increase inhibition. In conclusion, EC aerosols alter surfactant function through increases 50 in minimum surface tension. This impairment may contribute to lung dysfunction and 51 susceptibility to further injury. 52
Atmospheric Responses and Feedback to the Meridional Ocean Heat Transport in the North Pacific

AbstractAtmospheric responses and feedback to meridional ocean heat transport (OHT) have been investigated using a global climate model that is interactively connected with a high-resolution regional ocean model embedded in the western North Pacific. Compared with a global climate model without the regional model, the net heat supply into the Kuroshio–Oyashio Extension (KOE) region is increased as a result of the increase of the mean northward ocean heat transport (OHT) by the western boundary currents and mesoscale eddies. Resultant sea surface temperature (SST) rise sharpens the meridional SST gradient and reinforces the cross-frontal difference of the surface heat flux and thereby enhances lower-tropospheric baroclinicity. These changes cause northward deflection and strengthening of the wintertime storm track over the North Pacific, which leads to the Pacific–North American (PNA)-like pattern anticyclonic response of the mean westerly jet. The increase of the eddy northward atmospheric heat flux (AHF).
Data interchange standards in healthcare: semantic interoperability in preoperative assessment

Introduction: Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) should be seamlessly integrated with existing clinical information systems to enable automatic provision of advice at the time and place where decisions are made. It has been suggested that a lack of agreed data standards frequently hampers this integration. We performed a literature review to investigate whether CDSSs used standardized data and which terminological systems have been used to code data. We also investigated whether a lack of standardized data was considered an impediment for CDSS implementation. Methods: The relevant articles were identified based on a former literature review on CDSS and on CDSS studies identified in AMIA’s ‘Year in Review’. Authors of these articles were contacted to check and complete the extracted data. A questionnaire among the authors of included studies was used to determine the obstacles in CDSS implementation. Results: We identified 77 articles published between 1995 and 2008. Twenty-two percent of the included articles used only numerical data in CDSS. Fifty one percent of the studies that used coded data applied an international terminology where ICD (International Classification of Diseases) (68%) and LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) (12) were the most frequently used ones. More than half of the authors experienced barriers in CDSS implementation. In most cases these barriers were related to the lack of electronically available standardized data required to invoke or activate the CDSS. Conclusion: Many CDSSs applied different terminological systems to code data. This diversity hampers the possibility of sharing and reasoning with data within different systems. The results of the survey confirm the hypothesis that data standardization is a critical success factor for CDSS development.
Satellite Thermography for Soil Salinity Assessment of Cropped Areas in Uzbekistan

A change of canopy temperature can indicate stress in vegetation. Use of canopy temperature to assess salt stress in specific plant species has been well studied in laboratory and greenhouse experiments, but its potential for use in landscape‐level studies using remote sensing techniques has not yet been explored. Our study investigated the application of satellite thermography to assess soil salinity of cropped areas at the landscape level. The study region was Syrdarya Province, a salt‐affected, irrigated semi‐arid province of Uzbekistan planted mainly to cotton and wheat. We used moderate‐resolution imaging spectroradiometer satellite images as an indicator for canopy temperature and the provincial soil salinity map as a ground truth dataset. Using analysis of variance, we examined relations among the soil salinity map and canopy temperature, normalized difference vegetation index, enhanced vegetation index, and digital elevation model. The results showed significant correlations between soil salinity and canopy temperature, but the strength of the relation varied over the year. The strongest relation was observed for cotton in September. The calculated F values were higher for canopy temperature than for the other indicators investigated. Our results suggest that satellite thermography is a valuable landscape‐level approach for detecting soil salinity in areas under agricultural crops. © 2016 The Authors. Land Degradation & Development Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Autobiographical memory specificity and proactive interference 1 Reduced autobiographical memory specificity relates to weak resistance to proactive interference

Background and Objectives. Reduced autobiographical memory specificity (rAMS), experiencing intrusive memories, and rumination appear to be risk factors for depression and depressive relapse. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether a weak resistance to proactive interference (PI) might underlie this trio of cognitive risk factors. Resistance to PI refers to being able to ignore cognitive distracters that were previously relevant but became irrelevant for current task goals. Method. Students (N = 65) and depressed patients (N = 37) completed tasks measuring resistance to PI and AMS, and completed questionnaires on intrusive memories and rumination. Results. In both samples, weaker resistance to PI was associated with rAMS. There was no evidence for a relationship between resistance to PI and intrusive memories or rumination. Limitations. As we did not assess other measures of executive functioning, we cannot conclude whether the observed relationship between rumination and PI is due to unique qualities of PI. Conclusions. Difficulties to deliberately recall specific, rather than general or categoric autobiographical memories appear to be related to more general problems with the inhibition of interference of mental distracters. The results are in line with the executive control account of rAMS.
Constitutive model for municipal solid waste considering the effect of biodegradation

With large-scale construction of landfills, the study of the properties of municipal solid waste (MSW) has become an important subject. The objective of this study is to propose a new constitutive model for MSW considering the effect of biodegradation. The indicators representing the degree of biodegradation are first discussed, and the impact of biodegradation on the mechanical properties of MSW is then formulated in volumetric strain by introducing a biodegradation-induced void change parameter, which provides a fundamental understanding of the change in waste properties with long-term biodegradation. On the basis of this, a constitutive model is developed following the framework of critical state soil mechanics, and the proposed model is validated by comparing simulations and experimental data of triaxial tests and of a long-term settlement experiment. Finally, the effects of MSW composition and biodegradation are analysed by parametric studies.
Multi solitary waves to stochastic nonlinear Schr\"odinger equations

In this paper, we present a pathwise construction of multi-soliton solutions for focusing stochastic nonlinear Schr\"odinger equations with linear multiplicative noise, in both the $L^2$-critical and subcritical cases. The constructed multi-solitons behave asymptotically as a sum of $K$ solitary waves, where $K$ is any given finite number. Moreover, the convergence rate of the remainders can be of either exponential or polynomial type, which reflects the effects of the noise in the system on the asymptotical behavior of the solutions. The major difficulty in our construction of stochastic multi-solitons is the absence of pseudo-conformal invariance. Unlike in the deterministic case [47,54], the existence of stochastic multi-solitons cannot be obtained from that of stochastic multi-bubble blow-up solutions in [54,57]. Our proof is mainly based on the rescaling approach in [39], relying on two types of Doss-Sussman transforms, and on the modulation method in [16,44], in which the crucial ingredient is the monotonicity of the Lyapunov type functional constructed by Martel, Merle and Tsai [45]. In our stochastic case, this functional depends on the Brownian paths in the noise.
On the Impact of Entity Cards on Learning-Oriented Search Tasks

Entity cards are a common occurrence in today’s web Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) . SERPs provide information on a complex information object in a structured manner. Typically, they combine data from several search verticals. They have been shown to: (i) increase users’ engagement with the SERP; and (ii) improve decision making for certain types of searches (such as health searches). In this paper, we investigate whether the benefits of showing entity cards also extend to the Search as Learning (SAL) domain. Do learners learn more when entity cards are present on the SERP? To answer this question, we designed a series of learning-oriented search tasks (with a minimum search time of 15 minutes), and conducted a crowdsourced Interactive Information Retrieval (IIR) user study ( 𝑁 = 144) with four interface conditions: (i) a control with no entity cards; (ii) displaying relevant entity cards; (iii) displaying somewhat relevant entity cards; and (iv) displaying non-relevant entity cards. Our results show that (i) entity cards do not have an effect on participants’ learning, but (ii) they do significantly impact participants’ search behaviours across a range of dimensions (such as the dwell time and search session duration).