Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Threshold Shear Strain for Cyclic Pore-Water Pressure in Cohesive Soils

Threshold shear strain for cyclic pore-water pressure, γt , is a fundamental property of fully saturated soils subjected to undrained cyclic loading. At cyclic shear strain amplitude, γc , larger than γt residual cyclic pore-water pressure changes rapidly with the number of cycles, N , while at γc < γt such changes are negligible even at large N . To augment limited experimental data base of γt in cohesive soils, five values of γt for two elastic silts and a clay were determined in five special cyclic Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI)-type direct simple shear (NGI-DSS), constant volume equivalent undrained tests. Threshold γt was also tested on one sand, with the results comparing favorably to published data. The test results confirm that γt in cohesive soils is larger than in cohesionless soils and that it generally increases with the soil’s plasticity index (PI). For the silts and clay having PI=14–30, γt =0.024–0.06% was obtained. Limited data suggest that γt in plastic silts and clays practically.
Velocity Probability Density Functions for Oceanic Floats

Probability density functions (PDFs) of daily velocities from subsurface floats deployed in the North Atlantic and equatorial Atlantic Oceans are examined. In general, the PDFs are approximately Gaussian for small velocities, but with significant exponential tails for large velocities. Correspondingly, the kurtoses of the distributions are greater than three. Similar PDFs are found in both western and eastern regions, above and below 1000-m depth, with more significant non-Gaussianity in the North Atlantic than at the equator. Analogously, Lagrangian statistics in decaying two-dimensional turbulence also display non-Gaussian velocity PDFs with approximately exponential tails, in the limit of large Reynolds number.
Beachrock as Sea-Level Indicator? Remarks from a Geomorphological Point of View

Abstract In the catalogue of sea-level indicators, beachrock plays a significant role because of its wide distribution and extension on long stretches of coastlines. Most publications, however, deal with beachrock cements rather than their incorporation into the coastal environment and its evolution. The relic character and age of most beachrocks has been overlooked, and beachrocks are called “modern” because of their position at or close to sea level. The question arises as to why we have so many beachrocks in a state of destruction, but nearly none in statu nascendi today. An examination of the extension and thickness of cementation, and of the independent indicators of the sea-level history in beachrock occurrences suggests that the relation of beachrock cementation to the tidal levels or to a water table in the beach sediments is very doubtful. There are many more arguments and proofs that place beachrock cementation within the supratidal environment. Only by taking into consideration all aspects of coastal evolution at a certain site can beach-rock be used as a tool for identifying part of a coast's evolutionary history.
The Cost of Diversity : The Diversi cation Discount and Ine cient Investment

We model the distortions that internal power struggles can generate in the allocation of resources between divisions of a diversi ed rm. The model predicts that if divisions are similar in the level of their resources and opportunities, funds will be transferred from divisions with poor opportunities to divisions with good opportunities. When diversity in resources and opportunities increases, however, resources can ow towards the most ine cient division. This leads to more ine cient investment and less valuable rms. We test these predictions on a panel of diversi ed rms in the U.S. during the period 1980 to 1993 and nd evidence consistent with them. The fundamental question in the theory of the rm, raised by Coase (1937) more than 60 years ago, is how do decisions taken inside a hierarchy di er from those taken in the marketplace. Coase suggested that decisions within a hierarchy are determined by power considerations rather than relative prices. If this is indeed the case, why, and when, does the hierarchy dominate the market? A major obstacle to progress in this area has been the lack of data. Data on internal decisions made by rms are generally proprietary. Even when they are available to researchers, it is di cult to nd a relevant comparison group of decisions taken in the market. A notable exception is the capital allocation decision in diversi ed rms. Since 1978, public U.S. companies have been forced to disclose their data on sales, pro tability, and investments by major lines of business (segments). An analysis of a small sample of multi-segment rms reveals that segments correspond, by and large, to distinct internal units of the rm. Since the investment decision is perhaps the most important of corporate decisions, these data allow researchers an opportunity to compare decisions taken by units within hierarchies with decisions taken by independent units in the same industry, and thus obtain insights on how hierarchies and markets di er. Previous research (Lamont (1997) and Shin and Stulz (1998)) has shown that resource allocation in diversi ed rms does appear di erent from that in focused rms and seems to ignore traditional market indicators of the value of investment such as Tobin's q. Moreover, there seems to be a connection between resource (mis-)allocation and the value of diversi ed rms. Berger and Ofek (1995) nd that investment by diversi ed rms in segments that have low q is correlated with the discount at which these rms trade. So perhaps such misallocation
Long-term Outcomes of Mechanical Valve Replacement in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Impact of the Maze Procedure

The following are highlights from the new series, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes Topic Reviews. This series will summarize the most important manuscripts, as selected by the Editor, which have been published in the Circulation portfolio. The objective of this new series is to provide our readership with a timely, comprehensive selection of important papers that are relevant to the quality and outcomes as well as general cardiology audience. The studies included in this article represent the most significant research in the area of valvular heart disease. (Circ Cardiovasc Quality and Outcomes. 2012;5:e95-e103.)
Comparing landscape-based decision rules for placement of fuel treatments in the boreal mixedwood of western Canada

The present study used a rule-based approach to prioritise locations of fuel treatments in the boreal mixedwood forest of western Canada. The analysis, which was conducted in and around PrinceAlbert National Park, Saskatchewan, was based on burn probability (BP) mapping using the Burn-P3 (Probability, Prediction, and Planning) model. Fuel treatment locations were determined according to three rule-sets and five fuel treatment intensities. Fuel treatments were located according to BP only; jurisdictional boundaries and BP; and non-flammable landscape features, BP, and fuel treatment orientation. First, a baseline BP map was created from the original (i.e. unmodified) fuels grid. Fuel treatments were then added to the selected areas and BP maps produced for each combination of rule-set and treatment intensity. BP values for the treated landscapes were compared with those of the baseline BP map. Results varied substantially among scenarios. Locating fuel treatments as a function of the jurisdictional boundaries and BP yielded the lowest reduction in BP. Results suggest that clumping fuel treatments within a limited area or using landscape features to maximise the large-scale spatial benefits of the fuel treatments can significantly reduce landscape-level BP. Although these two strategies may produce similar overall reductions in BP, their appropriateness and utility depend on management objectives.
Role of neutral wind in the performance of artificial neural‐network based TEC models at diverse longitudes in the low latitudes

The equatorial ionosphere is characterized by (i) large values of total electron content (TEC) and sharp latitudinal gradients of TEC, (ii) steep temporal variation of TEC, (iii) large diurnal variation of TEC, and (iv) postsunset secondary enhancement of TEC. These features cause major limitations in the accuracy of standard ionospheric TEC models in this region. Three artificial neural‐network (ANN) based models have been developed based on real‐time low‐latitude TEC data along 77°E, 88°E, and 121°E longitudes in the region between the magnetic equator and locations beyond the northern crest of equatorial ionization anomaly to predict the vertical TEC values. ANN models have shown more accurate predictions than other standard ionospheric TEC models like International Reference Ionosphere, Parameterized Ionospheric Model, and NeQuick. The effects of the neutral wind in the variation of TEC are significant and have been incorporated as inputs to these ANN models. The outputs with neutral wind incorporated shows better correspondence with measured TEC than the models without neutral wind inputs. The longitudinally separated models have been used to find any longitudinal differences in TEC along equatorial regions. The causes behind the longitudinal differences in TEC and its diurnal variations in these regions have been explained in terms of the geomagnetic declination and inclination angles along with the role of zonal wind.
Examination of the Impact of a Coupled Atmospheric and Ocean Wave System. Part I: Atmospheric Aspects

Abstract To take into account the change of surface roughness length induced by ocean waves, a coupled atmospheric and ocean wave model system is developed. A two-way coupling is done between a mesoscale atmospheric model, MC2, and an oceanic wave model, a regional version of WAM Cycle-4. Two different approaches, based on the wave age of Smith et al. and the wave-induced stress of Janssen, are used to compute a coupling parameter, called the Charnock parameter, expressed as the nondimensional surface roughness length. The coupling between the two models is accomplished by the use of this parameter, which is a function of sea state, instead of the constant value obtained from empirical studies using the well-known Charnock relation. The coupled atmospheric and ocean wave system was applied to four intense storms in the western Atlantic, to examine the impact of the two-way interaction using real midlatitude storm cases. In Part I, the atmospheric forecasts resulting from this two-way coupling are discusse.
Reactive oxygen species as double-edged swords in cellular processes: low-dose cell signaling versus high-dose toxicity

ROS are diverse and abundant in biological systems. While excessive ROS production clearly damages DNA, low levels of ROS affect cell signaling particularly at the level of redox modulation. Moreover, the specific contributions of ROS to apoptosis and mitogenesis in maintenance of cell number homeostasis remains to be elucidated. ROS dose is a critical parameter in determining the ultimate cellular response; however the shape of the dose response curve is unpredictable. When cells are stimulated with ROS, cell-signaling cascades are activated. It appears that the cellular redox potential is an important determinant of cell function and interruption of redox balance may adversely affect cell function. As a result, compounds such as antioxidants may intercept critical ROS signaling molecules and both protect cells and foster pathogenesis. As a result, further study is needed to unravel the role of ROS in redox regulation and the potential outcome of antioxidant administration on cellular responses.
Cooperativity of E-cadherin and Smad4 Loss to Promote Diffuse-Type Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastasis

Loss of E-cadherin (CDH1), Smad4, and p53 has been shown to play an integral role in gastric, intestinal, and breast cancer formation. Compound conditional knockout mice for Smad4, p53, and E-cadherin were generated to define and compare the roles of these genes in gastric, intestinal, and breast cancer development by crossing with Pdx-1-Cre, Villin-Cre, and MMTV-Cre transgenic mice. Interestingly, gastric adenocarcinoma was significantly more frequent in Pdx-1-Cre;Smad4F/F;Trp53F/F;Cdh1F/+ mice than in Pdx-1-Cre;Smad4F/F;Trp53F/F;Cdh1+/+ mice, demonstrating that Cdh1 heterozygosity accelerates the development and progression of gastric adenocarcinoma, in combination with loss of Smad4 and p53. Pdx-1-Cre;Smad4F/F;Trp53F/F;Cdh1F/+ mice developed gastric adenocarcinomas without E-cadherin expression. However, intestinal and mammary adenocarcinomas with the same genetic background retained E-cadherin expression and were phenotypically similar to mice with both wild-type Cdh1 alleles. Lung metastases were identified in Pdx-1-Cre;Smad4F/F;Trp53F/F;Cdh1F/+ mice, but not in the other genotypes. Nuclear β-catenin accumulation was identified at the invasive tumor front of gastric adenocarcinomas arising in Pdx-1-Cre;Smad4F/F;Trp53F/F;Cdh1F/+ mice. This phenotype was less prominent in mice with intact E-cadherin or Smad4, indicating that the inhibition of β-catenin signaling by E-cadherin or Smad4 downregulates signaling pathways involved in metastases in Pdx-1-Cre;Smad4F/F;Trp53F/F;Cdh1F/+ mice. Knockdown of β-catenin significantly inhibited the migratory activity of Pdx-1-Cre;Smad4F/F;Trp53F/F;Cdh1F/+ cell lines. Thus, loss of E-cadherin and Smad4 cooperates with p53 loss to promote the development and metastatic progression of gastric adenocarcinomas, with similarities to human gastric adenocarcinoma. Implications: This study demonstrates that inhibition of β-catenin is a converging node for the antimetastatic signaling pathways driven by E-cadherin and Smad4 in Pdx-1-Cre;Smad4F/F;Trp53F/F;Cdh1F/+ mice, providing novel insights into mechanisms for gastric cancer metastasis. Mol Cancer Res; 12(8); 1088–99. ©2014 AACR.
Hydrodynamic experiments on the impacts of vehicle blockages at bridges

Most urban rivers carry much natural debris, such as vehicles and trees, during extreme flood events, and these large debris, particularly vehicles, can block a local hydraulic structure such as a bridge. Such blockages usually increase the upstream water levels and cause more water to be diverted into adjacent urban areas. A scaled physical river model was constructed in a laboratory flume, consisting of a sketched urban reach with a compound cross‐sectional geometry, and experiments were conducted on three model bridges, blocked by vehicles, with the corresponding hydrodynamic impacts of these vehicles blocking bridges being investigated. The main findings obtained from the investigation show that (i) the upstream water depths in the urban river increased significantly due to the vehicle blockage, for the single opening arch bridge and the straight deck bridge, while the upstream depths increased slightly for the three‐opening straight deck bridge; (ii) the non‐uniformity in the velocity profiles varied along the channel centreline, with the exponents in the power‐law velocity distribution reaching their maximum values around the first two blocked model bridges, while the exponent values changed slightly along the channel for the third model bridge due to the middle opening not being blocked; and (iii) the downstream mean velocity was slightly greater than the upstream velocity for the first two cases, with the minimum value occurring just downstream of the bridge. However, the depth‐averaged velocities just downstream of the bridge were relatively higher for the third case. Therefore, the obstruction caused by vehicle blockage at bridges has significant impacts on the hydrodynamic characteristics in an urban reach, and these impacts depend on the specified bridge type and the blockage mode.
Effects of Particle Crushing in Stress Drop-Relaxation Experiments on Crushed Coral Sand

Stress relaxation and stress drop-relaxation tests have been performed to complement a test series performed to study strain rate, creep, and stress drop-creep effects on crushed coral sand. Drained experiments with constant effective confining pressure of 200 kPa were performed in which triaxial specimens of crushed coral sand were loaded to initial stress differences of 500, 700, and 900 kPa, followed by stress drops of 0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 kPa at which points the axial strains were kept constant while the axial stress relaxation and the volumetric strains were observed. The stress drops produced delays in initiation of stress relaxation that were proportional with the magnitudes of the stress drops. The experiments show that sands do not exhibit classic viscous effects, and their behavior is indicated as "nonisotach," while the typical viscous behavior of clay is termed "isotach. " Thus, there are significant differences in the time-dependent behavior patterns of sands and clay. A mechanistic picture of time effects in sands is proposed.
The International Center for Research on the Management of Technology The Effects of Social Capital on the Technological Performance of the Firm : A Longitudinal Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of how technological performance of the firm is embedded in a social network of interorganizational relationships. The set of past and present interorganizational relationships is aggregated into the social capital of the firm. Social capital, through diversity of partnerships as measured by closeness centrality, and through number of partners with repeated transactions, arguably facilitates the firm's access to external information and other resources. This study therefore proposes that firms with greater access to social capital are likely to have higher technological performance, as measured by whether these firms obtain technical excellence awards for their new products. The study reports on a pooled time-series analysis of 50 of the top firms in the connectivity market of the U.S. data communications industry from 1991-1996. The findings suggest that social capital is significantly and positively correlated with the technological performance of the firm. However, the correlation is weakened by the presence of unobserved firm effects. Finally, no statistical difference between a cumulated measure and a three-year measure of social capital is found.
Investigating the Role of Eagles as Accumulating Agents in the Dolomitic Cave Infills of South Africa

The potential importance of large raptors as accumulators of early hominis was highligted by the suggestion that the Taung Child was killed and deposited an eagle (Berger & Clarke (1995) Journal of Human Evolution, 29: 275-299), and it has been hypothesized that eagles might have had a significant impact on the evolution of predator avoidance behaviors in early hominins (Berger & McGraw (2007) South African Journal of Science, 103: 496-498). In the study, we cave infills of South Africa to a series of modern eagle-derived bone accumulations. We Valley that allow us to source fossils to particular geological subtrates. Of the fourteen discrete faunal assemblages examined, nine were inconsistent with eagles as accumulators of procaviids or cercopithecids, while five revealed possible, though not definitive, evidence of eagle involment. A lack of support for eagles as collectors of the smaller mammals that make up their typical prey weakens the hypothesis that eagles represented a significant threat to the large, presumably more difficult to capture, juvenile hominins. The majority of the animals sampled for 87Sr/86 Sr ratios at Swartkrans were consistent with being derived from local dolomites, including fuor Papio specimens, while we documented a non-local origin for a single procaviid and a single bovid from the Hanging Remnant of Member 1. In contrast, all of the procaviid specimens and a single bovid specimen from Sterkfontein Member 4 exhibited non-local strontium signals. Turning to the Taung Child, at present a clear link between it and the original Taung faunal assemblage examined by Raymond Dart cannot be established. In addition, preparation damage cannot be ruled out as the sourece of several marks on the Taung skull that have been putatively assigned to eagle talon damage. As a result, the hypothesized influence of large raptors such as eagles on the evolution of predator avoidance strategies in early hominins remains intriguing but unsubstantiated.
R Water Quality Impacts : An Assessment and Synthesis of Forty Years of Drainage Nitrogen Losses

The intersection of agricultural drainage and nutrient mobility in the environment has led to multiscale water quality concerns. This work reviewed and quantitatively analyzed nearly 1,000 site-years of subsurface tile drainage nitrogen (N) load data to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of 4R practices (application of the right source of nutrients, at the right rate and time, and in the right place) within drained landscapes across North America. Using drainage data newly compiled in the “Measured Annual Nutrient loads from AGricultural Environments” (MANAGE) database, relationships were developed across N application rates for nitrate N drainage loads and corn (Zea mays L.) yields. The lack of significant differences between N application timing or application method was inconsistent with the current emphasis placed on application timing, in particular, as a water quality improvement strategy (p = 0.934 and 0.916, respectively). Broad-scale analyses such as this can help identify major trends for water quality, but accurate implementation of the 4R approach will require site-specific knowledge to balance agronomic and environmental goals. 4R Water Quality Impacts: An Assessment and Synthesis of Forty Years of Drainage Nitrogen Losses
Major Depositional Cycles and Regional Correlations of Upper Cretaceous Rocks, Southern Colorado Plateau and Adjacent Areas

Abstract As much as 2,350 m (7,710 ft) of Upper Cretaceous rocks once covered much of the southern Colorado Plateau and adjacent areas. Deformation, uplift, and erosion in Tertiary time removed these rocks in most of the area. Preservation in basinal areas, however, is sufficient to reconstruct the depositional history of these rocks and to map the shorelines of the major transgressions and regressions of the Western Interior seaway that occurred in the area. Most of the deposition took place during regressions and, in ascending order, consisted of offshore pelitic deposits, coastal, deltaic and interdeltaic deposits, and alluvial plain deposits. Most of the regressive deposits rose significantly in stratigraphic position as they prograded, generally to the northeast, as the result of basin subsidence or sea-level rise. At least 1,555 m (5,100 ft) of relative sea-level rise (or subsidence) was necessary to accommodate the total Upper Cretaceous section. Five major transgressive-regressive cycles are recognized. These cycles, which range in age from Cenomanian to early Maestrichtian, are designated T1-R1 to T5-R5. The R2 regression, which is the Gallup regression, appears to be unique to New Mexico and northeasternmost Arizona. The initial Cenomanian-early Turonian (Greenhorn) transgression was the most extensive throughout the area; each succeeding cycle did not transgress as far landward as the preceding cycle, indicating an overall filling of that part of the Western Interior seaway. Although the major cycles are correlatable in the southern Colorado Plateau area, faunal evidence indicates that some of the cycles are diachronous, being slightly younger to the northwest.