Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Land Use Impact on the Spatial and Seasonal Variation of the Contaminant Loads to Abou Ali River and Its Coastal Zone in North Lebanon

Assessment of contaminant loads to surface water bodies is important for the proper use and management of these water resources. Many pollution assessment studies have focused on heavily polluted rivers of industrialized countries as well as major rivers in other less developed countries. Studies concerning relatively small rivers in developing countries are rather limited although water quality in such rivers may be impacted by human activity and land use patterns resulting in considerable ecological changes. This study assesses the land use impact on water quality in the Abou Ali River Basin and its coastal zone in North Lebanon, based on multiple indicators, primarily concentrations of nutrients, metals and pesticides. The assessment was conducted during the dry season in 2002 and wet season in 2003. The water quality of the Abou Ali River is not significantly degraded (as generally perceived) and exhibits slight seasonal differences in the interaction between land use and water quality. The worst water quality is apparent in the Tripoli area where the total pollution of the upstream flow accumulates exacerbated by local wastewater discharge. The steep profile of the Abou Ali River flushes contaminants towards the estuary and the sea. Future work requires the development of the approach that assists in evaluating current and future environmental conditions at a river/estuary/sea interface within a rigorous framework.
Partial advection of equidensity surfaces: A solution for the dynamic topography problem?

Although one-layer dynamic models of the Earth's mantle have successfully explained the geoid, they generate a surface dynamic topography that seems too large relative to geological observations. In this study, we hypothesize the possibility of partial advection of mantle equidensity surfaces by vertical motion induced by “driving” loads. These large-scale “flow-dependent” loads would greatly reduce the dynamic topography amplitude, while preserving a good fit to the observed geoid. Various physical processes related to nonequilibrium phase changes or to the existence of chemical heterogeneity in the mantle could justify a partial advection of the mean density. In this paper, we simply consider the flow-dependent loads as proportional to the vertical flow velocity. Two density mantle models are considered, one from subduction reconstruction [Ricard et al., 1993] and one from seismic tomography [Li and Romanowicz, 1995]. We show that a very moderate entrainment (a few kilometers) of the equidensity surfaces in the transition zone is sufficient to reduce dynamic topography amplitude by a factor of 2 or 3. The seismic velocity signal associated with this entrainment would be hidden by the signal of thermal origin. Using this new hypothesis, we compute sea level changes associated with epeirogeny for the Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Oligocene periods. The amplitude and phase of these changes are in fairly good agreement with geological hypsometric curves. Our results suggest that not only the thermodynamics, but also the kinetics of mineralogical phase changes in the transition zone are of crucial importance.
Loss-of-function mutations in the co-chaperone protein BAG5 cause dilated cardiomyopathy requiring heart transplantation

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of heart failure, characterized by ventricular dilatation and systolic dysfunction. Familial DCM is reportedly caused by mutations in more than 50 genes, requiring precise disease stratification based on genetic information. However, the underlying genetic causes of 60 to 80% of familial DCM cases remain unknown. Here, we identified that homozygous truncating mutations in the gene encoding Bcl-2–associated athanogene (BAG) co-chaperone 5 (BAG5) caused inherited DCM in five patients among four unrelated families with complete penetrance. BAG5 acts as a nucleotide exchange factor for heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein (HSC70), promoting adenosine diphosphate release and activating HSC70-mediated protein folding. Bag5 mutant knock-in mice exhibited ventricular dilatation, arrhythmogenicity, and poor prognosis under catecholamine stimulation, recapitulating the human DCM phenotype, and administration of an adeno-associated virus 9 vector carrying the wild-type BAG5 gene could fully ameliorate these DCM phenotypes. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that BAG5 localized to junctional membrane complexes (JMCs), critical microdomains for calcium handling. Bag5-mutant mouse cardiomyocytes exhibited decreased abundance of functional JMC proteins under catecholamine stimulation, disrupted JMC structure, and calcium handling abnormalities. We also identified heterozygous truncating mutations in three patients with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy, a reversible DCM subtype associated with abnormal calcium homeostasis. Our study suggests that loss-of-function mutations in BAG5 can cause DCM, that BAG5 may be a target for genetic testing in cases of DCM, and that gene therapy may potentially be a treatment for this disease. Description Loss of functional BAG5 decreases HSC70 chaperone activation, leading to impaired protein homeostasis and development of heart failure. DCM is in the BAG5 Most cases of inherited dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) have no identified genetic cause. Here, Hakui and colleagues identified homozygous truncating mutations in the BAG5 gene, encoding the BAG co-chaperone 5 protein in five patients with inherited DCM. Heterozygous truncating mutations were also found in three patients with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. Correction of a Bag5 mutant knock-in mouse model through gene therapy could ameliorate the DCM phenotype. BAG5 localized to junctional membrane complexes (JMCs), and mutant mouse cardiomyocytes under catecholamine stimulation demonstrated disrupted JMC architecture and calcium handling abnormalities. These findings suggest that BAG5 mutations can cause DCM, which, if diagnosed by genetic testing early enough, may be amenable to gene therapy.
Regulation and Function of the CD3 (cid:103) DxxxLL Motif: A Binding Site for Adaptor Protein-1 and Adaptor Protein-2 in Vitro

Several receptors are downregulated by internalization after ligand binding. Regulation of T cell receptor (TCR) expression is an important step in T cell activation, desensitization, and tolerance induction. One way T cells regulate TCR expression is by phos-phorylation/dephosphorylation of the TCR subunit clusters of differentiation (CD)3 (cid:103) . Thus, phosphorylation of CD3 (cid:103) serine 126 (S126) causes a downregulation of the TCR. In this study, we have analyzed the CD3 (cid:103) internalization motif in three different systems in parallel: in the context of the complete multimeric TCR; in monomeric CD4/CD3 (cid:103) chimeras; and in vitro by binding CD3 (cid:103) peptides to clathrin-coated vesicle adaptor proteins (APs). We find that the CD3 (cid:103) D 127 xxxLL 131/132 sequence represents one united motif for binding of both AP-1 and AP-2, and that this motif functions as an active sorting motif in monomeric CD4/ CD3 (cid:103) molecules independently of S126. An acidic amino acid is required at position 127 and a leucine (L) is required at position 131, whereas the requirements for position 132 are more relaxed. The spacing between aspartic acid 127 (D127) and L131 is crucial for the function of the motif in vivo and for AP binding in vitro. anti– (cid:98) -, or anti– (cid:103) adaptin antibodies followed by peroxidase-conjugated, rabbit anti–mouse antibodies (DAKOPATTS A/S). Bound antibodies were visualized using enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL; Amersham).
Observed temperature trends in the Indian Ocean over 1960–1999 and associated mechanisms

The linear trends in oceanic temperature from 1960 to 1999 are estimated using the new Indian Ocean Thermal Archive (IOTA), a compilation of historical temperature profiles. Widespread surface warming is found, as in other data sets, and reproduced in IPCC climate model simulations for the 20th century. This warming is particularly large in the subtropics, and extends down to 800 m around 40–50°S. Models suggest the deep‐reaching subtropical warming is related to a 0.5° southward shift of the subtropical gyre driven by a strengthening of the westerly winds, and associated with an upward trend in the Southern Annular Mode index. In the tropics, IOTA shows a subsurface cooling corresponding to a shoaling of the thermocline and increasing vertical stratification. Most models suggest this trend in the tropical Indian thermocline is likely associated with the observed weakening of the Pacific trade winds and transmitted to the Indian Ocean by the Indonesian throughflow.
Shear modulus and damping of soft Bangkok clays

The shear modulus and damping ratio of undisturbed Bangkok clay samples were measured using a cyclic triaxial apparatus. Although abundant literature on this topic exists, selection of the most suitable empirical correlation for a seismic analysis cannot be done unless site specific data are obtained. The apparatus used in this research can measure the stressstrain relationships from strain levels of about 0.01%. The equivalent shear modulus measured at these strains was about 80% of the value obtained from the shear wave velocity measurements. The degradation curves of the equivalent shear modulus fell into the ranges reported in the literature, for clay having similar plasticity. The damping ratios varied from about 45% at small strains (0.01%) to about 2530% at large strains (10%). The effects of load frequency and cyclic stress history on the shear modulus and damping ratio were also investigated. An increase in load frequency from 0.1 to 1.0 Hz had no influence on the shear modulus characteristic,.
Petrology of the Scourie Dyke, Sutherland

Chemical data are given for four rocks from the Scourie dyke, Sutherland, and for the constituent minerals. Three of the specimens are unsheared and represent stages in a continuous variation from a one-pyroxene (subcalcic ferroaugite) dolerits through partially amphibolized two-pyroxene dolerite to garnet-plagioclase amphibolite. These changes are not accompanied by conspicuous changes in bulk composition. The garnetiferous varieties represent a border facies of the dyke, which is in contact with little-altered pyroxene-bearing gneisses of the Lewisian complex. The fourth specimen is a hornblende schist formed from the dolerite by shearing. This change also involves little change in bulk composition, and affects impartially the three types of dolerite referred to above. Mineral relations are discussed and a hypothesis advanced to account for the garnetiferous border facies of the intrusion, invoking intrusion while the country rock was at relatively high temperature and pressure.
Transient fluid flow through the toe of the Barbados Accretionary Complex: Constraints from ocean Drilling Program Leg 110 heat row studies and simple models

Thirty-four sediment and mud line temperatures were collected from six drill holes on Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) leg 110 near the toe of the Barbados accretionary complex. When combined with thermal conductivity measurements from sediment cores and results from earlier surveys, these data delineate the complicated thermal structure on the edge of this convergent margin. Heat flow values at the seafloor of 92-192 mW/m{sup 2} are 80-300% higher than those predicted by standard heat flow versus age models for oceanic crust but are compatible with earlier seafloor measurements made in this area at the same latitude. Heat flow tends to decrease downhole at four sites, suggesting the presence of heat sources within the sediments. These results are consistent with the flow of warm fluids through the complex along high permeability conduits, including thrust faults, the major decollement zone, and sandy intervals. Simple calculations suggest that this fluid flow is transient, occurring on time scales of tens of thousands of years. Fluid flow velocities along the decollement zone, estimated with a simple thermal model, are about 10{sup {minus}7} m/s, 100 times faster than predicted by numerical, steady state analyses. The estimated maximum sediment permeability within the decollement zone, which was basedmore » on the above fluid flow velocity, is about 10{sup {minus}12} m{sup 2}, also 100 times higher that that calculated numerically. High heat flow in the vicinity of 15{degree}30{prime}N and not elsewhere along the deformation front suggests that the leg 110 drill sites may be situated over a prism-water discharge zone, with dewatering more active here than elsewhere along the accretionary complex. « less
Scale effect in anchor pullout test by centrifugal technique

Centrifugal technique can be applied to the model tests of bearing capacity, earth pressure, anchor pullout, etc. in sand. In this method, the soil mechanics law of similarity is satisfied by performing the model tests in the centrifugal field. However, the problems on the grain size of soil and the magnitude of acceleration of the test field have not been clarified. In this paper, the scale effect will be discussed based on the model tests of the anchor pullout resistance in dry sand by the centrifugal technique and the conventional model test in 1 g field. Important findings are : (1) no scale effect can be observed in the centrifugal model test for the O.1∼1.O mm grain size of sand and for the approximately 10 mm width or diameter of model anchor, and (2) since the scale effect is observed even by the centrifugal technique, the acceleration level must be set considering the scale effect.
Successive Extensional Tectonic Regimes during the Mesozoic as Evidenced by Neptunian Dikes in the Pontide Magmatic Arc, Northeast Turkey

The eastern Pontide magmatic arc extends ∼600 km in an E-W direction along the Black Sea coast and was disrupted by a series of fault systems trending NE-SW, NW-SE, E-W, and N-S. These fault systems are responsible for the formation of diachronous extensional basins, rift or pull-apart, in the northern, southern, and axial zones of the eastern Pontides during the Mesozoic. Successive extensional or transtensional tectonic regimes caused the abortive Liassic rift basins and the Albian and Campanian pull-apart basins with deep-spreading troughs in the southern and axial zones. Liassic, Albian, and Campanian neptunian dikes, which indicate extensional tectonic regimes, crop out within the Paleozoic granites near Kale, Gumushane, and the Malm–Lower Cretaceous platform carbonates in Amasya and Gumushane. These neptunian dikes correspond to extensional cracks that are filled and overlain by the fossiliferous red pelagic limestones. Multidirectional Liassic neptunian dikes are consistent with the general trend of the paleofaults (NE-SW, NW-SE, and E-W), and active dextral North Anatolian fault (NAF) and sinistral Northeast Anatolian fault (NEAF) systems. The Albian neptunian dikes in Amasya formed in the synthetic oblique left-lateral normal faults of the main fault zone that runs parallel to the active North Anatolian fault zone (NAFZ). Kinematic interpretation of the Liassic and Albian neptunian dikes suggests N-S extensional stress or northward movement of the Pontides along the conjugate fracture zones parallel to the NAFZ and NEAFZ. This northward movement of the Pontides in Liassic and Albian times requires left-lateral and right-lateral slips along the conjugate NAFZ and Northeast Anatolian fault zones (NEAFZ), respectively, in contrast to the recent active tectonics that have been accommodated by N-S compressional stress. On the other hand, mutual relationships between the neptunian dikes and the associated main fault zone of Campanian age extending in an E-W direction in the Kale area, Gumushane suggest the existence of a main left-lateral transtensional wrench zone. This system might be accommodated by the counterclockwise convergence of the Turkish plate with the Afro-Arabian plate relative to the Eurasian plate, and the southward oblique subduction of Paleotethys beneath the eastern Pontide magmatic arc during the Mesozoic.
SOME PRECURSORS PRIOR TO RECENT GREAT EARTHQUAKES ALONG THE NANKAI TROUGH

To get suggestions for the researches of earthquake prediction in Tokai district, short-term precursors prior to the recent great earthquakes along the Nankai trough are investigated here. The Tonankai earthquake. The anomalous tilt of the ground had been observed several hours before the occurrence of that earthquake by a leveling party surveying in Tokai district. The party said also that they recognized with a level unusual quakes of the ground just before the earthquake. It is interesting that the similar phenomena were reported by two survey parties in China. The Nankai earthquake. From the analysis of hourly value of tidal records, precursory land uplift prior to the earthquake was recognized in the southwest coast of Shikoku. Although the reliability of that uplift was not so high, another precursory phenomena, abnormal changes in the ground water, had occurred in several wells in the area. It is, therefore, probable that there occurred significant changes in the crustal stress and strains prior to the earthquake. It is noteworthy that those precursors were observed in the areas near the boundary of the focal regions of the earthquakes.
Seismic reflection study of Upheaval Dome, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

The origin of Upheaval Dome, in Canyonlands National Park of southeastern Utah, has been a topic of controversy among geologists and planetary scientists. The structure has long been thought to have been created by salt diapirism from the underlying Paradox Formation. Recent studies have suggested that impact could have formed the dome. To test the various hypotheses, we acquired, processed, and interpreted seismic reflection data within and adjacent to the structure. Both conventionally stacked and prestack-migrated images show <100 m relief in the Paradox Formation, contrary to salt diapirism hypotheses. Further, we have identified features within the images typical of impact structures, such as listric normal faults having displacements toward the center of the dome. Deformation occurs in two depth ranges, with the faulting that created the central uplift appearing only above the Hermosa Formation, in the upper 800 m of the structure. The images also suggest limited fracturing of the Hermosa and salt flow in the Paradox Formation, perhaps due to gravitational relaxation of the crater form. Our image of a nearly flat top of the Paradox salt strongly favors an impact origin for Upheaval Dome.
Analysis and interpretation of patterns within and between hydroclimatological time series in an alpine glacier basin

This paper explores patterns within and between climatological and hydrological time series from an alpine glacier basin. Time series recorded in the basin of the Haut Glacier d'Arolla over the 1989 ablation season are subdivided into five subperiods. Box-Jenkins ARIMA (AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average) and TFN (Transfer Function-Noise) models are estimated for each of the five subperiods and differences between the models are interpreted in the context of changing glacier hydrology, particularly the changing nature and extent of the glacier drainage network.
Vs30: Proxy for Seismic Amplification?

The seismic codes of many countries base their site classifications on the Vs30 parameter, i.e., the average shear-wave velocity in the first 30 m of subsoil. And yet, despite the widespread use of this parameter, there is not universal agreement that this is a valid proxy for seismic amplification. There is no doubt that since the shear-wave subsoil velocity (Vs) is tied to soil rigidity, the profile of the former must have a role in site effects (Shearer and Orcutt 1987; Cranswick et al. 1990). However, seismic amplification appears too complex to be related to the Vs profile in the first 30 m alone. Harmsen (1997) showed largely scattered Vs30 site amplification plots and concluded that source directivity and topography also may play a role in site amplification. Hartzell et al. (2001) found a correlation between Vs30 and site amplification, but their conclusion is based on only four Vs30 values (measured only down to 16–17 m and extrapolated to 30 m), all falling in areas of little or no amplification. They did not perform a statistical correlation based on several data equally distributed among all site classes. Boore (2004) concluded that the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) soil classes are a useful way of grouping sites according to site amplification. However, Boore's work involved only class C and D sites, with one exception. Wald and Mori (2000) and Mucciarelli and Gallipoli (2006) raised doubts about the validity of Vs30 as a proxy to soil amplification in tectonically active complex regions or in particular geological settings, such as in the presence of inversions in the Vs velocity profiles (Di Giacomo et al. 2005). Finally, Frankel et al. (2002) and Park and Hashash (2004) illustrated the role of amplification from the deeper (> 30 m) sediments. We re-analyze the empirical …
Integrating fuzzy logic with piecewise linear regression for detecting vegetation greenness change in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska

Effective methods are required to detect vegetation changes and attribute these changes to different driving forces. This article presents a new hybrid change detection method by integrating fuzzy logic with piecewise linear regression (PLR) as applied to the Yukon River Basin (YRB) in Alaska, USA, to detect the changes in spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation greenness based on Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data from 1995 to 2004 (2000 data missing). Abrupt changes (or breakpoints), and speed and tendency of gradual changes in short-, mid-, or long-term segments, were simultaneously detected during the study period. Fire scars, precipitation, and temperature data were applied to explain the spatial and temporal patterns of breakpoints and temporal trends (i.e. slopes or change rates). Results showed no significant systematic temporal trend (p = 0.1) in more than 90% of the study area. Abrupt changes in NDVI were partly attributed to wildfire disturbances. The NDVI decline partly overlaid the fire scars provided by the Alaskan Fire Science Center in time and space. The temporal change rates of NDVI were closely related to the temporal trends of temperature/precipitation. The approach presented in this article can be effectively adapted to other study areas.
Nonlinear and scaling spatial properties of soil geochemical element contents

The present study aimed at investigating whether a nonlinear and scaling approach is suitable for statistically characterizing the spatial variability of soil geochemical element contents at field conditions. Spatial distributions of 20 soil geochemical elements' contents in an agricultural field soil were investigated. Two indicators of nonlinear scaling were employed, empirical probability distribution functions (pdfs) and structure functions. For the pdfs, a trend was discovered with major elements naturally occurring in the soil being hyperbolic and minor trace elements being close to Gaussian. Further, fertilizer management was found to modify the behavior of related elements. The structure functions were generally nonscaling for major elements and scaling for minor elements, however, without any noticeable effect of fertilizer application. The scaling was of both monoaffine and multiaffine type. This suggests that the random cascade models recently used within geophysics may be useful also for geochemical element variability in soil.