Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predevonian Tectonic Evolution of South China: from Cathaysian Block to Caledonian Period Folded Orogenic Belt

The interpretation of Predevonian tectonics of South China is controversial for a long time both in its age and distribution. Based on the middle-high grade metamorphic rocks, ductile slipping rheologic structures exposed in the Zhejiang-Fujian-Jiangxi-Guangdong domain and high quality dating data published recently, the author believes that an ancient continental block certainly existed in South China, which is composed of Proterozoic schist, gneiss and migmatite with an oldest age of 2 Ga. Their protolithes were clastic rocks, volcanic rocks and plutons. This old land is temporally called as Cathaysian Continental Block which is limited in the domain between Shaoxing-Jiangshan-Pingxiang fault and Zhenghe-Dapu fault, and its scope is less than that defined by Grabau. During 800900 Ma, following the closure of paleo-South China ocean, Cathaysian block collided with Yangzi block and then became a part of Rodinia supercontinent. Not long time after converging, by affection of breakup of Rodinia supercontinent,the proto-Cathaysian continental block was split into three sub-blocks, namely the southeastern Zhejiang-northwestern Fujian, the central-southern Jiangxi and the Yunkaidashan, and several rifts or sea channels occurred among them. From Early Sinian to Late Ordovician, these sea channels were expanded and were filled by 1000020000 m thick clastic rocks (containing limestone) and turbidites. However,the coeval ophiolite and volcanic rocks are absent, implying that extended fault did not reach to upper mantle. New geochronological results indicate that the ophiolite and volcanic rocks in the study areas, which were described as Early Paleozoic by previous researchers, yielded pre-Sinian ages, concentrating mainly between 800 Ma and 900 Ma. Thus,the previous Early Paleozoic tectonic framework needs to be re-constructed. In the Silurian, a strong tectono-thermal event took place in South China, causing closure of Sinian-Early Paleozoic sea channels and folding-uplifting of mega-thick sediments. The South China Caledonian fold and orogenic belt was formed on the Proterozoic metamorphic basement. In the study area, folding deformation and ductile slipping rheology were very common, including thrust and strike-slip deformation.The peak period of deformation was 420400 Ma. At the same time, a violent granitic magmatism started, forming numerous strongly peraluminous S-type granites with A/CNK (molar Al_2O_3/[CaO + Na_2O + K_2O]) 1.1, and the I-type granitoids were rare. Peak period of granitic magmatism took place in the 430400 Ma. Then, the whole South China Caledonian folded geological bodies were overlain unconformably by the Late Devonian conglomerate and coarse sandstone, indicating termination of folding and orogeny. From the Late Devonian, a united paleogeographic and sedimentary environment occurred really in the study domain and its neighboring areas.
Seismic mapping of underground cavities using reflection amplitudes

Underground cavities (and similar marked lateral changes in seismic impedance) having dimensions of tens to hundreds of meters should markedly reflect artificial seismic waves and locally obstruct reflections from deeper horizons. This should be especially true for liquid‐filled cavities if shear waves are employed. Attempts have been made to apply these principles in delineating solution‐mined cavities in bedded salt. In one seismically reverberant area, results from a brine‐filled cavity 300 m below the surface were unclear. Strong seismic “shadows” were found, however, in a seismic reflection survey of solution cavities 500 m below the surface, in a seismically favorable area. At present, the method requires good reflecting horizons both above and below the stratum to be explored. The amplitude ratio of the two reflections is used to represent the seismic “opacity” of the stratum between, normalized for the effect of varying seismic efficiencies at the shots and detectors. Among other applications, the.
Hybrid Beamforming and Resource Allocation Designs for mmWave Multi-User Massive MIMO-OFDM Systems on Uplink

In this paper, we investigate hybrid beamforming and resource allocation design problems for uplink millimeter wave (mmWave) multi-user (MU) massive multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. We propose three hybrid beamforming designs with dynamic streams assignment (DSA) integrated into the solution for the formulated resource allocation problem to maximize spectral efficiency. In the analog beamforming stage, three different designs are developed to maximize the channel gains of the equivalent baseband channel at each subcarrier, while the number of data streams is also determined for each mobile station (MS). Specifically, for the first design, the analog beamformers are designed to match the corresponding channel across the entire band for each MS. In the second one, to significantly reduce the complexity of the first design, we can completely avoid the matrix decomposition by selecting the appropriate set of array response vectors. The last design only performs singular value decomposition (SVD) on the channel of the center subcarrier to find the analog beamformers. In the digital beamforming stage, for the interference cancellation, the digital precoder and the combiner are obtained at each subcarrier using the block diagonalization (BD) and the coordinated transmit-receive processing method. We also develop fully-digital beamforming and another three hybrid beamforming schemes based on the existing algorithms as performance benchmarks. By being verified through numerical simulations, the spectral efficiency of the proposed schemes can be significantly improved after dynamically assigning the number of data streams for each MS. Moreover, simulations indicate the first and the third proposed hybrid beamforming designs can achieve a very competitive performance and even outperform the fully-digital design in some situations.
Investigation of growth potential of alternative eucalyptus species for mid and high altitude sites in the summer rainfall region in South Africa.

Eucalyptus grandis is cultivated extensively in the humid, warmer temperate, subtropical regions in South Africa. With forestry expanding into mid-altitude, drier and warmer, or drier and colder sites, the search to identify reasonably well performing species/provenances for such “low productivity” sites has extended to summer rainfall provenances of Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata, closely related to E. globulus, a species known to have superior kraft pulping. Seed from New South Wales provenances (Australia) Narrow Neck Ridge, Nullo Mountain (West) and Nullo Mountain (North) was established in provenance/progeny trials on four sites in South Africa (Windy Gap, Enon, Petrusvlei and Speenkoppies). Eucalyptus globulus and E. globulus subsp. maidenii were the internal controls. Trials were planted at 1667 stems per hectare, single row plots of six trees, four replications in an unbalanced lattice design. Commercial seed of other eucalypt species and clones were used as external controls. Mycosphaerella nobilosa susceptibility was measured at 12 and 30 months, with trunk diameter at breast height (dbh) and height at 80 months at Petrusvlei, 84 months at Enon, and 96 months at Windy Gap and Speenkoppies. Basal area and volumes were derived from these measurements. Trials were established in phases mainly due to failures of originally planted trials in extremely cold sites being destroyed by severe frost. Mycosphaerella infection was more severe at 12 months than 30 months. Narrow Neck Ridge provenance, which was significantly less susceptible than other provenances and controls, also outperformed other Eucalyptus bicostata provenances for dbh, height, basal area and volume. Top Narrow Neck Ridge provenance families performed better or similar to the best commercial controls for basal area and volume at three sites, and were approximately 35% better than these controls at the four sites tested. The inhibitory effect of Mycosphaerella on growth emphasises the importance of sitespecies and site-provenance matching. Amongst the imported material tested, the more Mycosphaerella-tolerant Narrow Neck Ridge provenance was most suited to summer rainfall mid-altitude South African sites.
A human-in-the-loop system for labeling knowledge components in Japanese mathematics exercises

Many modern learning systems rely on a data representation of the knowledge that is to be learned to estimate a learner’s mastery state and recommend appropriate learning tasks to further improve their acquisition of knowledge and skills. In particular, the rapid development of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) and standardized curricula has increased the need for information on knowledge structures and their links to learning materials and tasks. However, manually labeling educational data has traditionally been a time-consuming, labor-intensive task, and thus has limited its use by time-constrained teachers and practitioners. In previous research, a range of machine-learning methods have been proposed to address this problem, with only a few of them focusing on Japanese educational datasets from secondary schools. In this paper, to support the labeling of Japanese mathematics exercises by teachers and other domain experts, we apply natural language processing techniques including word-embedding and key-phrase-based exercise-to-exercise similarity methods. We evaluated the proposed method by both the performance of the models when compared to several state-of-the-art methods, and also its effectiveness in supporting humans in the task of labeling educational materials. Through this two-phase evaluation, we found that the proposed method outperformed other methods, and when implemented in a human-in-the-loop system it achieved significantly more accuracy and consumed less time for the task of labeling mathematics exercises.
Molecular dynamics study of Al implantation in 4H-SiC

We have performed a molecular dynamics study of Al-implantation in 4H-SiC while investigating the types of defects produced and their quantity depending on the implantation temperature and dose. The damage to the SiC lattice should be minimized to facilitate the subsequent Al activation during annealing. Using the empirical Gao-Weber potential, together with a recently proposed Morse potential for the Al-SiC interaction, we show that implantation at elevated temperatures considerably reduces the creation of amorphous pockets and extended defect clusters. In a follow-up annealing study we aim to provide a correlation between dose/implantation temperature and the Al activation rate to give guidance for future fabrication of SiC devices.
Exploitation of multi-temporal Earth Observation imagery for monitoring land cover change in mining sites

Surface mining has been shown to cause intensive environmental degradation in terms of landscape, vegetation and biological communities. Nowadays, the commercial availability of remote sensing imagery at high spatiotemporal scales, has improved dramatically our ability to monitor surface mining activity and evaluate its impact on the environment and society. In this study we investigate the potential use of Landsat TM imagery combined with diverse classification techniques, namely artificial neural networks and support vector machines for delineating mining exploration and assessing its effect on vegetation in various surface mining sites in the Greek island of Milos. Assessment of the mining impact in the study area is validated through the analysis of available QuickBird imagery acquired nearly concurrently to the TM overpasses. Results indicate the capability of the TM sensor combined with the image analysis applied herein as a potential economically viable solution to provide rapidly and at regular time intervals information on mining activity and its impact to the local environment.
Fault rocks and past to recent fluid characteristics from the borehole survey of the Nojima fault ruptured in the 1995 Kobe earthquake, southwest Japan

The mineralogy, fluid inclusions, and distribution of fault rocks of the Nojima fault were examined in the core recovered from a borehole drilled by the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) 12 months after the 1995 Kobe (Hyogo-ken Nanbu) earthquake (MJMA = 7.2) in southwest Japan. The borehole was drilled across a slipped portion of the fault to a depth of 746.7 m. Nearly continuous coring between 152.2 and 746.7 m recovered granodiorite protolith, porphyry dikes, and fault-related rocks. The fault zone was intersected at 426.2 m and is characterized by a greater intensity of brittle deformation and/or hydrothermal alteration than typical host granodiorite. The fault core consists of three types of fault gouge and occurs at the depth range of 623.1 to 625.3 m. The fault-normal thicknesses of the fault core and the fault zone are 0.3 m and >46.5 m, respectively. Three types of hydrothermal alteration are recorded by mineral assemblages and fluid inclusions. The first type is characterized by chloritization of mafic minerals at >200°C and occurred prior to the fault activity during the intrusion and cooling of the granodiorite. The second type occurred during faulting and is recorded by zeolite mineralization at <200°C. The third type is recorded by carbonate mineralization related to recent fluid flow. Although most of the second type of alteration occurred prior to the third type, repeated mineralization is recorded by mutually crosscutting relationships between zeolite and carbonate veins and between zeolite vein and carbonate-precipitated fault gouge. This may record repeated changes in fluid chemistry within the fault zone in connection with the seismic cycle. Although the Nojima fault slipped in the 1995 earthquake, ancient fault-related textures and mineral alteration are well preserved in the fault rocks.
The depths of mantle reservoirs

Many petrological studies are concerned with the temperature and pressure of final equilibrium of erupted magmas and residual crystals. The average composition of the source region and its original depth are also of interest but these cannot be determined unambiguously from petrology. Seismic techniques can be used to infer the mineralogy of various regions of the mantle and the probable depth extent of the low-velocity zones (LVZ) associated with high-temperature buoyant upwellings. Oceanic ridges are characterized by broad deep LVZ's which extend locally to depths in excess of 400 km. Partial melting is implied to depths of at least 300 km. The same is true for some young continental regions such as northeast Africa and western North America, and some midplate regions such as the central Pacific. Hotspots occur on the edges of broad upper mantle low-velocity anomalies, often in regions of thick crust and/or old and thick lithosphere. Continental shields have thick (150 km), cold, refractory lithospheres which are unlikely sources of voluminous plateau basalt outpourings. The rapid decrease in velocity between 150 and 200 km beneath shields implies a high thermal gradient and a change in mineralogy. From 200 to 400 km the seismic velocities beneath shields fall on the 1400°C adiabat. This suggests that the stable continental plate is 150 km thick and that it is underlain by a thermal boundary layer which grades downward into a convective gradient. Continental and oceanic basalts probably share a common source region which is deeper than 350 km. When hot, this source region becomes buoyant, because of thermal expansion and the reduction or elimination of dense phases, such as garnet, rises into the shallow mantle, adiabatically decompresses, becomes an LVZ and a potential source of magma.
TYPHLOREICHEIA DELLA SARDEGNA: DESCRIZIONE DI TRE NUOVI TAXA E DATI GEONEMICI INEDITI (COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE)

Nella presente nota vengono descritti tre nuovi taxa di Typhloreicheia Holdhaus, 1924 del Sud della Sardegna e riportati nuovi dati geonemici relativi a Typhloreicheia degiovannii Magrini, 2003 e Typhloreicheia raymondi (Putzeys, 1869). T. petriolii n. sp. di Monte Idda (San Priamo, Muravera, Cagliari), appartenente al “gruppo occulta ”, sensu Magrini & Bulirsch 2002, diversa da tutte le altre specie del gruppo per l’edeago meno incurvato ventralmente, l’apice meno inflesso, la lamella copulatrice piu corta e ristretta apicalmente anziche dilatata. T. abbazzii n. sp. di Arbus (San Gavino Monreale, Medio Campidano), caratterizzata da un edeago con apice fortemente ricurvo ventralmente e lamella copulatrice costituita da grosse spine evanescenti posizionate lungo il margine inferiore dell’apice dell’edeago, caratteri che pongono la nuova specie in posizione isolata nell’ambito del genere. T. leoi pilosa n. ssp. del Parco di Monte Marganai, loc. Mamenga (Carbonia-Iglesias), appartenente al “gruppo angelae ”, sensu Magrini 2003. La nuova razza si differenzia dalla forma tipica essenzialmente per la morfologia esterna: presenza di setole discali elitrali su tutte le interstrie (dalla due alla sette), solo nelle interstrie 3-5-7 nella forma tipica e per l’habitus nettamente piu dilatato, specialmente a livello delle elitre, come indicano le misure riportate nel testo.
Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Gastrointestinal Cancers: Unveiling Their Dynamic Roles in the Tumor Microenvironment

Gastrointestinal cancers are highly aggressive malignancies with significant mortality rates. Recent research emphasizes the critical role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in these cancers, which includes cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a key component of the TME that have diverse origins, including fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells, and endothelial cells. Several markers, such as α-SMA and FAP, have been identified to label CAFs, and some specific markers may serve as potential therapeutic targets. In this review article, we summarize the literature on the multifaceted role of CAFs in tumor progression, including their effects on angiogenesis, immune suppression, invasion, and metastasis. In addition, we highlight the use of single-cell transcriptomics to understand CAF heterogeneity and their interactions within the TME. Moreover, we discuss the dynamic interplay between CAFs and the immune system, which contributes to immunosuppression in the TME, and the potential for CAF-targeted therapies and combination approaches with immunotherapy to improve cancer treatment outcomes.
Patient Education and Counseling

Objective: This review aimed to: (i) inventory the definitions and measurements of patient empowerment in healthcare literature; (ii) appraise the conceptual and methodological rigor of included studies; and (iii) identify correlates of patient empowerment in persons with chronic conditions. Methods: Four databases were searched to identify articles measuring patient empowerment in persons with chronic conditions, used a quantitative design and provided evidence on correlates of patient empowerment. Seventy-six articles were included and analyzed by descriptive statistics and summative content analysis. Results: The articles used a range of definitions (n = 35) and instruments (n = 38), evaluating a range of correlates in four categories: sociodemographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes and patient-reported experiences. The most frequent associations were between patient empowerment and age (n = 21), sex (n = 15), educational level (n = 15) and quality of life (n = 18). However, they were not always significant. Conclusion: The broad variation of definitions and instruments highlights the lack of consensus on how to interpret and measure patient empowerment. Although several covariates have been evaluated, there are few studies assess the same relationships. Practice implications: Consensus on a definition and measurement of patient empowerment
Applications and limitations of thermobarometry in migmatites and granulites using as an example rocks of the Araçuaí Orogen in southern Bahia, including a discussion on the tectonic meaning of the current results

In southern Bahia, there are outcrops of migmatites and granulites in the Jequitinhonha Complex, which is part of the northern portion of the Aracuai Orogen. Migmatites (garnet-cordierite diatexite) dominate the metamorphic rocks and host lenses and layers of felsic garnet granulite. The conditions of temperature and pressure of metamorphism were calculated using conventional thermobarometry and the software THERMOCALC. Values around 850 °C and 7 kbar were obtained with THERMOCALC. The calculations for the garnet-cordierite diatexite were made considering aH2O equal to 1, but the best results of calculations for the granulites are obtained with aH2O values of 0.3. Pressure values obtained with GAPES resulted in consistent values with THERMOCALC, but the pair garnet-orthopyroxene always produces low values for temperature and high ones for pressure. The results are consistent with the presence of the pair garnet and cordierite in diatexite and orthopyroxene in felsic granulite. From the tectonic point of view, the setting in which metamorphism of these rocks occurred requires high heat flow with a thermal anomaly in mid continental crust, as indicated by values of 7 kbar. Recent studies have favored the closure of a back-arc basin for this tectonic setting, but it does not solve the problem that the time span between metamorphic peak and the end of granite intrusions, involving large bodies of charnockite, is more than 80 million years. The model of tectonic switching is suggested here as it can explain the maintenance of high temperatures for a more extended interval of time.
Study Abroad Academic Pre-Departure Course: Increasing Student’s Intercultural Competence Pre-Sojourns

Student enrollment in U.S. study abroad programs is at an all-time high, however, the majority of growth is in short-term programs. Some research has shown that short-term programs struggle to increase students’ intercultural competence and can actually serve to reinforce preconceived stereotypes and biases. This study sought to discover if an academic pre-departure course focused on the following seven themes, with the intent to prepare students for their sojourns abroad, would increase students’ intercultural competence: (1) culture, (2) cultural resolution, (3) worldview, (4) journaling and reflexivity, (5) cultural goal training, (6) applied techniques, and (7) a final cultural project. Data was collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings suggest that a pre-departure course taught in this manner can have a significant impact on students’ intercultural competence, potentially helping to overcome limitations of short-term programs, namely, the limitation of time.
FORECASTING OF DAILY RUNOFF USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

The modeling of hydrological processes is important in view of the many uses of water resources. The use of artificial neural networks (ANN) is becoming increasingly common in the analysis of hydrology and water resources problems. In the present work, ANN is applied for Gunjwani watershed in lower Bhima sub-basin (Maharashtra, India) to forecast next-day runoff. The ANN architecture, namely multi-layer perceptron (MLP) was adopted. Daily rainfall, runoff, evaporation, humidity, temperature data (full year as well as seasonal) for 7 year 10 months were used for model development. Combinations of the different input data series were studied using correlation between rainfall and runoff. The number of statistical parameters i.e. mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and coefficient of correlation (R) were used for performance evaluation of the developed models. Further, the results of the developed ANN models were compared with multiple linear regression models (MLR). It was found that the MLP model showed a better forecasting of runoff as compared to MLR models.