Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determining smallholder farmers' preferences for Push-Pull technology dissemination pathways in western Kenya

The push-pull technology (PPT) has widely been disseminated to control stemborer (Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca) and Striga weeds (Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica) in maize fields in Kenya. This study examined farmers’ preferences for various dissemination pathways in order to proffer better targeting of resources in an optimal dissemination strategy. The pathways considered were public meetings (barazas), radio, farmer field schools (FFS), field days (FD), farmer teachers (FT), the fellow farmers (FF) and print materials. Using a weighted score index and ordered probit regression, the different pathways were sequentially ranked as FD, FT, FFS, FF, print materials, Radio, and barazas. Marginal effects from ordered probit showed that farmers had the least preferences for baraza and radio pathways. The farmer categories with the highest preference for particular pathways were: less educated farmers for FD, farmers with small land sizes for FT, farmers belonging to groups for FFS, and young educated farmers for the print materials. This information is extremely important for targeting the different segments of farmers.
Laboratory experiments on the thermodynamics of melting sea ice

During the last decades a strong decrease in Arctic sea-ice e xtent has been observed, which has not been forecasted as strongly by climate models. To better understand the underlying cause of this discrepancy, laboratory experime nts were performed to get a better understanding of the thermodynamics of melting sea i c . To clarify the influence of the salt within sea ice, freshwater ice and sea ice is compa red. The measurements reveal that sea ice melts faster than fresh water ice of the same thickness. Moreover, sea ice melts faster in turbulent wate r than in calm water. For a constant air temperature, the meltrate of freshwater ice is on tant with time, whereas the melt rate of sea ice shows a distinct maximum. A model stud y shows that this maximum occurs earlier at higher atmospheric heat fluxes. After increasing the air temperature, freshwater ice warms faster than sea ice. Moreover, freshwater ice warms uniformly until reaching the mel ting point over the whole depth, whereas in sea ice, a non-linear temperature profile d ev lops. The bottom melting of sea ice is stronger than that of freshwater ice. Additi onally, the melting at the sea-ice bottom increases with time, which fits well to the inc rease in the melt rate. During one of the sea-ice experiments, a strong short-term fl ushing event was likely observed. During melting, very small melt ponds developed on the sea-i c surface. The measured ice-surface temperature was higher than the melting p oi t, independent of salinity. The surface temperature of sea ice decreases with an increas ing salinity and increases with an increasing air temperature.
Transient electromagnetic response of a halfspace with exponential conductivity profile and its applications to salinity mapping

Soil salinity profiles frequently display monotonically increasing or decreasing salt concentrations with depth, z. This salt concentration is strongly correlated with the conductivity, s, of the ground and frequently can be represented by an equation s (z) = s1exp(±|b|z), where s1 and b are the parameters that define the conductivity profile. For exponentially decreasing conductivity with depth, the late time coincident loop response is identical to that for a slab of thickness 1/b and conductivity s1. For exponentially increasing conductivity with depth, expressions can be found for the voltages recorded by a modified INPUT or an airship system. The INPUT system must be modified by having the measurement of the voltages made over delay times longer than 1 ms. Calculations show that these voltages are sensitive to variations in the parameter b and they are sufficiently large to be measured by an airborne system. The parameter s1 is difficult to resolve for late times. The particular numerical example chosen shows that the normalized voltage Vr is not very sensitive to s1 but is more sensitive to the parameter b, while the reverse is true for Vz. The parameter b is the more important of the two, as it shows the rate at which salt concentration varies with depth. Accordingly some idea of the salinity of the soil may be obtained from these EM methods.
Stratospheric effects of 27‐day solar ultraviolet variations: An analysis of UARS MLS ozone and temperature data

The characteristics of upper stratospheric ozone and temperature responses at low latitudes to short-term solar ultraviolet variations are studied by using 1000 days of UARS microwave limb sounder (MLS) and solar stellar irradiance comparison experiment data. Consistent with previous analyses of Nimbus 7 solar backscattered ultraviolet (SBUV) data, the high-pass-filtered solar flux in the 200-to 205-nm interval is most strongly correlated with MLS ozone measurements at tropical latitudes near 4 hPa with a sensitivity of about 0.4% for each 1% change in the solar flux. Reproducibility tests, power spectral, and coherency estimates support the reality of the observed ozone response at this level. The MLS solar UV/ozone response is significantly reduced at levels above ∼2 hPa as compared to earlier results based on SBUV data. This reduction appears to be a consequence of the ozone diurnal cycle at high altitudes combined with the necessary inclusion of nighttime records in calculating the MLS ozone zonal averages. Some evidence is obtained for an MLS solar UV/temperature response near the stratopause, but coherency tests are negative. Future analyses of independent data records having similar local time coverage as that of Nimbus 7 SBUV are needed to establish more definitively whether any significant change in the upper stratospheric UV response has occurred.
Evolution of an early Proterozoic foreland basin carbonate platform, lower Pethei Group, Great Slave Lake, north-west Canada

The Taltheilei, Utsingi, McLean and Blanchet formations form a 175–390 m thick carbonate platform-to-basin succession in the lower part of the PaleoProterozoic Pethei Group, preserved in the eastern arm of Great Slave Lake. Carbonates accumulated along the south-east margin of the Slave Craton within a foredeep formed during the collision of the Slave and Churchill Cratons. The rocks include eight, predominantly microbial, carbonate facies that comprise five facies associations representing (1) shallow-water rimmed shelf, (2) shallow-water open shelf, (3) shallow-water ramp, (4) upper slope and deep ramp, and (5) lower slope and basin plain environments. Microbialite facies grew by organically mediated precipitation of spar and micritic cement and trapping and binding of lime mud. These wholly subtidal facies typically reflect progressive shallowing and changing geometry of the lower Pethei sea floor, from ramp, to open shelf, to shallow rimmed shelf, with associated slope and basin plain deposition. Repeated relative sea-level changes influenced platform growth. This resulted in five shallowing upward packages; each separated by an incipient drowning event of varying magnitude. Antecedent topography and the size of the preceding drowning event strongly influenced the initial growth of each interval. This repeated pattern is attributed to interaction between (a) the inherent tendency of microbial carbonates to aggrade vertically, (b) changing sedimentation rates and (c) readjustments of relative base level. The lower Pethei succession is one of few PaleoProterozoic examples of carbonate platform growth within a foreland basin. It has (1) a low gradient profile, (2) extensive slope and basin plain carbonate production and sedimentation, (3) no ooids, (4) minor terrigenous clastic sediments, and (4) a mobile, submergent shelf rim lacking substantial carbonate sand shoals.
Array Back-Projection Imaging of the 2007 Niigataken Chuetsu-oki Earthquake Striking the World’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant

The 2007 Niigataken Chuetsu-oki earthquake occurred near the Kashiwazaki–Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan, the largest in the world. The strong motions were recorded by seven seismometers installed at the foundation slab (base-mat) of the plant and exceeded the design level of the ground motion for the plant. The strong motion observed by the seismographs in and around the plant show high coherency with three significant pulses. In order to understand the cause of these pulses, the rupture process of the earthquake was estimated using these seismograms. The seismograph network was taken into account as a dense array and semblance-enhanced waveform stacking was performed. By projecting the power of the stacked waveforms onto the fault plane, the asperities that generated significant pulses were successfully separated. The first and third pulses were generated at the hypocenter and the southwest edge of the rupture zone, respectively. The rupture propagated toward the southwest and terminated offshore from the power plant. The overall pattern of the imaged asperities coincides well with the slip distribution determined by conventional waveform inversions.
Development and validation of a new automatic algorithm for quantification of left ventricular volumes and function in gated myocardial perfusion SPECT using cardiac magnetic resonance as reference standard

Citation for published version (APA): Fransson, H. , Hedeer, F. , Arévalo, C. , Carlsson, M. , Engblom, H. , Ubachs, J., . Heiberg, E. (2011). Development and validation of a new automatic algorithm for quantification of left ventricular volumes and function in gated myocardial perfusion SPECT using cardiac magnetic resonance as reference standard. Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, 18(5), 874-885. DOI: 10.1007/s12350-011-9427-3
The Prognostic and Clinical Value of CD44 in Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background: CD44 is widely used as a putative cancer stem cells (CSCs) marker for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the prognostic role of CD44 in CRC remains controversial. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association of various CD44 isoforms and overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological features of CRC patients. Results: A total of 48 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Total CD44 isoforms overexpression was significantly correlated with worse OS of patients with CRC (HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.08–1.61, P = 0.007). In a stratified analysis, a higher level of either CD44v6 or CD44v2 had an unfavorable impact on OS (HRCD44v6 = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.10–2.14, P = 0.010; HRCD44v2 = 2.93, 95% CI = 1.49–5.77, P = 0.002). Additionally, CD44 was shown to be associated with some clinicopathological features, such as lymph node metastasis (ORCD44 = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.01–2.41, P = 0.044; ORCD44v6 = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.19–3.26, P = 0.008; ORTotal CD44 isoforms = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.15–2.14, P = 0.004), distant metastasis (ORCD44 = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.08–7.83, P = 0.035; ORTotal CD44 isoforms = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.02–3.53, P = 0.044). Moreover, a high level of CD44 showed a possible correlation with poor differentiation (ORTotal CD44 isoforms = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.00–2.08, P = 0.051), elevated level of CD44v6 tend to be correlated with tumor size (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 0.99–2.96, P = 0.056). Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated that CD44 overexpression might be an unfavorable prognostic factor for CRC patients and could be used to predict poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis.
Curcuma Xanthorrhiza Roxb. An Indonesia Native Medicinal Plant with Potential Antioral Biofilm Effect

Most common oral diseases are directly related to oral biofilm, a complex community of microorganisms inhibiting the oral cavity. Recent studies provide deeper knowledge on how free-floating bacteria form a structurally organized microecosystem and on its pathogenicity and its self-defense mechanisms; thus, creating an understanding of the challenges in eliminating oral biofilm and maintaining the balance of oral ecosystem. Chlorhexidine has been the standard oral antimicrobial agent for decades. However, studies showed that it is less effective against bacteria in the form of biofilm that leads to an ongoing search of another method to fight against biofilm, including the use of plant-derived compounds. Medicinal plants are known to contain secondary metabolites, which are not only important in protecting the plant from any harmful environment but also potential as antimicroorganism and antioral biofilm for humans. Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. , containing xanthorrhizol (XNT), an essential bioactive compound, is an Indonesian native medicinal plant proven to have antibacterial and antibiofilm activities by several in vitro studies. The understanding of biofilm formation, its resistance to common drugs, and the potential role of C. xanthorrhiza-derived compounds as antibacterial and antibiofilm may contribute to developing C. xanthorrhiza into the alternative weapon against oral biofilm-related diseases.
Early Cretaceous Normal Faulting in Southern New England: Evidence from Apatite and Zircon Fission‐Track Ages

New apatite and zircon fission‐track (AFT, ZFT) ages from Mesozoic sediments and adjacent crystalline rocks from southern New England reveal age gradients from Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. These gradients reflect the rotation of crustal blocks after the setting of the youngest AFT ages (∼140 Ma). The AFT ages of 168–98 Ma for 32 samples of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks east and west and within the Hartford Basin of Massachusetts and Connecticut indicate that unroofing in these regions occurred from Late Jurassic through Early Cretaceous. In both the Hartford Basin and rocks from crystalline terranes east of the basin, AFT ages show a regional trend of increasing age to the east, suggesting a down‐to‐the‐east rotation of ∼10° in each area. The ZFT ages from the Hartford Basin arkoses (167–238 Ma) and northern Bronson Hill (147–196 Ma) rocks support this gradient of eastward increase in AFT age. A south‐to‐north gradient of decreasing AFT age (139–107 Ma) for the sedimentary rocks in the Hartford and Deerfield Basins of Connecticut and Massachusetts suggests a 1°‐hinged uplift to the north that postdates the youngest AFT age of ∼100 Ma. Final juxtaposition of AFT ages across the eastern Border fault between the Hartford Basin and Bronson Hill terrane in Massachusetts and Connecticut indicates displacement younger than the youngest AFT ages of ≤100 Ma (Late Cretaceous). Thus, the age of the graben structure of the Hartford Basin is Cretaceous, and this structure cannot be cited as evidence that these basins are Early Mesozoic “rift” basins.
Timing and structure of the 8.2 kyr B.P. event inferred from δ18O records of stalagmites from China, Oman, and Brazil

Oxygen isotope records of stalagmites from China and Oman reveal a weak summer monsoon event, with a double-plunging structure, that started 8.21 ± 0.02 kyr B.P. An identical but antiphased pattern is also evident in two stalagmite records from eastern Brazil, indicating that the South American Summer Monsoon was intensifi ed during the 8.2 kyr B.P. event. These records demonstrate that the event was of global extent and synchronous within dating errors of <50 years. In comparison with recent model simulations, it is plausible that the 8.2 kyr B.P. event can be tied in changes of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation triggered by a glacial lake draining event. This, in turn, affected North Atlantic climate and latitudinal position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, resulting in the observed low-latitude monsoonal precipitation patterns.
The Namib Sand Sea: Dune Forms, Processes and Sediments

Lancaster (geology, Arizona State U.) reports on investigations of dune forms, processes and sediments in the Namib Sand Sea of southwestern Africa, which are used to develop models for the formation of dunes and sand seas and their rock equivalents. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Oregon, USA. Contents: Regional physiographic & climatic setting; Dune morphology & morphometry: Dune sediments; Dune processes; Controls of dune morphology; Accumulation of the sand sea. References; Appendices.
Automatic Cardiac MRI Image Segmentation and Mesh Automatic Cardiac MRI Image Segmentation and Mesh Generation Generation

Segmenting and reconstructing cardiac anatomical structures from magnetic resonance (MR) images is essential for the quantitative measurement and automatic diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases [1]. However, manual evaluation of the time-series cardiac MRI (CMRI) obtained during routine clinical care are laborious, inefficient, and tends to produce biased and non-reproducible results [2]. This thesis proposes an end-to-end pipeline for automatically segmenting short-axis (SAX) CMRI images and generating high-quality 2D and 3D meshes suitable for finite element analysis. The main advantage of our approach is that it can not only work as a stand-alone pipeline for the automatic CMR image segmentation and mesh generation but also functions effectively as a post-processing tool for improving the outcomes of deep learning methods. Our results indicate that the segmentation accuracy outperformed the traditional U-Net-based approach by as much as 82.5% (percent increase in Dice score) for 5 patient types. The mesh models generated from our contoured segmentations had minimized mean distance error of less than 1.3 pixels and optimized mesh quality with an average Kupp index greater than 0.8.
Dense Water Dynamics along the Strait of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract Hydrographic and current meter data, gathered in different periods in the Strait of Sicily and in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, allow the outflow characteristics from the eastern toward the Western Mediterranean basin to be analyzed. The evolution through the strait of a deep vein of dense water coming from the Eastern Mediterranean is described, together with the dynamic interaction with overlying layers. These data are related to a slightly generalized version of recent density current models, such as those of Emms and those of Baringer and Price. Taking into account the dynamic influence of the overlying currents, and in particular their friction and mixing, this model explains the path of this deep flow and enables estimates of entrainment and bottom friction to be made. With these new data, a phenomenon of considerable interest, namely the dynamics of density currents crossing and outflowing from a strait, is examined and discussed.
Neuromuscular characteristics of eccentric, concentric and isometric contractions of the knee extensors

We compared voluntary drive and corticospinal responses during eccentric (ECC), isometric (ISO) and concentric (CON) muscle contractions to shed light on the mechanisms underpinning the greater force production despite lower electromyographic activity (EMG) commonly reported in ECC than ISO and CON. Sixteen participants (20-33 y) performed ISO and isokinetic (30@/s) CON and ECC knee extensor contractions between 110@ and 40@ knee ﬂexion, while EMG was recorded from vastus lateralis. Voluntary activation (VA) was measured during ISO, CON and ECC maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs). Transcranial magnetic stimulation elicited motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and corticospinal silent periods (CSP) during MVCs and submaximal contractions (30% maximum), and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) in submaximal contractions. MVC torque was greater (P<0.01) during ECC (302.6±90.0 Nm) than ISO (269.8±81.5 Nm) and CON (235.4±78.6 Nm), but VA was lower (P<0.01) for ECC (68.4±14.9%) than ISO (78.3±13.1%) and CON (80.7±15.4%). Additionally, EMG/torque was lower (P<0.02) for ECC (1.9±1.1 μ V.Nm-1) than ISO (2.2 ± 1.2 μ V.Nm-1) and CON (2.7 ± 1.6 μ V.Nm-1), CSP was shorter (p < 0.04) for ECC (0.097 ± 0.03 s) than ISO (0.109 ± 0.02 s) and CON (0.109 ± 0.03 s), and MEP amplitude was lower (P < 0.01) for ECC (3.46 ± 1.67 mV) than ISO (4.21 ± 2.33 mV) and CON (4.01 ± 2.06 mV). Similar results were found for EMG/torque and CSP during 30% contractions, but MEP amplitude and SICI showed no diﬀerences among contractions (p > 0.05). Reduced VA during ECC may be at least partly explained by lower corticospinal excitability, while a shorter CSP may reﬂect extra muscle spindle excitation of the motoneurons from muscle lengthening, rather than reduced corticospinal inhibition.
Variability of surface water characteristics and Heinrich-like events in the Pleistocene midlatitude North Atlantic Ocean: Biomarker and XRD records from IODP Site U1313 (MIS 16-9)

[1] A reconstruction of Milankovitch to millennial-scale variability of sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface productivity in the Pleistocene midlatitude North Atlantic Ocean (marine isotope stage (MIS) 16–9) and its relationship to ice sheet instability was carried out on sediments from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1313. This reconstruction is based on alkenone and n-alkane concentrations, U37K′ index, total organic carbon (TOC) and carbonate contents, X-ray diffraction data, magnetic susceptibility, and accumulation rates. Increased input of ice-rafted debris occurred during MIS 16, 12, and 10, characterized by high concentrations of dolomite, quartz, and feldspars and elevated accumulation rates of terrigenous matter. Minimum input values of terrigenous matter, on the other hand, were determined for MIS 13 and 11. Peak values of dolomite, coinciding with quartz, plagioclase, and kalifeldspar peaks and maxima in long-chain n-alkanes indicative for land plants, are interpreted as Heinrich-like events related to sudden instability of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during early and late (deglacial) phases of the glacials. The coincidence of increased TOC values with elevated absolute concentrations of alkenones suggests increased glacial productivity, probably due to a more southern position of the Polar Front. Alkenone-based SST reached absolute maxima of about 19°C during MIS 11.3 and absolute minima of <10°C during MIS 12 and 10. Within MIS 11, prominent cooling events (MIS 11.22 and 11.24) occurred. The absolute SST minima recorded directly before and after the glacial maxima MIS 10.2 and 12.2 are related to Heinrich-like event meltwater pulses, as supported by the coincidence of SST minima and maxima in C37:4 alkenones and dolomite. These sudden meltwater pulses, especially during terminations IV and V, probably caused a collapse of phytoplankton productivity as indicated by the distinct drop in alkenone concentrations. Ice sheet disintegration and subsequent surges and outbursts of icebergs and meltwater discharge may have been triggered by increased insolation in the northern high latitudes.