Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Marine aerosol source regions to Prince of Wales Icefield, Ellesmere Island, and influence from the tropical Pacific, 1979–2001

Using a coastal ice core collected from Prince of Wales (POW) Icefield on Ellesmere Island, we investigate source regions of sea ice‐modulated chemical species (methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and chloride (Cl−)) to POW Icefield and the influence of large‐scale atmospheric variability on the transport of these marine aerosols (1979–2001). Our key findings are (1) MSA in the POW Icefield core is derived primarily from productivity in the sea ice zone of Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea, with influence from waters within the North Water (NOW) polynya, (2) sea ice formation processes within the NOW polynya may be a significant source of sea‐salt aerosols to the POW core site, in addition to offshore open water source regions primarily in Hudson Bay, and (3) the tropical Pacific influences the source and transport of marine aerosols to POW Icefield through its remote control on regional winds and sea ice variability. Regression analyses during times of MSA deposition reveal sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies favorable for opening of the NOW polynya and subsequent oceanic dimethyl sulfide production. Regression analyses during times of Cl− deposition reveal SLP anomalies that indicate a broader oceanic region of sea‐salt sources to the core site. These results are supported by Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer‐ and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager‐based sea ice reconstructions and air mass transport density analyses and suggest that the marine biogenic record may capture local polynya variability, while sea‐salt transport to the site from larger offshore source regions in Baffin Bay is likely. Regression analyses show a link to tropical dynamics via an atmospheric Rossby wave.
Probes for Ultrasensitive THz Nanoscopy

Scattering-type scanning near-field microscopy (s-SNOM) at terahertz (THz) frequencies could become a highly valuable tool for studying a variety of phenomena of both fundamental and applied interest, including mobile carrier excitations or phase transitions in 2D materials or exotic conductors. Applications, however, are strongly challenged by the limited signal to noise ratio. One major reason is that standard atomic force microscope (AFM) tips, which have made s-SNOM a highly practical and rapidly emerging tool, provide weak scattering efficiencies at THz frequencies. Here we report a combined experimental and theoretical study of commercial and custom-made AFM tips of different apex diameter and length, in order to understand signal formation in THz s-SNOM and to provide insights for tip optimization. Contrary to common beliefs, we find that AFM tips with large (micrometer-scale) apex diameter can enhance s-SNOM signals by more than one order of magnitude, while still offering a spatial resolution of about 100 nm at a wavelength of 119 micron. On the other hand, exploiting the increase of s-SNOM signals with tip length, we succeeded in sub-15 nm resolved THz imaging employing a tungsten tip with 6 nm apex radius. We explain our findings and provide novel insights into s-SNOM via rigorous numerical modeling of the near-field scattering process. Our findings will be of critical importance for pushing THz nanoscopy to its ultimate limits regarding sensitivity and spatial resolution.
Combined investigation of H isotopic compositions and U-Pb chronology of young Martian meteorite Larkman Nunatak 06319

We measured the hydrogen isotopic composition (D/H ratios) and U-Pb chronology of phosphate minerals in a young Martian meteorite: LAR 06319. D/H ratios of melt-inclusions in the meteorite were also investigated to evaluate the presence of water reservoirs on Mars in recent times. The total Pb/U dating of multiple grains of apatite and merrillite yield a concordant date of 167 ± 57 Ma, interpreted as the crystallization age, suggesting that both apatite and merrillite in this meteorite have preserved their igneous histories. The D/H ratios of an apatite grain show good reproducibility yielding a δD value of 4250 ± 120 ‰, whereas those of merrillite show larger D/H variations with the maximum δD value of 5260 ± 790 ‰. However, mafic glass in melt-inclusions shows extremely large variation in δD, ranging from ca. 1070 ‰ to 6830 ± 460 ‰. The different D/H signatures recorded in these phases reflect the contributions of different hydrous components with distinct D/H ratios, possibly incorporated at different times. It is inferred that several isotopically distinct water reservoirs exist in the present Martian surface/sub-surface system.
Boosting Policy Learning in Reinforcement Learning via Adaptive Intrinsic Reward Regulation

Reinforcement learning employs heuristic intrinsic rewards to facilitate effective learning and exploration of the environment by intelligent agents. Particularly in environments with sparse rewards, it’s challenging for agents to reach goals or obtain extrinsic rewards through random exploration. Appropriate intrinsic rewards can significantly boost learning. However, using intrinsic rewards requires a careful balance between exploration and exploitation, which is typically adjusted by a coefficient. In addition, different settings of the intrinsic reward coefficient can lead to significant differences in learning efficiency and performance. Hence, this paper presents a novel approach to regulate intrinsic rewards by adaptively tuning their coefficients, with the aim of enhancing the performance of some existing intrinsic reward techniques. The primary contributions of this study can be summarized in three aspects: 1) Designing a coefficient that adjusts the magnitude of intrinsic rewards, which dynamically adapts based on the return curve. 2) Developing an episode-wise adjustment strategy to improve the sample efficiency of intrinsic reward methods. 3) Modifying the advantage function in gradient policy methods to mitigate training instability caused by changes in the regulated intrinsic rewards. To evaluate the proposed method, we conducted experiments in both 2D and 3D maze environments with sparse rewards, combining it with several intrinsic reward approaches. The results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively enhances learning efficiency and improves the performance of some existing approaches to a certain extent.
The role of perceived security and social influence on the usage behavior of digital banking services: An extension of the technology acceptance model

The goal of this research is to identify the variables influencing individual commercial bank customers’ intentions to use digital banking services. Digital banking is a relatively emerging research context that helps to complement and clarify marketing structures more clearly when combined with different factors to reflect convenience, usefulness, and distinct digital experiences for customers, thereby enhancing brand value for banks. Collecting data from 400 customers of banks in Vietnam is done through an online survey to ensure safety during the epidemic season. Data are analyzed according to the procedure from Cronbach's Alpha test, EFA to CFA, and tested by the SEM model. The results show that the perceived security factor has the most substantial influence on customers' behavioral intentions, thereby driving their actual behavior. Additionally, the usefulness, simplicity, and social influence of behavioral intentions for digital banking services all stimulate customer behavior. In the digital environment, this study suggests that following social phenomena and ensuring customer information security and transactions are extremely important. The results lead to shaping a culture-technology acceptance model based on TAM. That provides important insights and implications for the theoretical underpinnings of security perception, social influence, and usage behavior, such as how they are formed, roles, and relationships interrelationships between them in the digital environment.
Benthic Foraminifera Indicate Environmental Stress from River Discharge To Marine Ecosystems: Example from the Black Sea

The focus of this research was to investigate how the Danube River discharge influences environmental conditions and benthic ecosystems on the Black Sea shelf using foraminifera to delineate affected areas. Specific goals included: (1) to examine the taxonomic composition, quantitative distributions, and test morphologies in foraminiferal assemblages; (2) to correlate them with environmental (oceanographic, geochemical, sedimentological) parameters; (3) to identify the main factors associated with changes in foraminiferal distributions; and (4) to identify assemblages and species that indicate environmental changes along the gradient from delta front to unaffected shelf. Foraminiferal assemblages revealed the influence on the benthic ecosystem of the discharge of water and sediments enriched with organic and inorganic compounds from the Danube delta. Three foraminiferal assemblages were recognized, indicating strong (assemblage Ammonia tepida ), weak (assemblage A. compacta ), and undetectable (assemblage A. ammoniformis ) deltaic influence as a function of distance from shore. Sites strongly influenced were characterized by lower diversity and species richness as well as dominance by A. tepida and Porosononion subgranosus mediterranicus . These species are tolerant of fluctuations in salinity and sedimentation, and thrive on labile organic carbon produced by abundant phytoplankton fertilized by nutrients in the fluvial discharge. The boundary between strong and weak influence on bottom ecosystems occurs at the 25 m isobath, which coincides with the distal zone of the delta front. The boundary between weak and no influence coincides with the frontal zone of the prodelta. No fluvial influence was detected on the outer shelf. The progression of foraminiferal assemblages, A. tepida to A. compacta to A. ammoniformis , and the increase of polyhaline Lagenida in the assemblages seawards, indicates that organic carbon flux is the dominant factor. Other factors, such as salinity and oxygen depletion, seem to play secondary roles, while the type of substrate likely contributes primarily to the diversity of microhabitats within the benthic ecosystems, with muddy delta front sediments providing fewer microhabitats than mixed mud and molluscan shells found on the outer shelf.
Proton beam therapy as a promising option for high-risk limited stage small cell lung cancer: revealing potential of future novel agents

Radiotherapy (RT) is the main local treatment for limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). No-tably, SCLC is extremely sensitive to radiotherapy. Turrisi et al. [1] demonstrated the oncological benefit of high radiation doses by showing the survival benefit of a 45 Gy/1.5 Gy bid protocol compared to the conventional 45 Gy in 25 fractions treatment. Recently, Faivre-Finn et al. [2] reported that treatment with 66 Gy in 33 fractions could achieve a survival similar to that of the bid regimen. Ref-erencing the literature on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), dose-escalation beyond 60–66 Gy is not always successful and has the potential to increase toxicity [3
A contribution to the study of photochemical smog in the Greater Athens Area

A pilot study was performed in May 1993 concerning photooxidants in the Greater Athens Area, including both experimental and modelling work. The highest ozone and PAN concentrations (about 130 ppb and 6 ppb respectively) were observed at the northern suburbs of Athens. At the eastern part of Attica peninsula the low ozone (maximum observed about 70 ppb) and NO X levels indicated the absence of precursors in the area. According to the predictions of a three-dimensional mesoscale model, during a pollution episode day (22nd of May, 1993) the wind field over Attica was the combined result of a weak synoptic flow and three see breeze cells, developed over Saronikos Gulf, at Elefsis bay (west part of Attica peninsula) and at Mesogia plain (the east part of Attica peninsula) respectively. For the same day of the campaign the ozone, NO X and PAN concentrations predicted by the Urban Airshed Model are in rather promising agreement with the observations, although the emission inventory used was based on yearly totals of emissions only.
Dose-Dependent Effects of Supplementing a Two-Strain Bacillus subtilis Probiotic on Growth Performance, Blood Parameters, Fecal Metabolites, and Microbiome in Nursery Pigs

Simple Summary Postweaning diarrhea due to pathogenic Escherichia coli is a common issue in swine production. Specific strains of Bacillus subtilis have been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of diarrhea and thereby improve the growth of nursery pigs. The current study aims to demonstrate the effect of B. subtilis supplementation of two strains selected to reduce the effects of pathogenic E. coli to nursery pig diets on growth performance, blood biochemicals, fecal metabolites, and microbiome. B. subtilis supplementation to nursery diets at 1.875 × 105 CFU/g diet improved early postweaning growth performance, increased blood glucose levels, and fecal short-chain fatty acid production, which is beneficial for the gut health and development for nursery pigs. But a higher dose of B. subtilis did not affect pig growth and fecal short-chain fatty acid production. These results suggest that B. subtilis supplementation to nursery pig diets at 1.875 × 105 CFU/g diet is beneficial for growth and gut health, whereas a higher dose of the probiotic may not be as effective as the recommended level. Abstract This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation level of a two-strain Bacillus subtilis probiotic on growth performance, blood parameters, fecal metabolites, and microbiome in nursery pigs. A total of 54 weaned piglets were allotted to three treatments in three replicate pens with six pigs/pen for a 28 d feeding trial. The treatments were as follows: control: no probiotic supplementation; Pro1x: B. subtilis supplementation at 1.875 × 105 CFU/g diet; and Pro10x: B. subtilis supplementation at 1.875 × 106 CFU/g diet. Body weight at d 14 postweaning (p = 0.06) and average daily gain for d 0 to 14 postweaning (p < 0.05) were greater in the Pro1x treatment than in the other treatments. Blood glucose levels were greater in both probiotic treatments than in the control treatment at d 14 postweaning (p < 0.05). In the fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, the butyrate concentrations were greater in the Pro1x treatment than in the other treatments (p < 0.05), and the acetate, propionate, and total SCFA concentrations were greater in the Pro1x treatment than in the Pro10x treatment (p < 0.05). The beta diversity of fecal microbiome composition at d 14 postweaning based on Unweighted Unifrac analysis was dissimilar between the Pro1x and Pro10x treatments (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary B. subtilis supplementation of two strains selected to reduce effects of pathogenic Escherichia coli to nursery diets at 1.875 × 105 CFU/g diet improved the growth rate in the early postweaning period, increased fecal SCFA concentrations and altered the fecal microbial community composition. A higher dose of B. subtilis did not improve the performance parameters over those of the control piglets.
Changes in the firmness and other quality parameters of fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya treated with additives and 1-methylcyclopropene

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) applied as pre-cutting, post-cutting, and double application (before and after cutting) on the changes in the firmness and quality parameters of fresh-cut ripe ‘Maradol’ papaya. Four treatments (T1 T4) were used. T1 (Control treatment): Fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya slices (Control treatment or T1) dipped in 1% CaCl2 for 2 min, then sprayed with 0.1% iso-ascorbic acid and 0.05% sorbic acid. One part of the T1 slices were treated with 1000 nL/L of 1-MCP for 12 h at 10 °C (T2). T3: Fresh-cut papaya slices treated with the same additives from the whole papaya treated 1000 nL/L of 1-MCP for 12 h at 20°C. T4: Fresh-cut papaya with additives treated with 1-MCP before and after cutting. All slices were packed in polypropylene trays with a perforated cover and stored at 4 ºC. T3 and T4 slices exhibited lower firmness loss and decreased activity of pectin methylesterase, polygalacturonase, and beta-galactosidase compared to T1 and T2 slices. Moreover, T3 and T4 slices had low translucency and microbial load, complying with the European Union limit (3 log CFU/g). No significant variations in acidity, pH, and total soluble solids were noted between treatments, but higher color values were obtained in T3 and T4 slices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study where the combining effects of additives and 1-MCP application before and after cutting extended the shelf-life of fresh-cut ‘Maradol’ papaya for up to 13 days at 4 °C, twice the duration reported by others. Keywords: Carica papaya, Postharvest, Translucency, Quality, Shelf-life
Chromian spinels from the Magura Unit (Western Carpathians, Eastern Slovakia) – their petrogenetic and palaeogeographic implications

Detrital chromian spinels in sedimentary rocks provide much information concerning the tectonics of their parental ultrabasic rocks. Chromian spinels occurring in the Eocene to Oligocene deposits from the Magura Nappe were examined to provide some constraints on the history of the Magura Basin. The Magura Nappe is a part of the Flysch Belt belonging to the External Western Carpathians. The Magura Nappe is separated by a narrow zone associated with the Pieniny Klippen Belt and is divided into three principal tectono-lithofacies units (from the S to N): the Krynica, Bystrica and Raca units. Cr-spinel is a common accessory mineral (2.3–5.9 vol% of heavy mineral spectra) in the siliciclastic rocks of the Raca and Krynica units. In terms of texture and chemical composition, two types of Cr-spinels were recognized: unaltered and altered. Unaltered spinels were found to contain silicate inclusions such as chromio-pargasite, enstatite, diopside, pargasite, plagioclase and olivine (forsterite). The chromian spinels show wide variations in compositional parameters such as Cr# (0.3–0.7), Mg# (0.3–0.7), TiO2 (<0.03–1.9 wt.%) and Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ (2.5–13) whereas the differences between the Raca and Krynica units are insignificant. These parameters suggest a peridotitic and volcanic origin of the spinels, respectively. The ophiolite source consisting of harzburgitic mantle peridotites was developed mainly in a supra-subduction zone setting; volcanic spinels indicate an origin in mid-ocean ridge basalts, back-arc basin basalts and sporadically in ocean-island basalts. Concerning their geochemical features, we propose that during the Eocene to Early Oligocene, the ophiolitic detritus in the eastern part of the Magura Basin deposits may have been derived from a source area located in the Fore-Marmarosh Suture Zone (Eastern Carpathians) that is considered an equivalent of the Black Flysch and Ceahlau units. Some Cr-spinels found in the Eocene sedimentary successions may have resedimented from older Late Cretaceous-Paleocene formations of the Magura Unit, which are considered as reworked sedimentary material from the Pieniny Klippen Belt.
Beyond Gender: Interoceptive Sensibility as a Key Predictor of Body Image Disturbances

Body image disturbance (BID) involves negative attitudes towards shape and weight and is associated with lower levels of interoceptive sensibility (IS) (the subjective perceptions of internal bodily states). This association is considered a risk factor for developing eating disorders (EDs) and is linked to altered sensorimotor representations of the body (i.e., body schema). BIDs manifest across genders and are currently understudied in men. This study investigated gender-related differences in BID and its relationship to the body schema and IS. Data were collected from 86 men and 86 women. BID was assessed using questionnaires measuring self-objectification, state, and trait body dissatisfaction. IS was measured via the MAIA-2. The body schema was indexed via an embodied mental rotation task. Results showed that women reported higher BID than men across all scales. Gender differences in sub-components of interoceptive sensibility were found. Overall, both gender and interoceptive sensibility predicted BID. However, interoceptive sensibility exhibited its own unique association with BID beyond the influence of gender. BID, IS and gender were not significant predictors of performance in the body schema task. Therefore, while gender predicts differences in BID and interoceptive sensibility, there was no evidence of gender-related differences in body schema.
A Novel Detection Procedure for Mutations in the 23S rRNA Gene of Macrolide-Resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae with Two Non-Overlapping Probes Amplification Assay

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a significant cause of community-acquired pneumonia, which is often empirically treated with macrolides (MLs), but, presently, resistance to MLs has been a matter of close clinical concern. This assay is intended to contribute to resistance detection of M. pneumoniae in clinical practice. A novel real-time PCR assay with two non-overlapping probes on the same nucleic acid strand was designed in this study. It could effectively detect all mutation types of M. pneumoniae in 23S rRNA at loci 2063 and 2064. The results were determined by the following methods: ΔCT < 0.5 for MLs-sensitive M. pneumoniae; ΔCT > 2.0 for MLs-resistant M. pneumoniae; 10 copies as a limit of detection for all types. For detection of M. pneumoniae in 92 clinical specimens, the consistency between the results of this assay and the frequently used real-time PCR results was 95.65%. The consistency of MLs resistance results between PCR sequencing and this assay was 100% in all 43 specimens. The assay could not only cover a comprehensive range of targets and have high detection sensitivity but is also directly used for detection and MLs analysis of M. pneumoniae in specimens.
Reliability of Kvaal′s and Cameriere′s methods of age estimation in a specific populace in central India

Context: Comparison between antemortem and postmortem dental records and radiographs produces results with a high degree of reliability and relative simplicity. Kvaal et al. introduced an age estimation method by indirectly measuring secondary dentin deposition on radiographs. Cameriere et al., later, put forth a method based on radiographic estimation of pulp/tooth area ratio (AR) in canines. The purpose of the present study was to assess the reliability of various teeth in Kvaal′s and Cameriere′s methods of age estimation in a specific populace in Central India. Materials and Methods: One hundred and ten patients aged between 15 and 75 years were selected, and the variables P = complete pulp length/root length (from enamel-cementum junction [ECJ] to root apex), r = complete pulp length/complete tooth length, a = complete pulp length/root width at ECJ level, b = pulp/root width at midpoint level between ECJ level and mid-root level, and c = pulp/root width at mid-root level and pulp/tooth AR were recorded as devised in Kvaal′s and Cameriere′s methods of age estimation, respectively. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS (version 10.5) package. Mean comparison of morphological variables was carried out using Student′s t-test. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of measurements was studied using the concordance correlation coefficient. Results: Comparing between Kvaal′s and Cameriere′s methods, results of the latter method were found to be more accurate in predicting age. Conclusion: Kvaal′s method showed varying results for different teeth, but Cameriere′s method was more consistent, accurate and showed less variability.