Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal changes in the heavy metal resistant bacterial population of the New Calabar River, Nigeria

Seasonal changes and the contribution of industrial effluent discharges to the population of heavy metal – resistant bacteria (HMRB) in the river water and sediment of the New Calabar River, were examined. On exposure of river water microflora to 2µg of heavy metals, the HMRB population ranged from 55 to 78% in the rainy months and 100% in the dry months. The HMRB of the river water ranged from 0.4 to 0.8% and 11 to 21% in the rainy and dry months respectively, on exposure of river water microflora to 20µg of heavy metals. The HMRB in the sediment ranged from 86 to 100% and 20 to 43% in the dry months and 55 to 100% and 1.7 to 2.4% in the rainy months when sediment microflora were exposed to 2µg and 20µg of heavy metals respectively. Higher concentrations of heavy metals resulted in reduced populations of HMRB. The total aerobic heterotrophic bacterial (THB) count ranged from 1.0 x 107 to 5.8 x 108 cfu/ml and 2.2 x 106 to 5.3 x 107 cfu/ml for surface water, 5.5 x 106 to 7.4 x 108 cfu/ml and 1.4 x 105 to 4.0 x 106 cfu/ml for subsurface water and 1.0 x 105 to 1.1 x 109 and 2.5 x 105 to 6.8 x 107 cfu/g for sediment during the rainy and dry months respectively. Physicochemical parameters such as conductivity and BOD showed higher values in the rainy season than in the dry season. Dissolved oxygen and pH showed no significant difference between their rainy and dry season levels indicating the absence of seasonal variations with these parameters. Heavy metals levels of river water and sediment showed higher values in the dry season than in the rainy season. There was no significant difference between the heavy metal levels of industrial effluent discharges with those of the river water and sediment levels during the rainy season. During the dry season, the heavy metal levels of the industrial effluents were less than those of the river water and sediment. Thus their contribution to seasonal variation of these metals in the river water and sediment is negligible. Results also suggested that the percentage of heavy metal resistant bacteria and the heavy metal levels of the river water and sediments were higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. Key words: Seasonal changes, effluent discharges, heavy metal resistant bacteria, New Calabar River. (Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences: 2003 9(4): 425-434)
Depth variations of the 410 and 520 km‐discontinuities beneath Asia and the Pacific from PP precursors

We investigate depth variations of the 410 and 520 km‐discontinuities beneath Asia and the Pacific which serve as examples for a continental and an oceanic region, respectively. The depths are derived from travel‐time differences between the PP‐phase and its precursors that are reflected at the discontinuities. After accounting for differences in average crustal thickness, we find that the depth of the ‘410’ is rather uniform but larger than expected beneath both regions with a value of approximately 418 km. Signals from the ‘520’ are slightly less pronounced. However, while the average depth of the ‘520’ beneath Asia is about 519 km, we obtain a value of about 531.5 km for the Pacific. Here, the depression of the discontinuities can be explained in view of thermal anomalies in relation to mantle plumes. For Asia, however, the observations seem to require a more complex pattern of thermal anomalies possibly complemented by variations in chemical composition.
Comparison of Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II and Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II aerosol measurements from 1994 to 1996

We describe statistical comparisons between version 6.0 Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II and version 5.931 Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II measurements of aerosol extinction and derived surface area and volume density between 1994 and 1996. Qualitatively, both instruments show similar decay of the aerosol extinction at visible and near-IR wavelengths in the altitude range from 12 to 30 km, resulting from dissipation of the Mount Pinatubo aerosols. We present quantitative differences between the SAGE II and POAM II extinctions at 1 and 0.45 μm for temporally and spatially coincident measurements. On average, for the moderately elevated aerosol extinction levels encountered in 1994, differences in the extinction measurements at 1 μm are within ±10% between 12 and 27 km, increasing at higher and lower altitudes. Differences at 0.45 μm are within ±35% between 13 and 30 km, increasing at lower altitudes. For the lower aerosol extinction conditions of 1995 and 1996, the comparisons indicate that systematic errors contributed to larger relative differences between the instruments. These effects are manifested as “asymmetries” in the Northern Hemisphere versus Southern Hemisphere comparisons, and in the 1 μm versus 0.45 μm comparisons. We suggest that these systematic differences are partly due to altitude registration errors in one or both of the instruments. Average volume densities derived using a principal component analysis technique agreed within about 10% at high northern latitudes between 16 and 27 km, and within about 30% at high southern latitudes. In most cases, surface area density differences were somewhat larger. Although a dedicated validation campaign was not feasible for POAM II, overall the results presented here confirm the validity of the POAM II aerosol measurements for scientific studies.
On the spatial spread of rabies among foxes

We present a simple model for the spatial spread of rabies among foxes and use it to quantify its progress in England if rabies were introduced. The model is based on the known ecology of fox behaviour and on the assumption that the main vector for the spread of the disease is the rabid fox. Known data and facts are used to determine real parameter values involved in the model. We calculate the speed of propagation of the epizootic front, the threshold for the existence of an epidemic, the period and distance apart of the subsequent cyclical epidemics which follow the main front, and finally we quantify a means for control of the spatial spread of the disease. By way of illustration we use the model to determine the progress of rabies up through the southern part of England if it were introduced near Southampton. Estimates for the current fox density in England were used in the simulations. These suggest that the disease would reach Manchester within about 3.5 years, moving at speeds as high as 100 km per year in the central region. The model further indicates that although it might seem that the disease had disappeared after the wave had passed it would reappear in the south of England after just over 6 years and at periodic times after that. We consider the possibility of stopping the spread of the disease by creating a rabies ‘breakʼ ahead of the front through vaccination to reduce the population to a level below the threshold for an epidemic to exist. Based on parameter values relevant to England, we estimate its minimum width to be about 15 km. The model suggests that vaccination has considerable advantages over severe culling.
The Paris CM chondrite: Secondary minerals and asteroidal processing

We report a petrographic and mineralogical survey of Paris, a new CM chondrite considered to be the least‐altered CM identified so far (Hewins et al. ). Compared to other CMs, Paris exhibits (1) a higher concentration of Fe‐Ni metal beads, with nickel contents in the range 4.1–8.1 wt%; (2) the systematic presence of thin lamellae and tiny blebs of pentlandite in pyrrhotite grains; and (3) ubiquitous tochilinite/cronstedtite associations with higher FeO/SiO2 and S/SiO2 ratios. In addition, Paris shows the highest concentration of trapped 36Ar reported so far for a CM chondrite (Hewins et al. ). In combination with the findings of previous studies, our data confirm the reliability of (1) the alteration sequence based on the chemical composition of tochilinite/cronstedtite associations to quantify the fluid alteration processes and (2) the use of Cr content variability in type II ferroan chondrule olivine as a proxy of thermal metamorphism. In contrast, the scales based on (1) the Fe3+ content of serpentine in the matrix to estimate the degree of aqueous alteration and (2) the chemical composition of Fe‐Ni metal beads for quantifying the intensity of the thermal metamorphism are not supported by the characteristics of Paris. It also appears that the amount of trapped 36Ar is a sensitive indicator of the secondary alteration modifications experienced by chondrites, for both aqueous alteration and thermal metamorphism. Considering Paris, our data suggest that this chondrite should be classified as type 2.7 as it suffered limited but significant fluid alteration and only mild thermal metamorphism. These results point out that two separated scales should be used to quantify the degree of the respective role of aqueous alteration and thermal metamorphism in establishing the characteristics of CM chondrites.
Climatic Control of Nitrate Loss from Forested Watersheds in the Northeast United States

Increased losses of nitrate from watersheds may accelerate the depletion of nutrient cations and affect the acidification and trophic status of surface waters. Patterns of nitrate concentrations and losses were evaluated in four forested watersheds (East Bear Brook Watershed, Lead Mountain, ME; Watershed 6, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, White Mountains, NH; Arbutus Watershed, Huntington Forest, Adirondack Mountains, NY; Biscuit Brook, Catskill Mountains, NY) located across the northeastern United States. A synchronous pattern was observed in nitrate concentrations of drainage waters from these four sites from 1983 through 1993. Most notably, high concentrations and high drainage water losses followed an anomalous cold period (mean daily temperature −11.4 to −16 °C in December 1989) for all four sites. After high nitrate losses during the snowmelt of 1990, nitrate concentrations and fluxes decreased at all sites. These results suggest that climatic variation can have a major effect on nitrogen flux an.
Caffeine and Pharmaceuticals as Indicators of Waste Water Contamination in Wells

The presence of caffeine or human Pharmaceuticals in ground water with elevated nitrate concentrations can provide a clear, unambiguous indication that domestic waste water is a source of some of the nitrate. Water from domestic, public supply, and monitoring wells in three communities near Reno, Nevada, was sampled to test if caffeine or Pharmaceuticals are common, persistent, and mobile enough in the environment that they can be detected in nitrate‐contaminated ground water and, thus, can be useful indicators of recharge from domestic waste water. Results of this study indicate that these compounds can be used as indicators of recharge from domestic waste water, although their usefulness is limited because caffeine is apparently nonconservative and the presence of prescription Pharmaceuticals is unpredictable. The absence of caffeine or Pharmaceuticals in ground water with elevated nitrate concentrations does not demonstrate that the aquifer is free of waste water contamination. Caffeine was detected in ground water samples at concentrations up to 0.23 μg/L. The human Pharmaceuticals chlorpropamide, phensuximide, and carbamazepine also were detected in some samples.
Neuromorphic Hardware Architecture Using the Neural Engineering Framework for Pattern Recognition

We present a hardware architecture that uses the neural engineering framework (NEF) to implement large-scale neural networks on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) for performing massively parallel real-time pattern recognition. NEF is a framework that is capable of synthesising large-scale cognitive systems from subnetworks and we have previously presented an FPGA implementation of the NEF that successfully performs nonlinear mathematical computations. That work was developed based on a compact digital neural core, which consists of 64 neurons that are instantiated by a single physical neuron using a time-multiplexing approach. We have now scaled this approach up to build a pattern recognition system by combining identical neural cores together. As a proof of concept, we have developed a handwritten digit recognition system using the MNIST database and achieved a recognition rate of 96.55%. The system is implemented on a state-of-the-art FPGA and can process 5.12 million digits per second. The architecture and hardware optimisations presented offer high-speed and resource-efficient means for performing high-speed, neuromorphic, and massively parallel pattern recognition and classification tasks.
Hypolimnetic oxygenation using liquid oxygen

A new system of hypolimnetic oxygenation called side stream pumping (SSP) is described. The SSP system uses liquid oxygen and a conventional water pump, whereas most other hypolimnetic oxygenation systems use compressed air and a special aeration chamber. The SSP system was tested in Ottoville Quarry, Ottoville, Ohio, during the summer of 1973. Hypolimnetic oxygen concentrations increased from less than 0.5 mg/1 to over 8.0 mg/1 during 2 months of operation, and thermal stratification was maintained. These improvements created a suitable habitat for cold-water fish, but care must be exercised in the use of the SSP system to avoid potential problems with high, free carbon dioxide concentrations.
Urban–rural contrasts in summer soil-surface temperature and active-layer thickness, Barrow, Alaska, USA

Abstract Increasing urbanization and development in the Arctic may exacerbate the local impacts of climate warming in areas underlain by permafrost. As part of the Barrow Urban Heat-Island Study (BUHIS), hourly air and near-surface soil temperatures (5 cm depth) were collected at 66 sites in and near Barrow, Alaska. Comparison of near-surface soil temperatures, categorized by land-cover type, revealed that urban temperatures in each category were higher than those in corresponding units of the surrounding undeveloped area. Mean summer soil-surface temperatures within comparable land-cover units were 0.3–2.3°C higher in the urban area. Active-layer thickness was greater by 15–40 cm at the urban sites than at locations with similar vegetation in the rural portions of the study area. Engineering criteria established from measurements made at ‘rural’ meteorological sites or from general maps of a large region may assume colder soils than are actually present, raising the possibility that inappropriate design criteria could be implemented. This risk will continue to grow as urbanization, resource development, and climatic changes increase.
Satellite observations of circulation in the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Abstract Twenty-one NOAA-9 AVHRR satellite images of the southern Great Barrier Reef, spanning the period from June 1986 to September 1988, were examined for sea surface temperature patterns in order to trace circulation within this bathymetrically complex area. Our findings are in general agreement with the few field studies of this region. The East Australian Current tended to flow outside the reefs along the shelf break until it entered the Capricorn Channel, where it either meandered westward along the narrowing shelf, adhering closely to the slope contours, or flowed directly southward. It then impinged upon the shelf break, near Fraser Island, where it bifurcated to produce a southward continuation of the current, and a cyclonic eddy within the Capricorn Channel. Cool water, which commonly occurred over the shelf between Fraser Island and Cape Clinton, has probable significance for biological production within the adjacent Capricorn/Bunker Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Interpreted as .
Change in North American Atmospheric Conditions Associated with Deep Convection and Severe Weather using CRCM4 Climate Projections

Abstract Severe weather has important social and economic impacts. Some studies have indicated that its intensity may increase over this century as a consequence of climate change induced by greenhouse gases. This study aims to investigate the possibility of a future increase in deep convective events over North America resulting from the evolution of favourable atmospheric conditions. Our analysis is based on an ensemble of projections performed using the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) at 45 km resolution, driven by different Global Climate Models (GCMs) and reanalyses. We concentrate our study on Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), vertical wind shear, and convective precipitation. Based on two different approaches to linking atmospheric conditions and severe weather, we find that the number of extreme weather events is expected to increase during the twenty-first century. In agreement with other studies on this subject, we find that CAPE is expected to increase, whereas wind shear is expected to decrease slightly. Through the analysis of the CRCM's convective precipitation outputs, we show that severe convective liquid precipitation events may become both more frequent and slightly more intense. Sensitivity experiments show that results depend on the driving GCM although they confirm the general conclusions. Additional experiments conducted with reduced humidity input at the lateral boundaries show the significant role that the humidity level of the driving GCMs has on simulated extreme regional events. At the regional level results are, in general, consistent with those found at the continental scale, but large inter-regional variations exist.
COMPARAÇÃO ENTRE O PERFIL DOS INCÊNDIOS FLORESTAIS DE MONTE ALEGRE, BRASIL, E DE PINAR DEL RÍO, CUBA

E importante se determinar onde, quando e porque ocorrem os incendios florestais, com vistas a estruturar os servicos de prevencao e combate dentro de limites economicamente viaveis. Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida com o objetivo de comparar o comportamento historico dos incendios florestais ocorridos no periodo de 2002 a 2011 no Distrito Florestal de Monte Alegre, estado do Parana, Brasil, e nas empresas florestais da Provincia de Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Foram consideradas as distribuicoes temporal e espacial dos incendios, tendo sido analisada tambem a eficiencia do servico de protecao. Os registros de ocor rencia de incendios foram fornecidos pela Klabin S/A e pelo Corpo de Guardabosques de Pinar del Rio. Os resultados mostraram um maior numero de ocorrencias e uma menor area queimada em Monte Alegre. Os incendios se concentraram nos meses de agosto a outubro (77,97% do total) em Monte Alegre e de marco a maio (86,80%) em Pinar del Rio. A cobertura vegetal mais afetada nas duas regioes foi “ Pinus spp. ” e a principal causa foi “incendiario” (71,66% do total) em Monte Alegre e “raios” (39,26%) em Pinar del Rio. Conclui-se que ha uma similaridade no perfil dos incendios para os dois lugares, com excecao da epoca de incendios. Palavras-chave : Estatisticas de incendios; epoca de incendios ; prevencao de incendios. Abstract Comparison between the forest fires statistics in Monte Alegre, Brazil, and Pinar del Rio, Cuba . It is important to determine where, when and why forest fires occur in order to structure the prevention and suppression within economically viable limits. This research was developed in order to compare the historical behavior of forest fires in the period 2002 to 2011 in the Forest District of Monte Alegre, Parana State, Brazil, and forestry companies in the province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Spatial and temporal distributions of fire occurrence were considered and the efficiency of fire control service was analyzed. Records of fire occurrence were provided by Klabin S/A and the Forest Department of Pinar del Rio. The results revealed a higher number of occurrences and a lower burned area in Monte Alegre. The fires were concentrated from the month of August to October (77.97% of total) in Monte Alegre and March-May (86.80%) in Pinar del Rio. The most affected vegetation in both regions was " Pinus spp" and the main cause of the occurrence was "incendiary" (71.66% of total) in Monte Alegre and "lightning" (39.26%) in Pinar del Rio. There was a similarity in the fire profile for the two regions, except in the fire season. Keywords : Fire statistics; fire history; fire season; fire prevention.
Awake mouse imaging: from two-photon microscopy to blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging: Awake mouse imaging: from 2-photon microscopy to BOLD fMRI

Background. —Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in awake behaving mice is well positioned to bridge the detailed cellular-level view of brain activity, which has become available due to recent advances in microscopic optical imaging and genetics, to the macroscopic scale of human noninvasive observables. However, while microscopic (e.g., 2-photon imaging) studies in behaving mice have become a reality in many laboratories, awake mouse fMRI remains a Corresponding author: Michèle Desjardins, 2705, boulevard Laurier, Québec (Québec), Canada G1V 4G2, Tel: (418) 525-4444 #47531 or (418) 656-2131 #402783, michele.desjardins@phy.ulaval. ca. #Present Address: Département de physique, de génie physique et d’optique, Université Laval and Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval, axe Oncologie, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; †Present Address: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Financial Disclosure The authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. HHS Public Access Author manuscript Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2020 June 01. Published in final edited form as: Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2019 June ; 4(6): 533–542. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc. 2018.12. 002. A uhor M anscript
Radon‐220 calibration of Near‐surface turbulent gas transport

Activity concentration profiles of the short‐lived radon isotope 220Rn (half‐life 56 seconds) in the lowest 50 cm above the soil are used to study near‐surface gas transport processes. The experimental data are compared to profiles calculated by solving the one‐dimensional diffusion equation for radioactive atoms with a linear increase of the eddy diffusion coefficient K with altitude according to K(z) = K0 + Kz.Z. The slope KZ in this model and the radon flux from the surface are continuously calculated from the activity measurements in time steps of one hour. Transport times for Rn atoms from an altitude Z1 = 5 cm to an altitude Z2 = 20 cm are typically between one and two minutes in stable meteorological conditions when the friction velocity u* is below 0.1 m/s.