Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sediment Quality Assessment and Dredged Material Management in Spain: Part I, Application of Sediment Quality Guidelines in the Bay of Santander

ABSTRACT Sediments are an essential component of aquatic ecosystems that must be assessed and managed properly. The use of quantitative environmental quality standards derived from consideration of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) can be effective as part of a tiered risk assessment approach. In Part I of this 2-part paper addressing sediment quality assessment and dredged material management in Spain, different SQG methods are used to evaluate sediment quality in the Bay of Santander, located in the Cantabric Sea along the northern coast of Spain, and to guide development of empirically derived SQGs for marine sediments. The results of the study indicate a great heterogeneity of SQGs, both with regard to the numeric values for a particular chemical and the number of substances for which SQGs have been derived. The analysis highlights the scarce development of empirical SQGs for priority substances identified in current European Union water policy. Nonetheless, the application of SQGs makes it possible to classify different zones of sediment quality in the Bay of Santander. Part II of this 2-part paper considers the environmental impacts of dredged material disposal. Legislation and criteria used to regulate dredged material disposal at sea in different European countries are reviewed, and action levels derived by different countries were used to evaluate management of dredged sediments from Cádiz Bay, located on the South Atlantic coast of Spain.
Generalized Butterfly Graph and Its Application to Video Stream Authentication

This paper presents the generalized butterfly graph (GBG) and its application to video stream authentication. Compared with the original butterfly graph, the proposed GBG provides significantly increased flexibility, which is necessary for streaming applications, including supporting arbitrary bit-rate budget for authentication and arbitrary number of video packets. Within the GBG design, the problem of constructing an authentication graph is defined as follows: given the total number of packets to protect, the expected packet loss rate for the network, and the available overhead budget, how should one design the authentication graph to maximize the probability that the received packets are verifiable? Furthermore, given the fact that media packets are typically of unequal importance, we explore two variants of the GBG authentication, packet sorting and unequal authentication protection, which apply unequal treatment to different packets based on their importance. Lastly, we examine how the proposed GBG authentication can be applied within the context of rate-distortion-authentication (R-D-A) optimized streaming: given a media stream protected by GBG authentication, the R-D-A optimized streaming technique computes an optimized transmission schedule by recognizing and accounting for the authentication dependencies in the GBG authentication graph.
Technical Note: Temporal change in averaging kernels as a source of uncertainty in trend estimates of carbon monoxide retrieved from MOPITT

Abstract. It has become possible to retrieve the global, long-term trends of trace gases that are important to atmospheric chemistry, climate, and air quality from satellite data records that span more than a decade. However, many of the satellite remote sensing techniques produce measurements that have variable sensitivity to the vertical profiles of atmospheric gases. In the case of constrained retrievals like optimal estimation, this leads to a varying amount of a priori information in the retrieval and is represented by an averaging kernel (AK). In this study, we investigate to what extent the estimation of trends from retrieved data can be biased by temporal changes of averaging kernels used in the retrieval algorithm. In particular, the surface carbon monoxide data retrieved from the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument from 2001 to 2010 were analyzed. As a practical example based on the MOPITT data, we show that if the true atmospheric mixing ratio is continuously 50% higher or lower than the a priori state, the temporal change of the averaging kernel at the surface level gives rise to an artificial trend in retrieved surface carbon monoxide, ranging from −10.71 to +13.21 ppbv yr−1 (−5.68 to +8.84 % yr−1) depending on location. Therefore, in the case of surface (or near-surface level) CO derived from MOPITT, the AKs trends multiplied by the difference between true and a priori states must be quantified in order to estimate trend biases.
Adaptive Protein Evolution in Animals and the Effective Population Size Hypothesis

The rate at which genomes adapt to environmental changes and the prevalence of adaptive processes in molecular evolution are two controversial issues in current evolutionary genetics. Previous attempts to quantify the genome-wide rate of adaptation through amino-acid substitution have revealed a surprising diversity of patterns, with some species (e.g. Drosophila) experiencing a very high adaptive rate, while other (e.g. humans) are dominated by nearly-neutral processes. It has been suggested that this discrepancy reflects between-species differences in effective population size. Published studies, however, were mainly focused on model organisms, and relied on disparate data sets and methodologies, so that an overview of the prevalence of adaptive protein evolution in nature is currently lacking. Here we extend existing estimators of the amino-acid adaptive rate by explicitly modelling the effect of favourable mutations on non-synonymous polymorphism patterns, and we apply these methods to a newly-built, homogeneous data set of 44 non-model animal species pairs. Data analysis uncovers a major contribution of adaptive evolution to the amino-acid substitution process across all major metazoan phyla – with the notable exception of humans and primates. The proportion of adaptive amino-acid substitution is found to be positively correlated to species effective population size. This relationship, however, appears to be primarily driven by a decreased rate of nearly-neutral amino-acid substitution due to more efficient purifying selection in large populations. Our results reveal that adaptive processes dominate the evolution of proteins in most animal species, but do not corroborate the hypothesis that adaptive substitutions accumulate at a faster rate in large populations. Implications regarding the factors influencing the rate of adaptive evolution and positive selection detection in humans vs. other organisms are discussed. Author summary The rate at which species adapt to environmental changes is a controversial topic. The theory predicts that adaptation is easier in large than in small populations, and the genomic studies of model organisms have revealed a much higher adaptive rate in large population-sized flies than in small population-sized humans and apes. Here we build and analyse a large data set of protein-coding sequences made of thousands of genes in 44 pairs of species from various groups of animals including insects, molluscs, annelids, echinoderms, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Extending and improving existing data analysis methods, we show that adaptation is a major process in protein evolution across all phyla of animals: the proportion of amino-acid substitutions that occurred adaptively is above 50% in a majority of species, and reaches up to 90%. Our analysis does not confirm that population size, here approached through species genetic diversity and ecological traits, does influence the rate of adaptive molecular evolution, but points to human and apes as a special case, compared to other animals, in terms of adaptive genomic processes.
A Smart Work Performance Measurement System for Police Officers

With rapid economic growth, the management of employees working outdoors gradually becomes more intensive. The traditional attendance systems typically focus on collecting employee attendance information and are not suited to the quantification of work performance. As a remedy to this issue, a smart work performance measurement system is proposed in this paper. The proposed system consists of three components: 1) a smartphone-based APP to collect employee attendance, work, and location information; 2) a data warehouse to preprocess and store the data; and 3) a smart data analysis center to make a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of employee work performance. Management can obtain the key information quickly and adjust work assignments based on performance. New solutions and algorithms for indoor and outdoor location, GPS deviation improvement, and work performance measurement are put forward. This system is being used by over 1100 police officers in one city traffic management bureau, and the observed results are encouraging, demonstrating the efficiency and accuracy of our system, and helping governments to better regulate the traffic operation and reduce associated costs.
OFDM Channel Assignment for Interference Reduction using Rayleigh Fading In Cellular Communication System

A cellular communication environment has been created that allows co-channel and adjacent channel interferences, the signal attenuated due to shadowing and call holding time are the parameters evaluating for system performance. Total system performance is shown under Call holding time, blocking probability, forced termination under cluster theory of channel assignment in cell communication system. The entire system is based on Dynamic channel Allocation Method and the aim is to reduce the interference and call holding time and shadowing effect under orthogonal frequency division of multiplexing with Rayleigh fading channel for attenuation.
The ultrastructure of the pineal ganglion in the ferret.

The pineal gland of the ferret is essential for changes in environmental light to alter the secretion of gonadotrophin from the pituitary. Pinealectomized ferrets kept in natural daylight no longer continue to breed at the normal time of year, and, if they are exposed to artificial light, their breeding season is not activated prematurely, as it can be in the intact animal (Herbert, 1969, 1972). It seems likely that there is a neural link between retina and pineal (Moore, Heller, Wurtman & Axelrod, 1967), so that studying the nervous elements in the gland has particular importance. Nerve fibres enter the ferret's pineal from at least two sources the superior cervical ganglia, which supply autonomic fibres via the nervi conarii, and from the epithalamus (Trueman & Herbert, 1970). Furthermore, within the caudal part of the pineal itself is a collection of nerve cells which we have called the 'pineal ganglion' (Trueman & Herbert, 1970; Herbert, 1971). Studies of the pineal ganglion under the light microscope have shown that it contains acetylcholinesterase but no monoamines, although the latter are present in high concentrations in the rest of the gland (that is, the pineal parenchyma) (Trueman & Herbert, 1970). Nerve cells have also been described in the pineal glands of other species, including the monkey and rabbit (Levin, 1938; Clark, 1940; Romijn, 1972) although no structure comparable to the pineal ganglion has, so far, been observed in any species other than the ferret. We have now extended our work to include examination of the pineal ganglion under the electron microscope to establish the ultrastructural characteristics of this unusual structure.
On the geometric simple connectivity of open manifolds

A manifold is said to be geometrically simply connected if it has a proper handle decomposition without 1-handles. By the work of Smale, for compact manifolds of dimension at least 5, this is equivalent to simple connectivity. We prove that there exists an obstruction to an open simply connected n-manifold of dimension n ≥ 5 being geometrically simply connected. In particular, for each n ≥ 4, there exist uncountably many simply connected n-manifolds which are not geometrically simply connected. We also prove that for n ≠ 4, an n-manifold proper homotopy equivalent to a weakly geometrically simply connected polyhedron is geometrically simply connected (for n = 4, it is only end-compressible). We analyze further the case n = 4 and Poenaru's conjecture.
Stimulating Employees' Feedback-Seeking Behavior: The Role of Participative Decision Making

Drawing upon psychological ownership theory, we examined the link between participative decision making and employees’ feedback seeking from supervisors, by focusing on the mediating role of job-based psychological ownership. Analysis of data from 248 subordinate – supervisor dyads employed at 2 hotels in China showed that participative decision making was positively associated with employees seeking feedback from supervisors, and the relationship was mediated by job-based psychological ownership. In sum, our results suggest that participative decision making can serve as a managerial tool to stimulate, encourage, and foster employees’ feedback-seeking behavior, and that the development of job-based psychological ownership can help with this process.
Weakest “P” in the 1325 Pod? Realizing Conflict Prevention through Security Council Resolution 1325

The year 2015 marked the fifteenth anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women and Peace and Security. This article analyzes the marginalization of the resolution’s prevention mandate in the theoretical and policy literatures. Our feminist analysis reveals that shortcomings in the policy arena are foreshadowed in conflict prevention scholarship. Conflict prevention research under-theorizes gender drivers of conflict, focusing excessively on cause/effect links at the expense of (gendered) structures of signification that make violence possible. Mirroring these gaps, the implementation of the conflict prevention mandate of 1325 fails to confront the war system and gendered forms of militarism and militarization. Nevertheless, the work of agencies and organizations outside the Security Council presents opportunities for long-term and systemic social transformation. We suggest that advancements in the protection and participation aspects of 1325 can strengthen its prevention mandate because together these provisions challenge the gender norms that are implicated in the occurrence, justification, and sustenance of violent conflicts.
Advances in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Definitions and diagnostic criteria for all medical conditions are regularly subjected to reviews and revisions as knowledge advances. In the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD) research, it has taken almost three decades for diagnostic nomenclature to undergo major re‐examination. The shift towards presymptomatic and pre‐dementia stages of AD has brought prevention and treatment trials much closer to each other than before.
Impact of climate and fisheries on sub-Arctic stocks

Understanding the drivers (internal and external) that determine the productivity of marine ecosystems is challenging. For example, the correct estimate of recruitment is essential to estimate fish stock abundance. In this Theme Section, 5 papers explore the effect of fishing and cli- mate on population structure across sub-Arctic ecosystems. The studies focus on how temperature- and fishing-induced changes in spatial and demographic population structure affect recruitment and population growth rate. The results suggest common patterns, but also highlight differences in the relative importance of fishing and climate among the populations and ecosystems examined.
Performance analysis for the improved linear multiuser detectors in BPSK-modulated DS-CDMA systems

Recently, a new class of linear multiuser receivers for direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems employing binary phase-shift keying modulation has been introduced. Unlike classical decorrelating and minimum mean-square error linear multiuser detectors, the new receivers exploit the information contained in the pseudo-autocorrelation of the observables, and are, thus, capable of achieving much better performance. We present new results on the performance analysis of this class of new receivers. In particular, with reference to a CDMA system with deterministic spreading codes, we show that the new receivers outperform the classical ones in terms of both error probability and near-far resistance. With regard, instead, to CDMA systems with random spreading, we compute the average system near-far resistance, showing that the new receivers can accommodate twice the number of users accommodated by the classical linear multiuser receivers.
Optimal waist cutpoint for screening for dysglycaemia and metabolic risk: evidence from a Maori cohort

We sought to identify the sex-specific cut-off in waist circumference which best identifies those with metabolic abnormalities consistent with the metabolic syndrome (MS) among Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand of Polynesian origin. In 3816 self-identified Maori (2742 women, 1344 men) a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test, fasting lipid, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were made. MS components were defined by Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III criteria. Waist cut-off was defined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to define the presence of at least two of the other MS components ( ≥ 2MS). Prevalence of ≥ 2MS was high (42·1 %). In males and females, waist was as good, or better, a predictor of ≥ 2MS (area under ROC 0·73 women, 0·68 men) as waist:hip ratio (0·66, 0·67), BMI (0·72, 0·68) or percentage body fat (0·70, 0·68). The prediction of dysglycaemia using anthropometric variables followed a similar pattern to ≥ 2MS. Waist circumference to predict ≥ 2MS or dysglycaemia in Maori women and men was 98 cm and 103 cm. Applying this cut-off to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria would identify 27·8 % (34·0 % males, 25·5 % females) with the MS with an OR for ≥ 2MS (adjusted for sex, smoking and age) of 3·5 (95 % CI 3·1, 4·0). Age >48 years, smoking and being male increased the odds of the MS. These waist cut-offs should be considered in both clinical practice and to optimise the definition of the MS for Maori. The validity of these criteria in other Polynesian groups should be confirmed.
Capacitance measurements of exocytosis in mouse pancreatic α‐, β‐ and δ‐cells within intact islets of Langerhans

Capacitance measurements of exocytosis were applied to functionally identified α‐, β‐ and δ‐cells in intact mouse pancreatic islets. The maximum rate of capacitance increase in β‐cells during a depolarization to 0 mV was equivalent to 14 granules s−1, <5% of that observed in isolated β‐cells. β‐Cell secretion exhibited bell‐shaped voltage dependence and peaked at +20 mV. At physiological membrane potentials (up to ∼−20 mV) the maximum rate of release was ∼4 granules s−1. Both exocytosis (measured by capacitance measurements) and insulin release (detected by radioimmunoassay) were strongly inhibited by the L‐type Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine (25 μm) but only marginally (<20%) affected by the R‐type Ca2+ channel blocker SNX482 (100 nm). Exocytosis in the glucagon‐producing α‐cells peaked at +20 mV. The capacitance increases elicited by pulses to 0 mV exhibited biphasic kinetics and consisted of an initial transient (150 granules s−1) and a sustained late component (30 granules s−1). Whereas addition of the N‐type Ca2+ channel blocker ω‐conotoxin GVIA (0.1 μm) inhibited glucagon secretion measured in the presence of 1 mm glucose to the same extent as an elevation of glucose to 20 mm, the L‐type Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine (25 μm) had no effect. Thus, glucagon release during hyperglycaemic conditions depends principally on Ca2+‐influx through N‐type rather than L‐type Ca2+ channels. Exocytosis in the somatostatin‐secreting δ‐cells likewise exhibited two kinetically separable phases of capacitance increase and consisted of an early rapid (600 granules s−1) component followed by a sustained slower (60 granules s−1) component. We conclude that (1) capacitance measurements in intact pancreatic islets are feasible; (2) exocytosis measured in β‐cells in situ is significantly slower than that of isolated cells; and (3) the different types of islet cells exhibit distinct exocytotic features.
Predicate-specific Annotations for Implicit Role Binding: Corpus Annotation, Data Analysis and Evaluation Experiments

Current research on linking implicit roles in discourse is severely hampered by the lack of sufficient training resources, especially in the verbal domain: learning algorithms require higher-volume annotations for specific predicates in order to derive valid generalizations, and a larger volume of annotations is crucial for insightful evaluation and comparison of alternative models for role linking. We present a corpus of predicate-specific annotations for verbs in the FrameNet paradigm that are aligned with PropBank and VerbNet. A qualitative data analysis leads to observations regarding implicit role realization that can guide further annotation efforts. Experiments using role linking annotations for five predicates demonstrate high performance for these target predicates. Using our additional data in the SemEval task, we obtain overall performance gains of 2-4 points F1-score.
Identification of a Staphylococcal AgrB Segment(s) Responsible for Group-Specific Processing of AgrD by Gene Swapping

ABSTRACT The four gene products of the accessory gene regulator (agr) P2 operon of Staphylococcus aureus assemble a quorum-sensing system: AgrA and AgrC resemble a two-component signal transduction system, and AgrB and AgrD are required to produce an autoinducing peptide. Upon activation, this quorum-sensing system positively regulates the transcription of the P2 operon as well as the P3 operon, whose transcript, RNAIII, regulates the expression of virulence genes. Four groups of S. aureus have been identified based on the agr sequences and the group-specific interaction between the autoinducing peptide and AgrC. AgrB is a transmembrane protein involved in the processing of AgrD propeptide, and its interaction with AgrD is also group specific. In this study, a series of chimeric AgrBs were constructed by swapping between group I and group II AgrBs, and these mutants were used to analyze the group-specific segment(s) in AgrB that was responsible for AgrD processing. Our results revealed that the first transmembrane α-helix and the extracellular loop 1 of group I AgrB were decisive in the specific processing of group I AgrD. In contrast, two hydrophilic segments of group II AgrB played a crucial role in the group-specific processing of group II AgrD. We also found that several chimeric AgrBs were capable of processing AgrD from both groups, suggesting that all AgrB homologues may utilize the same or a similar mechanism in the processing of AgrDs.
Virtual-Flux Direct Power Control for Mains Connected Three-Level NPC Inverter Systems

This paper proposes a control strategy which extends the virtual-flux direct power control traditionally employed for the conventional two-level VSI to a three-level NPC inverter. This topology generates a higher number of output voltage levels, increasing the flexibility for selecting an appropriate voltage vector. The mid-point potential is controlled according to the direction of the mid-point current and the sign of the mid-point voltage deviation. The method is adapted to be used with an LCL output filter, where some undesirable characteristics, such as filter resonance, have to be compensated. Further investigation concerning the dependency of the mid-point voltage with the current phase-shift is given. Theoretical analysis is presented and the performance of the proposed method is verified by simulation.