Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Depositional characteristics of 7 Be and 210 Pb in southeastern Michigan

[1] The depositional fluxes in the bulk and dry fallout as well as the concentrations of Be and Pb in aerosols were measured for a period of 17 months at Detroit, Michigan. The bulk depositional fluxes of Be and Pb varied between 3.11 and 63.0 dpm cm 2 yr 1 (mean of 11.4 dpm cm 2 yr ) and 0.35 and 10.3 dpm cm 2 yr 1 (mean of 1.41 dpm cm 2 yr ), respectively, and this variability in the depositional fluxes is attributed to the frequency and amount of precipitation and seasonal variations in the depositional fluxes. The dry depositional fluxes of Be and Pb contributed 2.1–19.8% and 3.6– 48.6% of the bulk depositional fluxes, respectively. The higher precipitation-normalized enrichment factor for Be during spring is attributed to the stratosphere-troposphere exchange of air masses during spring and large-scale atmospheric mixing during summer. We report that snow is more efficient than rain in removing Pb from the atmosphere, and this is likely due to higher surface area of snow flurries compared to the rain droplets. The volume-weighted concentrations of Be and Pb are the highest reported in literature so far. The concentration of Be in the air showed a seasonal increase during the spring and summer months, and no seasonal variation was observed for Pb. The mean deposition velocities of aerosols calculated using concentrations of Be and Pb in air and precipitation are 1.6 and 1.1 cm s , respectively, and the corresponding washout ratios are 948 and 637. There is no significant correlation between the aerosol mass and depositional velocities of Be and Pb in the air masses. We propose that a relatively minor portion of the aerosols actively participate in the removal of these nuclides from the air masses.
Advances in optimizing recurrent networks

After a more than decade-long period of relatively little research activity in the area of recurrent neural networks, several new developments will be reviewed here that have allowed substantial progress both in understanding and in technical solutions towards more efficient training of recurrent networks. These advances have been motivated by and related to the optimization issues surrounding deep learning. Although recurrent networks are extremely powerful in what they can in principle represent in terms of modeling sequences, their training is plagued by two aspects of the same issue regarding the learning of long-term dependencies. Experiments reported here evaluate the use of clipping gradients, spanning longer time ranges with leaky integration, advanced momentum techniques, using more powerful output probability models, and encouraging sparser gradients to help symmetry breaking and credit assignment. The experiments are performed on text and music data and show off the combined effects of these techniques in generally improving both training and test error.
Biochemical changes in rat testis during postnatal maturation.

There is a paucity of information on quantitative changes occurring in chemical constituents of the testis during maturation. Total carbohydrate, total protein, total lipid, neutral lipid, phospholipid, saponifiable and non-saponifiable fractions of neutral lipid, and non\x=req-\ volatile fatty acids of both the phospholipid and neutral lipid fractions were measured. Testis weight was seen to increase at a rate greater than that noted for body weight from 28 days (time of testis descent) to 56 days (time ofcomplete spermatogenesis). Changes in total protein and carbohydrate showed no definitive trends. A marked increase in total lipid was seen at
Red Cell Properties after Different Modes of Blood Transportation

Transportation of blood samples is unavoidable for assessment of specific parameters in blood of patients with rare anemias, blood doping testing, or for research purposes. Despite the awareness that shipment may substantially alter multiple parameters, no study of that extent has been performed to assess these changes and optimize shipment conditions to reduce transportation-related artifacts. Here we investigate the changes in multiple parameters in blood of healthy donors over 72 h of simulated shipment conditions. Three different anticoagulants (K3EDTA, Sodium Heparin, and citrate-based CPDA) for two temperatures (4°C and room temperature) were tested to define the optimal transportation conditions. Parameters measured cover common cytology and biochemistry parameters (complete blood count, hematocrit, morphological examination), red blood cell (RBC) volume, ion content and density, membrane properties and stability (hemolysis, osmotic fragility, membrane heat stability, patch-clamp investigations, and formation of micro vesicles), Ca2+ handling, RBC metabolism, activity of numerous enzymes, and O2 transport capacity. Our findings indicate that individual sets of parameters may require different shipment settings (anticoagulants, temperature). Most of the parameters except for ion (Na+, K+, Ca2+) handling and, possibly, reticulocytes counts, tend to favor transportation at 4°C. Whereas plasma and intraerythrocytic Ca2+ cannot be accurately measured in the presence of chelators such as citrate and EDTA, the majority of Ca2+-dependent parameters are stabilized in CPDA samples. Even in blood samples from healthy donors transported using an optimized shipment protocol, the majority of parameters were stable within 24 h, a condition that may not hold for the samples of patients with rare anemias. This implies for as short as possible shipping using fast courier services to the closest expert laboratory at reach. Mobile laboratories or the travel of the patients to the specialized laboratories may be the only option for some groups of patients with highly unstable RBCs.
Femoral neck and spine bone mineral density-Surrogate marker of aortic calcification in postmenopausal women

Objective: Osteoporosis and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in postmenopausal women. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of anterior-posterior (AP) dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) compared with that of X-ray lateral lumbar radiography (LLR) in detecting and scoring AAC. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted in 56 postmenopausal asymptomatic females aged 59.0±9.3 years and who never used medications to treat osteoporosis before, we determined femoral neck and lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) by AP DXA and AAC by X-ray LLR. We hypothesized that the subtracted femoral neck BMD (BMDFN) from lumbar spine BMD (BMDLS) presented as ΔBMD=BMDLS–BMDFN would have a diagnostic value in detecting abdominal vascular calcification. Results: The mean BMDFN was 0.744±0.184 g/cm2, and the mean BMDLS was 0.833±0.157 g/cm2 (p<0.0001); the mean ΔBMD was 0.089±0.077 g/cm2, and the mean AAC score was 2.182±1.982. Bivariate Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between AAC and ΔBMD (r=0.449, p=0.0006); by linear regression analysis, R2=0.2019, and by multiple regression analysis, βst=13.5244 (p<0.0001). We found a sensitivity of 64.3% and specificity of 82.9% by receiver operating characteristic [ROC; area under the ROC curve (AUC=0.759)] in the prediction of AAC by ΔBMD. Conclusion: This AP subtracting BMD DXA method provides a useful tool for detecting and scoring subclinical and extensive AAC in postmenopausal women using a simple, semiquantitative, and accurate scoring system with minimal radiation exposure and low cost.
Testing the attentional boundary conditions of subliminal semantic priming: the influence of semantic and phonological task sets

Recent studies challenged the classical notion of automaticity and indicated that even unconscious automatic semantic processing is under attentional control to some extent. In line with our attentional sensitization model, these data suggest that a sensitization of semantic pathways by a semantic task set is necessary for subliminal semantic priming to occur while non-semantic task sets attenuate priming. In the present study, we tested whether masked semantic priming is also reduced by phonological task sets using the previously developed induction task paradigm. This would substantiate the notion that attention to semantics is necessary for eliciting unconscious semantic priming. Participants first performed semantic and phonological induction tasks that should either activate a semantic or a phonological task set. Subsequent to the induction task, a masked prime word, either associated or non-associated with the following lexical decision target word, was presented. Across two experiments, we varied the nature of the phonological induction task (word phonology vs. letter phonology) to assess whether the attentional focus on the entire word vs. single letters modulates subsequent masked semantic priming. In both experiments, subliminal semantic priming was only found subsequent to the semantic induction task, but was attenuated following either phonological induction task. These results indicate that attention to phonology attenuates subsequent semantic processing of unconsciously presented primes whether or not attention is directed to the entire word or to single letters. The present findings therefore substantiate earlier evidence that an attentional orientation toward semantics is necessary for subliminal semantic priming to be elicited.
Vowel space characteristics and vowel identification accuracy.

PURPOSE To examine the relation between vowel production characteristics and intelligibility. METHOD Acoustic characteristics of 10 vowels produced by 45 men and 48 women from the J. M. Hillenbrand, L. A. Getty, M. J. Clark, and K. Wheeler (1995) study were examined and compared with identification accuracy. Global (mean f0, F1, and F2; duration; and amount of formant movement) and fine-grained measures (vowel space area; mean distance among vowels; f0, F1, and F2 ranges; duration ratio between long and short vowels; and formant movement ratio between dynamic and static vowels) were used to predict identification scores. Acoustic measures of the most frequently confused pairs (/ae/-/epsilon/ and /a/-/inverted v/) were compared. RESULTS Global and fine-grained measures accounted for less than 1/4 of variance in identification scores: Vowel space area alone accounted for 9%-12% of variance. Differences in vowel identification were largely due to poor identification of /ae/, /epsilon/, /a/, or /inverted v/. Well-identified vowels were distinctive in formant frequencies, duration, and amount of formant movement over time. CONCLUSIONS Distinctiveness among neighboring vowels is more important in determining vowel intelligibility than vowel space area. Acoustic comparison of confused vowels may be more useful in studying intelligibility of normal and disordered speech than in measuring vowel space area.
Folding a WD Repeat Propeller

The β subunit of the heterotrimeric G proteins that transduce signals across the plasma membrane is made up of an amino-terminal α-helical segment followed by seven repeating units called WD (Trp-Asp) repeats that occur in about 140 different proteins. The seven WD repeats in Gβ, the only WD repeat protein whose crystal structure is known, form seven antiparallel β sheets making up the blades of a toroidal propeller structure (Wall, M. A., Coleman, D. E., Lee, E., Iniguez-Lluhi, J. A., Posner, B. A., Gilman, A. G., and Sprang, S. R. (1995) Cell83, 1047–1058; Sondek, J., Bohm, A. , Lambright, D. G. , Hamm, H. E. , and Sigler, P. B. (1996) Nature 379, 369–374). It is likely that all proteins with WD repeats form a propeller structure. Alignment of the sequence of 918 unique WD repeats reveals that 85% of the repeats have an aspartic acid (D) residue (not the D of WD) in the turn connecting β strands b and c of each putative propeller blade. We mutated each of these conserved Asp residues to Gly individually and in pairs in Gβ and in Sec13, a yeast WD repeat protein involved in vesicular traffic, and then analyzed the ability of the mutant proteins to fold in vitro and in COS-7 cells. In vitro, most single mutant Gβ subunits fold into Gβγ dimers more slowly than wild type to a degree that varies with the blade. In contrast, all single mutants form normal amounts of Gβγ in COS-7 cells, although some dimers show subtle local distortions of structure. Most double mutants assemble poorly in both systems. We conclude that the conserved Asp residues are not equivalent and not all are essential for the folding of the propeller structure. Some may affect the folding pathway or the affinity for chaperonins. Mutations of the conserved Asp in Sec13 affect folding equally in vitro and in COS-7 cells. The repeats that most affected folding were not at the same position in Sec13 and Gβ. Our finding, both in Gβ and in Sec13, that no mutation of the conserved Asp entirely prevents folding suggests that there is no obligatory folding order for each repeat and that the folding order is probably not the same for different WD repeat proteins, or even necessarily constant for the same protein.
Specification matching of state-based modular components

Retrieval of software components from a library relies on techniques for matching user requirements against library component interfaces. Here we introduce a number of techniques for matching formally specified, state-based modules. These techniques will form the basis for retrieval tool support. The techniques described are built on existing specification matching methods, based on individual functions, specified using pre- and post-conditions. We begin by defining a basic module matching technique, based on matching the individual units within a module. We consider variations of this technique that take into account two important features of modules: the visibility of module entities; and the use of state invariants. An advanced technique, based on data refinement and the use of coupling invariants, is also described.
Plasmonic tip internally excited via an azimuthal vector beam for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

The synergy of a plasmonic tip and fiber-based structure light field excitation can provide a powerful tool for Raman examination. Here, we present a method of Raman spectrum enhancement with an Ag-nanoparticles (Ag-NPs)-coated fiber probe internally excited via an azimuthal vector beam (AVB), which is directly generated in a few-mode fiber by using an acoustically induced fiber grating. Theoretical analysis shows that gap mode can be effectively generated on the surface of the Ag-NPs-coated fiber probe excited via an AVB. The experimental result shows that the intensity of Raman signal obtained with analyte molecules of malachite green by exciting the Ag-NPs-coated fiber probe via an AVB is approximately eight times as strong as that via the linear polarization beam (LPB), and the activity of the AVB-excited fiber probe can reach 10−11 mol/L, which cannot be achieved by LPB excitation. Moreover, the time stability and reliability are also examined, respectively.
Reappearance Layout based Web Page Segmentation for Small Screen Devices

Normally web sites are designed for large screen devices and hence it is not easy to browse these pages with limited user interface devices such as palm and mobile. Web page segmentation is an important technology for both search engine and web browser on mobile device. Web page segmentation is a task that breaks down the structure of web page into logical blocks which is an important step for identifying informative blocks for efficient information extraction and convenient display on the devices with small size screens. Previous repetition based segmentation method is not suitable for segmenting blocks, when there is no reappearance tags in the web pages. In order to improve the segmentation accuracy, a new method of Reappearance Layout based Web page Segmentation (RLSE) is introduced which segments web pages based on either reappearance based segmentation (RSE) scheme or based on Layout based segmentation (LSE) such as table, div, span and frame tags , depends up on key pattern detected in the web page. If it contains reappearance tag in key pattern means, it will segment based on reappearance based segmentation. Otherwise it will segment based on web layout information. From that segmented block hyperlink is displayed on the mobile first and then user will select hyperlinks of segmented blocks based on his area of interest. The interested information alone is displayed to the user.
In Arabidopsis thaliana Cadmium Impact on the Growth of Primary Root by Altering SCR Expression and Auxin-Cytokinin Cross-Talk

Cadmium is one of the most widespread pollutant in both terrestrial and marine environment, and its inhibitory effect on plant growth has been largely demonstrated. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying Cd toxicity in plant and mainly in root, as the first organ sensing soil heavy metals, need to be better investigated. To this aim, in the present work we analyzed the growth and the organization of Arabidopsis thaliana primary root in seedlings exposed to Cd (25 and 50 μM) for 8 days starting from germination. Root length, root meristem size, and organization were evaluated together with the behavior of some of the major molecular players in root growth and patterning. In particular, by using different GFP transgenic lines, we monitored: (i) the expression pattern of WOX5 and SCR transcription factors involved in the establishment and maintenance of stem cell niche and in the control of meristem size; (ii) the expression pattern of the IAA-inducible pDR5::GFP reporter, PIN 1, 2, 3, 7 auxin carriers and TCSn::GFP cytokinin-sensitive sensor as relevant components of hormone circuit controlling root growth. We report that Cd exposure inhibits primary root growth via affecting RAM stem cell niche and root radial pattern. At the molecular level, an impairment of auxin maximum accumulation at the root tip, related to a down-regulation and mislocalisation of PIN proteins, and an enhancement of TCSn::GFP cytokinin-sensitive sensor signal is also detected under Cd treatment, thus suggesting an alteration in the homeostasis of auxin/cytokinin signaling. Moreover, and for the first time Cd toxicity on root growth and pattern has been related to a misexpression of SCR transcription factors which is known to interplay with auxin/cytokinin cross-talk in the control of RAM maintenance and activity.
Epidemiology of injury in rural Pondicherry, India

Abstract: Background: To find out the prevalence of "all" injuries, its nature, outcome and sources of treatment among rural population of Pondicherry. Methods: It was a triangulated study of quantitative (survey) and qualitative (Focus Group Discussion, FGD) methods. The trained second year medical undergraduate students paid house visits to all houses in five feasibly selected villages of our field practice area. The students interviewed the housewife and obtained information for all injuries for each family member in last one year and its sources of treatment. We could obtain information for 1,613 (96.7%) households. Post-survey, FGDs were undertaken to explore the various traditional treatments for the common injuries. The data was entered and analyzed using Epi_info 6.04d software package. Results: Overall, the prevalence of all injury among all age groups was 30.6% in last one year. Injuries were significantly more after 18 years of age and among men (p was less than 0.001). About 99.2% injuries reported were accidental and majority (58.2%) went to government doctor for treatment. Most common causes of injuries were fall on the ground from height or due to slip (7.4%), road traffic accidents (5.6%), agriculture related injuries (5%) and bites by scorpion/insects/snakes /dogs (4.1%). FGDs explored some potentially harmful traditional remedial measures at village level such as application of mud or cow dung on the injury and burning the site of thorn prick on foot sole. Conclusions: Considering the high prevalence of all injuries related to road traffic accidents, fall from height and agriculture work related injuries across all age groups, especially among men and some potentially harmful traditional treatments, an intervention in the form of targeted injury prevention program for different age and sex group, focusing health education efforts based on local epidemiology and behavioral practices is needed.
Evaluation of seismic behaviour of railway bridges considering track-bridge interaction

Railway bridges have historically performed well in the previous earthquakes. Although this performance has qualitatively been studied in some references such as AREMA code, no quantitative criteria has been proposed for it. Thus, this study aims to present quantitative criteria for railway bridge performance under seismic loads. In the paper, seismic behaviour of railway bridges, with and without track-bridge interaction (TBI), is calculated through finite element modeling. Pushover and incremental dynamic analyses, are utilized to assess the proposed method, considering fourteen records of the past earthquakes. The results clearly show superior performance of the proposed model with track system, in which the deck displacement, base shear, and plastic rotation decrease by 70%-90%, 20%-83%, and 85%-100%, respectively. Finally, two equations are proposed to calculate deck displacement and base shear of railway bridges without performing track-bridge interaction (TBI) by Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) of the applied record approximately.
Manipulation of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Signaling in the Arabidopsis Stomatal Lineage Reveals Motifs That Contribute to Protein Localization and Signaling Specificity[W][OPEN]

Expression of Arabidopsis MKK domain deletion variants in three discrete epidermal cell types, coupled with in vitro kinase assays, revealed regions of MKKs that promote signal propagation and regulate protein subcellular localization. Subcellular localization associated with a subset of MKK7/9 functions sheds light onto how signaling specificity is achieved. When multiple mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) components are recruited recurrently to transduce signals of different origins, and often opposing outcomes, mechanisms to enforce signaling specificity are of utmost importance. These mechanisms are largely uncharacterized in plant MAPK signaling networks. The Arabidopsis thaliana stomatal lineage was previously used to show that when rendered constitutively active, four MAPK kinases (MKKs), MKK4/5/7/9, are capable of perturbing stomatal development and that these kinases comprise two pairs, MKK4/5 and MKK7/9, with both overlapping and divergent functions. We characterized the contributions of specific structural domains of these four “stomatal” MKKs to MAPK signaling output and specificity both in vitro and in vivo within the three discrete cell types of the stomatal lineage. These results verify the influence of functional docking (D) domains of MKKs on MAPK signal output and identify novel regulatory functions for previously uncharacterized structures within the N termini of MKK4/5. Beyond this, we present a novel function of the D-domains of MKK7/9 in regulating the subcellular localization of these kinases. These results provide tools to broadly assess the extent to which these and additional motifs within MKKs function to regulate MAPK signal output throughout the plant.