Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A global acoustic impedance inversion for porosity and lithology prediction in northern Gulf of Mexico

Summary Poststack seismic inversion based on a multitrace global optimization method was conducted as part of a large study that covered about 10,200 km 2 , consisting of 502 Outer Continental Shelf blocks, located primarily in the northern Gulf of Mexico, offshore Louisiana. Considering that seismic inversion was carried out over such a huge area with a long time window (7 s two-way time), lateral and vertical variation of the seismic data were the main concerns. Seismic data conditioning to provide consistent, zero-phase wavelets over the whole volume was done iteratively with wavelet extraction and analysis at well locations. The vertical variability of wavelets due to frequency attenuation and amplitude decays with depth were also incorporated in the inversion process. The principle objective of the seismic inversion was to transform seismic reflection data into quantitative petrophysical properties. Acoustic impedance is commonly used for porosity prediction. Over the study area, the correlation between acoustic impedance and porosity is very poor because the impedance varies substantially vertically and spatially due to varying sedimentation rates and sediment compaction. An alternative transformation was applied to use relative acoustic impedance to predict effective porosity, ϕe, and volume fraction of shale, Vc. The results show that the inverted relative acoustic impedance and predicted ϕe and Vc are in reasonable match with wells over the entire study area. The use of relative acoustic impedance efficiently produced reliable ϕe and Vc. Aside from its limitations, such as disregarding the effects of fluid variations and complex lithological variations on the porosity/impedance relation, the method provides a reliable screening tool for seismic exploration. More quantitative details of the petrophysical properties can be obtained through a more sophisticated inversion method in the prestack domain.
Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Destabilizes the Multi‐Potent State of Uncommitted Adipose‐Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

Human adipose‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AMSCs) grown in platelet lysate are promising agents for therapeutic tissue regeneration. Here, we investigated whether manipulation of epigenetic events by the clinically relevant histone deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) alters differentiation of AMSCs. The multipotency of AMSCs was validated by their ability to differentiate into osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic lineages. High‐throughput RNA sequencing and RT‐qPCR established that human histone deacetylases (HDAC1 to HDAC11, and SIRT1 to SIRT7) are differentially expressed in AMSCs. SAHA induces hyper‐acetylation of histone H3 and H4, stimulates protein expression of the HDAC‐responsive gene SLC9A3R1/NHERF1 and modulates the AKT/FOXO1 pathway. Biologically, SAHA interferes with osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic lineage commitment of multipotent AMSCs. Mechanistically, SAHA‐induced loss of differentiation potential of uncommitted AMSCs correlates with multiple changes in the expression of principal transcription factors that control mesenchymal or pluripotent states. We propose that SAHA destabilizes the multi‐potent epigenetic state of uncommitted human AMSCs by hyper‐acetylation and perturbation of key transcription factor pathways. Furthermore, AMSCs grown in platelet lysate may provide a useful biological model for screening of new HDAC inhibitors that control the biological fate of human mesenchymal stromal cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 52–62, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Association Between Gender, Ethnicity, and Suicidality Among Vocational Students in Israel.

Gender and ethnicity are significant factors when evaluating suicidal risk, especially among ethnically diverse populations. In the current study we explored the association between gender, ethnicity, and suicide ideation and attempts among Arab and Jewish vocational education and training high school students in Israel. Students (N = 3,554) completed a self-report survey evaluating suicide ideation and attempts, depression, anxiety, somatization, and sense of belonging. Hierarchical generalized linear modeling indicated that female Arab adolescents had elevated levels of suicide ideation, higher rates of suicide attempts, and greater psychological distress than Arab males and Jewish students. Furthermore, female Arab adolescents were found to be more susceptible to suicide ideation when depression levels were high. These results are discussed in the context of the double-jeopardy Arab young women face, as members of a minority ethnic group in Israel and their status as women within the patriarchal Arab culture.
Inhibition of Acid Sensing Ion Channel Currents by Lidocaine in Cultured Mouse Cortical Neurons

BACKGROUND:Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that has multiple pharmacological effects including antiarrhythmia, antinociception, and neuroprotection. Acid sensing ion channels (ASICs) are proton-gated cation channels that belong to the epithelial sodium channel/degenerin superfamily. Activation of ASICs by protons results in sodium and calcium influx. ASICs have been implicated in various physiological processes including learning/memory, nociception, and in acidosis-mediated neuron injury. In this study, we examined the effect of lidocaine on ASICs in cultured mouse cortical neurons. METHODS:ASIC currents were activated and recorded using a whole-cell patch-clamp technique in cultured mouse cortical neurons. The effects of lidocaine at different concentrations were examined. To determine whether the inhibition of lidocaine on ASIC currents is subunit specific, we examined the effect of lidocaine on homomeric ASIC1a and ASIC2a currents expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. RESULTS:Lidocaine significantly inhibits the ASIC currents in mouse cortical neurons. The inhibition was reversible and dose dependent. A detectable effect was noticed at a concentration of 0.3 mM lidocaine. At 30 mM, ASIC current was inhibited by approximately 90%. Analysis of the complete dose-response relationship yielded a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 11.79 ± 1.74 mM and a Hill coefficient of 2.7 ± 0.5 (n = 10). The effect is rapid and does not depend on pH. In Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing different ASIC subunits, lidocaine inhibits the ASIC1a current without affecting the ASIC2a current. CONCLUSION:ASIC currents are significantly inhibited by lidocaine. Our finding reveals a new pharmacological effect of lidocaine in neurons.
Psychosocial vulnerability, hostility, and family history of coronary heart disease among male and female college students

This study evaluated the utility of the psychosocial vulnerability model for understanding the hostility—coronary heart disease (CHD) relationship among college students at risk for CHD. Interrelationships of cognitive, affective, and behavioral hostility with structural and functional social support were examined. College undergraduates with a parental history of CHD (n = 121) and a control group of 125 students with no CHD family history completed measures of hostility and social support. Among women, a significant negative correlation was found between affective—experiential hostility and functional support. Among men, a significant negative correlation was observed between cognitive—experiential hostility and structural support. Path analyses revealed a significant positive effect of expressive hostility on functional s⊷port for CHD-negative men and CHD-positive women. CHD family history was not associated with hostility or family environment. CHD-positive participants reported less support satisfaction than did CHD-negative participants. Thus, results indicated qualified support for the psychosocial vulnerability model of the hostility—CHD relationship.
Spatially Adaptive Logarithmic Total Variation Model for Varying Light Face Recognition

In this letter, we propose an extension to the classical logarithmic total variation (LTV) model for face recognition under variant illumination conditions. LTV treats all facial areas with the same regularization parameters, which inevitably results in the loss of useful facial details and is harmful for recognition tasks. To address this problem, we propose to assign the regularization parameters which balance the large-scale (illumination) and small-scale (reflectance) components in a spatially adaptive scheme. Face recognition experiments on both Extended Yale B and the large-scale FERET databases demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. key words: face recognition, illumination normalization, logarithmic total variation (LTV) model
Humoral Pathway for Local Transfer of the Priming Pheromone Androstenol from the Nasal Cavity to the Brain and Hypophysis in Anaesthetized Gilts

It is generally accepted that pheromones act by stimulating of the dendritic receptors of the olfactory neurones massed in the olfactory epithelium. This study was designed to ascertain whether it is possible for the boar pheromone androstenol (5alpha‐androst‐16‐en‐3‐ol) to be transported from the nasal cavity of anaesthetized gilts to the brain and hypophysis via local transfer from the blood in the perihypophyseal vascular complex. The experiment was performed on days 18‐21 of the porcine oestrous cycle (crossbred gilts, n = 6). Tritiated androstenol (3H‐A; total amount 108 d.p.m. (758 ng)) was applied for 1 min onto the respiratory part of the nasal mucosa, 4‐6 cm from the opening of the nares. Arterial blood samples from the aorta and from the carotid rete were collected every 2 min during the 60 min period following administration of the steroid. Total radioactive venous effluent from the head was removed and an adequate volume of homologous blood was transfused into the heart through the carotid external vein. At the end of the experiment gilts were killed and tissue samples of the hypophysis and some brain structures were collected to measure radioactivity. In addition, corresponding control tissues were collected from three untreated gilts and from three heads of gilts 60 min after 3H‐A was applied post mortem into the nasal cavity. The concentration of 3H‐A was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in the arterial blood of the carotid rete than that of aorta. The mean rate of 3H‐A counter current transfer from venous to arterial blood in the perihypophyseal vascular complex, expressed as the ratio of the 3H‐A concentration in arterial blood of the carotid rete to the 3H‐A concentration in blood sampled simultaneously from the aorta, was 1.96 ± 0.1. The concentration of 3H‐A in plasma from the venous effluent from the head ranged from 1.3 to 1.8 pg ml‐1. During the 60 min period of the experiment, 0.68% of the total applied dose of 3H‐A was resorbed from the nasal cavity into the venous blood. Moreover, we found that 3H‐A was present in the olfactory bulb (P < 0.01), amygdala, septum, hypothalamus, adenohypophysis, neurohypophysis (P > 0.05) and perihypophyseal vascular complex (P < 0.01). These results demonstrate that, in anaesthetized gilts, the boar pheromone androstenol may be resorbed from the nasal mucosa, transferred in the perihypophyseal vascular complex into arterial blood supplying the brain and hypophysis, and then arrested in the hypophysis and certain brain structures. We suggest that in addition to the standard neural pathway for signalling pheromones, another pathway exists whereby androstenol, as a priming pheromone, may be resorbed from the nasal cavity into the bloodstream and then pass locally from the perihypophyseal vascular complex into the arterial blood supplying the brain and hypophysis, thus avoiding the first passage metabolism in the liver.
Outcome Expectancy and Self-Efficacy: Theoretical Implications of an Unresolved Contradiction

According to self-efficacy theory, self-efficacy—defined as perceived capability to perform a behavior—causally influences expected outcomes of behavior, but not vice versa. However, research has shown that expected outcomes causally influence self-efficacy judgments, and some authors have argued that this relationship invalidates self-efficacy theory. Bandura has rebutted those arguments saying that self-efficacy judgments are not invalidated when influenced by expected outcomes. This article focuses on a contradiction in Bandura’s rebuttal. Specifically, Bandura has argued (a) expected outcomes cannot causally influence self-efficacy, but (b) self-efficacy judgments remain valid when causally influenced by expected outcomes. While the debate regarding outcome expectancies and self-efficacy has subsided in recent years, the inattention to this contradiction has led to a disproportionate focus on self-efficacy as a causal determinant of behavior at the expense of expected outcomes.
Juvenile delinquents ’ perception of the police : What are the differences of the ethnical Danish and ethnical minority juvenile delinquents ’ perception of the Danish police ?

A phenomenological qualitative investigation of Danish juvenile delinquents’ perception of the police is presented in this thesis. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate what the differences are between ethnical Danish and ethnical minority juvenile delinquents perception of the Danish police. This subject area is initiated by The National Council for Children in Denmark. This investigation is important as it provides a new perspective and new knowledge in this area by focusing on the juvenile delinquents’ subjective experiences. A pilot study has been carried out to test the chosen approach and methodology on a small scale to see whether the chosen methodology can, without causing undue stress to participating individuals, generate and contribute to further knowledge in this area. The scale of the study is two male participants, one with ethnical Danish background and one with ethnical Iraqi background who both have had direct contact with the police. The data is gathered by individual open-ended semi-structured interviews inspired by narrative therapy intervention. The two interviews are subjected to three modes of analysis in a prioritised sequence: 1) a thematic analysis 2) a phenomenological meaning condensation, and 3) a narrative analysis. The narrative analysis is also inspired by narrative therapy intervention, as identification of dominant and preferred stories in the informants’ accounts is applied. The results of the narrative analyses of the two informants’ accounts are compared and provide the final results to answer the research question. Employment of narrative therapy intervention and concepts in research interviews and narrative analysis have not to the present researcher’s knowledge been done before, and is, therefore, considered a new approach. Major differences between ethnical Danish and ethnical minority juvenile delinquents’ perception of the police, is not found in this study. Both informants present accounts, which indicate perceptions of the police as unjust and abusive of their position of power. However, differences are found between the ethnical Danish and ethnical minority juvenile delinquents’ perception of what is the incentive behind police injustice. The ethnical Dane attributes police injustice to his former criminal activity and to police practice in general; whereas the ethnical Iraqi attributes police injustice to his ethnical background. Thus, it is not possible to confirm a selective police practice based on foreign ethnicity in this study but equal surveillance of the ethnical Danish and the ethnical minority juvenile delinquent. Further, the informants’ perception of police is influenced by their perception of themselves as well as their position in relation to the police. In this study, empirical findings suggest that it is not possible to speak of juvenile delinquents as one group in the Danish society; and no findings suggests juvenile delinquency groups cross ethnical boundaries.
Structure and Evolution of Bitcoin Transaction Network

The Bitcoin digital crypto-currency has evolved from niche financial technology to major currency, with a market capitalization of $94 billion at the time of this writing. All Bitcoin activity is tracked in a blockchain ledger which maintains a complete history of every Bitcoin transaction. This complete history offers a unique opportunity to analyze the peer-to-peer interactions within the Bitcoin economy. This insight may allow for more powerful analysis of trends in macroscopic indicators such as price. This work analyzes the transaction network to identify trends in the macroscopic evolution of the network structure over time. A time-history of descriptive network statistics was developed and used as input into a machine learning model of Bitcoin price. In order to explore the potential of using more microscopic network data, we proposed a deep learningbased representation embedding of the network structure that compressed the entire network into a 128-word vector. The performance of a basic neural network model trained using this embedding was compared to several baselines. We found that while the embedded representation does increase the performance of the network slightly, it is not the best representation for our current application.
Improving the Discriminatory Power of a Near-Infrared Microscopy Spectral Library with a Support Vector Machine Classifier

A multi-group classifier based on the support vector machine (SVM) has been developed for use with a library of 48 456 spectra measured by near-infrared reflection microscopy (NIRM) on 227 samples representing 26 animal feed ingredients and 4 possible contaminants of animal origin. The performance of the classifier was assessed by a five-fold cross-validation, dividing at the sample level. Although the overall proportion of misclassifications was 27%, almost all of these involved the confusion of pairs of similar ingredients of vegetable origin. Such confusions are unimportant in the context of the intended use of the library, which is the detection of banned ingredients in animal feed. The error rate in discrimination between permitted and banned ingredients was just 0.17%. The performance of the SVM classifier was substantially better than that of the K-nearest-neighbors method employed in previous work with the same library, for which the comparable error rates are 36% overall and 0.39% for permitted versus banned ingredients.
Role for CD21 in the Establishment of an Extracellular HIV Reservoir in Lymphoid Tissues1

Follicular dendritic cells (FDC) represent a major extracellular reservoir for HIV. A better understanding of the mechanisms of virion attachment to FDC may offer new avenues for reducing viral burdens in infected individuals. We used a murine model to investigate the establishment of extracellular HIV reservoirs in lymph nodes (LN). Consistent with findings in human tissues, CD21 was required for trapping of HIV to LN cells, as evidenced by significantly reduced virion binding when mice were pretreated with a C3 ligand-blocking anti-CD21 mAb and absence of virion trapping in CD21 knockout mice. Also consistent with findings in human tissues, the majority of HIV virions were associated with the FDC-enriched fraction of LN cell preparations. Somewhat surprisingly, HIV-specific Abs were not essential for HIV binding to LN cells, indicating that seeding of the FDC reservoir may begin shortly after infection and before the development of HIV-specific Abs. Finally, the virion-displacing potential for anti-CD21 mAbs was investigated. Treatment of mice with anti-CD21 mAbs several days after injection of HIV significantly reduced HIV bound to LN cells. Our findings demonstrate a critical role for CD21 in HIV trapping by LN cells and suggest a new therapeutic avenue for reducing HIV reservoirs.
Modeling and Simulation of a salient-pole synchronous Generator with dynamic eccentricity using modified winding function theory

This paper models and simulates a salient-pole synchronous generator using a modified winding function theory and more precise stator and rotor winding distribution with dynamic eccentricity between the stator and rotor. Air-gap permeance is also computed more accurately compared to currently available methods. Inductances with this method are compared to those obtained from other methods and it is shown that the results are closer to those obtained from finite element computations. Finally, the calculated inductances are used in a coupled electromagnetic model for simulation and studying the frequency spectrum of the stator line current in the presence of dynamic eccentricity.
A visual tracking system using an RFID-tag

We propose a visual tracking system that identifies an object in front of the camera using an RFID-tag, which is put onto each object. Identifying the object, the system downloads the CAD model of the object via the Internet, and uses the model for visual tracking. The visual tracking consists of two procedures: (1) the estimation of the initial pose and position relative to the camera, and (2) the tracking of the motion between two consecutive images. In the former procedure, the system detects the shape component from the initial image, and estimates the pose and position with the shape of the component. In the latter procedure, the motion is estimated using both the CAD model and the difference of the two images. The proposed system shows the framework that enables a vision system to handle enormous number of objects.
Nondigestible Oligosaccharides Enhance Bacterial Colonization Resistance against Clostridium difficile In Vitro

ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile is the principal etiologic agent of pseudomembranous colitis and is a major cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea. A limited degree of success in controlling C. difficile infection has been achieved by using probiotics; however, prebiotics can also be used to change bacterial community structure and metabolism in the large gut, although the effects of these carbohydrates on suppression of clostridial pathogens have not been well characterized. The aims of this study were to investigate the bifidogenicity of three nondigestible oligosaccharide (NDO) preparations in normal and antibiotic-treated fecal microbiotas in vitro and their abilities to increase barrier resistance against colonization by C. difficile by using cultural and molecular techniques. Fecal cultures from three healthy volunteers were challenged with a toxigenic strain of C. difficile, and molecular probes were used to monitor growth of the pathogen, together with growth of bifidobacterial and bacteroides populations, over a time course. Evidence of colonization resistance was assessed by determining viable bacterial counts, short-chain fatty acid formation, and cytotoxic activity. Chemostat studies were then performed to determine whether there was a direct correlation between bifidobacteria and C. difficile suppression. NDO were shown to stimulate bifidobacterial growth, and there were concomitant reductions in C. difficile populations. However, in the presence of clindamycin, activity against bifidobacteria was augmented in the presence of NDO, resulting in a further loss of colonization resistance. In the absence of clindamycin, NDO enhanced colonization resistance against C. difficile, although this could not be attributed to bifidobacterium-induced inhibitory phenomena.