Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Precise aftershock distribution of the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake revealed by an ocean-bottom seismometer network

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake occurred at the plate boundary between the Pacific plate and the landward plate on March 11, 2011, and had a magnitude of 9. Many aftershocks occurred following the mainshock. Obtaining a precise aftershock distribution is important for understanding the mechanism of earthquake generation. In order to study the aftershock activity of this event, we carried out extensive sea-floor aftershock observations using more than 100 ocean-bottom seismometers just after the mainshock. A precise aftershock distribution for approximately three months over the whole source area was obtained from the observations. The aftershocks form a plane dipping landward over the whole area, nevertheless the epicenter distribution is not uniform. Comparing seismic velocity structures, there is no aftershock along the plate boundary where a large slip during the mainshock is estimated. Activity of aftershocks in the landward plate in the source region was high and normal fault-type, and strike-slip-type, mechanisms are dominant. Within the subducting oceanic plate, most earthquakes have also a normal fault-type, or strike-slip-type, mechanism. The stress fields in and around the source region change as a result of the mainshock.
Physiological Responses to Abiotic and Biotic Stress in Forest Trees

Forests fulfill important ecological functions by sustaining nutrient cycles and providing habitats for a multitude of organisms. They further deliver ecosystem services such as carbon storage, protection from erosion, and wood as an important commodity. Trees have to cope in their environment with a multitude of natural and anthropogenic forms of stress. Resilience and resistance mechanisms to biotic and abiotic stresses are of special importance for long-lived tree species. Since trees exist for many decades or even centuries on the same spot, they have to acclimate their growth and reproduction to constantly changing atmospheric and pedospheric conditions. In this special issue, we invited contributions addressing the physiological responses of forest trees to a wide array of different stress factors. Among the eighteen papers published, seventeen covered drought or salt stress as major environmental cues, highlighting the relevance of this topic in times of climate change. Only one paper studied cold stress [1]. The dominance of drought and salt stress studies underpins the need to understand tree responses to these environmental threats from the molecular to the ecophysiological level. The papers contributing to this Special Issue cover these scientific aspects in different areas of the globe and encompass conifers as well as broadleaf tree species. In addition, two studies deal with bamboo (Phyllostachys sp., [1,2]). Bamboo, although botanically belonging to grasses, was included because its ecological functions and applications are similar to those of trees.
The effect of antipsychotics on bone mineral density in bipolar disorder: a case-controlled pilot study -

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of antipsychotics on bone mineral density in bipolar disorder. A total of 44 premenopausal female patients receiving antipsychotic medication for at least 1 year and 43 healthy premenopausal female volunteers were included in the present study. Clinical evaluation was performed via Hamilton Depression Scale and Clinical Global Impression Scale, bone metabolism via serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, parathormone, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), vitamin D and prolactin, while bone mineral density via dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Bone mineral density scores were determined to be significantly lower, while prolactin, parathormone and ALP levels were significantly higher in the patient group. Comparison of patient group in itself based on patients under atypical antipsychotic vs. atypical antipsychotic + mood stabilizer treatment revealed no significant difference between groups in terms of clinical and biochemical parameters. In conclusion, contrary to what many studies suggest, our findings revealed that atypical antipsychotics offered no advantages over other medications in the development of secondary osteoporosis in patients with bipolar disorder. There was no significant difference between patients receiving atypical antipsychotics and other mood stabilizers in terms of osteoporosis incidence.
Using Machine Learning to Produce a Global Automated Quantitative QC for Noise Attenuation

In this paper we present a case study using multidimensional attributes to define anomalies in the product of a seismic processing algorithm that attenuates noise from a dataset. In addition to direct statistical measures of the data, we define metrics describing consistency and effectiveness of the denoising algorithm. Collectively these measures form a multi-dimensional space that is interrogated by an unsupervised learning algorithm. The product is a data partitioning that provides the user with a sequence of outliers for further investigation.
An automated method for mosaicing of video frames with projective constraint

In this paper we present a method for construction of a mosaic from video sequences taken by rotating camera. To construct a mosaiced image from a sequence of frames we need to obtain geometric transformation between successive frames. To establish this step we employ a feature-based approach. Distinctive features are detected using a robust approach. Detected features are then match through a localized scene coherence method and then we estimate the mapping function parameters according to obtained feature matchings. By using obtained transformations frames are mapped to the surface of middle frame which selected as base image. Finally warped frames are combined by utilizing a weighted average approach. Experimental results are provided for several outdoor video sequences and the constructed mosaics have superior visual quality which indicates the effectiveness of our method.
Structural Studies of Complexes of Blood Coagulation Factor VIII

iv Acknowledgements.v List of Figures.vii List of Tables.ix List of Abbreviations.x Introduction.1 Research Aims.17 Materials and Methods.18 Results.28 Discussion.41 Conclusion.53 Works Cited.54 Appendix.60
Dynamic changes in DNA methylation during embryonic and postnatal development of an altricial wild bird

Abstract DNA methylation could shape phenotypic responses to environmental cues and underlie developmental plasticity. Environmentally induced changes in DNA methylation during development can give rise to stable phenotypic traits and thus affect fitness. In the laboratory, it has been shown that the vertebrate methylome undergoes dynamic reprogramming during development, creating a critical window for environmentally induced epigenetic modifications. Studies of DNA methylation in the wild are lacking, yet are essential for understanding how genes and the environment interact to affect phenotypic development and ultimately fitness. Furthermore, our knowledge of the establishment of methylation patterns during development in birds is limited. We quantified genome‐wide DNA methylation at various stages of embryonic and postnatal development in an altricial passerine bird, the great tit Parus major. While, there was no change in global DNA methylation in embryonic tissue during the second half of embryonic development, a twofold increase in DNA methylation in blood occurred between 6 and 15 days posthatch. Though not directly comparable, DNA methylation levels were higher in the blood of nestlings compared with embryonic tissue at any stage of prenatal development. This provides the first evidence that DNA methylation undergoes global change during development in a wild bird, supporting the hypothesis that methylation mediates phenotypic development. Furthermore, the plasticity of DNA methylation demonstrated during late postnatal development, in the present study, suggests a wide window during which DNA methylation could be sensitive to environmental influences. This is particularly important for our understanding of the mechanisms by which early‐life conditions influence later‐life performance. While, we found no evidence for differences in genome‐wide methylation in relation to habitat of origin, environmental variation is likely to be an important driver of variation in methylation at specific loci.
Impact of trade openness on public expenditure in the long run. Spain, 1960-2000

Recently, greater attention has been paid to the possible relation between trade openness and public expenditure. Most of the articles of this kind of literature are based on the central argument of the work of Rodrik (1998): more open economies are exposed to a greater risk as a result of the possible turbulences in the international markets, which can affect their domestic economy. The public sector can exert an isolation function over this external risk, increasing its participation in the whole economy. Today, this is a controversial and open subject, in spite of the many empirical studies carried out. The aim of this paper is to empirically determine whether there is a relation between trade openness and public expenditure in Spain in the period 1960-2000, a relatively short period that has witnessed an accelerated process both of openness to the international markets of goods and services and of public sector growth. The time series analysis for the Spanish economy in the period 1960-2000, based on the cointegration test of Johansen, reveals a long-term relationship between public expenditure and both trade openness and several protection indicators. We complete our analysis with several econometric techniques which reveal that the aforementioned relation is both robust and stable.
EFFECTIVE ELASTICITY COEFFICIENTS IN DRY POROUS MATERIALS. NUMERICAL AND SEMI-ANALYTICAL APPROACHES

The paper deals with homogenization of linear elastic continuum involving empty pores. We concern some aspects of numerical approaches and confront them with the analytical ones in case of 2D elasticity. Of course, there are some restrictions for the analytical concept, because it is applicable only to few shapes of pores. Nevertheless, two or four variants of the analytical approach are developed in order to study the role of incorporation of interaction among the pores as well as the influence of outer boundary of microstructural subdomain and application of various physically admissible correlations between the volume averages for homogenized continuum and micro-structural one. In general, a numerical approach is necessary for solution of micro-structural boundary value problems in case of arbitrary shape and/or distribution of voids. Two approaches are proposed and mathematical models developed for numerical calculation of effective material coefficients for linear elastic continuum involving arbitrary empty pores. Appropriate micro-structural boundary value problems in the RVE are proposed for numerical analyses which are utilized for a posterior evaluation of effective material coefficients. Comparisons of results by the analytical and numerical approaches are discussed for the circular and elliptical pores. Finally, the influence of the shape of vacant pores and porosity on bending of elastic plates is illustrated in numerical simulations.
Assessment of mobility, body balance and risk of fractures in the elderly

Introduction. In recent years, we have seen significant changes in the highly dynamic process of ageing amongst the population of Europe, leading to increasing life expectancy. Prolonging the life of the elderly, in which full independence and functional performance are maintained, is a challenge facing modern medicine. It is necessary to take actions to improve health and quality of life during old age. Purpose. The aim of this research is to assess the differences in mobility level and static/dynamic balance, as well as the risk of bone fractures between people aged 50 and 65 years and the elderly aged between 66 and 80 years. An analysis of the suitability of selected clinical tests is conducted to assess the above mentioned parameters. Material and methods. The study included a group of 200 randomly selected people living in Rzeszów, a city in southeastern Poland, who were aged between 50 and 80 years. All the results of the research, which ultimately involved 138 STRESZCZENIE Wprowadzenie. W ostatnich latach obserwujemy w Europie postępujący z dużą dynamiką proces starzenia się ludności. Wobec stałego wzrostu średniej długości życia zadaniem współczesnej medycyny staje się wydłużenie czasu życia w pełnej niezależności, a co za tym idzie sprawności funkcjonalnej osób starszych. Koniecznością jest podjęcie działań na rzecz poprawy stanu zdrowia i jakości życia w okresie starości. Cel pracy. Celem pracy jest ocena różnic w poziomie mobilności, równowagi statycznej i dynamicznej oraz ryzyka złamania kości pomiędzy osobami w wieku 50–65 lat a osobami starszymi w wieku 66–80 lat, jak również analiza przydatności wybranych testów klinicznych do oceny wyżej wymienio-
New trends in active filters for power conditioning

Attention has been paid to active filters for power conditioning which provide the following multifunctions: reactive power compensation; harmonic compensation; flicker/imbalance compensation; and voltage regulation. Active filters in a range of 50 kVA-60 MVA have been practically installed in Japan. In the near future, the term "active filters" will have a much wider meaning than it did in the 1970s. For instance, active filters intended for harmonic solutions are expanding their functions from harmonic compensation of nonlinear loads into harmonic isolation between utilities and consumers, and harmonic damping throughout power distribution systems. This paper presents the present status of active filters based on state-of-the-art power electronics technology, and their future prospects and directions toward the 21st Century, including the personal views and expectations of the author.
An Evaluation of Subtyping Methods for the Identification of Fecal Pollution Sources

Fecal coliform concentrations are routinely monitored in waterbodies as indicators of other more potentially dangerous human fecal-borne pathogens. However, high concentrations do not necessarily indicate human waste contamination, since other warm-blooded animals also release fecal coliforms. A method to distinguish between different sources of fecal coliforms would be beneficial for identifying contamination sources and determining the level of risk to humans. In this study, two methods, one molecular and one biochemical, were evaluated to determine if host-strain specific patterns could be established between the dominant member of the fecal coliform group, Escherichia coli, and potential sources (i.e. human, bovine, poultry) within the watershed of Lake Sidney Lanier, Georgia. Sixteen unique isolates (3 human, 3 bovine, 4 poultry, and 6 water samples) were evaluated using these methods. The molecular method was better at discriminating between strains of E. coli than the biochemical, and preliminary analysis indicates that similarities between source isolates exists.
Potential of plant oils as alternative to fish oil for live food enrichment: effects on growth, survival, body compositions and resistance against environmental stresses in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

Enrichment of live foods by essential nutrients such as highly unsaturated fatty acids is an important tool for improvement of larval fish quality. In this study, nutritional effects of Artemia urmiana enriched by fish and plant oils on growth, survival rate, body compositions and resistance against thermal, salinity and hypoxic stresses in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss were examined. Six food treatments comprising a commercial feed, non-enriched Artemia nauplii and the nauplii enriched by either of fish, sunflower, canola and soybean oils were used in triplicates. The fish fed with Artemia enriched by fish, sunflower and canola oils had significantly higher (p<0.05) survival rate, total length, wet and dry weights, specific growth rate and lower food conversion ratio than those fed the commercial feed. However, there were no significant differences in growth indices between the fish fed fish oil-enriched and plant oil-enriched Artemia. Minimum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were reported in the fish fed with the commercial feed, while maximum EPA and DHA were in the fish fed canola oil-enriched and nonenriched Artemia, respectively. The fish fed canola oil enriched Artemia had significantly higher (p<0.05) resistance against environmental stresses compared to fish fed the commercial diet. Results showed that the plant oils, mainly canola and sunflower oils can be used for Artemia enrichment as a suitable substitute for the more expensive and rare fish oil for improving growth and resistance to environmental stresses in rainbow trout larvae.
Effect of pulsed light on postharvest disease control-related metabolomic variation in melon (Cucumis melo) artificially inoculated with Fusarium pallidoroseum

Pulsed light, as a postharvest technology, is an alternative to traditional fungicides, and can be used on a wide variety of fruit and vegetables for sanitization or pathogen control. In addition to these applications, other effects also are detected in vegetal cells, including changes in metabolism and production of secondary metabolites, which directly affect disease control response mechanisms. This study aimed to evaluate the possible applications of pulsed ultraviolet light in controlling postharvest rot, mainly caused by Fusarium pallidoroseum in yellow melon ‘Goldex’, in natura, and its implications in the disease control as a function of metabolomic expression to effect fungicidal or fungistatic. The dose of pulsed light (PL) that inhibited F. pallidoroseum growth in melons (Cucumis melo var. Spanish) was 9 KJ m-2. Ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass analyzer identified 12 compounds based on the MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Chemometric analysis by Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Squared Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA and S-plot) were used to evaluate the changes in fruit metabolism. PL technology provided protection against postharvest disease in melons, directly inhibiting the growth of F. pallidoroseum through upregulation of specific fruit biomarkers such as pipecolic acid (11), saponarin (7), and orientin (3), which acted as major markers for the defense system against pathogens. PL can thus be proposed as a postharvest technology to avoid chemical fungicides and may be applied to reduce the decay of melon quality during its export and storage.
Genetics and biology of pancreatic cancer and its precursor lesions: lessons learned from human pathology and mouse models

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is one of the most fatal malignancies; it has an extremely poor prognosis due to its late diagnosis and limited response to conventional treatments. To improve PDA prognosis, new diagnostic and treatment strategies are urgently required. Recent genomic sequencing analyses revealed several mutated core signaling pathways and transcriptomic subtypes in PDA. A better understanding of PDA biology based on these genetic insights would promote the future development of novel diagnostic methods and treatments. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of PDA genetics and biology, predominantly via insights from mouse model studies.
The frequency of window damage caused by bolide airbursts: A quarter century case study

We have empirically estimated how often fireball shocks produce overpressure (∆P) at the ground sufficient to damage windows. Our study used a numerical entry model to estimate the energy deposition and shock production for a suite of 23 energetic fireballs reported by U.S. Government sensors over the last quarter century. For each of these events, we estimated the peak ∆P on the ground and the ground area above ∆P thresholds of 200 and 500 Pa where light and heavy window damage, respectively, are expected. Our results suggest that at the highest ∆P, it is the rare, large fireballs (such as the Chelyabinsk fireball) which dominate the long‐term areal ground footprints for heavy window damage. The height at the fireball peak brightness and the fireball entry angle contribute to the variance in ground ∆P, with lower heights and shallower angles producing larger ground footprints and more potential damage. The effective threshold energy for fireballs to produce heavy window damage is ~5–10 kT; such fireballs occur globally once every 1–2 years. These largest annual bolide events, should they occur over a major urban center with large numbers of windows, can be expected to produce economically significant window damage. However, the mean frequency of heavy window damage (∆P above 500 Pa) from fireball shock waves occurring over urban areas is estimated to be approximately once every 5000 yr. Light window damage (∆P above 200 Pa) is expected every ~600 yr.
Monetary policy coordination leader followership

This paper analyses the leader followership phenomenon in monetary policy coordination in South Africa, the Advanced, Developed and Emerging counties. The coordination of monetary policy in Advanced counties is examined in individual countries while such coordination in Developed and Emerging countries is examined in groups of countries. These countries comprise South Africa, United States, Euro area, United Kingdom and Japan while the groups of countries comprise the Developed, BRIC, Eastern Europe, East Asia and Latin American countries. The results show that monetary policy coordination is led by the United States and Developed countries, that monetary policy coordination in United Kingdom, Eastern European countries and the Euro area is intermediate while South Africa and Latin America are followers in monetary policy coordination. The results further show that Japan, BRIC and Eastern Europe coordinate monetary policy independent of the rest of the selected countries.
Texture Analysis in Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Review and Considerations for Future Applications

Texture analysis is a technique used for the quantification of image texture. It has been successfully used in many fields, and in the past years it has been applied in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a computer-aided diagnostic tool. Quantification of the intrinsic heterogeneity of different tissues and lesions is necessary as they are usually imperceptible to the human eye. In the present chapter, we describe texture analysis as a process consisting of six steps: MRI acquisition, region of interest (ROI) definition, ROI preprocessing, feature extraction, feature selection, and classification. There is a great variety of methods and techniques to be chosen at each step and all of them can somehow affect the outcome of the texture analysis application. We reviewed the literature regarding texture analysis in clinical MRI focusing on the important considerations to be taken at each step of the process in order to obtain maximum benefits and to avoid misleading results. becomes insignificant when large ROIs are used. In features were highly affected at ROI areas smaller than 80 × 80 pixels and became at ROI areas of around 180 × 180 pixels. are in general true for certain