Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Applications of long-term watershed research to forest management in California: 50 Years of Learning from the Caspar Creek Watershed Study

For over 50 years, the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds, located in western Mendocino County, California, have been the site of long-term cooperative watershed research carried out by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Preliminary stream flow, suspended sediment, and rainfall measurements began on October 1, 1961. Monitoring has continued nearly uninterrupted since then, making the research site one of the few in the United States with hydrologic records spanning this length of time. This report summarizes results of the first 50 years of studies at Caspar Creek. Two major watershed experiments have been carried out at Caspar Creek to study the hydrologic effects of second-growth harvesting of coast redwood and Douglas-fir forests. The first experiment focused on the 424-ha (1,048-ac) South Fork Caspar Creek watershed. After five years of pre-treatment monitoring to establish calibrations to the North Fork control watershed, a riparian road was constructed along the South Fork channel in 1967. The effects of road construction were monitored for four years before the watershed was selection logged and tractor-yarded during the early 1970’s. The practices used were typical for that time, which was just before implementation of the modern California Forest Practice Rules. The second experiment employed a different silvicultural strategy and a different experimental design. In this study, sub-watersheds within the 473 ha (1,169 ac) North Fork Caspar Creek watershed provided the controls, and pre-treatment monitoring was carried out between 1985 and 1989 at 13 gaging stations. Sub-watersheds in the North Fork were then clearcut from 1985 to 1992, predominantly using skyline cable yarding from roads located high on ridges. Key findings from the South Fork and North Fork experiments address topics often of concern to California resource professionals, including the effects of logging on peak flows, summer low flows, annual water yields, sediment yields, surface erosion, channel erosion, gullies, landslides, hillslope hydrology, stream temperature, fog drip, nutrient cycling, and biological responses. Study results have quantified the effects of forest management activities on these watershed characteristics, and have allowed the influences of clearcutting and selection logging to be compared for many of them. Results have also shown how different kinds of influences can interact and contribute to cumulative watershed effects on downstream habitats. As a by-product, the studies have led to significant advances in monitoring technology, and turbidity monitoring procedures developed at Caspar Creek are now being used at sites throughout the world.
NTT's Question Answering System for NTCIR QAC2

In order to retrieve best documents for ﬁnding answers, we developed a robust proximity search engine. It efﬁciently ﬁnds relevant passages. In addition, our search engine has two disjunction operators: or and or2 . The former works just like addition, whereas the latter works just like logical disjunction. The operator or2 is used to introduce synonyms and antonyms of a query term. The search engine also outputs the distribution of query terms in retrieved documents. Our QA system based on the search engine showed a good performance for QAC2 task1: MRR = 0.607 and Top 5 = 0.738.
107-gb/s optical signal generation using electronic time-division multiplexing

This paper reports the first optical transmitter implementations operating at a serial bit rate of 107 Gb/s using solely electronic time-division multiplexing. Two methods to overcome modulator bandwidth limitations are proposed and demonstrated: low-bandwidth optical duobinary modulation and integrated optical equalization. Both transmitters are characterized in terms of bit error ratio and chromatic dispersion tolerance
Expulsion of allergen-containing materials from hydrated rye grass (Lolium perenne) pollen revealed by using immunogold field emission scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

BACKGROUND Several studies demonstrated episodes of grass pollen-induced allergic asthma after heavy rainfalls. It has been hypothesized that these asthma attacks might be due to the release of respirable allergen-bearing particles from pollen cytoplasm. OBJECTIVE In this study we investigated the release mechanism of the most potent and frequently recognized grass pollen allergens, group 1 and group 5, from freshly harvested and subsequently hydrated rye grass pollen at the ultrastructural level. METHODS Rabbit antisera against purified recombinant group 1 and group 5 allergens were used to investigate, by using field emission scanning and transmission immunogold electron microscopy, the allergen release from rye grass pollen grains into isotonic aqueous solutions or water. RESULTS Pollen grains exposed to isotonic aqueous solutions remained intact and released allergens by means of diffusion. However, pollen grains hydrated in distilled water or rainwater expelled starch grains and cytoplasmic debris of respirable size. Group 1 and group 5 allergens were observed on and within these materials. CONCLUSIONS Exposure of rye grass pollen to water leads to an expulsion of subcellular allergen-containing pollen components of respirable size. Our ultrastructural data thus support the idea that this release of allergen-containing respirable pollen materials may be a cause of asthma attacks after heavy rainfalls.
Functional evidence that the principal DNA replication origin of the Streptomyces coelicolor chromosome is close to the dnaA-gyrB region

The degree of overrepresentation of selected chromosomal genes in rapidly growing cultures of Streptomyces coelicolor was assessed by quantitative DNA hybridization analysis. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the principal origin of replication is close to the dnaA-gyrB region, in the center of the linear chromosome, and that replication proceeds bidirectionally.
Cognitive Relay Nodes for airborne LTE emergency networks

This paper is proposing a novel concept of Cognitive Relay Node for intelligently improving the radio coverage of an airborne LTE emergency network, considering the scenarios outlined in the ABSOLUTE research project. The proposed network model was simulated comparing the different cases of deploying relay nodes to complement the coverage of an aerial LTE network. Simulation results of the proposed Cognitive Relay Nodes show significant performance improvement in terms of radio coverage quantified by the regional outage probability enhancement. Also, this paper is presenting the methodology and results of choosing the optimum aerial eNodeB altitude.
Healthcare reform: current and proposed approaches.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explain some of the healthcare reforms currently under consideration by the U.S. Congress. DATA SOURCES Published reports, government documents, and journal articles. DATA SYNTHESIS Healthcare reforms are being proposed to address the issues of cost containment, universal access, and quality of care. Elements of the current and proposed healthcare reform plans are reviewed and clarified. CONCLUSIONS The implementation of some sort of reform seems inevitable; however, the design of the final package will depend on a variety of financial, political, and social pressures. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE If nurses are aware of the proposed changes, they can participate as decision makers, articulate the rules as consumers, and understand the issues as providers.
Electromigration-aware Clock Tree Synthesis for TSV-based 3D-ICs

In 3D-IC technology, electromigration (EM) degradation has become severe due to the high thermal-mechanical stress induced by the Through-Silicon-Vias (TSVs). However, little has been done on designing an EM-robust clock tree for 3D-ICs. In this paper, we propose a systematic EM-aware clock tree synthesis design flow, to enhance the 3D clock tree's EM reliability, with little interference to clock tree's performance metrics such as total wire length and clock skew. We develop a simple TSV's EM objective function based on multi-physics of the mass transportation equation, and validate it against the finite element method (FEM) simulation. Then we use this objective function to formulate a heuristic, based on integer linear programming (ILP), which places the clock TSVs such that the clock tree's EM reliability is maximized. Results show that the our heuristic is able to increase 3D clock's EM lifetime by more than 3.63x with little wire length overhead, while maintaining zero clock skew.
Tissue factor is expressed on monocytes during simulated extracorporeal circulation.

Certain forms of extracorporeal circulation exemplified by cardiopulmonary bypass require continuous high-dose anticoagulation to prevent thromboembolic complications. We hypothesized that monocytes may be stimulated to express tissue factor (TF) during prolonged simulated extracorporeal circulation. TF was identified both by flow cytometry by using three TF-specific monoclonal antibodies and functional assay of procoagulant activity (PCA). TF significantly increased between 2 and 6 hours of simulated extracorporeal circulation by both analyses. Relative fluorescence on monocytes increased from a control value of 100 to 313 +/- 79 on cells from the simulated extracorporeal circuit (p < 0.05). PCA increased from 21 +/- 8 to 775 +/- 326 pg TF/10(6) monocytes (p < 0.05) and was blocked 99.6% by preincubation of cells with a mixture of monoclonal antibodies to TF. By 6 hours, the number of leukocytes in the circuit was decreased by 43%. The cells were recovered from the oxygenator membrane by washing with EDTA. Compared with initial values, by 6 hours, both TF antigen at 378 +/- 90 (p < 0.05) and PCA at 1,357 +/- 280 pg TF/10(6) monocytes (p < 0.01) were highest in the recovered cells. Cells incubated for 6 hours and not subjected to simulated extracorporeal circulation did not increase TF. Examination of monocytes for the adhesive receptor CD11b/18 (Mac-1) paralleled TF expression, providing an additional putative receptor for the coagulant proteins, factor X and fibrinogen or fibrin. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ambulatory Hypertension Subtypes and 24-Hour Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure as Distinct Outcome Predictors in 8341 Untreated People Recruited From 12 Populations

Background— Data on risk associated with 24-hour ambulatory diastolic (DBP24) versus systolic (SBP24) blood pressure are scarce. Methods and Results— We recorded 24-hour blood pressure and health outcomes in 8341 untreated people (mean age, 50.8 years; 46.6% women) randomly recruited from 12 populations. We computed hazard ratios (HRs) using multivariable-adjusted Cox regression. Over 11.2 years (median), 927 (11.1%) participants died, 356 (4.3%) from cardiovascular causes, and 744 (8.9%) experienced a fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular event. Isolated diastolic hypertension (DBP24≥80 mm Hg) did not increase the risk of total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or stroke (HRs⩽1.54; P≥0.18), but was associated with a higher risk of fatal combined with nonfatal cardiovascular, cardiac, or coronary events (HRs≥1.75; P⩽0.0054). Isolated systolic hypertension (SBP24≥130 mm Hg) and mixed diastolic plus systolic hypertension were associated with increased risks of all aforementioned end points (P⩽0.0012). Below age 50, DBP24 was the main driver of risk, reaching significance for total (HR for 1-SD increase, 2.05; P=0.0039) and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 4.07; P=0.0032) and for all cardiovascular end points combined (HR, 1.74; P=0.039) with a nonsignificant contribution of SBP24 (HR⩽0.92; P≥0.068); above age 50, SBP24 predicted all end points (HR≥1.19; P⩽0.0002) with a nonsignificant contribution of DBP24 (0.96⩽HR⩽1.14; P≥0.10). The interactions of age with SBP24 and DBP24 were significant for all cardiovascular and coronary events (P⩽0.043). Conclusions— The risks conferred by DBP24 and SBP24 are age dependent. DBP24 and isolated diastolic hypertension drive coronary complications below age 50, whereas above age 50 SBP24 and isolated systolic and mixed hypertension are the predominant risk factors.
Neuropeptide Y Negatively Influences Monocyte Recruitment to the Central Nervous System during Retrovirus Infection

ABSTRACT Monocyte infiltration into the CNS is a hallmark of several viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS), including retrovirus infection. Understanding the factors that mediate monocyte migration in the CNS is essential for the development of therapeutics that can alter the disease process. In the current study, we found that neuropeptide Y (NPY) suppressed monocyte recruitment to the CNS in a mouse model of polytropic retrovirus infection. NPY−/− mice had increased incidence and kinetics of retrovirus-induced neurological disease, which correlated with a significant increase in monocytes in the CNS compared to wild-type mice. Both Ly6Chi inflammatory and Ly6Clo alternatively activated monocytes were increased in the CNS of NPY−/− mice following virus infection, suggesting that NPY suppresses the infiltration of both cell types. Ex vivo analysis of myeloid cells from brain tissue demonstrated that infiltrating monocytes expressed high levels of the NPY receptor Y2R. Correlating with the expression of Y2R on monocytes, treatment of NPY−/− mice with a truncated, Y2R-specific NPY peptide suppressed the incidence of retrovirus-induced neurological disease. These data demonstrate a clear role for NPY as a negative regulator of monocyte recruitment into the CNS and provide a new mechanism for suppression of retrovirus-induced neurological disease. IMPORTANCE Monocyte recruitment to the brain is associated with multiple neurological diseases. However, the factors that influence the recruitment of these cells to the brain are still not well understood. In the current study, we found that neuropeptide Y, a protein produced by neurons, affected monocyte recruitment to the brain during retrovirus infection. We show that mice deficient in NPY have increased influx of monocytes into the brain and that this increase in monocytes correlates with neurological-disease development. These studies provide a mechanism by which the nervous system, through the production of NPY, can suppress monocyte trafficking to the brain and reduce retrovirus-induced neurological disease.
Roles of Dynein and Dynactin in Early Endosome Dynamics Revealed Using Automated Tracking and Global Analysis

Microtubule-dependent movement is crucial for the spatial organization of endosomes in most eukaryotes, but as yet there has been no systematic analysis of how a particular microtubule motor contributes to early endosome dynamics. Here we tracked early endosomes labeled with GFP-Rab5 on the nanometer scale, and combined this with global, first passage probability (FPP) analysis to provide an unbiased description of how the minus-end microtubule motor, cytoplasmic dynein, supports endosome motility. Dynein contributes to short-range endosome movement, but in particular drives 85–98% of long, inward translocations. For these, it requires an intact dynactin complex to allow membrane-bound p150Glued to activate dynein, since p50 over-expression, which disrupts the dynactin complex, inhibits inward movement even though dynein and p150Glued remain membrane-bound. Long dynein-dependent movements occur via bursts at up to ∼8 µms−1 that are linked by changes in rate or pauses. These peak speeds during rapid inward endosome movement are still seen when cellular dynein levels are 50-fold reduced by RNAi knock-down of dynein heavy chain, while the number of movements is reduced 5-fold. Altogether, these findings identify how dynein helps define the dynamics of early endosomes.
Extraction of paleohydrology and paleoclimate proxies from vadose zones and paleolake records in the southwestern Great Basin

Extraction of Paleohydrology and Paleoclimate Proxies from Unsaturated Zones and Paleolake Records in the Southwestern Great Basin by Weiquan Dong Dr. Zhongbo Yu, Examination Committee Chair Assistant Professor of Geology University of Nevada, Las Vegas Thick vadose zones in arid regions recorded past climate changes up to 100 ka, so they are unique archives for continental paleoclimate change and groundwater recharge during the late Quaternary. Despite extensive research on flow and transport in arid regions, the transport properties and general response of arid vadose zones to climate regimes are still not well understood. Some of these issues are addressed with four distinct studies in this dissertation. The first study investigates effects of soil texture, vegetation coverage, and macopores on soil moisture variation at Nevada Test Site (NTS). The simulations show that bare soils have higher soil water content than vegetated soils. Effects of macropore flow on soil water content are insignificant. The second study evaluates the impacts of climate change on solute transport in arid vadose zones. Undisturbed soil cores were collected at ground surface, directly below where tension infiltrometer measurements were made. The water fluxes and Br dispersion coefficients at investigated matric heads were very high due to the coarseness of the soils
Susceptibility of mitochondrial electron-transport complexes to oxidative damage. Focus on cytochrome c oxidase

Abstract Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are associated with a number of mitochondrial disorders. These include: ischemia/reperfusion injury, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and other age-related degenerative changes. ROS can be generated at numerous sites within the cell, but the mitochondrial electron transport chain is recognized as the major source of intracellular ROS. Two mitochondrial electron-transfer complexes are major sources of ROS: complex I and complex III. Oxidative damage to either of these complexes, or to electron transport complexes that are in close proximity to these ROS sources, e.g., cytochrome c oxidase, would be expected to inhibit electron transport. Such inhibition would lead to increased electron leakage and more ROS production, much like the well-known effect of adding electron transport inhibitors. Recent studies reveal that ROS and lipid peroxidation products are effective inhibitors of the electron-transport complexes. In some cases, inactivation of enzymes correlates with chemical modification of only a small number of unusually reactive amino acids. In this article, we review current knowledge of ROS-induced alterations within three complexes: (1) complex IV; (2) complex III; and (3) complex I. Our goal is to identify “hot spots” within each complex that are easily chemically modified and could be responsible for ROS-induced inhibition of the individual complexes. Special attention has been placed on ROS-induced damage to cardiolipin that is tightly bound to each of the inner membrane protein complexes. Peroxidation of the bound cardiolipin is thought to be particularly important since its close proximity and long residence time on the protein make it an especially effective reagent for subsequent ROS-induced damage to these proteins.
Detection of similar community in large network based on graph edit distance

Community structures in complex networks are pointers to many interesting properties which are otherwise obvious. Finding structural similarity within the networks is an open problem and many researchers are working in this direction. Graph Edit distance (GED) is a concept to extract the similarity / dissimilarity between two graphs. In this paper, we apply the concept of GED to discover similar communities in large networks. First, a large network is taken and it is represented as an attributed graph then communities are discovered using GED. The usefulness of the proposed method has been applied to Protein dataset and DBLP dataset and results are discussed.
A novel classification method with unlearned-class detection based on a gaussian mixture model

This paper proposes a novel method of estimating posteriori probability for learned and unlearned classes based on a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). With prior distributions of learned and unlearned classes defined as a novel GMM incorporating a one-versus-the-rest classifier, any defined/undefined class can be classified through training of the classifier using given training samples. This method can be used for bioelectric signal discrimination in various applications such as human-machine interfaces and diagnosis support systems. In the experiments reported here, artificial data generated from Gaussian distributions and electromyogram (EMG) patterns measured from the forearm muscles of a volunteer were classified to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed method for learned and unlearned class discrimination. The results showed that the approach produces high performance for classification of learned (artificial data: 100%; EMG patterns: 95.6%) and unlearned (artificial data: 93.4%; EMG patterns: 70.4%) classes based on simple neural network comparison, and indicated that the proposed method is applicable to human-machine interfaces such as prosthetic hand control systems.
Continuous Experimentation in the B2B Domain: A Case Study

Rapid value delivery requires a company to utilize empirical evaluation of new features and products in order to avoid unnecessary product risks. This helps to make data-driven decisions and to ensure that the development is focused on features that provide real value for customers. Short feedback loops are a prerequisite as they allow for fast learning and reduced reaction times. Continuous experimentation is a development practice where the entire R&amp;D process is guided by constantly conducting experiments and collecting feedback. Although principles of continuous experimentation have been successfully applied in domains such as game software or SAAS, it is not obvious how to transfer continuous experimentation to the business-to-business domain. In this article, a case study from a medium-sized software company in the B2B domain is presented. The study objective is to analyze the challenges, benefits and organizational aspects of continuous experimentation in the B2B domain. The results suggest that technical challenges are only one part of the challenges a company encounters in this transition. The company also has to address challenges related to the customer and organizational culture. Unique properties in each customer's business play a major role and need to be considered when designing experiments. Additionally, the speed by which experiments can be conducted is relative to the speed by which production deployments can be made. Finally, the article shows how the study results can be used to modify the development in the case company in a way that more feedback and data is used instead of opinions.
Modelling of the human blood circulation and detection of pathophysiological symptoms of atherosclerosis in dependence of the arterial blood flow volume and blood pressure

For the practical research on influences of vascular diseases on the cardiovascular system a torso model is developed that represents all major arteries and veins. The model allows analysing the reaction of vascular diseases on the time-dependant variance of pressure and volume flow distribution. Therefore the passages between arterial and venous vessels are equipped with flow sensors and pressure is detected at key points. In the following, investigations will be described based on simulation of 4 different stress situations of the torso (rest, exercise, brain work, after meal). In addition 4 different diseases (stages of occlusions and cavities) in the carotid artery are simulated and their impact on pressure and flow distribution in the torso will be described.