Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reconnaissance geochronology of the crystalline basement rocks of the Coastal Cordillera of southern Peru

Granulite-facies gneiss of the Arequipa massif extensively developed along the Coastal Cordillera of southern Peru gives a whole-rock isochron age of 1,811 ± 39 m.y. (λ 87 Rb = 1.47 × 10 −11 yr −1 ) and an initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of 0.7086 ± 0.0009. Migmatitic granite within the gneiss is probably of late Precambrian or early Paleozoic age. Mineral ages, both K-Ar and Rb-Sr, from the gneisses and granites are disturbed. Potassium feldspar from the gneiss appears to have been reset by the migmatitization event, whereas mica and potassium feldspar from the migmatitic granite appear to reflect established tectonic-thermal events of Late Devonian and Late Triassic time. In both metamorphic grade and age pattern, these rocks are similar to those of the Trans-Amazonian nucleus of the Guianas, Brazil, Uruguay, and the Buenos Aires province of Argentina. We suggest that the Arequipa massif has always been an integral part of the Trans-Amazonian nucleus and that the Andean belt is ensialic, at least in Peru. The manner in which the structural trends in the Arequipa massif strike into the Pacific Ocean leads to speculation concerning the evolution of the Pacific. Simple rifting, tectonic erosion, and major transcurrent faulting are considered as possible mechanisms to explain the truncation.
Towards Child-Friendly Streetscape in Migrant Workers’ Communities in China: A Social–Ecological Design Framework

Designing child-friendly streetscapes is a pragmatic and effective approach to addressing the limited outdoor play spaces and social exclusion experienced by migrant children living in vulnerable residential areas. However, the existing research and guidelines on streetscape design lack specificity for migrant workers’ communities and fail to provide full-cycle design process guidance for real-world practices. By taking a social–ecological perspective and synthesizing the existing literature, this paper develops an integrated design framework with seven indicators to guide three stages of child-friendly streetscape regeneration in migrant workers’ communities. The effectiveness of this framework was validated by application in a case project in a typical migrant workers’ community in Ningbo, China. The results show that the social–ecological design framework can help maximize opportunities for various children’s activities on the street with limited spatial resources. It also contributes to creating inclusive streetscapes to promote social cohesion by integrating social and cultural elements, children’s participation, and place-making activities. However, institutional barriers, cultural norms, and limited resources impede children’s participation and sustainable operations, which calls for more attention to be paid to “software” building. The new framework and research findings serve as a valuable guide and reference for practitioners in the field of child-friendly environmental design, especially in the context of marginalized communities in developing countries.
Display of archaeological magnetic data

Magnetic data from archaeological sites have traditionally been displayed by contour, isometric, and dot‐density plotting, or by simulated gray‐scale techniques using symbol overprinting. These methods do not show fine linear structures in the data which are of great interest to archaeologists. If true gray‐scale methods using a modern video display, followed by film recording for hard copy are employed, image processing techniques can be applied to enhance the geometric structures of archaeological interest. Interpolation techniques for enlarging data to full screen size, along with compression methods to keep data within gray‐scale capabilities, are needed. Such techniques would introduce minimum distortion and allow faint details to be seen in the vicinity of strong anomalies. Postprocessing methods based on rapid image spatial filtering and enhancement algorithms could then be applied in an interactive environment.
Multi-criteria decision analysis to support the acquisition of PCR equipment for the detection of COVID-19 in Colombia

Este estudio propone un análisis multicriterio para priorizar las alternativas de equipos utilizados en el procesamiento de pruebas de RT-PCR para la detección del virus SARS-CoV-2 a través del hisopado nasofaríngeo. Se empleó el Proceso de Análisis Jerárquico (AHP) basado en la Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud (ETES) para llevar a cabo este análisis. Para su desarrollo, primero se realizó una revisión bibliográfica para identificar los cinco criterios y doce subcriterios incluidos que facilitan la toma de decisiones en la compra de equipos para el procesamiento de pruebas RT-PCR; posteriormente se caracterizó el proceso de uso de la tecnología en una institución prestadora de salud. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que la efectividad clínica y la seguridad fueron los criterios más relevantes en la selección de la tecnología propuesta. Para comprobar la utilidad de la herramienta multicriterio, se evaluaron dos equipos específicos.
Short-term effects on heart rate variability of occipito-mastoid suture normalization in healthy subjects

Occipito-mastoid structure normalization (OMSN) is an osteopathic manipulative treatment aimed at reducing tension around the jugular foramen, where cranial nerves IX, X, and XI exit the skull. The purpose of this study was to observe how heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of autonomic cardiac regulation, was modulated after an OMSN vs. a sham technique (SHAM). Pre- and post-intervention HRV was analyzed in two randomly chosen groups of 15 participants (OMSN vs. SHAM group). HRV was collected in the supine position 5 min before and 5 min after a 10-min application of either OMSN or SHAM. The time and group effect was analyzed using a two-way ANOVA. Independently from group intervention, a significant time effect induced increased HRV. No group effect differences were observed. Multiple comparisons for time and group interaction showed that the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), a vagally mediated HRV variable, increased to a greater extent for the OMSN group (p = 0.03) than for the SHAM group. However, both OMSN and SHAM techniques had a significant effect on HRV. Compared to a SHAM technique, OMSN had a significant effect on HRV vagally related metric RMSSD in the short term. We conclude that 10 min of OMSN may be used to induce a short-term influence on parasympathetic autonomic nervous system modulations.
Reference architecture for slicing in LoRAWAN networks

This document describes the basic functional architecture of the Intelligentisa project. This document reviews all the elements necessary to run a LoRAWAN network and the associated functions. The objective is to integrate the functional architecture into an orchestration framework, possibly by virtualizing some fundamental functions, such as LoRAWAN network Servers (LNSs). This requires to identify basic functional blocks, in particular telemetry exploiting metrics from the substrate virtualized infrastructure as well as supported LoRAWAN networks
Climate oscillation and the invasion of alien species influence the oceanic distribution of seabirds

Aim: We aim to document the extent to which climate oscillation and rat infestation on islands affect the distribution of seabirds at sea. Location: The Chagos Archipelago, British Indian Ocean Territory, Central Indian Ocean Methods: At sea observations of seabirds (n = 425) were collected from 2012 to 2017 during the breeding season. We used generalized additive models to identify relationships between dominant seabird families (Laridae, Sulidae, and Procellariidae), geomorphology, oceanographic variability, and climate oscillation. We built boosted regression trees to quantify the effects of proximity to both rat-free and rat-infested islands on seabird distribution, identifying breaking point thresholds in distribution. Results: We identified oceanic hotspots and common geomorphic and oceanographic drivers for all seabird families. We documented positive relationships between Sulidae and Procellariidae abundance and the Indian Ocean Dipole, as represented by the Dipole Mode Index. The abundance of Laridae and Sulidae declined abruptly with greater distance to island. Both families aggregated more densely (1.08 and 1.25 times higher respectively) and in greater proximity (distribution thresholds at 16 and 44 km closer to islands, respectively) next to rat-free island compared with to rat-infested islands. In contrast, Procellariidae increased in abundance with greater distance to islands, plateauing at 83 km and were not significantly influenced by rat presence on nearby islands. We identified areas of increased abundance at sea under a scenario where rats are eradicated from infested islands with subsequent seabird recolonization. Main conclusions: Climate oscillations may cause shifts in seabird distribution, possibly through changes in regional productivity and prey distribution. Invasive species eradications and subsequent island recolonization can lead to predictable distribution gains and increased competition. Our analysis predicting range extension after successful eradications enables anticipatory threat-mitigation in these areas, minimising competition between colonies and thereby maximising the risk of success and the conservation impact of eradication programmes.
A Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulation of Hudson Bay Summer Ocean Circulation: Topographic Gyres, Separations, and Coastal Jets

Abstract The summer ocean circulation in Hudson Bay is studied numerically using the Blumberg-Mellor model with a 27.5 km × 27.5 km horizontal grid and a realistic bottom topography. In the control run 1) monthly climatological forcing fields of wind stress, oceanic inflow/outflow, and salt and heat fluxes are used. In addition, results are presented for a number ot sensitivity experiments: 2) no topography (otherwise conditions are identical to the control run), 3) no wind forcing, 4) no oceanic inflow/outflow, 5) no heat and salt fluxes, 6) no temperature and salinity variations, and 7) without the nonlinear terms. While the overall simulated circulation in Hudson Bay is cyclonic, the strong steering of the flow by the bathymetry is particularly noticeable. Mesoscale topographic gyres are simulated, and the separation of the coastal current due to topographic bumps occurs in several locations. The simulated circulation also has well-developed vorticity features and narrow, density-driven coastal jets al.
Streptococcus mitis and Prevotella melaninogenica Influence Gene Expression Changes in Oral Mucosal Lesions in Periodontitis Patients

Oral microbiome disruptions in periodontitis are related to the chronic inflammatory reactions that could in turn lead to the development of multiple oral diseases. The objective of the study was to assess the frequencies of Streptococcus mitis, Prevotella melaninogenica, and Prevotella intermedia in oral benign lesions, oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), and oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) and investigate the impact of these bacteria on the expression patterns of the selected (potential) target genes (PI3CA/AKT2/mTOR, DUSP16/MAPK14, and COX2). After sample collection (25 benign lesions, 30 OPMDs, and 35 OSCCs) and DNA/RNA extraction, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to detect bacterial presence and assess relative gene expression levels in different lesion groups. Prevotella melaninogenica was the most prevalent of the three analyzed bacteria, with the frequency being 60% in benign lesions, 87% in OPMDs (p = 0.024), and 77% in OSCC. The OPMD tissues in which Prevotella melaninogenica was present exhibited a higher expression level of AKT2 (p = 0.042). Significantly lower expression of DUSP16 was observed in OSCC tissues containing Streptococcus mitis (p = 0.011). The obtained results indicate a substantial contribution of P. melaninogenica and Str. mitis in the pathogenesis of oral mucosal lesions, possibly via AKT2 upregulation and DUSP16 downregulation.
Two-dimensional rupture propagation controlled by Irwin's criterion.

Spontaneous propagation of an anti-plane shear crack is studied using Irwin's fracture criterion. We obtain the numerical solution of crack tip loci and slip motion when the critical stress intensity factor Kc and the dynamic stress drop Δσd are non-uniformly distributed on a fault plane. When rupture prop-agates along a fault plane with a localized high Kc region, the rupture process is divided into three stages. In the first stage, the rupture smoothly propagates with the radiation of elastic waves. In the second stage, when the rupture front reaches the high Kc region, the slip motion is decelerated and the radiated elastic wave is weakened. In the third stage, after the crack tip passes the high Kc region, the slip motion is accelerated again and the intensity of radiated wave increases. This gives a possible interpretation of multiple shock events. In Irwin's criterion, the rupture cannot propagate beyond the high Kc region leaving behind an unbroken area. The rupture process controlled by Griffith's fracture criterion is also studied. The rupture process in Griffith's criterion is similar to that in Irwin's criterion, except that the rupture velocity and the radiated seismic wave energy are somewhat greater than the case of Irwin's criterion.
Variations in the along‐axis segmentation of the Afar Rift system

Both oceanic and continental rifts show regular along-axis segmentation, but the relationship, if any, between the two is poorly understood. The tectonically active East African Rift system encompasses systematic along-axis variations in extension and magmatism, making it possible to explore the links between strain, magmatism, and the length scales of faulting and depositional systems during rift development. We summarize Quaternary along-axis segmentation within the Afar Rift system, which is transitional to seafloor spreading, and compare it with segmentation in a “continental” rift sector, the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) system to the south. We use high-resolution satellite imagery calibrated by field studies and digital topography data to delineate faults and magmatic centers in unmapped areas and to compare with existing geological reports. From south to north we see a significant and systematic decrease in the lengths of young basin-bounding normal faults (∼50 km long in MER to ≤ 15 km long in northern Afar), in the lengths and widths of rift basins (from 50 to 100 km long × 30 to 80 km wide in MER to ≤ 20 km long × ≤ 5 km wide in northern Afar), and in the relief of the uplifted rift flanks surrounding the basins (from ≥ 1000 m high in MER to ≤ 100 m high in northern Afar). Erosional escarpments along the older, outer rift margins of Afar reveal long, high border fault segments similar to those found in the less evolved MER, suggesting that the Afar Rift was originally bounded by much longer faults. In northern Afar, there is a drastic increase in the volume of Quaternary basalts, with segmentation now dominated by 50- to 80-km-long volcanic ridges, which are similar in size, morphology, and spacing to the second order, nontransform offset segmentation of slow-spreading mid-oceanic ridges. The along-axis changes in rift segmentation are concomitant with decreasing crustal thickness (i.e., cumulative strain), decreasing effective elastic thickness estimates, and increasing magma supply. These temporal and spatial patterns suggest that segmented continental rifts can evolve into segmented oceanic rifts dominated by mantle sourced magmatic processes.
Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching Toward Scallop-Free-Sidewall Through-Silicon Vias: A Review

With recent advancement and progress in the field of 3-D integration for modern high-speed and high-bandwidth electronic systems, there is an ever-increasing demand for high-quality through-silicon via (TSV) as a vertical interconnect. Some existing TSV fabrication processes, such as deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), show fabrication complexity and require major capital investment for equipment and maintenance. More importantly, the DRIE process leaves scallops on the via sidewall as the result of the fabrication process requiring cyclic etching and coating multiple times. This sidewall roughness negatively impacts on high-frequency interconnects, where the surface roughness significantly contributes to the conductor loss associated with the elongated current pathway and scattering at the interface of the substrate and the conductor. Meantime, metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) has attracted enormous interest in recent years due to its fabrication simplicity and cost-effectiveness in the fabrication process and maintenance. Moreover, it offers a supersmooth sidewall (approximately tens of nanometers) and has huge potential for high-performance TSV fabrication. In this article, a comprehensive review on current TSV fabrication technologies and recent progress in the MACE-based fabrication process is reported where prior work on the MACE-based process is compared in terms of the catalyst type, etch rate, feature size, and sidewall roughness.
Classification and modeling of forested terrain using LIDAR sensing

To operate autonomously, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) must be able to identify the loadbearing surface of the terrain (i.e. the ground) and obstacles. Current sensing techniques work well for structured environments such as urban areas, where the roads and obstacles are usually highly predictable and well-defined. However, autonomous navigation on forested terrain presents many new challenges due to the variability and lack of structure in natural environments. This thesis presents a novel, robust approach for modeling the ground plane and main tree stems in forests, using 3-D point clouds sensed with LIDAR. Identification of the ground plane is done using a two stage approach. The first stage, a local height-based filter, discards most of the nonground points. The second stage, based on a support vector machine (SVM) classifier, operates on a set of geometrically-defined features to identify which of the remaining points belong to the ground. Finally, a triangulated irregular network (TIN) is created from these points to model the ground plane. Next, main stems are estimated using the results from the estimated ground plane. Candidate main stem data is selected by finding points that lie approximately 130cm above the ground. These points are then clustered using a linkage-based clustering technique. Finally, the stems are modeled by fitting the LIDAR data to 3-D geometric primitives (e.g. cylinders, cones). Experimental results from five forested environments demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. For ground plane estimation, the overall accuracy of classification was 86.28% and the mean error for the ground model was approximately 4.7 cm. For stem estimation, up to 50% of main stems could be accurately modeled using cones, with a root mean square diameter error of 13.2 cm. Thesis Supervisor: Karl Iagnemma Title: Principal Research Scientist
Beyond the Rhythm: In Silico Identification of Key Genes and Therapeutic Targets in Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia worldwide and is characterized by a high risk of thromboembolism, ischemic stroke, and fatality. The precise molecular mechanisms of AF pathogenesis remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to use bioinformatics tools to identify novel key genes in AF, provide deeper insights into the molecular pathogenesis of AF, and uncover potential therapeutic targets. Four publicly available raw RNA-Seq datasets obtained through the ENA Browser, as well as proteomic analysis results, both derived from atrial tissues, were used in this analysis. Differential gene expression analysis was performed and cross-validated with proteomics results to identify common genes/proteins between them. A functional enrichment pathway analysis was performed. Cross-validation analysis revealed five differentially expressed genes, namely FGL2, IGFBP5, NNMT, PLA2G2A, and TNC, in patients with AF compared with those with sinus rhythm (SR). These genes play crucial roles in various cardiovascular functions and may be part of the molecular signature of AF. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis revealed several pathways related to the extracellular matrix, inflammation, and structural remodeling. This study highlighted five key genes that constitute promising candidates for further experimental exploration as biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets for AF.
Stratigraphic Basis for Tectonic Interpretations of the Outer Banda Arc, Eastern Indonesia

Abstract It is suggested that the multiple orogenic phases identified in the Cainozoic of the islands of the Outer Banda Arc resulted from a succession of collisions between northward drifting Australian continent and a series of northward dipping subduction trenches. The evidence for these multiple orogenic phases is discussed and some refinements to their age suggested in the light of recent studies. Another tectonic model proposed that the Outer Banda Arc is a tectonic wedge of melange composed of imbricated and chaotically mixed elements separated from the Australian shelf by a northward dipping Benioff zone. It has been argued that the recognition of multiple orogenic phases in the Outer Banda Arc islands can have no stratigraphical validity because it is not possible to resolve the original relationships in such a chaotic mixing as a tectonic melange. This paper recognises that the effects of imbrication and compressional folding have been profound in the islands of the Outer Banda Arc, but finds the concept of the tectonic melange unacceptable here, in the light of unambiguous field geology, which exposes the chaotic element as a superficial olistostrome. The tectonic interpretation put forward here regards these islands as the imbricated northern margin of the Australian shelf and slope on which has been superimposed various overthrust Asian elements and a major olistostrome, all emplaced from the north. Any tectonic model of the Banda Arcs has to account for the anomalous strike of Sumba, the relationship of New Guinea, the sinuosity of the Arcs and the occurrence of Permian and Mesozoic Asian elements superimposed on Australian facies. While these problems can be accommodated by the proposed model the almost total absence of any available information about the structure and age of the Banda Sea inhibits confidence in any tectonic interpretation of this region. This model does not exclude the presence of petroleum prospects in the Mesozoic and Permian sections of the Australian shelf and slope facies that occur below the thrust sheets. Similar tectonic situations in the foothills of fold mountains have been productive. The concept of the Outer Banda Arc as a tectonic melange excludes the possibility of petroleum prospects from all but the post-melange Plio-Pleistocene molasse deposits. The gradual eastward diminution of the Inner (volcanic) Banda Arc is considered here as the result of the convergent plate boundary between Asia and Australia becoming a transcurrent boundary in the Banda Sea region as the arcs acquired their eastern sinuosity during the Plio-Pleistocene.
Inverse Rendering of Translucent Objects using Physical and Neural Renderers

In this section, we explore how well the neural renderer learned the subsurface scattering parameter space by two experiments. The first one is the linear interpolation of volumetric albedo α. Given a target volumetric albedo and an original one, we linearly interpolate them and input to our neural renderer. Figure 2 shows that the generated images are similar to their GTs. Second, we use the same method to edit the extinction coefficient σt from a extremely large value to a small value. We demonstrate the results in Figure 3.