Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationships between pacific and atlantic ocean sea surface temperatures and water levels from satellite altimetry data in the Amazon rivers

ABSTRACT The influence of SST (Sea Surface Temperature) of adjacent oceans on the variability of water levels in the Amazon basin was investigated by using radar altimetry from the ENVISAT and Jason-2 missions. Data from the in situ network was used to compare the correlations of water level and SST anomalies in the sub-basins of the Amazonas-Peru, Solimões, Negro and Madeira Rivers. The analysis was made on the monthly and annual scales between 2003 and 2015. The correlations with anomalies of levels from altimetry presented higher accuracy indices than those from the conventional network. In general, ATN and PAC are better correlated with the entire basin. During the flood months, most of the sub-basins presented negative associations with ATN. In the months of ebb, the response to the indexes varies according to the region. The satellite altimetry data permitted to reach regions non-monitored by the conventional network. We also analyzed the impacts of hydrological extremes in all these sub-regions in the last 13 years. In Western Amazon, the drought of 2010 stands out, associated with the warming of the Tropical Atlantic and the El Niño. In the Negro River, the water level anomalies were the lowest in the basin during the 2005 drought. In the Purus River, the effects of the 2010 drought that affected the entire Amazon, were higher in 2011 due to its strong relationship with the Atlântic and Pacific oceans. In general, hydrological extremes are stronger or highlighted when SST increases simultaneously in both oceans.
LCL filter design for grid-connected NPC inverters in offshore wind turbines

This paper deals with the analysis, design and optimization of a LCL filter topology to connect a 7MW NPC inverter to the grid. Following the requirements based on the IEEE 519-1992 recommendation and the German Guideline VDEW, simulation results were evaluated in order to access the performance of the proposed filter and the quality of the current injected into the grid.
Spectral Imaging for Remote Sensing

■ Spectral imaging for remote sensing of terrestrial features and objects arose as an alternative to high-spatial-resolution, large-aperture satellite imaging systems. Early applications of spectral imaging were oriented toward ground-cover classification, mineral exploration, and agricultural assessment, employing a small number of carefully chosen spectral bands spread across the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Improved versions of these early multispectral imaging sensors continue in use today. A new class of sensor, the hyperspectral imager, has also emerged, employing hundreds of contiguous bands to detect and identify a variety of natural and man-made materials. This overview article introduces the fundamental elements of spectral imaging and discusses the historical evolution of both the sensors and the target detection and classification applications.
Maximal Information Transfer and Behavior Diversity in Random Threshold Networks

Random Threshold Networks (RTNs) are an idealized model of diluted, non-symmetric spin glasses, neural networks or gene regulatory networks. RTNs also serve as an interesting general example of any coordinated causal system. Here we study the conditions for maximal information transfer and behavior diversity in RTNs. These conditions are likely to play a major role in physical and biological systems, perhaps serving as important selective traits in biological systems. We show that the pairwise mutual information is maximized in dynamically critical networks. Also, we show that the correlated behavior diversity is maximized for slightly chaotic networks, close to the critical region. Importantly, critical networks maximize coordinated, diverse dynamical behavior across the network and across time: the information transmission between source and receiver nodes and the diversity of dynamical behaviors, when measured with a time delay between the source and receiver, are maximized for critical networks.
Identification and functional characterization of a novel MYOC mutation in two primary open angle glaucoma families from The Netherlands.

PURPOSE Glaucoma is the second most prevalent cause of blindness worldwide, projected to affect more than 60 million people by 2010, 75% of which represents primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Of the three genes, namely, Myocilin (MYOC), Optineurin (OPTN), and WD repeat-containing protein 36 (WDR36), which have been shown to cause POAG when defective, MYOC is the most frequently mutated gene, accounting for 3%-4% of all POAG cases. The purpose of this study was identification and functional characterization of MYOC mutations in adult-onset, high-pressure POAG patients from The Netherlands. METHODS The following criteria were required for study participants to be included: have at least two affected family members, an age of diagnosis of more than 35 years, intraocular pressure (IOP) of more than 22 mmHg, glaucomatous optic neuropathy in both eyes, visual field loss consistent with assessed optic neuropathy in at least one eye, and an open anterior chamber angle without morphological abnormalities by gonioscopy. Sequence analysis was performed in genomic DNA of 30 probands for the protein coding region of the MYOC gene. A Chinese hamster ovarian cell line (CHO-K1) was used to express wild type and mutant MYOC protein. Detergent solubility of MYOC was assayed and its secretory property was analyzed by immunoprecipitation. RESULTS We recruited 250 individuals from 30 families (120 affected and 130 unaffected family members) with a positive history of POAG. We identified a novel mutation c.1288T>C (p.Phe430Leu) in exon 3 of MYOC in two unrelated families showing the same haplotype around the mutant allele. The novel mutation segregated completely with the disease in these families and was absent in 250 ethnically matched controls. All patients harboring this mutation showed severe glaucomatous damage, pointing to the deleterious effect of this mutation. Compared to the wild type, the mutant protein was less soluble when extracted with Triton X-100 and was secretion-defective. CONCLUSIONS The novel MYOC mutation, p.Phe430Leu, has the same origin in both POAG families from The Netherlands. The pathogenic nature of this mutation is suggested by the severe phenotype of mutant patients and mistrafficking of mutant protein as observed for other severe disease-causing mutations of MYOC.
Afterslip Enhanced Aftershock Activity During the 2017 Earthquake Sequence Near Sulphur Peak, Idaho

An energetic earthquake sequence occurred during September to October 2017 near Sulphur Peak, Idaho. The normal‐faulting Mw 5.3 mainshock of 2 September 2017 was widely felt in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Over 1,000 aftershocks were located within the first 2 months, 29 of which had magnitudes ≥4.0 ML. High‐accuracy locations derived with data from a temporary seismic array show that the sequence occurred in the upper (<10 km) crust of the Aspen Range, east of the northern section of the range‐bounding, west‐dipping East Bear Lake Fault. Moment tensors for 77 of the largest events show normal and strike‐slip faulting with a summed aftershock moment that is 1.8–2.4 times larger than the mainshock moment. We propose that the unusually high productivity of the 2017 Sulphur Peak sequence can be explained by aseismic afterslip, which triggered a secondary swarm south of the coseismic rupture zone beginning ~1 day after the mainshock.
Very low frequency cyclostationary 1/f noise in MOS transistors

Cyclostationary operation of the MOS transistor has been proposed in recent years as a technique for reducing the flicker noise at the device level itself. Several works report measured cyclostationary flicker noise reduction, the PSD showing a plateau below the switching frequency, but at much lower frequencies the slope resembles again the original 1/f spectrum. But current models do not correctly address the latter effect. In this work, the PSD of a DC biased transistor is first deduced using only Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) statistics and the autocorrelation formalism. Then the analysis is extended by means of simulations and using reasonable physical hypotheses, to a cyclostationary bias condition. The results allow explaining reported experimental data in the whole frequency range. Finally the development of a specific integrated circuit aimed at switched flicker noise measurements in different types/sizes of test transistors and at different bias conditions is presented.
Dissecting the Role of a Conserved Motif (the Second Region of Homology) in the AAA Family of ATPases

Escherichia coli FtsH is an ATP-dependent protease that belongs to the AAA protein family. The second region of homology (SRH) is a highly conserved motif among AAA family members and distinguishes these proteins in part from the wider family of Walker-type ATPases. Despite its conservation across the AAA family of proteins, very little is known concerning the function of the SRH. To address this question, we introduced point mutations systematically into the SRH of FtsH and studied the activities of the mutant proteins. Highly conserved amino acid residues within the SRH were found to be critical for the function of FtsH, with mutations at these positions leading to decreased or abolished ATPase activity. The effects of the mutations on the protease activity of FtsH correlated strikingly with their effects on the ATPase activity. The ATPase-deficient SRH mutants underwent an ATP-induced conformational change similar to wild type FtsH, suggesting an important role for the SRH in ATP hydrolysis but not ATP binding. Analysis of the data in the light of the crystal structure of the hexamerization domain ofN-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein suggests a plausible mechanism of ATP hydrolysis by the AAA ATPases, which invokes an intermolecular catalytic role for the SRH.
Seasonal controls on the exchange of carbon and water in an Amazonian rain forest

[1] The long-term resilience of Amazonian forests to climate changes and the fate of their large stores of organic carbon depend on the ecosystem response to climate and weather. This study presents 4 years of eddy covariance data for CO2 and water fluxes in an evergreen, old-growth tropical rain forest examining the forest's response to seasonal variations and to short-term weather anomalies. Photosynthetic efficiency declined late in the wet season, before appreciable leaf litter fall, and increased after new leaf production midway through the dry season. Rates of evapotranspiration were inelastic and did not depend on dry season precipitation. However, ecosystem respiration was inhibited by moisture limitations on heterotrophic respiration during the dry season. The annual carbon balance for this ecosystem was very close to neutral, with mean net loss of 890 ± 220 kg C ha−1 yr−1, and a range of −221 ± 453 (C uptake) to +2677 ± 488 (C loss) kg C ha−1 yr−1 over 4 years. The trend from large net carbon release in 2002 towards net carbon uptake in 2005 implies recovery from prior disturbance. The annual carbon balance was sensitive to weather anomalies, particularly the timing of the dry-to-wet season transition, reflecting modulation of light inputs and respiration processes. Canopy carbon uptake rates were largely controlled by phenology and light with virtually no indication of seasonal water limitation during the 5-month dry season, indicating ample supplies of plant-available-water and ecosystem adaptation for maximum light utilization.
BMPR2 germline mutations in pulmonary hypertension associated with fenfluramine derivatives

This study investigated whether patients developing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) after exposure to the appetite suppressants fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine have mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) gene, as reported in primary pulmonary hypertension. BMPR2 was examined for mutations in 33 unrelated patients with sporadic PAH, and in two sisters with PAH, all of whom had taken fenfluramine derivatives, as well as in 130 normal controls. The PAH patients also underwent cardiac catheterisation and body mass determinations. Three BMPR2 mutations predicting changes in the primary structure of the BMPR-II protein were found in three of the 33 unrelated patients (9%), and a fourth mutation was found in the two sisters. No BMPR2 mutations were identified in the 130 normal controls. This difference in frequency was statistically significant. Moreover, the mutation-positive patients had a somewhat shorter duration of fenfluramine exposure before illness than the mutation-negative patients, a difference that was statistically significant when the two sisters were included in the analysis. In conclusion, the present authors have detected bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 mutations that appear to be rare in the general population but may combine with exposure to fenfluramine derivatives to greatly increase the risk of developing severe pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Respiratory Distress Syndrome Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for 2009 Influenza A ( H 1 N 1 ) Acute

2009;0(2009):20091539. JAMA Douglas B. White et al. Preparing for the Sickest Patients With 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) . 2009;0(2009):20091535. JAMA Influenza Investigators. The Australia and New Zealand Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ANZ ECMO) Respiratory Distress Syndrome Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Acute . 2009;0(2009):20091496. JAMA Anand Kumar et al. Critically Ill Patients With 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Infection in Canada
The extraordinary joint material of an articulated coralline alga. I. Mechanical characterization of a key adaptation

ABSTRACT Flexibility is key to survival for seaweeds exposed to the extreme hydrodynamic environment of wave-washed rocky shores. This poses a problem for coralline algae, whose calcified cell walls make them rigid. Through the course of evolution, erect coralline algae have solved this problem by incorporating joints (genicula) into their morphology, allowing their fronds to be as flexible as those of uncalcified seaweeds. To provide the flexibility required by this structural innovation, the joint material of Calliarthron cheilosporioides, a representative articulated coralline alga, relies on an extraordinary tissue that is stronger, more extensible and more fatigue resistant than the tissue of other algal fronds. Here, we report on experiments that reveal the viscoelastic properties of this material. On the one hand, its compliance is independent of the rate of deformation across a wide range of deformation rates, a characteristic of elastic solids. This deformation rate independence allows joints to maintain their flexibility when loaded by the unpredictable – and often rapidly imposed – hydrodynamic force of breaking waves. On the other hand, the genicular material has viscous characteristics that similarly augment its function. The genicular material dissipates much of the energy absorbed as a joint is deformed during cyclic wave loading, which potentially reduces the chance of failure by fatigue, and the material accrues a limited amount of deformation through time. This limited creep increases the flexibility of the joints while preventing them from gradually stretching to the point of failure. These new findings provide the basis for understanding how the microscale architecture of genicular cell walls results in the adaptive mechanical properties of coralline algal joints. Highlighted Article: Joints give otherwise rigid coralline algae the flexibility needed to survive in the surf zone; the viscoelastic nature of joint tissue enhances this structural innovation.
Topography of the Overriding Plate During Progressive Subduction: A Dynamic Model to Explain Forearc Subsidence

Overriding plate topography provides constraints on subduction zone geodynamics. We investigate its evolution using fully dynamic laboratory models of subduction with techniques of stereoscopic photogrammetry and particle image velocimetry. Model results show that the topography is characterized by an area of forearc dynamic subsidence, with a magnitude scaling to 1.44–3.97 km in nature, and a local topographic high between the forearc subsided region and the trench. These topographic features rapidly develop during the slab free‐sinking phase and gradually decrease during the steady state slab rollback phase. We propose that they result from the variation of the vertical component of the trench suction force along the subduction zone interface, which gradually increases with depth and results from the gradual slab steepening during the initial transient slab sinking phase. The downward mantle flow in the nose of the mantle wedge plays a minor role in driving forearc subsidence.
Automatic video editing for sensor-rich videos

We present a new framework for capturing videos using sensor-rich mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, etc. Many of today's mobile devices are equipped with a variety of sensors, including accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes, which are rarely used during video capture for anything more than video stabilization. We demonstrate that these sensors, together with the information that can be extracted from the recorded video via computer vision techniques, provide a rich source of data that can be leveraged to automatically edit and "clean up" the captured video. Sensor data, for example, can be used to identify undesirable video segments that are then hidden from view. We showcase an Android video recording app that captures sensor data during video recording and is capable of automatically constructing final-cuts from the recorded video. The app uses the captured sensor data plus computer vision algorithms, such as focus analysis, face detection, etc., to filter out undesirable segments and keep visually appealing portions of the captured video to create a final cut. We also show how information from various sensors and computer vision routines can be combined to create different final cuts with little or no user input.
Low power chopper amplifier without LPF

Chopping technique is an efficient approach to decrease the 1/f noise and low-frequency offset of CMOS amplifiers, but conventional chopper amplifier consumes large power because it required a wide-band amplifier exceed a chopping frequency and a post low pass filter (LPF) for eliminating modulation noise. In this paper, an improved chopper amplifier for reducing power consumption is presented which is composed of a two-stage amplifier. The high output impedance of the first stage folded cascode amplifier and the equivalent Miller capacitance constitute together a LPF to filter out the modulation noise, so the chopper amplifier need not the post LPF, which can reduce the power consumption. The circuit of the presented chopper amplifier is designed in TSMC 0. 18µm CMOS technology. The chopper amplifier consumes 20 µA current and 36 µW power at 1.8V supply. The equivalent input noise voltage is 73nV/√Hz @1Hz and the input noise voltage integrated from 0.1Hz to 150Hz is 0. 68µV rms.
Recent Results with the MED-EL COMBI 40+ Cochlear Implant and TEMPO+ behind-the-ear Processor

Cochlear implantation is a viable treatment for patients with severe to profound hearing loss. We report the results of speech perception tests (numbers, monosyllables, and sentence tests) achieved with MED-EL's COMBI 40+ (C40+) cochlear implant after 12 months of use. These findings, which were taken from a larger German study, were similar to those of other studies of the C40+ implant. We also compared the differences in speech perception observed with the CIS PRO+ body-worn speech processor and the newer TEMPO+ behind-the-ear speech processor. Although these results were similar with respect to most of the measured parameters, the TEMPO+ processor had a distinct advantage during tests in noise.
Towards an open-source social middleware for humanoid robots

Recent examples of robotics middleware including YARP, ROS, and NaoQi, have greatly enhanced the standardisation, interoperability and rapid development of robotics application software. In this paper, we present our research towards an open source middleware to support the development of social robotic applications. In the core of the ability of a robot to interact socially are algorithms to perceive the actions and intentions of a human user. We attempt to provide a computational layer to standardise these algorithms utilising a bioinspired computational architecture known as HAMMER (Hierarchical Attentive Multiple Models for Execution and Recognition) and demonstrate the deployment of such layer on two different humanoid platforms, the Nao and iCub robots. We use a dance interaction scenario to demonstrate the utility of the framework.
Deep diving into BitTorrent locality

A substantial amount of work has recently gone into localizing BitTorrent traffic within an ISP in order to avoid excessive and often times unnecessary transit costs. Several architectures and systems have been proposed and the initial results from specific ISPs and a few torrents have been encouraging. In this work we attempt to deepen and scale our understanding of locality and its potential. Looking at specific ISPs, we consider tens of thousands of concurrent torrents, and thus capture ISP-wide implications that cannot be appreciated by looking at only a handful of torrents. Secondly, we go beyond individual case studies and present results for the top 100 ISPs in terms of number of users represented in our dataset of up to 40K torrents involving more than 3.9M concurrent peers and more than 20M in the course of a day spread in 11K ASes. We develop scalable methodologies that allow us to process this huge dataset and get concrete quantitative answers rather than qualitative speculations to questions like: “what is the minimum and the maximum transit traffic reduction across hundreds of ISPs? ”, “what are the win-win boundaries for ISPs and their users? ”, “what is the maximum amount of transit traffic that can be localized without requiring fine-grained control of inter-AS overlay connections? ”.
Pattern search in BioPAX models

Motivation: BioPAX is a standard language for representing complex cellular processes, including metabolic networks, signal transduction and gene regulation. Owing to the inherent complexity of a BioPAX model, searching for a specific type of subnetwork can be non-trivial and difficult. Results: We developed an open source and extensible framework for defining and searching graph patterns in BioPAX models. We demonstrate its use with a sample pattern that captures directed signaling relations between proteins. We provide search results for the pattern obtained from the Pathway Commons database and compare these results with the current data in signaling databases SPIKE and SignaLink. Results show that a pattern search in public pathway data can identify a substantial amount of signaling relations that do not exist in signaling databases. Availability: BioPAX-pattern software was developed in Java. Source code and documentation is freely available at http://code.google. com/p/biopax-pattern under Lesser GNU Public License. Contact: patternsearch@cbio.mskcc. org Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.