Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Regional Scale Analysis of Landform Configuration with Base-level (isobase) Maps

Base-level maps (or " isobase maps " , as originally defined by Filosofov, 1960), express a relationship between valley order and topography. The base-level map can be seen as a " simplified " version of the original topo-graphic surface, from which the " noise " of the low-order stream erosion was removed. This method is able to identify areas with possible tectonic influence even within litho-logically uniform domains. Base-level maps have been recently applied in semi-detail scale (e.g., 1:50 000 or larger) morphotectonic analysis. In this paper, we present an evaluation of the method's applicability in regional-scale analysis (e.g., 1:250 000 or smaller). A test area was selected in northern Brazil, at the lower course of the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers. The drainage network extracted from SRTM30 PLUS DEMs with spatial resolution of approximately 900 m was visually compared with available topographic maps and considered to be compatible with a 1:1,000 000 scale. Regarding the interpretation of regional-scale morphostructures, the map constructed with 2nd and 3rd-order valleys was considered to present the best results. Some of the interpreted base-level anomalies correspond to important shear zones and geological contacts present in the 1:5 000 000 Geological Map of South America. Others have no correspondence with mapped Precambrian structures and are considered to represent younger, probably neotectonic, features. A strong E-W orientation of the base-level lines over the inflexion of the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers, suggest a major drainage capture. A N-S topographic swath profile over the Tocantins and Araguaia rivers reveals a topographic pattern which, allied with seismic data showing a roughly N-S direction of extension in the area, lead us to interpret this lineament as an E-W, southward-dipping normal fault. There is also a good visual correspondence between the base-level lineaments and geophysical anomalies. A NW-SE lineament in the southeast of the study area partially corresponds to the northern border of the Mosquito lava field, of Jurassic age, and a NW-SE lin-eament traced in the northeastern sector of the study area can be interpreted as the Picos-Santa Inês lineament, identifiable in geophysical maps but with little expression in hypsometric or topographic maps.
Novel Combinatorial Interactions of GATA-1, PU.1, and C/EBPε Isoforms Regulate Transcription of the Gene Encoding Eosinophil Granule Major Basic Protein*

GATA-1 and the ets factor PU.1 have been reported to functionally antagonize one another in the regulation of erythroidversus myeloid gene transcription and development. The CCAAT enhancer binding protein ε (C/EBPε) is expressed as multiple isoforms and has been shown to be essential to myeloid (granulocyte) terminal differentiation. We have defined a novel synergistic, as opposed to antagonistic, combinatorial interaction between GATA-1 and PU.1, and a unique repressor role for certain C/EBPε isoforms in the transcriptional regulation of a model eosinophil granulocyte gene, the major basic protein (MBP). The eosinophil-specific P2 promoter of the MBP gene contains GATA-1, C/EBP, and PU.1 consensus sites that bind these factors in nuclear extracts of the eosinophil myelocyte cell line, AML14.3D10. The promoter is transactivated by GATA-1 alone but is synergistically transactivated by low levels of PU.1 in the context of optimal levels of GATA-1. The C/EBPε27 isoform strongly represses GATA-1 activity and completely blocks GATA-1/PU.1 synergy. In vitro mutational analyses of the MBP-P2 promoter showed that both the GATA-1/PU.1 synergy, and repressor activity of C/EBPε27 are mediated via protein-protein interactions through the C/EBP and/or GATA-binding sites but not the PU.1 sites. Co-immunoprecipitations using lysates of AML14.3D10 eosinophils show that both C/EBPε32/30 and ε27 physically interact in vivo with PU.1 and GATA-1, demonstrating functional interactions among these factors in eosinophil progenitors. Our findings identify novel combinatorial protein-protein interactions for GATA-1, PU.1, and C/EBPε isoforms in eosinophil gene transcription that include GATA-1/PU.1 synergy and repressor activity for C/EBPε27.
A Variational Model for Non Linear Elastic Plates

A classical approach to the study of thin structures in elasticity consists in starting from three-dimensional models and deducing the behaviour of two-dimensional or onedimensional thin elastic bodies by passing to the limit when one or two dimensions go to zero. Though the two-dimensional linear model of an elastic plate has exhaustively been studied from different points of view (see [1], [3], [8], [9]), to our knowledge it doesn’t exist a rigorous theory which permits to deduce a non linear model of elastic plate as a limit (for instance, in the sense of [3]) of non linear three-dimensional thin elastic bodies. The most difficulty which arises in treating these problems is that, without some kinematical constraints on the deformations, no information about the compactness of minimizers of the energy functional of the three-dimensional elastic bodies can be expected and therefore it is very difficult to formulate any reasonable conjecture about the “limit” functional, that is the energy functional of the limit plate. The simplest method to avoid this difficulty is that of Kirchhoff, which consists in the linearization of the Green-St.Venant energy functional ∫
Arabic CALL system based on pedagogically indexed text

This article introduces the benefits of using computer as a tool for foreign language teaching and learning. It describes the effect of using Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools for learning Arabic. The technique explored in this particular case is the employment of pedagogically indexed corpora. This text-based method provides the teacher the advantage of building activities based on texts adapted to a particular pedagogical situation. This paper also presents ARAC: a Platform dedicated to language educators allowing them to create activities within their own pedagogical area of interest.
Nitric acid scavenging by mineral and biomass burning aerosols

The abundance of gas phase nitric acid in the upper troposphere is overestimated by global chemistry‐transport models, especially during the spring and summer seasons. Recent aircraft data obtained over the central US show that mineral aerosols were abundant in the upper troposphere during spring. Chemical reactions on mineral dust may provide an important sink for nitric acid. In regions where the mineral dust abundance is low in the upper troposphere similar HNO3 removal processes may occur on biomass burning aerosols. We propose that mineral and biomass burning aerosols may provide an important global sink for gas phase nitric acid, particularly during spring and summer when aerosol composition in the upper troposphere may be greatly affected by dust storms from east Asia or tropical biomass burning plumes.
A novel image watermarking scheme using Extreme Learning Machine

In this paper, a novel digital image watermarking algorithm based on a fast neural network known as Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) for two grayscale images is proposed. The ELM algorithm is very fast and completes its training in milliseconds unlike its other counterparts such as BPN. The proposed watermarking algorithm trains the ELM by using low frequency coefficients of the grayscale host image in transform domain. The trained ELM produces a sequence of 1024 real numbers, normalized as per N(0, 1) as an output. This sequence is used as watermark to be embedded within the host image using Cox's formula to obtain the signed image. The visual quality of the signed images is evaluated by PSNR. High PSNR values indicate that the quality of signed images is quite good. The computed high value of SIM (X, X*) establishes that the extraction process is quite successful and overall the algorithm finds good practical applications, especially in situations that warrant meeting time constraints.
[Polymorphism of Usp26 correlates with idiopathic male infertility].

OBJECTIVE To study the correlation of nucleotide polymorphism in the ubiquitin-specific protease 26 (Usp26) gene with idiopathic male infertility and its action mechanism in spermatogenesis. METHODS Based on the WHO criteria (4th ed.), we selected 41 patients with idiopathic infertility from 150 infertile males, and enlisted 50 normal fertile men as controls. We examined the selected patients for mutations using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis, and determined how and where the mutations occurred by gene sequencing. RESULTS Low sperm concentration and poor sperm motility were found in the 41 men with idiopathic infertility. Nine (22.0%) of them exhibited changes in the Usp26 gene (P = 0.01), including compound mutations of 364insACA and 460G > A in 8 (19.5%, P = 0.01) and 1 044T > A substitution in 1 (2.4%, P > 0.05). The above three variations led to changes in the coding amino acids. No other changes were found in the remaining patients and normal fertile controls. CONCLUSION The nucleotide polymorphisms of the Usp26 gene might be closely related with idiopathic male infertility, and exert negative effect on the testis function.
Predictors of Responsible Behavior in Members of Three Wisconsin Conservation Organizations

Abstract Wisconsin members of Trout Unlimited (TU), Ducks Unlimited (DU), and the Wisconsin Trappers' Association (WTA) were surveyed to assess the most parsimonious sets of eight selected variables that best predicted responsible environmental behavior and to what extent these sets of variables differed from the most parsimonious set of predictors of responsible environmental behavior in a selected Sierra Club sample. The most parsimonious set of variables best predicting overt responsible environmental behavior of the TU sample consisted of perceived skill in using environmental action strategies (SKILL) and level of environmental sensitivity (LES, total R 1 − .1513). For the DU sample, the most parsimonious set of predictors consisted of SKILL and individual locus of control (total R2 = .2077). For the WTA sample, the most parsimonious set of predictors consisted of SKILL, LES, and group locus of control (total R 2 = .5023). The most parsimonious set of predictor variables for the selected Sierra Club .
Competitions @ WCCI-2008: simulated car racing competition

The Simulated Car Racing Competition was organized in conjunction with WCCI-2008, the IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence. The competition was the spiritual successor of the previous car racing competition held at CIG-2007 (the IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games) and CEC-2007 (the IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation). The goal of this year's competition was to learn, or otherwise design a controller for The Open Racing Car Simulator (TORCS), a state-of-the-art, open source, car racing simulator, which could be able to race for a certain number of laps on a set of three unknown tracks, alone or against other drivers.
Threats and knowledge gaps for ecosystem services provided by kelp forests: a northeast Atlantic perspective

Kelp forests along temperate and polar coastlines represent some of most diverse and productive habitats on the Earth. Here, we synthesize information from >60 years of research on the structure and functioning of kelp forest habitats in European waters, with particular emphasis on the coasts of UK and Ireland, which represents an important biogeographic transition zone that is subjected to multiple threats and stressors. We collated existing data on kelp distribution and abundance and reanalyzed these data to describe the structure of kelp forests along a spatial gradient spanning more than 10° of latitude. We then examined ecological goods and services provided by kelp forests, including elevated secondary production, nutrient cycling, energy capture and flow, coastal defense, direct applications, and biodiversity repositories, before discussing current and future threats posed to kelp forests and identifying key knowledge gaps. Recent evidence unequivocally demonstrates that the structure of kelp forests in the NE Atlantic is changing in response to climate- and non-climate-related stressors, which will have major implications for the structure and functioning of coastal ecosystems. However, kelp-dominated habitats along much of the NE Atlantic coastline have been chronically understudied over recent decades in comparison with other regions such as Australasia and North America. The paucity of field-based research currently impedes our ability to conserve and manage these important ecosystems. Targeted observational and experimental research conducted over large spatial and temporal scales is urgently needed to address these knowledge gaps.
Implementation of quantitative FAIR perfusion imaging with a short repetition time in time‐course studies

Flow‐sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) is a pulsed arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging method for perfusion quantification. In its standard implementation for quantification with full longitudinal relaxation between acquisitions, its use in time‐course investigations of rapidly changing flow values is limited. The time efficiency can be improved by decreasing the repetition time but quantification becomes problematic. This situation is further complicated if a whole‐body radiofrequency transmit coil is not used since fresh blood spins will flow in from outside the coil. To alleviate these problems, the use of global pre‐saturation is proposed. The resulting expression for the flow signal depends on the relationship between the imaging parameters and the coil inflow time and can be significantly simplified under certain combinations of these parameters. With this implementation of FAIR, quantitative flow maps of gerbil brains were obtained with a 3 minute time resolution in a study of the effects of reperfusion. The pre‐occlusion flow measurements were in good agreement with values obtained by the standard FAIR implementation and by other techniques, but the low values following occlusion were underestimated due to the increased transit times. Magn Reson Med 41:829–840, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Endogenous Estrogen Levels and the Effects of Ultra‐Low‐Dose Transdermal Estradiol Therapy on Bone Turnover and BMD in Postmenopausal Women

In a randomized controlled trial of a 0.014 mg/d transdermal estradiol patch, serum bone turnover markers decreased to a greater degree in postmenopausal women with lower versus higher endogenous estradiol levels. This suggests that the protective effects of ultra‐low‐dose estrogen therapy on the postmenopausal skeletal health may depend critically on women's endogenous estrogen levels before treatment.
Severe-To-Profound Hearing-Impaired Children's Comprehension of Figurative Language

This study investigated severe-to-profound hearing-impaired school-age children's comprehension of figurative language. Twelve severe-to-profound hearing-impaired children, ages 9 to 19 years, served as subjects. Twenty sentences, subdivided into four groups (similes, metaphors, idioms, proverbs) comprised the stimulus items. Subjects were instructed to read the sentences and explain them. Three judges rated the subjects' responses on a scale from one (literal interpretation) to three (nonliteral interpretation). Data generated from the hearing-impaired group were compared with the performance of a control group. A significant between-group diference was noted. Furthermore, a regression analysis indicated that the hearing-impaired subjects' performance appeared more dependent upon reading level and was variable across chronological age.
Classification Using EO-1 Hyperion Hyperspectral and ETM Data

Hyperspectral remote sensing technology demonstrates the capacity for accurate vegetation identification. Hyperion image acquired simultaneously in 356-2577nm narrow spectral bands with Wnm sampling interval allows the capture of vegetation types information. This paper employed hyperion hyperspectral data and ETM+ data acquired over Xishuangbanna tropical vegetation area in Yunnan province, China to make agriculture land classification. Remote sensing data geometric correction and radiometric correction preprocessing were first made. Atmospheric correction of the Hyperion image was performed using second simulation of the satellite signal in the solar spectrum (6S) radiation transfer model. The first three principle components of hyperion accounted for 99.3% of total information, which were selected to make unsupervised classification using ISODATA algorithm. Overall classification accuracy of hyperion using spectral angle mapper (SAM) and unsupervised classification after principle component analysis were 52.3% and 65.7% respectively.
Passion, Relational Mobility, and Proof of Commitment: A Comparative Socio–Ecological Analysis of an Adaptive Emotion in a Sexual Market

Although monogamy, the exclusive bonding with a specific partner, is one characteristic of modern human mating, long-term romantic relationships inherently possess the commitment problem, which is the conflict between maintaining a relationship with a certain partner and seeking attractive alternatives. Frank has argued that love and passion help solve this problem because they make individuals commit voluntarily to the relationship, leading the other party to also be committed with less concern over being cheated on or rejected. Combining this idea with the comparative socio‐ecological approach, we hypothesize that passion will be more pronounced in social environments in which people have greater freedom to choose and replace their partners (i.e., high relational mobility) than in societies in which relationships tend to be more stable and hard to change (i.e., low relational mobility). To test this hypothesis, we compared Americans (living in a society with high relational mobility) and Japanese (living in a society with low relational mobility). As predicted, Americans were more passionate toward their romantic partners than Japanese, and this cultural difference was partially explained by the levels of perceived relational mobility in participants’ local ecology. Moreover, more intense passion was found to lead to greater commitment behaviors in both societies. The importance of taking socioecological factors into consideration for the theory of the adaptive function of interpersonal emotions is also discussed.
[Exrtacellular enzyme activity and antimicrobial activity of culturable bacteria isolated from soil of Grove Mountains, East Antarctica].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the composition of culturable bacteria from soil of Grove Mountains, East Antarctica and analyze the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes and antibacterial and antifugal activities of these culturable bacteria. METHODS We used spread plate method to obtain culturable bacteria. Phylogenetic relationship was analysed based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences. We used plate method and agar block method to detect the production of extracellular enzymes and antibacterial and antifungal activities of these bacteria, separately. RESULTS We obtained a total of 39 isolates from all the soil samples. They belonged to 20 genera and grouped into Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Deinococcus-Thermus lineages, of which each group occupied 48.7%, 25.6%, 20.5%, 2.6%, 2.6% of the total, respectively. Bacillus was dominant. We isolated different strains from soil stored at different temperatures, and this may be explained as viable bacteria were different at diverse temperatures. Of the 39 isolates 33 showed the activity of producing at least one extracellular enzyme. Amylase-producing strains were the most (64.1%), 6 strains were able to inhibit the growth of at least one tested bacterium or fungus. CONCLUSION Strains with extracellular enzyme activity and antibacterial and antifungal activity would contribute to the exploration of cold-active enzymes and antibacterial (antifungal) material in Antarctica.
FLEXIBLE PARAMETER TYING FOR CONVERSATIONAL SPEECH RECOGNITION

Modeling pronunciation variation is key for recognizing conversational speech. Previous efforts on pronunciation modeling by modifying dictionaries only yielded marginal improvement. Due to complex interaction between dictionaries and acoustic models, we believe a pronunciation modeling scheme is plausible only when closely coupled with the underlying acoustic model. This paper explores the use of flexible parameter tying for pronunciation modeling. In particular, two new techniques are investigated: Gaussian tying and flexible tree clustering. We report a 1.3% absolute WER improvement over the traditional modeling framework on the Switchboard task.
Grid interconnection of distributed generation units at distribution level using feedback linearization technique

This paper deals with integration of distributed generation (DG) units to three-phase four-wire distribution networks utilizing power electronic converters. A control strategy that is based on feedback linearization technique is proposed in this paper which generates the switching state functions of the voltage source converter (VSC) as the heart of the interfacing structure between DG units and distribution network. Based on the proposed strategy, the converter can be used as: 1) power converter to transfer power generated from DG units to the distribution network, and 2) shunt active power filter (SAPF) to provide the reactive, harmonic, neutral and unbalanced current components of grid-connected loads with a quick transient waveform. The simulation results demonstrate the high performance of this control strategy during dynamic and steady-state operating conditions.
Production and Consumption of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate in Marine Microbial Mats

The fate of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a major sulfonium compound in marine ecosystems, was examined in Microcoleus chthonoplastes-dominated microbial mats. Chemical decomposition of DMSP was observed under laboratory conditions at pH values higher than 10.0. pH profiles measured in situ showed that these highly alkaline conditions occurred in microbial mats. Axenic cultures of M. chthonoplastes contained 37.3 μmol of DMSP g of protein−1, which was partially liberated when the cells were subjected to an osmotic shock. DMSP-amended mat slurries showed a rapid turnover of this compound. The addition of glutaraldehyde blocked DMSP decrease, indicating biological consumption. Populations of potential dimethyl sulfide consumers were found in the top 10 mm of the mat.