Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Silurian paleogeography of Armorica: New paleomagnetic data from central Bohemia

Due to the lack of reliable paleomagnetic data from Armorica for mid-Ordovician to Late Devonian times, the drift history for this tectonic element is poorly understood. In order to help rectify this problem, a paleomagnetic study of Upper Silurian volcanic, intrusive and sedimentary rocks from the Barrandian Basin of the Central Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic) has been carried out. This basin comprises a sequence of unmetamorphosed lower Paleozoic rocks, the folding of which has an uppermost age limit of Early Carboniferous. Stepwise thermal demagnetization of the samples collected (182 samples from 21 sites), and principal component analysis of both great circle and stable endpoint data reveal a total of three directions of magnetization. The first (labelled A) is in the direction of the present-day local Earth's magnetic field (D/I = 360°/67°) and is thus interpreted as being of recent origin. The other two directions, termed B and C, comprise the intermediate and high blocking temperature directions respectively. The overall in situ mean direction obtained for B, identified between 150° and 320°C, is 195°/−8° (D/I), k = 18.5, α95 = 13.2° (eight sites). It fails the fold test and yields an in situ paleo-south pole position of 42°S, 354°E. This coincides with the Late Carboniferous segment of the apparent polar wander (APW) path for stable Europe and is considered to be a secondary overprint of this age. The third magnetization (termed C) is identified between 320° and 600°C, gives an overall mean direction of 208°/−40°, k = 96.8, α95 = 5.7° (eight sites), after bedding correction. It passes fold and reversal tests on both local and regional levels and is interpreted as representative of the Late Silurian paleofield direction in the Bohemian Massif; it yields a paleo-pole position of 55°S, 325°E. Assuming a normal polarity, the inclination value obtained translates into paleolatitudes of 23°S for this part of Armorica and implies a position adjacent to the southern margin of Baltica. This therefore indicates closure of the intervening ocean by Late Silurian times. However, adopting this polarity also implies large-scale (up to 140°) anticlockwise rotations of the Bohemian Massif prior to deformation in the Early Carboniferous.
The geochemistry of 'charnockites' and their constituent ferromagnesian minerals from the Precambrian of south-east Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Summary A chemical and petrographic study of charnockites and pyroxene/hornblende-bearing granulites has been undertaken, and the data used in an interpretation of the petrogenesis of these rocks. Major- and trace-element analyses of fourteen rocks are presented, together with majorelement analyses of seven orthopyroxenes, seven clinopyroxenes, two garnets, and three hornblendes. The compositions of the coexisting ferromagnesian minerals are used to obtain estimates of the likely pressure/temperature conditions of equilibration (5-7 kbar and 700±50°C of the various mineral assemblages.
Computational Creativity Conceptualisation Grounded on ICCC Papers

In information science, it is considered that domain conceptualization can be realized by (one or several) ontologies. This paper presents a method of semi-automated domain conceptualization, where the domain of interest is Computational Creativity (CC). Grounded on papers, which were published in six consecutive years since 2010 in the Proceedings of International Conferences on Computational Creativity (ICCC), this paper proposes a tentative conceptualization of the CC domain. Some additional properties of the CC domain are studied, analysed by means of fully mechanical or semi-automated information extraction and dependency analysis techniques. This approach affords an interesting opportunity for automated historiography of a research ﬁeld.
An Alternative System for Transvaginal Removal of Dermoid Cyst and a Comparative Study with Laparoscopy

The objective was to introduce a new system for transvaginal removal of ovarian cyst and to evaluate its feasibility. With a new transvaginal system, ultrasound-assisted culdotomy, and laparoscopy supported cystectomy if vaginal procedure failed. The authors conducted a retrospective review in which 35 cases using new vaginal ovarian cystectomy were compared with 40 cases of laparoscopic cystectomy for the treatment of dermoid cyst. All cystectomies were completed without conversion to laparotomy and complications. In a case from vaginal group, laparoscopy was required. No differences existed in operating time, hemoglobin decrease, and C-reactive protein value between groups. Laparoscopically supported vaginal ovarian cystectomy with ultrasound-guided culdotomy was equivalent to laparoscopic cystectomy as to invasiveness and preserved the option of a completely vaginal approach. When a presumed benign dermoid cyst is located in cul-de-sac, this operation may represent a preferable alternative to an exclusively laparoscopic or exclusively vaginal ovarian cystectomy.
Identification of Promiscuous Epitopes from the Mycobacterial 65-Kilodalton Heat Shock Protein Recognized by Human CD4+ T Cells of the Mycobacterium lepraeMemory Repertoire

ABSTRACT By using a synthetic peptide approach, we mapped epitopes from the mycobacterial 65-kDa heat shock protein (HSP65) recognized by human T cells belonging to the Mycobacterium leprae memory repertoire. A panel of HSP65 reactive CD4+ T-cell lines and clones were established from healthy donors 8 years after immunization with heat-killed M. leprae and then tested for proliferative reactivity against overlapping peptides comprising both the M. leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosisHSP65 sequences. The results showed that the antigen-specific T-cell lines and clones established responded to 12 mycobacterial HSP65 peptides, of which 9 peptides represented epitopes crossreactive between the M. tuberculosis and M. leprae HSP65 (amino acids [aa] 61 to 75, 141 to 155, 151 to 165, 331 to 345, 371 to 385, 411 to 425, 431 to 445, 441 to 455, and 501 to 515) and 3 peptides (aa 343 to 355, 417 to 429, and 522 to 534) representedM. leprae HSP65-specific epitopes. Major histocompatibility complex restriction analysis showed that presentation of 9 of the 12 peptides to T cells were restricted by one of the 2 HLA-DR molecules expressed from self HLA-DRB1 genes, whereas 3 peptides with sequences completely identical between the M. leprae andM. tuberculosis HSP65 were presented to T cells by multiple HLA-DR molecules: peptide (aa 61 to 75) was presented by HLA-DR1, -DR2, and -DR7, peptide (aa 141 to 155) was presented by HLA-DR2, -DR7, and -DR53, whereas both HLA-DR2 and -DR4 (Dw4 and Dw14) were able to present peptide (aa 501 to 515) to T cells. In addition, the T-cell lines responding to these peptides in proliferation assays showed cytotoxic activity against autologous monocytes/macrophages pulsed with the same HSP65 peptides. In conclusion, we demonstrated that promiscuous peptide epitopes from the mycobacterial HSP65 antigen can serve as targets for cytotoxic CD4+ T cells which belong to the human memory T-cell repertoire against M. leprae. The results suggest that such epitopes might be used in the peptide-based design of subunit vaccines against mycobacterial diseases.
Systematic underestimation of the age of selected alleles

A common interpretation of genome-wide selection scans is that the dispersal of anatomically modern humans out of Africa and into diverse environments led to a number of genetic adaptations. If so, patterns of polymorphism from non-African individuals should show the signature of adaptations dating to 40,000–100,000 Kya, coinciding with the main exodus from Africa. However, scans of polymorphism data from a few populations have yielded conflicting results about the chronology of local, population-specific adaptations. In particular, a number of papers report very recent ages for selected alleles in humans, which postdate the development of agriculture 10 Kya, and suggest that adaptive differences among human populations are much more recent. I present an analysis of simulations suggesting a downward bias in methods commonly used to estimate the age of selected alleles. These findings indicate that an estimate of a time to the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) obtained using standard methods (used as a proxy for the age of an allele) of less than 10 Kya is consistent with an allele that actually became selected before the onset of agriculture and potentially as early as 50 Kya. These findings suggest that the genomic scans for selection may be consistent with selective pressures tied to the Out of Africa expansion of modern human populations.
Mineralogical constitution of the deep mantle

The nature of the transition zone in the mantle between about 300 and 900 km is reviewed in the light of recent high-pressure experimental results. Under the P-T conditions existing in the mantle it is found that pyroxene will break down to a denser assemblage of olivine plus stishovite (the rutile polymorph of SiO2) around 400 km. In the vicinity of 600 km the olivine inverts to a spinel structure, with a further increase in density. Finally, between 900 and 1050 km, the spinel breaks down into denser, close-packed phases, which persist to the core boundary at 2900 km. Two transformations are possible: (a) spinel → periclase + stishovite, or (b) spinel → periclase + MgSiO3 (corundum structure). The second reaction is considered more probable. The total increase in density caused by these phase changes between 400 and 1000 km is 0.6 to 0.7 g/cm3 (referred to zero pressure). The effect of less abundant components in the mantle such as FeO, Al2O3, CaO, and Na2O is to form solid solutions with the principal phases. This causes each of the principal phase transitions to be spread over a substantial depth range. As a result, the increase of density between 400 and 900 km is continuous. These results verify Birch's hypothesis on the constitution of the mantle and are in close agreement with the Bullen model A density distribution.
Regulation of microvillus structure: calcium-dependent solation and cross-linking of actin filaments in the microvilli of intestinal epithelial cells

The bundle of filaments within microvilli of intestinal epithelial cells contains five major proteins including actin, calmodulin, and subunits of 105-, 95-, and 70-kdaltons. It has been previously shown (Howe, C. L., M. S. Mooseker, and T. A. Graves. 1980. Brush-border calmodulin: a major component of the isolated microvillus core. J. Cell Biol. 85: 916-923) that the addition of Ca++ (> 10(-6) M) to microvillus cores causes a rapid, drastic, but at least partially reversible disruption of this actin filament bundle. High-speed centrifugation of microvillus cores treated with Ca++ indicates that several core proteins are solubilized, including 30-50% of the actin and calmodulin, along with much of the 95- and 70-kdalton subunits. Gel filtration of such Ca++ extracts in the presence and absence of Ca++ indicates that microvillar actin "solated" by Ca++ is in an oligomeric state probably complexed with the 95-kdalton subunit. Removal of Ca++ results in the reassembly of F-actin, probably still complexed with 95- kdalton subunit, as determined by gel filtration, cosedimentation, viscometry, and electron microscopy. The 95-kdalton subunit (95K) was purified from Ca++ extracts by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography and its interaction with actin characterized by viscometry, cosedimentation, and EM in the presence and absence of Ca++. In the presence, but not absence, of Ca++, 95K inhibits actin assembly (50% inhibition at 1:50- 60 95K to actin) and also reduces the viscosity of F-actin solutions. Similarly, sedimentation of actin is inhibited by 95K, but a small, presumably oligomeric actin- 95K complex formed in the presence of Ca++ is pelletable after long-term centrifugation. In the absence of Ca++, 95K cosediments with F-actin. EM of 95K-actin mixtures reveals that 95K "breaks" actin into small, filamentous fragments in the presence of Ca++. Reassembly of filaments occurs once Ca++ is removed. In the absence of Ca++, 95K has no effect on filament structure and, at relatively high ratios (1:2-6) of 95K to actin, this core protein will aggregate actin filaments into bundles.
Central England temperature since AD 1850: the potential of stable carbon isotopes in British oak trees to reconstruct past summer temperatures

In regions with seasonal temperate climatic regimes, tree growth is rarely controlled by any single environmental factor. As a consequence, the development of robust palaeoclimate reconstructions has proved challenging. Tree‐ring stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C), however, are controlled primarily by photosynthetic rate, not by net growth. Therefore, at sites where climatic controls on tree‐ring growth are not strongly expressed, a robust (isotopic) palaeoclimate signal may still potentially be preserved. This hypothesis was tested using a 160‐year record of δ13C measured from the pooled latewood cellulose of six Quercus petraea L. (sessile oak) trees from Allt Lan‐las in West Wales, UK. Raw δ13C values were corrected for changes in the isotopic ratio of atmospheric carbon dioxide and for changes in the behaviour of trees due to the increasing availability of atmospheric CO2 since AD 1850. Strong correlations with local summer temperature and sunshine are reported, and also with the Central England Temperature record over the full length of the isotopic chronology (AD 1850–2010) (r = 0.69, P < 0.001). We conclude that tree‐ring stable isotopes can be used to extract strong palaeoclimate signals even from oak trees growing in a temperate maritime climate. This demonstrates the potential for extracting robust palaeoclimatic information from the very long and well‐replicated oak chronologies which have been developed in western and central Europe primarily for dating rather than palaeoclimatic research purposes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Associations of Early Childhood Manganese and Lead Coexposure with Neurodevelopment

Background: Most toxicologic studies focus on a single agent, although this does not reflect real-world scenarios in which humans are exposed to multiple chemicals. Objectives: We prospectively studied manganese–lead interactions in early childhood to examine whether manganese–lead coexposure is associated with neurodevelopmental deficiencies that are more severe than expected based on effects of exposure to each metal alone. Methods: Four hundred fifty-five children were enrolled at birth in an longitudinal cohort study in Mexico City, provided blood samples, and were followed until 36 months of age. We measured lead and manganese at 12 and 24 months and assessed neurodevelopment at 6-month intervals from 12 to 36 months of age using Bayley Scales of Infant Development–II. Results: Mean (± SD) blood concentrations at 12 and 24 months were, respectively, 24.7 ± 5.9 μg/L and 21.5 ± 7.4 μg/L for manganese and 5.1 ± 2.6 μg/dL and 5.0 ± 2.9 μg/dL for lead. Mixed-effects models, including Bayley scores at five time points, showed a significant interaction over time: highest manganese quintile × continuous lead; mental development score, β = –1.27 [95% confidence interval (CI): –2.18, –0.37]; psychomotor development score, β = –0.92 (95% CI: –1.76, –0.09). Slopes for the estimated 12-month lead effect on 18-month mental development and 24- through 36-month psychomotor development scores were steeper for children with high manganese than for children with midrange manganese levels. Conclusions: We observed evidence of synergism between lead and manganese, whereby lead toxicity was increased among children with high manganese coexposure. Findings highlight the importance of understanding health effects of mixed exposures, particularly during potentially sensitive developmental stages such as early childhood.
Offline 1000-Class Classification on a Smartphone

In this demo, we propose an offline large-scale image classification system on a smartphone. The proposed system can classify 1000-class objects in the ILSVRC2012 dataset in 0.270 seconds. To implement a 1000-class object classification system, we compress the weight vectors of linear classifiers, which leads only slight performance loss.
Connections between Singular Control and Optimal Switching

This paper builds a new theoretical connection between singular control of finite variation and optimal switching problems. This correspondence provides a novel method for solving high-dimensional singular control problems, and enables us to extend the theory of reversible investment: sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of optimal controls and for the regularity of value functions. Consequently, our regularity result links singular controls and Dynkin games through sequential optimal stopping problems.
Plantar fascia-specific stretching exercise improves outcomes in patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. A prospective clinical trial with two-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND In a previous investigation, eighty-two patients with chronic proximal plantar fasciitis for a duration of more than ten months completed a randomized, prospective clinical trial. The patients received instructions for either a plantar fascia-stretching protocol or an Achilles tendon-stretching protocol and were evaluated after eight weeks. Substantial differences were noted in favor of the group managed with the plantar fascia-stretching program. The goal of this two-year follow-up study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of the plantar fascia-stretching protocol in patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. METHODS Phase one of the clinical trial concluded at eight weeks. At the eight-week follow-up evaluation, all patients were instructed in the plantar fascia-stretching protocol. At the two-year follow-up evaluation, a questionnaire consisting of the pain subscale of the Foot Function Index and an outcome survey related to pain, function, and satisfaction with treatment was mailed to the eighty-two subjects who had completed the initial clinical trial. Data were analyzed with use of a mixed-model analysis of covariance for each outcome of interest. RESULTS Complete data sets were obtained from sixty-six patients. The two-year follow-up results showed marked improvement for all patients after implementation of the plantar fascia-stretching exercises, with an especially high rate of improvement for those in the original group treated with the Achilles tendon-stretching program. In contrast to the eight-week results, the two-year results showed no significant differences between the groups with regard to the worst pain or pain with first steps in the morning. Descriptive analysis of the data showed that 92% (sixty-one) of the sixty-six patients reported total satisfaction or satisfaction with minor reservations. Fifty-one patients (77%) reported no limitation in recreational activities, and sixty-two (94%) reported a decrease in pain. Only sixteen of the sixty-six patients reported the need to seek treatment by a clinician. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the use of the tissue-specific plantar fascia-stretching protocol as the key component of treatment for chronic plantar fasciitis. Long-term benefits of the stretch include a marked decrease in pain and functional limitations and a high rate of satisfaction. This approach can provide the health-care practitioner with an effective, inexpensive, and straightforward treatment protocol.
Factors Influencing Observed Variations in the Structure of Bacterial Communities On Calcite Formations in Kartchner Caverns, AZ, USA

Kartchner Caverns is an oligotrophic subterranean environment that hosts a wide diversity of actively growing calcite speleothems (secondary mineral deposits). In a previous study, we demonstrated that bacterial communities extracted from these surfaces are quite complex and vary between formations. In the current study, we evaluated the influence of several environmental variables on the superficial bacterial community structure of 10 active formations located in close proximity to one another in a small room of Kartchner Caverns State Park, Arizona, USA. Physical (color, dimensions) and chemical (elemental profile and organic carbon concentration) properties, as well as the DGGE-based bacterial community structure of the formations were analyzed. While elemental concentration was found to vary among the formations, the differences in the community structure could not be correlated with concentrations of either organic carbon or any of the elements evaluated. In contrast, the locations of formations within a distinct region of the cave as well as the relative location of specific formations within a single room were found to have a significant influence on the bacterial community structure of the formations evaluated. Interestingly, Canonical Correspondence Analysis suggests an association between the observed drip pathways (drip lines) feeding the formations (as determined by the patterns of soda straws and small stalactites that reveal water flow patterns) and the bacterial community structure of the respective formations. The results presented here indicate that a broad range of formations fed by a diversity of drip sources must be sampled to fully characterize the community composition of bacteria present on the surfaces of calcite formations in carbonate caves.
A Study of Access Control Requirements for Healthcare Systems Based on Audit Trails from Access Logs

In healthcare, role-based access control systems are often extended with exception mechanisms to ensure access to needed information even when the needs don¿t follow the expected patterns. Exception mechanisms increase the threats to patient privacy, and therefore their use should be limited and subject to auditing. We have studied access logs from a hospital EPR system with extensive use of exception-based access control. We found that the uses of the exception mechanisms were too frequent and widespread to be considered exceptions. The huge size of the log and the use of pre-defined or uninformative reasons for access make it infeasible to audit the log for misuse. The informative reasons that were given provided starting points for requirements on how the usage needs should be accomplished without exception-based access. With more structured and fine-grained logging, analysis of access logs could be a very useful tool for learning how to reduce the need for exception-based access.
Implementation of ANN based speech recognition system on an embedded board

Speech recognition systems are ubiquitous and find its application in automated voice control, voice dialling and automated directory assistance. This paper aims at implementing a neural network based isolated spoken word recognition system on an embedded board — Raspberry Pi using open source software called octave. Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) features are extracted from speech signal and given as input to the neural network. The Feed Forward Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network trained with back propagation rule is implemented using Octave in Raspberry Pi. TIDIGITS corpus is used for the experiment. Speaker dependent speech recognition results in 100% accuracy but the speaker independent recognition system shows less accuracy.