Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent trends (2003–2013) of land surface heat fluxes on the southern side of the central Himalayas, Nepal

Novice efforts have been made in order to study the regional distribution of land surface heat fluxes on the southern side of the central Himalayas utilizing high‐resolution remotely sensed products, but these have been on instantaneous scale. In this study the Surface Energy Balance System model is used to obtain annual averaged maps of the land surface heat fluxes for 11 years (2003–2013) and study their annual trends on the central Himalayan region. The maps were derived at 5 km resolution using monthly input products ranging from satellite derived to Global Land Data Assimilation System meteorological data. It was found that the net radiation flux is increasing as a result of decreasing precipitation (drier environment). The sensible heat flux did not change much except for the northwestern High Himalaya and High Mountains. In northwestern High Himalaya sensible heat flux is decreasing because of decrease in wind speed, ground‐air temperature difference, and increase in winter precipitation, whereas in High Mountains it is increasing due to increase in ground‐air temperature difference and high rate of deforestation. The latent heat flux has an overall increasing trend with increase more pronounced in the lower regions compared to high elevated regions. It has been reported that precipitation is decreasing with altitude in this region. Therefore, the increasing trend in latent heat flux can be attributed to increase in net radiation flux under persistent forest cover and irrigation land used for agriculture.
A combined airborne and ground geophysical survey to investigate the subsurface structure of Socorro Island, Mexico

In early 2009 a complex airborne geophysical survey, comprising magnetic, electromagnetic and gamma ray measurements, was conducted to investigate the shallow geological structure at the Island of Socorro, Mexico, in order to derive indications on possible groundwater resources. For the airborne survey was complemented by ground geoelectrical measurements to further detail the airborne results at selected profiles. A total area of 200 square kilometers was covered in early 2009 by complex airborne measurements using an average line spacing of 100 m. Since on-site pre-processing of the electromagnetic data already showed clear indication on groundwater-relevant structures, the layout of the geoelectric profiles could be optimized according to these findings. As a result advanced knowledge on the shallow subsurface structure of the island could be derived. This outcome allowed setting up a research plan for further groundwater exploration measures of the island. However, apart from search for groundwater, the data provides a valuable data base to be interpreted within further investigation in the area of volcanic research and natural protection.
CrossTalk: Intelligent Substrates for Language-Oriented Interaction in Video-Based Communication and Collaboration

Despite the advances and ubiquity of digital communication media such as videoconferencing and virtual reality, they remain oblivious to the rich intentions expressed by users. Beyond transmitting audio, videos, and messages, we envision digital communication media as proactive facilitators that can provide unobtrusive assistance to enhance communication and collaboration. Informed by the results of a formative study, we propose three key design concepts to explore the systematic integration of intelligence into communication and collaboration, including the panel substrate, language-based intent recognition, and lightweight interaction techniques. We developed CrossTalk, a videoconferencing system that instantiates these concepts, which was found to enable a more fluid and flexible communication and collaboration experience.
Recent Developments in the Application of Ultrasonication in Pre-Treatment of Municipal Sewage Sludge

This article presents the experience in the field of using ultrasonication as a pre-treatment method of SS (sewage sludge). On the basis of a review of the literature, the effect of pretreatment of sewage sludge by US (power ultra - sound) with different parameters on SS quality parameters and energy effects of the process was presented. The status of commercial applications of US as a sewage sludge pretreatment method was also presented, using the ex - ample of wastewater treatment plants in Poland. It was shown that the effective management of SS is an important technological and environmental problem in many wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, new strategies for dealing with this by-product are constantly being sought. In large wastewater treatment plants, the dominant method of stabilizing SS is AD (anaerobic digestion). However, due to the characteristics of SS, it shows low efficiency. Among the numerous strategies, US is one of the new technologies that is finding several full-scale implementa - tions. Its application allows for solubilization of organic matter, disruption of microbial cells, as well as SS floc description and enzyme release. A number of benefits can be obtained as a result of these developments, including increased methane production, improved reaction kinetics and removal of organic matter, as well as enhanced set-tability and dewatering of SS, thus contributing to savings in wastewater treatment plants.
Myocardin-related transcription factors regulate morphogenetic events in vertebrate embryos by controlling F-actin organization and apical constriction

Myocardin-related transcription factors (Mrtfa and Mrtfb), also known as megakaryoblastic leukemia proteins (Mkl1/MAL and Mkl2), associate with serum response factor (Srf) to regulate transcription in response to actin dynamics, however, the functions of Mrtfs in early vertebrate embryos remain largely unknown. Here we document the requirement of Mrtfs for blastopore closure at gastrulation and neural plate folding in Xenopus early embryos. Both stimulation and inhibition of Mrtf activity caused similar gross morphological phenotypes, yet the effects on F-actin distribution and cell behavior were different. Suppressing Mrtf-dependent transcription reduced overall F-actin levels and inhibited apical constriction during gastrulation and neurulation. By contrast, constitutively active Mrtf caused tricellular junction remodeling and induced apical constriction in superficial ectoderm. The underlying mechanism appeared distinct from the one utilized by known apical constriction inducers. We propose that the regulation of apical constriction is among the primary cellular responses to Mrtf. Our findings highlight a dedicated role of specific transcription factors, Mrtfs, in early morphogenetic processes.
Hydrogeological response to climate change in alpine hillslopes

Climate change threatens water resources in snowmelt‐dependent regions by altering the fraction of snow and rain and spurring an earlier snowmelt season. The bulk of hydrological research has focused on forecasting response in streamflow volumes and timing to a shrinking snowpack; however, the degree to which subsurface storage offsets the loss of snow storage in various alpine geologic settings, i.e. the hydrogeologic buffering capacity, is still largely unknown. We address this research need by assessing the affects of climate change on storage and runoff generation for two distinct hydrogeologic settings present in alpine systems: a low storage granitic and a greater storage volcanic hillslope. We use a physically based integrated hydrologic model fully coupled to a land surface model to run a base scenario and then three progressive warming scenarios, and account for the shifts in each component of the water budget. For hillslopes with greater water retention, the larger storage volcanic hillslope buffered streamflow volumes and timing, but at the cost of greater reductions in groundwater storage relative to the low storage granite hillslope. We found that the results were highly sensitive to the unsaturated zone retention parameters, which in the case of alpine systems can be a mix of matrix or fracture flow. The presence of fractures and thus less retention in the unsaturated zone significantly decreased the reduction in recharge and runoff for the volcanic hillslope in climate warming scenarios. This approach highlights the importance of incorporating physically based subsurface flow in to alpine hydrology models, and our findings provide ways forward to arrive at a conceptual model that is both consistent with geology and hydrologic principles. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Bovine Rectoanal Junction Cells and Human Colonic Epithelial Cells during Initial Adherence

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are notorious foodborne pathogens, capable of causing severe diarrhea and life-threatening complications in humans. Cattle, acting as both primary reservoirs and asymptomatic carriers of STEC, predominantly harbor the pathogen in their rectoanal junction (RAJ), facilitating its transmission to humans through contaminated food sources. Despite the central role of cattle in STEC transmission, the molecular mechanisms governing STEC’s adaptation in the RAJ of the asymptomatic reservoir host and its subsequent infection of human colonic epithelial cells, resulting in diarrhea, remain largely unexplored. This study aims to uncover these complicated dynamics by focusing on the STEC O157:H7 serotype within two distinct host environments, bovine RAJ cells and human colonic epithelial cells, during initial colonization. We employed comparative transcriptomics analysis to investigate differential gene expression profiles of STEC O157:H7 during interactions with these cell types. STEC O157:H7 was cultured either with bovine RAJ cells or the human colonic epithelial cell line CCD CoN 841 to simulate STEC-epithelial cell interactions within these two host species. High-throughput RNA sequencing revealed 829 and 1939 bacterial genes expressed in RAJ and CCD CoN 841, respectively. After gene filtering, 221 E. coli O157:H7 genes were upregulated during initial adherence to CCD CoN cells and 436 with RAJ cells. Furthermore, 22 genes were uniquely expressed with human cells and 155 genes with bovine cells. Our findings revealed distinct expression patterns of STEC O157:H7 genes involved in virulence, including adherence, metal iron homeostasis, and stress response during its initial adherence (i.e., six hours post-infection) to bovine RAJ cells, as opposed to human colonic epithelial cells. Additionally, the comparative analysis highlighted the potential role of some genes in host adaptation and tissue-specific pathogenicity. These findings shed new light on the potential mechanisms of STEC O157:H7 contributing to colonize the intestinal epithelium during the first six hours of infection, leading to survival and persistence in the bovine reservoir and causing disease in humans.
Analyzing Turbulence Intensity in Gravel Bed Channels

In this paper, the results of an experimental investigation of the turbulence intensity in gravel bed channels are described. The runs were carried out by measuring, with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter, the turbulence intensity profile along six verticals of a given cross section in a laboratory flume. The analysis of the measured intensity distributions has shown the existence of two different regions, above and below the tops of the roughness elements, in which different intensity profiles occur. Furthermore, the measured profiles have shown a maximum of the turbulence intensity that decreases for increasing values of the roughness height, confirming that the turbulence damping efficiency increases when the roughness elements protrude inside the flow. The applicability of Nezu's relationship (derived for a hydraulically smooth bed) for the experimental intensity profiles above the roughness elements is positively tested. Finally a new intensity distribution for a rough bed, applicable to the whole water depth, is proposed. In this profile, two coefficients having a known physical meaning (the maximum turbulence intensity and the depth at which this maximum is located) appear.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES CHARTER SCHOOLS AND LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES

We thank the Texas Education Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin's Ray Marshall Center for providing the data used in our analysis. We also thank David Card, Raj Chetty, Matt Davis, Hank Farber, Edward Glaeser, Hilary Hoynes, Lawrence Katz, Pat Kline, Michal Kolesar, Alan Krueger, Alex Mas, Parag Pathak, Jesse Rothstein, Adam Sacarny, Jesse Shapiro, Doug Staiger, Chris Walters, Danny Yagan, Seth Zimmerman, and numerous seminar participants for helpful comments and suggestions. Elijah De la Campa, Tanaya Devi, Matt Farber, Samsun Knight, William Murdock III, Namrata Narain, Rucha Vankudre, Dan Van Duesen, Jessica Wagner, and Brecia Young provided exceptional research assistance. Correspondence can be addressed to the authors by e-mail at wdobbie@princeton.edu [Dobbie] or rfryer@fas.harvard. edu [Fryer]. The research presented here utilizes confidential data from the State of Texas supplied by the Education Research Center (ERC) at The University of Texas at Austin. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the ERC, nor to the National Bureau of Economic Research, nor to any of the supporting organizations mentioned herein, including The University of Texas at Austin or the State of Texas. Any errors are attributable to the authors.
Charter Schools in New York City: Who Enrolls and How They Affect Their Students' Achievement

We analyze all but a few of the 47 charter schools operating in New York City in 2005-06. The schools tend locate in disadvantaged neighborhoods and serve students who are substantially poorer than the average public school student in New York City. The schools also attract black applicants to an unusual degree, not only relative to New York City but also relative to the traditional public schools from which they draw. The vast majority of applicants are admitted in lotteries that the schools hold when oversubscribed, and the vast majority of the lotteries are balanced. By balanced, we mean that we cannot reject the hypothesis that there are no differences in the observable characteristics of lotteried-in and lotteried-out students. Using the lotteries to form an intention-to-treat variable, we instrument for actual enrollment and compute the charter schools' average treatment-on-the-treated effects on achievement. These are 0.09 standard deviations per year of treatment in math and 0.04 standard deviations per year in reading. We estimate correlations between charter schools' policies and their effects on achievement. The policy with the most notable and robust association is a long school year--as long as 220 days in the charter schools.
Why Don’t You See What I Mean? Prospects and Limitations of Current Automatic Sign Recognition Research

Imagine entering a post off ice . You want to send an important package by express mail, so it is vital that the post office clerk understand exactly what you want. But you are deaf and a native signer, and the clerk does not speak or understand sign language, which is the case for most people around the world. This makes communicating your precise wishes problematic. Although many deaf people have excellent speaking and lip-reading skills, these are still second best to communicating in your native language. Write your words down? This presents the same drawback since writing is an encoding of a different (i.e., spoken) language. The best solution would be to have your own portable sign language interpreter. Then you could just put your palmtop on the desk, aim the built-in digicam at yourself and the microphone at the desk clerk, and have your signs translated into words and the clerk’s words translated into signs.
Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide-Nanoparticles from Ziziphus Spina-Christi Leaves Extract: Characterization and Their Protective Effects Against Liver Disturbances in Adenine-Exposed Male Rats

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have a significant feature due to their uses in various fields including medicine, biosensors, food additives, and electronic materials. This study aimed to the green synthesis of ZnO-NPs using aqueous extract of Ziziphus-spina christi leaves (Sider) and evaluates its protective roles against liver disorders after adenine-exposed male rats. Thirty-six male rats (3 months in age and weighing 200 ± 5 g) were randomly divided into 6 equal groups as following: Control adenine, Ziziphus-spina christi, ZnO-NPs, adenine + Ziziphus-spina christi and adenine + ZnO-NPs for 30 days. At the end of 30 days, the activity of (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and concentrations of reduced glutathione (GSH) and nitric oxide (NO) were determined, as well as the liver histopathological alterations were investigated. Moreover, the body weight of all rats was measured over a week. The synthesized ZnO-NPs was characterized using several techniques. UV-Visible analysis showed a specific absorption peak at 362 nm. In Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) absorption bands of Zn-O stretching bonding showed between 400 and 500 cm−1. Their crystallinity, hexagonal shape, size, and the specific surface area for the dry ZnO-NPs were also determined using the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively. Results showed significant decreases in ALT, AST and ALP in both groups adenine + Ziziphus-spina christi leaves extract and adenine + ZnO-NPs in comparison to the adenine group (p < 0.05), as well as significant increases in body weight. Significant decrease was also demonstrated in NO level associated with an increase in SOD, and GSH. Based on these results, it can be said that ZnO-NPs and Ziziphus-spina christi leaves effectively protect against adenine-induced liver disorders, these were confirmed by improvements marked in histological changes of liver tissue of rats. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Investigation of a 3D Plasmonic Architecture Utilizing Ag Nanoparticles-Embedded Functionalized Carbon Nanowall

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a highly sensitive technique for detecting DNA, proteins, and single molecules. The design of SERS substrates plays a crucial role, with the density of hotspots being a key factor in enhancing Raman spectra. In this study, we employed carbon nanowall (CNW) as the nanostructure and embedded plasmonic nanoparticles (PNPs) to increase hotspot density, resulting in robust Raman signals. To enhance the CNW’s performance, we functionalized it via oxygen plasma and embedded silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The authors evaluated the substrate using rhodamine 6G (R6G) as a model target molecule, ranging in concentration from 10−6 M to 10−10 M for a 4 min exposure. Our analysis confirmed a proportional increase in Raman signal intensity with an increase in concentration. The CNW’s large specific surface area and graphene domains provide dense hotspots and high charge mobility, respectively, contributing to both the electromagnetic mechanism (EM) and the chemical mechanism (CM) of SERS.
Universidad Central de Venezuela

A tolerant derivative–free nonmonotone line search technique is proposed and analyzed. Several consecutive increases in the objective function and also non descent directions are allowed for unconstrained minimization. To exemplify the power of this new line search we describe a direct search algorithm in which the directions are chosen randomly. The convergence properties of this random method rely exclusively on the line search technique. We present numerical experiments, to illustrate the advantages of using a derivative-free nonmonotone globalization strategy, with approximated-gradient type methods and also with the inverse SR1 update that could produce non descent directions. In all cases we use a local variation finite differences approximation to the gradient.
Explaining the Phanerozoic Ca isotope history of seawater

A new geochemical budget for the modern marine carbonate sink helps to explain the major features of the Phanerozoic Ca isotope record. A large compilation of Ca isotope ratios for modern carbonates, incorporating more than 50 new measurements, represents the quantitatively important components of the system. With this data set, distinct Ca isotope ratios are identified for different types of marine carbonate, the balance of which has changed over time with shifts between calcite and aragonite seas and with the development of pelagic calcification during the Mesozoic. It is suggested that large-scale changes in the Ca isotope ratio of seawater, as exemplified by that in the Carboniferous, were no longer possible after Jurassic time because of the generation of a deep-sea calcite sink expressed by deposition of foraminiferal–coccolith ooze across the world ocean. This work demonstrates the close connection between isotopic cycling, carbonate sedimentation, seawater chemistry, and evolutionary trends.
Modelling the water budget and the riverflows of the Maritsa basin in Bulgaria

A soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer model coupled with a macroscale distributed hydrological model was used to simulate the water cycle for a large region in Bulgaria. To do so, an atmospheric forcing was built for two hydrological years (1 October 1995 to 30 September 1997), at an eight km resolution. The impact of the human activities on the rivers (especially hydropower or irrigation) was taken into account. An improvement of the hydrometeorological model was made: for better simulation of summer riverflow, two additional reservoirs were added to simulate the slow component of the runoff. Those reservoirs were calibrated using the observed data of the 1st year, while the 2nd year was used for validation. 56 hydrologic stations and 12 dams were used for the model calibration while 41 river gauges were used for the validation of the model. The results compare well with the daily-observed discharges, with good results obtained over more than 25% of the river gauges. The simulated snow depth was compared to daily measurements at 174 stations and the evolution of the snow water equivalent was validated at 5 sites. The process of melting and refreezing of snow was found to be important in this region. The comparison of the normalized values of simulated versus measured soil moisture showed good correlation. The surface water budget shows large spatial variations due to the elevation influence on the precipitation, soil properties and vegetation variability. An inter-annual difference was observed in the water cycle as the first year was more influenced by Mediterranean climate, while the second year was characterised by continental influence. The energy budget shows a dominating sensible heat component in summer, due to the fact that the water stress limits the evaporation. This study is a first step for the implementation of an operational hydrometeorological model that could be used for real time monitoring and forecasting of water budget components and river flow in Bulgaria.