Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occurrence patterns of topside spread F on Alouette ionograms

The extent and frequency of occurrence of spread F, as shown on 8400 ionograms taken by the Alouette satellite, have been investigated. These ionograms were taken during the solstice periods of December 1962 and June 1963. The spread F observed was found to be consistent with three proposed qualitative radio-propagation models. These models involve: aspect-sensitive scattering from thin magnetic-field-aligned irregularities, waveguide-like action—called ducting—along wide irregularities, and refraction due to large-scale reductions in electron density. The three types of spread F were found to exhibit markedly different occurrence patterns during the two observation periods.
Teachers’ Agency Development When Adapting the Colombian English Suggested Curriculum for High School

This case study reports how three high-school teachers from two state schools in Colombia enacted the National English Suggested Curriculum by the Ministry of Education. The teachers’ trajectories of action were analyzed through semi-structured interviews, teachers’ narratives, and lesson observations. Using the ecological model of agency as a framework, we situated teachers’ steps within projective, iterational, and practical evaluative dimensions of agency. In this paper, we provide additional dimensions of teacher agency, which can help to expand theoretical and empirical knowledge in the field. Findings show that teachers cope with the changes derived from policy differently. The analysis presented in this paper can inform the creation and promotion of future curriculum policies in similar contexts.
Improved watershed algorithm for color image segmentation

To overcome over-segmentation of Watershed transform, a novel improved Watershed algorithm based on adaptive marker-extraction is proposed. The original marker-based Watershed algorithm is improved by considering multiple feature information of local minima and adaptively selecting threshold. The proposed method consists of five steps: 1) Calculating gradient directly with color vectors; 2) Low-pass filtering of gradient image with BTPF; 3) Employing Hminima transform to extract true local minima whose depth is lower than that of threshold H, which is adaptively adjusted according to gradient image's statistical character. 4) Further marker-extraction being based on water basin scale. 5) Imposing the markers on the original gradient image as its minima; finally, Watershed transform is implied to the marked gradient image to segment the image. Experimental results show that, compared with other testing Watershed algorithms, the proposed method can more efficiently reduce over-segmentation and obtain better segmentation performance with lower computational complexity; in addition, it has better anti-noise performance and edge-location capability as well.
Close-up analysis of inflight ice accretion

The objective of this effort was to validate in flight, data that has been gathered in the NASA Lewis Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) over the past several years. All data was acquired in flight on the NASA Lewis Research Center's Twin Otter Icing Research Aircraft. A faired 3.5 in. diameter metal-clad cylinder exposed to the natural icing environment was observed by a close-up video camera. The grazing angle video footage was recorded to S-VHS video tape and after the icing encounter, the resultant ice shape was documented by 35 mm photography and pencil tracings. The feather growth area was of primary interest; however, all regions of the ice accretion, from the stagnation line to the aft edge of run back were observed and recorded. After analysis of the recorded data several interesting points became evident: (1) the measured flight feather growth rate is consistent with IRT values, (2) the feather growth rate appears to be influenced by droplet size, (3) the feathers were straighter in the lower, spottier LWC of flight in comparison to those observed in the IRT, (4) feather shedding and ice sublimation may be significant to the final ice shape, and (5) the snow encountered on these flights appeared to have little influence on ice growth.
A Study of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Central Post-Stroke Pain: Traveling Beyond the Pain Pathways

Introduction: Central post-stroke pain (CPSP), seen in the aftermath of a stroke, is an underdiagnosed entity but quite a disabling complication. All the postulated theories regarding the pathogenesis of CPSP point to its origin in the central pain pathways. However, this study attempts to demonstrate the role of other contributing areas in the generation of CPSP. Materials and Methods: In this single-center tertiary care hospital-based study, 24 patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes of variable durations were recruited, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) imaging with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) acquisition was done. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the spinothalamic tract (STT), corticospinal tract (CST), superior thalamic radiation (STR), basal ganglia (BG), and primary somatosensory cortex (SSC) were compared between normal and abnormal sides and also in extrathalamic lesions separately. Results: Significant differences with lower FA were noted in STT, CST, STR, and SSC and higher ADC values in BG, STR, CST, and SSC on comparison between the normal and lesion sides. On individual sub-analysis, ischemic stroke had significant changes in the FA value of CST and the ADC value of STR and CST, while hemorrhagic stroke had significant changes in the FA and ADC values of STR and SSC, as well as the FA value of STT. In the analysis of the extrathalamic strokes, significance persisted in all the studied parameters except the BG. The CST abnormalities were evident even in patients with clinical motor improvement. On multivariate analysis, visual analogue scale score severity was correlated with thalamic lesions. Conclusion: Contrary to the belief that STT is solely responsible for CPSP, the role of CST, STR, BG, and SSC as contributing areas is evident from this study and may be more well established if studied in a larger population.
Deubiquitinase OTUD3: a double-edged sword in immunity and disease

Deubiquitination is an important form of post-translational modification that regulates protein homeostasis. Ovarian tumor domain-containing proteins (OTUDs) subfamily member OTUD3 was identified as a deubiquitinating enzyme involved in the regulation of various physiological processes such as immunity and inflammation. Disturbances in these physiological processes trigger diseases in humans and animals, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, mastitis, etc. OTUD3 is aberrantly expressed in tumors and is a double-edged sword, exerting tumor-promoting or anti-tumor effects in different types of tumors affecting cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and metabolism. OTUD3 is regulated at the transcriptional level by a number of MicroRNAs, such as miR-520h, miR-32, and miR101-3p. In addition, OTUD3 is regulated by a number of post-translational modifications, such as acetylation and ubiquitination. Therefore, understanding the regulatory mechanisms of OTUD3 expression can help provide insight into its function in human immunity and disease, offering the possibility of its use as a therapeutic target to diagnose or treat disease.
Removal of Methylene Blue Dye from Aqueous Solution Using Trichlorovinylsilane Chitosan–g–polyacrylamide Hydrogel

A new hydrogel based on vinylsilane-chitosan and acrylamide was synthesized as VSi-CTS-g-PAAm and was used to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution using batch adsorption technique. The VSi-CTS-PAAm hydrogel interacted with methylene blue (MB) dye solution at different mass-liquid ratios, pH, and temperature. The amount of MB dye removal was estimated using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer at an optical density of λmax= 665 nm. The MB dye removal was most effective at pH 12, with about 98 % removal at 50 °C. The study's findings also indicated that the equilibrium data exhibited the highest degree of conformity with the Langmuir isotherm model. Additionally, the adsorption process adhered to the pseudo-second-order kinetics and was characterized as endothermic. Therefore, our study suggests that the utilization of prepared materials may have potential advantages in treating wastewater containing dyes.
Comparative assessment of five potential sites for magma: hydrothermal systems - geophysics

As part of a comparative assessment for the Continental Scientific Drilling Program, geophysical data were used, to characterize and evaluate potential magma-hydrothermal targets at five drill sites in the western United States. The sites include Roosevelt Hot Springs, Utah, the Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico, and The Geysers-Clear Lake, Long Valley, and Salton Trough areas, California. This summary discusses the size, depth, temperature, and setting of each potential target, as well as relvant scientific questions about their natures and the certainty of their existence.
Development of the Marine Protected Areas Network for Restoration of the Degraded Underwater Landscapes of the Black Sea and Azov Sea

The paper is concerned with the development of a comprehensive methodology to establish a MPAs (marine protected areas) network in the Black Sea and Azov Sea region. Scientific basis to rationale establish that the MPAs network is a complex system of landscape zoning and mapping, defining their variability, sustainability, and geo-ecological condition, and taking into account evaluation of degradation of the underwater landscape over the past 100 years.
Spatial Differentiation Of Global Solar Radiation in Toruń And its Suburban Area (Central Poland) in 2012

Abstract : This article investigates the spatial distribution of global solar radiation (K↓) in Toruń and its suburbs, observed in 2012. Measurements were taken at 12 points (7 within the city and 5 in the suburban area) using CNR4 net radiometers and automatic weather stations (Vantage Pro+). At all locations, the diurnal and annual courses of K↓ were typically related to the Earth’s rotational movement and changes in the sun’s declination over the year, and disturbed by clouds and atmospheric phenomena that enhance the extinction of solar radiation. A substantial spatial diversity of K↓ was observed in Toruń and its suburbs. The annual sum of K↓ at several urban locations accounted for over 70% of the solar radiation in the open space outside the city. The amount of incoming solar radiation in the urban area was more restricted in winter (<50%) than in summer (approx. 70%). The diurnal courses of K↓ were heavily disturbed by local obstacles which cast shadows (causing a considerable decrease of K↓), but there were instances of increases in K↓ (122%) augmented by radiation reflected from roofs, walls and windows surrounding the measurement point. The spatial diversity of K↓ in the urban area is heterogeneous, due to local meteorological conditions (cloudiness, fog, smog and airborne dust) and the obscuring of the horizon.
Nicotine Exposure in a Phencyclidine-Induced Mice Model of Schizophrenia: Sex-Selective Medial Prefrontal Cortex Protein Markers of the Combined Insults in Adolescent Mice

Tobacco misuse as a comorbidity of schizophrenia is frequently established during adolescence. However, comorbidity markers are still missing. Here, the method of label-free proteomics was used to identify deregulated proteins in the medial prefrontal cortex (prelimbic and infralimbic) of male and female mice modelled to schizophrenia with a history of nicotine exposure during adolescence. Phencyclidine (PCP), used to model schizophrenia (SCHZ), was combined with an established model of nicotine minipump infusions (NIC). The combined insults led to worse outcomes than each insult separately when considering the absolute number of deregulated proteins and that of exclusively deregulated ones. Partially shared Reactome pathways between sexes and between PCP, NIC and PCPNIC groups indicate functional overlaps. Distinctively, proteins differentially expressed exclusively in PCPNIC mice reveal unique effects associated with the comorbidity model. Interactome maps of these proteins identified sex-selective subnetworks, within which some proteins stood out: for females, peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (Fkbp1a) and heat shock 70 kDa protein 1B (Hspa1b), both components of the oxidative stress subnetwork, and gamma-enolase (Eno2), a component of the energy metabolism subnetwork; and for males, amphiphysin (Amph), a component of the synaptic transmission subnetwork. These are proposed to be further investigated and validated as markers of the combined insult during adolescence.
Multi-epitope vaccine against drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a proteome-wide subtraction and immunoinformatics approach

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis, one of the most deadly infections in humans. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Mtb strains presents a global challenge. Mtb has shown resistance to many frontline antibiotics, including rifampicin, kanamycin, isoniazid, and capreomycin. The only licensed vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guerin, does not efficiently protect against adult pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to develop new vaccines to prevent infections caused by these strains. We used a subtractive proteomics approach on 23 virulent Mtb strains and identified a conserved membrane protein (MmpL4, NP_214964.1) as both a potential drug target and vaccine candidate. MmpL4 is a non-homologous essential protein in the host and is involved in the pathogen-specific pathway. Furthermore, MmpL4 shows no homology with anti-targets and has limited homology to human gut microflora, potentially reducing the likelihood of adverse effects and cross-reactivity if therapeutics specific to this protein are developed. Subsequently, we constructed a highly soluble, safe, antigenic, and stable multi-subunit vaccine from the MmpL4 protein using immunoinformatics. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the stability of the vaccine-bound Toll-like receptor-4 complex on a nanosecond scale, and immune simulations indicated strong primary and secondary immune responses in the host. Therefore, our study identifies a new target that could expedite the design of effective therapeutics, and the designed vaccine should be validated. Future directions include an extensive molecular interaction analysis, in silico cloning, wet-lab experiments, and evaluation and comparison of the designed candidate as both a DNA vaccine and protein vaccine.
Coseismic slip distribution for the Mw 9 2011 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake derived from 3‐D FE modeling

The coseismic slip distribution of the Mw 9.0 2011 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake has been estimated by inverting near‐field onshore and offshore geodetic data, using Green's function calculated with a 3‐D finite element (FE) model. The FE model simulates several geophysical features of the subduction zone that hosted the rupture surface of the event. These features include a 3‐D geometric configuration and distribution of material properties of the tectonic system, a precise geometric configuration of the irregular rupture surface, and an irregular free surface according to the topography and bathymetry. A model that simulates rupture along the interface between the relatively weak overriding Okhotsk plate and stiff subducting slab of the Pacific Plate requires less slip to produce the observed surface deformation, compared to a model having uniform material properties across the rupture interface. Furthermore, the estimated slip of the heterogeneous model is more widely distributed over the shallow portion of the plate boundary, whereas the estimated slip of the homogeneous model is more focused updip of the epicenter. This demonstrates the sensitivity of inverse analyses of geodetic data for the 2011 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake to the simulated domain geometry and configuration of material properties.
Onlap stratal architectures in the Grès d’Annot: geometric models and controlling factors

Abstract Onlap terminations of deep-marine sandstones in the Grès d’Annot, SE France, exhibit a range of styles, from abrupt onlap to feathering ‘aggradational onlap’ geometries. These are well exhibited in the large exposure of southward onlap terminations at Montagne de Chalufy, on the southern end of the Trois Evêchés Massif (Alpes de Haute Provence). These stratal architectures are here simulated by geometrical models that are governed simply by bounding slope gradients and the ratio of coeval slope to basinal aggradation rates. In cases of no coeval deposition on bounding slopes, pure onlap results. In cases of high slope aggradation rates relative to basinal aggradation rates, a feathered geometry results with successive sandstone beds onlapping against successively younger slope drapes. The cyclicity of alternating sand-rich and sand-poor packets seen at Chalufy results in a stepped climbing trajectory of successive slope base positions, with climb angle equal to bounding slope angle when mud-poor sandy flows deposited sandstone bodies with abrupt onlap, and climbing more steeply when slope drapes are deposited. An implication of this result is that any zones of facies change and palaeocurrent swing that are related to distance from bounding slope will exhibit a comparable vertical trajectory through time. The two end member termination types can be compared with the convergent-baselapping and convergent-thinning seismic facies used in the Gulf of Mexico subsurface and elsewhere. The convergent-baselapping seismic facies may include both abrupt onlap and intervals of feathering aggradational onlap if the presence of slope drapes is not resolvable by the frequency content of the available seismic data.
Attribute illumination of basement faults, Cuu Long Basin, Vietnam

Geometric attributes such as coherence and curvature have been very successful in delineating faults in sedimentary basins. While not a common exploration objective, fractured and faulted basement forms important reservoirs in Mexico, India, Yemen, and Vietnam. Because of the absence of stratified, coherent reflectors, illumination of basement faults is more problematic than illumination of faults within the sedimentary column. In order to address these limitations we make simple modifications to wellestablished vector attributes including structural dip and azimuth, amplitude gradients, and maximum and minimum curvature, to provide greater interpreter interaction. We apply these modifications to better characterize faults in the granite basement of the Cuu Long Basin, Vietnam, that form an unconventional, but very important oil reservoir.
Need for Caution in Interpreting Extreme Weather Statistics

AbstractGiven the reality of anthropogenic global warming, it is tempting to seek an anthropogenic component in any recent change in the statistics of extreme weather. This paper cautions that such efforts may, however, lead to wrong conclusions if the distinctively skewed and heavy-tailed aspects of the probability distributions of daily weather anomalies are ignored or misrepresented. Departures of several standard deviations from the mean, although rare, are far more common in such a distinctively non-Gaussian world than they are in a Gaussian world. This further complicates the problem of detecting changes in tail probabilities from historical records of limited length and accuracy.A possible solution is to exploit the fact that the salient non-Gaussian features of the observed distributions are captured by so-called stochastically generated skewed (SGS) distributions that include Gaussian distributions as special cases. SGS distributions are associated with damped linear Markov processes perturbed by.
Combined 2D Resistivity Imaging and Penetrometer-Based Resistivity Profiling - example of field studies

Single 2D Resistivity Imaging (ERT) survey was conducted perpendicularly to a located pipeline. Also, 21 Penetrometer-Based Resistivity Profilings (PBRP) were made along the same survey line. Correlation between the ERT and PBRP data is visible in the interpreted resistivity section combined with profiling curves. However, the PBRP method has a higher vertical resolution than the ERT method, thus, we can differentiate some additional layers or local zones characterized by relatively small resistivity changes. The presented example of application of both the methods allows to create a more reliable subsurface zone model.
PErformance Evaluation of Detection Mechanisms Towards the Slow Ddos Attack of Edge Computing

Edge Computing is a network topology made up of three layers: Cloud Server Layer (CSL), Edge Server Layer (ESL), and Edge Device Layer (EDL). Therefore, it is vulnerable since the processing capacity of loT devices or mobile devices is insufficient to withstand and they are unable to implement high- level security measures such as using robust security protocols like HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, or SMTP at this layer. Hence, it poses considerable security risks, particularly the Slow Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Various detection methods have been investigated in this study, and three machine learning algorithms that are classified as anomaly-based detection techniques have been chosen, such as CDAAE (Conditional Denoising Adversarial AutoEncoder), CNN (Convolutional Neural Network), and deep learning using ‘relu’ and ‘softmax’ in detecting slow DDoS attacks. These models are evaluated with the CICIDS2017 dataset and show that CNN has achieved better overall performance with shorter training times and high detection accuracy.
GrayINT – Detection and Localization of Gray Failures via Hybrid In-band Network Telemetry

As the underlying infrastructure, data center networks (DCNs) provide an important platform for cloud computing and next-generation networks. However, due to the influence of many factors, such as network, hardware, and software, various failures may occur during the operation of the DCN, which brings great challenges to its reliability. Particularly, a more insidious type of network failure, known as gray failure, presents a significant threat to system stability. In response to this challenge, in this work, we propose GrayINT, a gray failure detection and localization system that leverages In-band Network Telemetry (INT) technology to monitor all paths within the data center network in real-time. To verify the feasibility of our design, we build a fat-tree data center network on a virtual network testbed. A large number of experimental results demonstrate that our system can monitor device and link status in real-time, achieving gray failure detection and localization.