Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A multi-proxy study of changing environmental conditions in a Younger Dryas sequence in southwestern Manitoba, Canada, and evidence for an extraterrestrial event

Abstract Multi-proxy analyses of a sequence spanning the Younger Dryas (YD) in the Glacial Lake Hind basin of Manitoba provides insight into regional paleohydrology and paleovegetation of meltwater rivers and lakes spanning >4000 yr; the sequence is controlled by 25 new accelerator mass spectrometry ages. This lake, dammed by the Laurentide Ice Sheet, overflowed into Lake Agassiz. The pre-YD interval records rapid sedimentation from meltwaters that headed in proglacial lakes in the Canadian Prairies that are known to have been catastrophically released when ice or sediment barriers were breached. Pollen in this phase is dominated by pre-Quaternary forms eroded from Paleocene bedrock. At the onset of the YD at ~12.8 cal ka, the sudden appearance of concentrations of nanodiamonds, high-temperature magnetic spherules, platinum, and iridium provide evidence of an extraterrestrial (ET) event that others have identified at more than 40 sites in North America. Major changes in oceans and climate, and the catastrophic outflow of nearby Lake Agassiz at the onset of the YD, may be related. Lower water levels and a reduction of Souris River inflow to Lake Hind followed, which are reflected by more clayey and organic-rich sediments and a decrease in pre-Quaternary palynomorphs. This may have resulted from the deepening of river valleys caused by the release of meltwater triggered by the ET event. Wetlands then began to develop, leading to peat deposition from 12.3 to 11 cal ka. This was followed by a fluvial episode depositing sand and then by increased Holocene aridity that resulted in accumulation of a thick sequence of dune sands. A dry woodland environment with a mix of conifers (especially Picea and Larix) and deciduous trees (especially Populus and Quercus) covered the uplands from ~13 to 10 cal ka.
Understanding the Atmospheric Temperature Adjustment to CO2 Perturbation at the Process Level

Climate model comparisons show that there is considerable uncertainty in the atmospheric temperature response to CO2 perturbation. The uncertainty results from both the rapid adjustment that occurs before SST changes and the slow feedbacks that occur after SST changes. The analysis in this paper focuses on the rapid adjustment. We use a novel method to decompose the temperature change in AMIP-type climate simulation in order to understand the adjustment at the process level. We isolate the effects of different processes, including radiation, convection, and large-scale circulation in the temperature adjustment, through a set of numerical experiments using a hierarchy of climate models. We find that radiative adjustment triggers and largely controls the zonal mean atmospheric temperature response pattern. This pattern is characterized by stratospheric cooling, lower-tropospheric warming, and a warming center near the tropical tropopause. In contrast to conventional views, the warming center near the tropopause is found to be critically dependent on the shortwave absorption of CO2. The dynamical processes largely counteract the effect of the radiative process that increases the vertical temperature gradient in the free troposphere. The effect of local convection is to move atmospheric energy vertically, which cools the lower troposphere and warms the upper troposphere. The adjustment due to large-scale circulation further redistributes energy along the isentropic surfaces across the latitudes, which cools the low-latitude lower troposphere and warms the midlatitude upper troposphere and stratosphere. Our results highlight the importance of the radiative adjustment in the overall adjustment and provide a potential method to understand the spread in the models.
Towards depth estimation in a single aerial image

ABSTRACT Nowadays, depth estimation from a single image is a task that has been successfully addressed by Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures. In this regard, several authors have taken advantage of depth datasets publicly available to the scientific community to train their CNN-based methods. From a project of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago has emerged KITTI (acronym derived from the institutions' names) as one of the most popular public datasets providing depth estimates associated to RGB (Red, Green, Blue) images. Regarding the depth data in KITTI and typically in many other datasets, these include monocular or stereo RGB images associated with depth images obtained via laser, stereo cameras or a combination of both. These images and depth data have been collected by driving around outdoor urban environments with cameras looking forward to the horizon. In contrast, in this work, we are interested in CNN-based depth estimation in a single aerial image for which depth datasets are not available. In addition, popular CNN architectures for depth estimation in a single-image struggle to estimate depth in aerial scenes due to the fact that the camera angle and object appearance in aerial imagery are significantly different. Nevertheless, we propose to harvest the depth information available in KITTI in order to tackle the problem of depth estimation in a single aerial image. To this end, our approach is a two-step methodology based on patch processing that is later used as input for a set of proposed CNN architectures. Our results indicate that this approach is promising, and those datasets such as KITTI may indeed be exploited in other domains, especially where the data acquisition may be expensive or difficult to be carried out such as for aerial scenes.
BPES-Related Mathematical Development for the Phase Shift Due to Rf Magnetic Field in Heart Inferior Coronary Artery NMR Imaging

It is known that most cardiovascular emergencies are caused by coronary artery disease. Nevertheless, in the last decade’s related literature, data about mathematical models of heart and heart vessels along with NMR/MRI features is not accordingly abundant. In fact there are inherent difficulties in developing this type of mathematical models to completely describe the real or ideal geometries of heart arterial system. In this study, a mathematical formulation for the NMR diffusion partial differential equation derived from the Bloch NMR flow equations to describe in detail the activities in lower heart coronary artery is presented. Based on the Bloch NMR flow equations, we deduce analytical expressions to describe in detail the NMR transverse magnetizations and signals as a function of some NMR flow and geometrical parameters which are invaluable for the analysis of blood flow in heart vessels. The boundary conditions are inherently introduced based on the properties of the Boubaker polynomials expansion scheme BPES.
Application of telbivudine and entecavir in the treatment of patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of telbivudine and entecavir in the treatments of patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B(CHB). Methods Sixty HBeAg-positive CHB patients were divided into telbivudine-and entecavir-treated group.The efficacy and safety of the two groups were assessed at 12 and 24 weeks.Results There were no significant differences in the rates of normalization of ALT and of HBV DNA undetectable between the two groups at week 12 and 24(P0.05);the loss and seroconversion rate of HBeAg at week 12 were significantly higher in the telbivudine group than in the entecavir group(36.7%vs.14.3% and 26.7%vs.6.7%,P0.05);there was no significant difference in the seroconversion rate of HBeAg between the two groups at week 24,but there was significant difference in the clearance rate of HBeAg between the two groups(46.7%vs.20.0%,P0.05);The high baseline ALT levels was the independent factor related to HBeAg seroconversion at week 24 in both groups.Conclusion Telbivudine and entecavir are both effective for treatment of patients with CHB,and serum HBeAg seroconversion rate in telbivudine group is higher than in entecavir group.
Study of the section optimization of gravity dam based on improved PSO

As the linearly-decreasing inertia weight of particle swarm optimization (PSO) can easily lead to local extremum, this paper proposes an improved PSO which changes the dynamic changing pattern of Inertia Weight w based on the properties of trigonometric function. The inertia weight value of improved PSO is large at the early stage and relatively small at the later stage, thus improving the global searching ability as well as the convergence performance of the algorithm. The Optimal Section Area A(X) of non-overflow gravity dam calculated through improved PSO is 5147.3 m2 which is 6.93% lower than that calculated through SPSO (A(X)=5530.7m2). To obtain the optimal solution, the calculation steps needed by improved PSO and SPSO respectively are 15 and 22. The convergence rate of improved PSO is 31.8% higher than that of SPSO. The calculation results of the two algorithms show that the improved PSO is able to obtain better optimization results in higher convergence rate and thus is suitable for the optimization design of large-scale hydraulic structures.
Urban Decay in Central Hill, Port Elizabeth

Urban decay has caused the destruction of many neighbourhoods in many great cities, and Central Hill in Port Elizabeth is no exception. Given the reports in the media, and the visible urban decay in areas of Central Hill, a qualitative study entailing interviews was undertaken to determine the status quo, and the relationship, if any between various issues relating to urban decay. Findings include: that urban regeneration has had an impact, however urban decay is still occurring; there are five key issues in terms of mitigating urban decay through the management of the area; there are thirteen qualities that make a building uninhabitable; the raiding of abandoned buildings cause urban decay; there are five key aspects of a building require regular maintenance, and building owners can receive enough income to maintain their buildings if they ask fair market related rentals. Conclusions include that the cause of urban decay cannot be pinned to one specific event or incident, but is a result of many factors. Recommendations include: the development of an overarching strategy; optimum management of the area by all stakeholders; optimum policing; adequate maintenance of buildings; market-related rentals; development and enforcement of municipal bylaws, and municipal incentives for maintaining buildings in an optimum state.
Changes in microbial biomass and grain yield of rice varieties in response to the alternate wet and dry water regime in the inland valley of derived savanna

This investigation tested the hypothesis that the alternate wet and dry (AWD) water regime would increase soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and microbial count. Variations in MBC, MBN and grain yield could be due to varietal differences in a derived savanna. Experiments (both pot and field ones) were conducted at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (Latitude 7? 12? to 7? 20? N and Longitude 3? 20? to 3? 28? E), Nigeria in 2015. In both trials, the treatments consisted of water regimes (continuous flooding [control] and AWD imposed on lowland rice varieties [NERICA? L-19])and Ofada [local check] at the vegetative growth stage in three cycles. The design in both trials was a completely randomised and randomised complete block design for the pot and field experiments respectively, with three replicates. In the screen house, MBC and MBN were significantly higher in AWD than in continuously flooded soil, especially at the beginning of the AWD cycles. This could have caused nutrient pulses to sustain the improved performance of lowland rice under AWD. A converse pattern was observed in the field in the third cycle. Ofada rice had a significantly higher microbial count and MBC (cycle 1) than NERICA L-19, however, a converse pattern was observed in MBC (cycles 2 and 3) and MBN (cycle 1). Composition of their rhizodeposition and timing of cycles could explain the observed varietal differences in MBC and MBN.
Subduction‐Induced Upwelling of a Hydrous Transition Zone: Implications for the Cenozoic Magmatism in Northeast China

The widespread Cenozoic basalts in northeast China are commonly thought to be related to the stagnation of the Pacific slab in the transition zone and its deep dehydration. By incorporating experimentally constrained phase diagrams of hydrous mantle and melting conditions at high pressures into two‐dimensional petrological‐thermomechanical models, here we model the interaction of a subducting slab with a hydrous transition zone (TZ) and examine its potential role in generating intracontinental magmatism. The model results show that descending of the oceanic slab first forces up the material in the TZ. Depending on the water content in the TZ, the upwelling hydrous material may undergo dehydration melting above the TZ. As a large slab stagnates within the TZ owing to the lower mantle resistance, the deep melting migrates progressively toward the overriding continent's interior, generating plutonic/volcanic rocks in the continental crust far away from the trench. The amount of deep melting and surface magmatism is obviously related to the amount of water stored in the TZ. In contrast, the water stored in the cold core of the subducting slab and released in the transition zone does not generate melting as it is entirely absorbed by mantle transition zone nominally anhydrous minerals. Comparing the model results with the distribution of the late Cenozoic basalts in northeast China, we suggest that the intracontinental magmatism there was likely caused by deep dehydration melting induced by the slab‐transition zone interaction.
FIRST RECORD OF Ctenogobius smaragdus (VALENCIENNES, 1837) (GOBIIFORMES, GOBIIDAE) FOR THE MARANHÃO STATE, BRAZILIAN AMAZON COAST

ABSTRACTThis study presents the first records of the C. smaragdus in the Maranhão State, found on the Raposa Channel Estuary, Brazilian Amazon Coast. The new record could be justified by use of the inappropriate sampling methods and the focus of ichthyology researches in the Maranhão State. RESUMOO presente estudo registra pela primeira vez Ctenogobius smaragdus para o Estado do Maranhão, o exemplar foi encontrado no canal da Raposa, Costa Amazônica Brasileira. A falta de registro no pretérito pode ser justificada pelo uso de metódos inapropriados e diferentes foco dos estudos localizados no Maranhão. Palavras-chave: Maré; Litoral equatorial; Manguezais; Macromarés; Sistema estuarino.
Foramen magnum as a tool of estimating stature in a male population

Foramen magnum is an important anatomical landmark, but the anthropological importance of foramen magnum is under assessed. Few studies in the past have tried to correlate the value of foramen magnum in the estimation of sex and endocranial volume. This study tries to evaluate the value of foramen magnum in estimating the stature of an individual, as it could be of immense value in assessing the stature, in case of fragmentary remains. We have formulated a multiple regression equation using the length, breadth and area of foramen magnum. Based on the analysis it was found that breadth of foramen magnum was a better tool of stature estimation than area and length of foramen magnum.
A comparison of deep machine learning and Monte Carlo methods for facies classification from seismic data

Among the large variety of mathematical and computational methods for estimating reservoir properties such as facies and petrophysical variables from geophysical data, deep machine-learning algorithms have gained significant popularity for their ability to obtain accurate solutions for geophysical inverse problems in which the physical models are partially unknown. Solutions of classification and inversion problems are generally not unique, and uncertainty quantification studies are required to quantify the uncertainty in the model predictions and determine the precision of the results. Probabilistic methods, such as Monte Carlo approaches, provide a reliable approach for capturing the variability of the set of possible models that match the measured data. Here, we focused on the classification of facies from seismic data and benchmarked the performance of three different algorithms: recurrent neural network, Monte Carlo acceptance/rejection sampling, and Markov chain Monte Carlo. We tested and validated these approaches at the well locations by comparing classification predictions to the reference facies profile. The accuracy of the classification results is defined as the mismatch between the predictions and the log facies profile. Our study found that when the training data set of the neural network is large enough and the prior information about the transition probabilities of the facies in the Monte Carlo approach is not informative, machine-learning methods lead to more accurate solutions; however, the uncertainty of the solution might be underestimated. When some prior knowledge of the facies model is available, for example, from nearby wells, Monte Carlo methods provide solutions with similar accuracy to the neural network and allow a more robust quantification of the uncertainty, of the solution.
Growth Abnormalities Resulting in Short Stature in Genetic Syndromes

Growth Abnormalities Resulting in Short Stature in Genetic Syndromes Short stature is a common problem in children and adolescents, and has been reported in a wide variety of genetic syndromes. In this article, we provide an overview of clinical features typical to handful genetic syndromes in which short stature is a cardinal feature, and for which there is a well based core data. These disorders include chromosomal abnormalities such as Down and Turner syndromes, monogenic syndromes (Noonan syndrome and other selected syndromes caused by RAS/MAPK pathway genes, Cornelia de Lange syndrome and SHOX gene abnormalities) and epigenetic mechanism abnormalities, including Silver-Russell syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome.
Scrub typhus during pregnancy

Scrub typhus is an uncommon cause of acute febrile illness during pregnancy. If not diagnosed early and treated appropriately it can lead to adverse maternal and foetal outcome. We report the case of a 27-year-old woman, gravida 2, para 1, live birth 1, with 29 weeks gestation who presented to the hospital with high grade fever, chills, severe headache and body pains of 9 days duration. The diagnosis of scrub typhus was confirmed by serum immunochromatography. She was successfully treated with azithromycin, and discharged. There were no foetal complicatons.
Novel methodology for diagnosis of causes associated with mould growth in dwellings

Increased occupancy rates, inappropriate ventilation and intermittent heating regimes in dwellings can result in excessive atmospheric moisture levels, potentially leading to mould growth and lower indoor air quality. Identifying the causes associated to mould growth and taking correct remedial actions can be essential in reducing the prevalence of this problem. In practice it is often complex, even for experts, to accurately identify some of these causes and this can lead to costly and unnecessary interventions. Towards development of a novel systematic diagnostic procedure an extensive monitoring exercise has been undertaken involving collection of environmental data from dwellings with and without mould issues. The data has been analysed, considering building characteristics and occupancy’s lifestyle features, with the objective to identify thresholds on measurable parameters that are indicative of mould growth risks. The proposed methodology links key parameters to identify factors that contribute to surface condensation and mould growth in buildings. This research presents a process towards environmental data collection, post-processing to compute and interpret pertinent environmental parameters, and displaying them in a clear and easy-to-interpret manner.
Double thérapie antiplaquettaire d’une durée de 12 ou 30 mois après la pose de tuteurs pharmacoactifs

Sarah Asselin Frigon1,2,3, Pharm.D. , M.Sc., Emmy Bernier1,4,5, Pharm.D. , M.Sc. 1 Candidate à la maitrise en pharmacothérapie avancée au moment de la rédaction de l’article, Faculté de pharmacie, Université de Montréal, Montréal (Québec) Canada; 2Résidente en pharmacie au moment de la rédaction de l’article, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Québec) Canada; 3Pharmacienne, Centre de santé et de services sociaux de Rouyn-Noranda, Rouyn-Noranda (Québec) Canada; 4Résidente en pharmacie au moment de la rédaction de l’article, Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montréal (Québec) Canada; 5Pharmacienne, Hôpital Anna-Laberge, Châteauguay (Québec) Canada
Analysis for Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Honey from Kabale District, South-Western Uganda

This study was motivated by the reported accumulation of Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) residues in the various environmental matrices within Uganda, resulting from their use in agriculture and health sectors. This raised a concern of the likelihood of the accumulation of the OCPs residues in the honey produced within the country which would affect its purity as well as quality and consequently its competition on the world market. Sixty representative honey samples were collected from selected local beekeepers from four sampling stations in Muko sub-county, Kabale, and extracted for OCPs using a solid-phase procedure followed by a florisil column packed clean-up method and Gas Chromatography-Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD) analysis. Confirmation of the selected samples was done using an Agilent (6890N, USA) gas chromatograph combined with a mass spectrometer. Recoveries of spiked samples ranged from 71% to 96%, except for pp-DDE (54%), with relative standard deviations from 2% to 14% in terms of repeatability, and from 4% to 17% in terms of reproducibility. Limits of quantification were from 0.003 to 0.1 mg·kg-1. Endosulfan sulfate was the most frequently detected in 38% of the samples, followed by HexaChloroBenzene (Lindane) in 21% of the samples. Residues of DDT and their metabolites were detected in 17% of the samples. Mean concentrations of the pesticide residues detected range from ND (not detected) to 1.53 μg/Kg. The acceptable Maximum residual limits (MLRs) are 200 - 300 μg·kg-1 fresh weight for dieldrin, 500 μg·kg-1 for DDT and break down products, and 50 μg·kg-1 wet weight for Lindane (WHO/FAO 2011). Results indicate that the levels of OCP residues detected in honey from the country’s South Western District of Kabale were within the acceptable limits, and hence this honey was safe for human consumption.
Numerical Investigations on High Lift Force Generation of 3D Dragonfly Wing during Hovering Motions

In the paper, a novel numerical method is present to numerically investigate life force generation mechanisms of 3D dragonfly wing during hovering motions. The dynamic mesh which descripts the motion of 3D wing and gird change in inner computational domain is generated by an ALE model we developed. Then the mesh is transferred at each time step into ANSYS CFX using Junction Box Routine. The simulation results show that a high lift force generated by implementing one specified advanced flapping action during hovering motion in which the translation time period of downstroke is shortened.