Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A swarm of small shield volcanoes on Syria Planum, Mars

This study focuses on the volcanism in Syria Planum, located at the center of the Tharsis bulge at an altitude of 6 to 8 km above Mars datum. Syria Planum was previously recognized as a center for the tectonic activity of Tharsis, but not as a major locus for volcanic activity, despite its centrality over the bulge. Using high-resolution images from the high resolution stereo camera on Mars Express combined with Mars Observer Laser Altimeter data, we have characterized a volcanic system that reveals a number of very interesting aspects of Mars volcanism. We identified a swarm of tens of coalesced shallow volcanic edifices, typically 10–30 km diameter, 0.1–0.2 km high, and with slopes around 0.5°. These characteristics are similar to those of small shield volcanoes found in Iceland. In addition, an intermediate-sized volcano, which is the source of lava flows that extend over >200 km, is observed west of this shield swarm. Our study characterizes a previously unrecognized volcanic assemblage on Mars which appears to be much more developed than was documented before, in terms of morphology, inferred origin, and periodicity of eruption. The estimated lava flux of the Syria Planum volcanoes is of the same order as the lava flux of Tharsis Montes. These characteristics suggest that Syria Planum experienced a very specific style of volcanism, which we dated to the Hesperian period.
Recent behaviour of Glaciar Upsala, a fast-flowing calving glacier in Lago Argentino, southern Patagonia

Abstract Sequential optical images of high spatial resolution were used for the first time to derive surface ice velocities of Glaciar Upsala, a fast-moving fresh-water calving glacier in southern Patagonia. Cross-correlation methods applied to four Landsat ETM+ images acquired in 2000–01 yielded average velocities of around 1600 m a−1, similar to values measured in the field in November 1993. The derived velocities show almost no seasonal variation for the analyzed calving termini. During the period of satellite coverage, clear readvances were detected in the autumn–winter period, followed by recessions during summers. Between 24 April 1999 and 14 October 2001, the glacier front has been fluctuating seasonally within about 400 m, in contrast to the previous dramatic recession. During the last 2.5 years, Glaciar Upsala west terminus had a net advance of around 300 m. In addition, the available satellite images allowed us to determine recent calving speeds and confirm the improved calving-rate/water-depth relationship, recently proposed by incorporating new data from Patagonian glaciers.
Identification of Melanoma Stem Cells in Long-term Cultures and of SOX 6 as a Specific Biomarker for these Stem Cells

Background: Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer and its resistance to existing therapies in advanced stages is already known. This resistance can be directly related to the presence of cancer stem cells. We developed an experimental model that involved study of isolates of melanoma lineages (TM1 and TM5), cells that had some “stem” characteristics, in order to better characterize them. Materials and Methods: We used a specific culture medium containing: RPMI, basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, leukemia inhibitory factor and retinoic acid. Three lineages were used: melan-a, TM1 and TM5. Both melanoma lineages remained viable for 8 consecutive months in culture, melan-a lineage did not survive the changes within the microenvironment and selection with greater adaptive capacity was achieved. These cells presented some characteristics of stem cells and relationship with malignancy. Results: These cells presented certain characteristics, including the formation of adherent or non-adherent spheres, quiescence, survival, expression of stem cells molecules and transdifferentiation in other cellular types. We called these TM1dif and TM5dif cells “fibroblasto-like, melanocyte-like, and neural-like. ” We observed that SOX6 is a specific biomarker for these cells as its expression was totally lost during the growth of long-term cultures. In vivo, tumors formed by TM5dif had higher malignancy with greater growth of the lesion and ulceration than control tumors (TM5ctr). Conclusion: Our findings show that melanoma lineages, grown with specific media, in long-term culture, present a good protocol for the isolation of a subpopulation with some characteristics and behavior of stem cells. This can contribute to a better understanding of the role these cells play in melanomagenesis.
Konflikte und Konfliktinstitutionalisierung in der Europäischen Union

Voraussetzung für soziale Konflikte sind gesellschaftliche Unterschiede, aus denen sich unter bestimmten Bedingungen durch Prozesse der Deutung, Problematisierung und damit Politisierung soziale Ungleichheiten entwickeln können. Diese führen dann zu Konflikten, wenn die Deutungsleistung bei mindestens einem der involvierten Akteure mit dem Bemühen einhergeht, die wahrgenommene Ungleichheit zu überwinden bzw. zu reduzieren. Durch das aktive Bestreben, den eigenen relativen Status zu verändern (etwa beim Zugang zu Ressourcen, Macht, sozialer Anerkennung oder ähnlichem), wird aus gesellschaftlicher Ungleichheit ein sozialer Konflikt. Soziale Konflikte sind damit per definitionem manifeste Konflikte. Vom konfliktsoziologischen Blick nicht erfasst werden latente Antagonismen zwischen Akteuren, solange sie nicht in manifestes, konflikterzeugendes Handeln münden.
Variation of Colour Properties between and within New Robinia Varieties with Enhanced Growing Rates from Different Sites

This research analysed the colour properties of new Robinia varieties with enhanced growing rates. The investigations comprised new Robinia varieties grown on different East Hungarian sites. The colour coordinates were determined in the international CIELab system. The mean colour values of the wood of the different varieties did not show significant differences. However, the standard deviation of the measured colour coordinates showed higher values in the case of almost all varieties with high growth rates, compared to the controls (non-fast-growing). The higher colour variegation of most of the fast-growing varieties is attributed to some genetic property, as the standard deviation is independent from the mean annual ring width and the production site.
Form drag in rivers due to small-scale natural topographic features : 2 . Irregular sequences

[1] The size, shape, and spacing of small-scale topographic features found on the boundaries of natural streams, rivers, and floodplains can be quite variable. Consequently, a procedure for determining the form drag on irregular sequences of different-sized topographic features is essential for calculating near-boundary flows and sediment transport. A method for carrying out such calculations is developed in this paper. This method builds on the work of Kean and Smith (2006), which describes the flow field for the simpler case of a regular sequence of identical topographic features. Both approaches model topographic features as two-dimensional elements with Gaussian-shaped cross sections defined in terms of three parameters. Field measurements of bank topography are used to show that (1) the magnitude of these shape parameters can vary greatly between adjacent topographic features and (2) the variability of these shape parameters follows a lognormal distribution. Simulations using an irregular set of topographic roughness elements show that the drag on an individual element is primarily controlled by the size and shape of the feature immediately upstream and that the spatial average of the boundary shear stress over a large set of randomly ordered elements is relatively insensitive to the sequence of the elements. In addition, a method to transform the topography of irregular surfaces into an equivalently rough surface of regularly spaced, identical topographic elements also is given. The methods described in this paper can be used to improve predictions of flow resistance in rivers as well as quantify bank roughness.
Franchisor Insolvency in Australia: Profiles, Factors, and Impacts

Franchisor failure is enduring and important in terms of cost, nationally and internationally. This article presents research into Australian franchisor firms that went into a form of bankruptcy protection known in Australia as “voluntary administration. ” The research was driven by the commonality and divergence of the interests of franchisors and franchisees. The article provides an insight into franchisor failure and its effect on franchisees. It presents the substantial literature survey that was used to frame questions for franchisor administrators to understand issues associated with franchisors in administration. The limited data demonstrate diversity in the treatment of franchisees during the franchisor's administration. In Australia, franchisees remain a captive, financially committed counterparty during insolvency and potentially deliver a great financial benefit to the franchisor's creditors. The article concludes that administration of franchisors does not take into account the distinct relationship between franchisors and their franchisees and provides policy recommendations to address this matter.
Vascular rheumatology: atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in arthritis Reumatologia naczyniowa: miażdżyca i choroby układu krążenia w zapaleniu stawów

Arthritides have been associated with accelerated atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of vascular disease. Traditional risk factors, as well as the role of systemic inflammation including activity of cytokines, chemokines, proteases, autoantibodies, adhesion molecules and others, have been implicated in the development of vascular diseases. Accelerated atherosclerosis and increased cardioand cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality have been observed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthropathies (SpA). Endothelial dysfunction, overt atherosclerosis and vascular stiffness may be indicated by brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), common carotid intima-media thickness (ccIMT) and aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV), respectively. These abnormalities have been described in most inflammatory rheumatic diseases. While ccIMT and stiffness are relatively stable, FMD may be influenced by many confounding factors. In addition to traditional vasculoprotection, immunosuppressive agents including corticosteroids, traditional and biologic DMARDs may have significant vascular and metabolic effects. The official EULAR recommendations on the assessment and management of cardiovascular disease in arthritides have been published. S t r e s z c z e n i e
Population Genetics of the Spotted Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) in Thai Waters: Implications for Conservation

Gulf of Thailand and a geographically separated region in the Andaman Sea. Of the 101 mtDNA sequences analyzed, 7 haplotypes were identified, 5 of which were shared among individuals from the east and west coasts of the Gulf of Thailand. The remaining haplotypes were restricted to individuals from the Andaman Sea. Nucleotide and haplotype diversities were similar within the Gulf of Thailand samples, whereas diversity was lower in the Andaman Sea sample. Genetic differentiation appeared between pairs of samples from the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea (FST, p < 0.0001). A large genetic variance appeared among the 2 population groups (94.46%, ΦCT = 0.94464, p < 0.01). A Neighbor-joining tree indicated that individuals from the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea formed 2 phylogenetically distinct groups, which were segregated into different population-based clades. While results reported here indicate that populations from the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea should be treated as separate conservation units, a larger sample size from the Andaman Sea is required to confirm this genetic partitioning and low level of diversity observed in the present study. http://zoolstud.sinica. edu.tw/Journals/49.4/564.pdf
Genetically Engineered Mouse Model of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma as a Preclinical Tool

Abstract : Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas or DIPG, is a type of brain tumor that afflicts children and is the leading cause of death in pediatric brain tumor patients. One major obstacle to progress has been the lack of representative animal models that recapitulate the genetic alterations of the human disease in the appropriate cell-of-origin. Recent analysis of human DIPGs have unraveled the following key genetic alterations: K27M H3.3 or H3.1 mutations in 80% of tumors, p53 mutations in 75% of tumors, and focal amplification of components of the RTK/Ras/PI3K pathway in approximately 50% of tumors with 30% of tumors harboring amplification of PDGFR . Using the RCAS/tv-a system, we have previously reported the development of a DIPG model by overexpression of PDGF-B in nestin progenitors of Ink4a-ARF deficient mice. Here we report the development of several improved DIPG models by overexpression of PDGF-B and Cre in nestin progenitors of conditional p53 deficient mice, conditional PTEN mice, and combined conditional p53 and PTEN mice. In addition we have also generated a new DIPG model by overexpression of PDGF-B and Cre in GFAP progenitors of conditional p53 mice. Using expression profiling we note that they are genetically distinct. Lastly, to identify unique aspects of brainstem gliomagenesis we have compared the expression profile of the above described murine DIPG model to cortical gliomas induced by the same genetic alterations and unraveled that pax3 is a differentially expressed transcription factor that is upregulated in DIPGs and not in cortical gliomas.
Extraterrestrial dust, the marine lithologic record, and global biogeochemical cycles

1 GSA Data Repository item 2018318, Figure 1 references and details, oolitic ironstones, iron fluxes, and asteroid family ages, is available online at http://www . geosociety.org /datarepository /2018/ or on request from editing@geosociety.org. CITATION: Reiners, P.W. , and Turchyn, A.V. , 2018, Extraterrestrial dust, the marine lithologic record, and global biogeochemical cycles: Geology, v. 46 , p. 863–866, https://doi.org/10.1130/G45040.1 ABSTRACT Delivery of bioavailable iron and other bioessential metals to the sea surface influences the ocean-climate system through stimulation of marine primary productivity and organic carbon export in areas where eolian iron input is low, such as the Southern Ocean. In these regions, extraterrestrial dust may provide a significant fraction of bioavailable iron, due to the high reactivity of re-condensed material following ablation. If so, past episodes of increased extraterrestrial dust flux should be evident in lithologic, and potentially climatic, records. Here we show that the well-documented increase in extraterrestrial flux associated with the Ordovician L-chondrite parent-body breakup is close in time to proliferation of ooidal ironstones on continental shelves. We hypothesize that benthic iron flux from shelf sediments was increased by expanded oxygen minimum zones driven by broader regions of increased primary productivity. A later Mesozoic interval of global proliferation of ooidal ironstones and black shales also occurs at a peak in asteroid family ages formed by major main-belt collisions. Although internal forcings and feedbacks, such as global tectonic and magmatic processes, play the dominant control on long-term changes in biogeochemical cycles and related marine lithologic records, we suggest that extraterrestrial dust flux may play a role as an external forcing on Earth’s climate system.
Outline of Nguetseng's approach to non-periodic homogenization

Classical homogenization theory developed for modeling heterogeneous media with regular fine structure is based on the assumption that the structure is periodic. Since the structure of real materials is not perfectly periodic, several approaches were proposed. The approach proposed by Gabriel Nguetseng in 2003 seems to be the most general deterministic approach, it covers periodic, almostperiodic and other structures. It is based on the notion of Banach algebra spectrum. The aim of this survey paper is to give a brief self-contained outline of this rather complicated approach described in many-page papers.
Strategic Issues in Product Recovery Management

textabstractThis article examines strategic production and operations management issues in product recovery management (PRM). PRM encompasses the management of all used and discarded products, components, and materials for which a manufacturing company is legally, contractually, or otherwise responsible. The objective of PRM is to recover as much of the economic (and ecological) value of used and discarded products, components, and materials as reasonably possible, thereby reducing the ultimate quantities of waste to a minimum. This article also discusses the relevance of PRM to durable products manufacturers. It contains a categorization of PRM decisions. A case study based on the PRM system of a multinational copier manufacturer is presented to illustrate a set of specific production and operations management issues. The experiences of two other pro-active manufacturers (BMW and IBM) are also discussed
Deuterium excess in the atmospheric water vapour of a Mediterranean coastal wetland: regional vs. local signatures

Abstract. Stable isotopes of water vapour represent a powerful tool for tracing atmospheric vapour origin and mixing processes. Laser spectrometry recently allowed high time-resolution measurements, but despite an increasing number of experimental studies, there is still a need for a better understanding of the isotopic signal variability at different time scales. We present results of in situ measurements of δ18O and δD during 36 consecutive days in summer 2011 in atmospheric vapour of a Mediterranean coastal wetland exposed to high evaporation (Camargue, Rhone River delta, France). The mean composition of atmospheric vapour (δv) is δ18O = −14.66 ‰ and δD = − 95.4 ‰, with data plotting clearly above the local meteoric water line on a δ18O-δD plot, and an average deuterium excess (d) of 21.9 ‰. Important diurnal d variations are observed, and an hourly time scale analysis is necessary to interpret the main processes involved in its variability. After having classified the data according to air mass back trajectories, we analyse the average daily cycles relating to the two main meteorological situations, i.e. air masses originating from North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. In both situations, we show that diurnal fluctuations are driven by (1) the influence of local evaporation, culminating during daytime, and leading to an increase in absolute water vapour concentration associated to a δv enrichment and d increase; (2) vertical air mass redistribution when the Planetary Boundary Layer collapses in the evening, leading to a d decrease, and (3) dew formation during the night, producing a δv depletion with d remaining stable. Using a two-component mixing model, we calculate the average composition of the locally evaporated vapour (δE). We find higher d(E) under North Atlantic air mass conditions, which is consistent with lower humidity conditions. We also suggest that δv measured when the PBL collapses is the most representative of a regional signal. Strong, cold and dry winds coming from the north bring an isotopically depleted vapour, while light, warm and wet winds coming from the south bring an isotopically enriched vapour. Under northern conditions, a strong advection rate dilutes the contribution of the locally evaporated vapour (δE) to the ambient moisture (δv). The higher d values measured under northern conditions, compared to the Mediterranean situation, thus results from the combination of a higher d in both local and regional vapour. This depiction of typical daily cycles of water vapour isotopic composition can be used as a framework for further quantitative analyses of vapour sources during specific days.
Influence of Nd3+ concentration on its optical absorption and luminescence properties in potassium borate glass

Spectroscopic and laser properties of Nd3+ doped potassium borate glass have been studied for different Nd3+ concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mol%. From the absorption spectra, optical band gaps (Eopt) and various spectroscopic parameters (E1, E2, E3, ξ4f and α) are determined. Using Judd‐Ofelt intensity parameters Ω2, Ω4 and Ω6, radiative lifetimes (τR), branching ratios (β) and integrated absorption cross sections (Σ) have been calculated for certain excited states of Nd3+ for all the Nd3+ concentrations. From the spectral profiles of the hypersensitive transition, it is observed that there is slight change in the environment of Nd3+ ion in different concentrations of Nd3+ doped potassium borate glass. The radiative lifetimes (τR) for certain excited levels are minimum when the concentration is high. From the emission spectra, peak wavelengths (λp), effective line widths (Δλeff) and stimulated emission cross‐sections (σp) have been obtained for the three transitions 4F3/2 → 4I9/2, 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 and 4F3/2 → 4I13/2 of Nd3+ and are compared for different concentrations.
Automatic Constructing OWL Ontology from Relational Database Schema

In this paper we present a new tool, called DB_DOOWL, for creating domain ontology from relational database schema (RDBS). In contrast with existing transformation approaches, we propose a generic solution based on automatic instantiation of a specified meta-ontology. This later is an owl ontology which describes any database structure. A prototype of our proposed tool is implemented based on Jena in Java in order to demonstrate its feasibility.
Design and Evaluation of an Active Artificial Spine in a Hominid Robot

With increasing mechanization of our daily lives, the expectations and demands in robotic systems increase in the general public and in scientists alike. Especially disaster scenarios shows that the robotic systems not only have to face a variety of different tasks during operation but also have to deal with different demands regarding the robot’s mobility characteristics. To be able to cope with future requirements, it seems necessary to develop kinematically complex systems that feature several operating modes. Often disregarded in robotics, yet extensively used in nature, are the degrees of freedom introduced by the spine. This paper presents the latest work on the hominid robot Charlie, whose morphology is oriented on chimpanzees and which has the possibility due to its electromechanical structure and the degrees of freedom to walk with different gaits in different postures. Besides its degrees of freedom in its limbs, the robot features an active artificial spine, equipped with sensors in the structure to allow a dual use; both as a structural part as well as a 6-DoF force/torque sensor. This paper analyses the benefits of an active spine experimentally. The results show, that the exploration of the range of motion is improved and that less requirements on joint velocities are lowered. 