Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Freshwater habitat associations between pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), chum (O. keta) and Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) in a watershed dominated by sockeye salmon (O. nerka) abundance

To understand the interplay between habitat use and contemporary anadromous Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus spp. , distributions we explored the habitat associations of three species, pink (O. gorbuscha), chum (O. keta) and Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) in streams of the Wood River system of Bristol Bay, Alaska, where sockeye salmon (O. nerka) are numerically dominant. We developed models to investigate the occurrence of nondominant salmon in relation to habitat characteristics and sockeye salmon density, using four decades of salmon presence and abundance data. The frequency of occurrence and abundance of nondominant species increased with watershed drainage area and stream depth and decreased with sockeye salmon density. The range of occurrence varied from nonexistent to perennial for the other species in sockeye-dominated streams. Increasing watershed area resulted in larger stream habitat area and deeper habitats, allowing for the sympatric occurrence and persistence of all salmon species. The relationships between habitat and the presence of these Pacific salmon help define their requirements but also remind us that the patterns of presence and absence, within the overall ranges of salmon species, have yet to be fully understood.
Determination of haloacetic acid in water for human consumption by UPLC-MS / MS

The objective of this work is the implementation and validation of an analytical method for the analysis of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in drinking water. In terms of legislation, the USEPA requires that the limit for the concentration of HAAs5 (MCAA, DCAA, TCAA, MBAA and DBAA) should not exceed 60 μg/L. WHO imposes to MCAA, DCAA and TCAA the limits of 20 μg/L, 50 μg/L and 200 μg/L, respectively. The ERSAR imposes that the limit for the concentration of HAAs3 (MCAA, DCAA, TCAA) should not exceed 100 μg/L. For the determination of these compounds a method that combines the efficiency of ultra-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed. First the operating conditions of the mass spectrometer were optimized by varying the parameters (cone voltage and collision energy) related to the formation of precursor ions and product ions of each HAAs. Then the chromatographic conditions were optimized so as to obtain a higher sensitivity and resolution for each compound in the shortest possible time. After the implementation of the analytical method it was carried out its validation. Limits of quantification for the HAAs study were below the reference values imposed by USEPA, OMS and ERSAR entities. Drinking water samples from the area of Lisbon and Algarve were analysed in order to examine the presence of the halogenated compounds, and the highest concentration value was 22 μg/L of TCAA in a sample. In none of the samples analysed, the reference values of the entities USEPA, WHO and ERSAR have been exceeded.
Features of symptomatic supraventricular tachycardia in northeast China residents

Objective: To determine the features of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) by examining cases from two main medical centers in the Heilongjiang province of northeastern China. Methods: A total of 1677 consecutive SVT patients diagnosed by electrocardiography at the Second and Fourth Affiliated Hospitals of Harbin Medical University between January 2009 and January 2012 were included in the study. Results: The SVT healing rate was 96%. Electrophysiology confirmed 550 patients with atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT, 33%) and 1076 patients with atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia (AVRT, 64%). The patients underwent subsequent radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). The RFCA success rate was 98.9% and 99.1% in the AVNRT and AVRT groups, respectively. AVRT patients were younger than AVNRT patients (41.6±15.7 years vs. 46.9±14.7 years). Women with AVNRT had a higher morbidity rate than men (61% vs. 39%), while men with AVRT had a higher morbidity rate than women (55% vs. 45%). Of AVRT and AVNRT patients, 98% and 97.3% were of Han nationality, respectively, which was not statistically significant compared with the local Han population. Conclusion: Nearly two-thirds of the residents in northeastern of China with SVT had AVRT. The morbidity rates for different types of SVT differed statistically with respect to age and gender. The majority of patients with SVT (96%) can be cured by RFCA.
Constrained Extended Kalman Filter : an Efficient Improvement of Calibration for Dynamic Traffic Assignment Models by Haizheng Zhang

The calibration (estimation of inputs and parameters) for dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) systems is a crucial process for traffic prediction accuracy, and thus critical to global traffic management applications to reduce traffic congestion. In support of the real-time traffic management, the DTA calibration algorithm should also be online, in terms of: 1) estimating inputs and parameters in a time interval only based on data up to that time; 2) performing calibration faster than real-time data generation. Generalized least squares (GLS) methods and Kalman filter-based methods are proved useful in online calibration. However, in literature, the road networks selected to test online calibration algorithms are usually simple and have small number of parameters. Thus their effectiveness when applied to high dimensions and large networks is not well proved. In this thesis, we implemented the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and tested it on the Singapore expressway network with synthetic data that replicate real world demand level. The EKF is diverging and the DTA system is even worse than when no calibration is applied. The problem lies in the truncation process in DTA systems. When estimated demand values are negative, they are truncated to 0 and the overall demand is overestimated. To overcome this problem, this thesis presents a modified EKF method, called constrained EKF. Constrained EKF solves the problem of overestimating the overall demand by imposing constraints on the posterior distribution of the state estimators and obtain the maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimates within the feasible region. An algorithm of iteratively adding equality constraints followed by the coordinate descent method is applied to obtain the MAP estimates. In our case study, this constrained EKF implementation added less than 10 seconds of computation time and improved EKF significantly. Results show that it also outperforms
Paradox reconsidered: Methane oversaturation in well‐oxygenated lake waters

The widely reported paradox of methane oversaturation in oxygenated water challenges the prevailing paradigm that microbial methanogenesis only occurs under anoxic conditions. Using a combination of field sampling, incubation experiments, and modeling, we show that the recurring mid‐water methane peak in Lake Stechlin, northeast Germany, was not dependent on methane input from the littoral zone or bottom sediment or on the presence of known micro‐anoxic zones. The methane peak repeatedly overlapped with oxygen oversaturation in the seasonal thermocline. Incubation experiments and isotope analysis indicated active methane production, which was likely linked to photosynthesis and/or nitrogen fixation within the oxygenated water, whereas lessening of methane oxidation by light allowed accumulation of methane in the oxygen‐rich upper layer. Estimated methane efflux from the surface water was up to 5 mmol m−2 d−1. Mid‐water methane oversaturation was also observed in nine other lakes that collectively showed a strongly negative gradient of methane concentration within 0–20% dissolved oxygen (DO) in the bottom water, and a positive gradient within ≥ 20% DO in the upper water column. Further investigation into the responsible organisms and biochemical pathways will help improve our understanding of the global methane cycle.
Protective Effect of Squalene on Mitochondrial Alterations in Isoprenaline-Induced Myocardial Injury

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are reported to play an important role in producing lethal cell injury associated with cardiac ischemia during myocardial infarction. The effects of ROS should be greatest at the level of mitochondrial membrane constituents, including the complexes of the respiratory chain and phospholipids constituents particularly rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as cardiolipin. In the present study we have investigated the protective effect of squalene supplementation on mitochondrial function in isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rats. A dietary supplementation of 2% (w/w) squalene significantly minimized isoprenaline-induced alterations in mitochondrial energy status by maintaining the activities of TCA cycle enzymes (isocitrate dehydrogenase, -ketoglutarate, succinate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase) and respiratory marker enzymes (NADH dehydrognase and cytochrome-c-oxydase) at a higher level when compared to control rats that received isoprenaline. Squalene exerted an antioxidant effect by inhibiting mitochondrial lipid peroxidation. Supplementation with squalene also maintained the mitochondrial antioxidant defense system at a higher rate by increasing the level of reduced glutathione and the activities of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes and antiperoxidative enzymes in the heart mitochondria. The results of this study provide evidence that dietary supplementation with squalene can improve heart mitochondrial function and prevent subsequent damage to the myocardium. The cardioprotective effect of squalene might be ascribable to its antioxidant property and membrane-stabilizing action. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Effect of Milking Frequency on Mammary Functioning and Shape of the Lactation Curve

Milk yield is a function of the number of mammary secretory cells and their metabolic activity. Both are not static, but change during the course of lactation. The rate at which they change may be influenced by farm management practices, such as feeding, photoperiod, hormonal treatment (e.g., bovine somatotropin), and milking frequency. By applying such practices, or a combination thereof, at any time during lactation, the farmer has tools to alter the shape of the lactation curve. These practices could be applied after peak lactation to increase milk yield and perhaps slow down the rate of postpeak decline in milk yield, but can also be used to promote mammary involution near drying-off. The present review focuses on milking frequency. Compared with twicedaily milking, milking three times a day or more often (robotic milking) will increase milk yield by 18%, whereas once-daily milking decreases milk output by 20%. Although frequent milking is practiced more often than once daily, the once-daily milked gland provides an excellent model to study functional changes related to milking frequency. The effects of increasing and decreasing milking frequency on mammary functioning are discussed, with emphasis on functional changes in the once-daily milked gland with regard to processes such as changing cell number or activity, feedbackinhibition, tight junction leakiness, apoptosis, and cisternalalveolar milk storage.
Steps Towards A Large-Format Document Hand-Held Scanner

There is no easy way to scan large-format documents such as posters, maps, whiteboards, etc. This report describes an implementation of some of the mosaicing techniques described by [Brown and Lowe 2003] and [Capel and Zisserman 1998] for automatically constructing panoramas in the hope of applying them to reconstructing large-format documents from a series of partial snapshots taken independently or with a video camera.
Compact 3-D-Printed Circularly Polarized Antenna for Handheld UHF RFID Readers

In this letter, the aptness of the combination of three-dimensional (3-D) printing and radio frequency identification (RFID) is faced by presenting a compact, low-profile, and cost-effective circularly polarized antenna for handheld UHF RFID reader. The radiating element has been realized through a circular array of four inverted-F monopoles, where the array elements are excited with a 90° phase offset through a microstrip feeding network, realized in 3-D printing technology as well. Taking advantage from low losses and moldability of the 3-D printing materials joint to a specific design strategy, the proposed antenna realizes an improved gain and an appreciable size reduction if compared with the state of the art.
Local depletion by a fishery can affect seabird foraging

1. Long-term demographic studies show that seabird populations may suffer from competition with fisheries. Understanding this process is critical for the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAF). Existing studies rely mostly on indirect clues: overlaps between seabird foraging and fishing areas, comparing fish catches by seabirds and vessels. 2. The study is based on a GPS tracking experiment performed in 2007 on one of the main guano-producing seabird species, the Peruvian booby, breeding on an island near the major port for anchovy landings in Peru. The fishery, which is entirely monitored by a Vessel Monitoring System, opened the day we began the tracking experiment, providing a unique opportunity to examine the day-to-day effects of an intense fishing activity on seabird foraging behaviour. 3. We observed a significant increase in the range of the daily trips and distances of the dives by birds from the colony. This increase was significantly related to the concomitant fishing activity. Seabirds progressively became more segregated in space from the vessels. Their increased foraging effort was significantly related to the growing quantity of anchovy removals by the fishery. In addition, daily removals by the fishery were at least 100 times greater than the daily anchovy requirement of the seabird colonies. We conclude that seabirds needed to forage farther to cope with the regional prey depletion created by the intensive fishing behaviour of this open access fishery. 4. Synthesis and applications. We show that the foraging efficiency of breeding seabirds may be significantly affected by not only the global quantity, but also the temporal and spatial patterns of fishery removals. Together with an ecosystem-based definition of the fishery quota, an EAF should limit the risk of local depletion around breeding colonies using, for instance, adaptive marine protected areas.
A Hybrid Control of a P 300-Based BCI : a Solution to Improve System Usability ?

A P300 based BCI system was designed to control an assistive technology software (Riccio et al., 2011). Subsequently a hybrid (electromyographic, EMG) control devoted to the correction of spelling errors was introduced in it. The hybrid version of such system would provide severly disabled end-users with a way to exploit not otherwise functionally reliable residual muscular activity. Eight healthy subjects and two severly motor impaired end-users participated to the system testing. Preliminary findings are in favour of the superiority in efficiency of the hybrid control with respect to the no-hybrid (only BCI-based) as indicated by the observed improvement of the performance (expressed as time for selction and percent of errors) that was associated with a decrease of the system usage frustration perceived by the users.
Nonlinear Force-free Field Modeling of a Solar Active Region around the Time of a Major Flare and Coronal Mass Ejection

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections are associated with rapid changes in field connectivity and are powered by the partial dissipation of electrical currents in the solar atmosphere. A critical unanswered question is whether the currents involved are induced by the motion of preexisting atmospheric magnetic flux subject to surface plasma flows or whether these currents are associated with the emergence of flux from within the solar convective zone. We address this problem by applying state-of-the-art nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) modeling to the highest resolution and quality vector-magnetographic data observed by the recently launched Hinode satellite on NOAA AR 10930 around the time of a powerful X3.4 flare. We compute 14 NLFFF models with four different codes and a variety of boundary conditions. We find that the model fields differ markedly in geometry, energy content, and force-freeness. We discuss the relative merits of these models in a general critique of present abilities to model the coronal magnetic field based on surface vector field measurements. For our application in particular, we find a fair agreement of the best-fit model field with the observed coronal configuration, and argue (1) that strong electrical currents emerge together with magnetic flux preceding the flare, (2) that these currents are carried in an ensemble of thin strands, (3) that the global pattern of these currents and of field lines are compatible with a large-scale twisted flux rope topology, and (4) that the ~1032 erg change in energy associated with the coronal electrical currents suffices to power the flare and its associated coronal mass ejection.
A practical system to predict the absorption coefficient, dimension and reverberation time of room using GLCM, DVP and neural network

In various prediction techniques of reverberation time such as Sabine and Eyring equation, ray-method, and numerical method require main parameters such absorption coefficient and dimensions. Normally, these parameters are obtained from references or/and measurements that necessitate special equipment and skills. On that matters, the authors have proposed a new practical technique to identify absorption coefficient and dimension of rooms. The technique comprises Subsystem_1 and Subsystem_2, each of which uses photographic images. Subsystem_1 uses a Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and integrate with Neural Network (NN) to identify the absorption coefficient of material. While, Subsystem_2 uses Dimension Vision Predictor (DVP) with the author’s “ruler method” to identify the dimensions. Examinations conducted in practical rooms revealed good correlation coefficient of r ≥ 0.90 for Subsystem_1 and r ≥ 0.99 for Subsystem_2. Finally, the System using NN gave inconsistent results, however, FEA revealed consistent results with r ≥ 0.8
NFκB Inhibition Mitigates Serum Amyloid A-Induced Pro-Atherogenic Responses in Endothelial Cells and Leukocyte Adhesion and Adverse Changes to Endothelium Function in Isolated Aorta

The acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) is associated with endothelial dysfunction and early-stage atherogenesis. Stimulation of vascular cells with SAA increases gene expression of pro-inflammation cytokines and tissue factor (TF). Activation of the transcription factor, nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB), may be central to SAA-mediated endothelial cell inflammation, dysfunction and pro-thrombotic responses, while targeting NFκB with a pharmacologic inhibitor, BAY11-7082, may mitigate SAA activity. Human carotid artery endothelial cells (HCtAEC) were pre-incubated (1.5 h) with 10 μM BAY11-7082 or vehicle (control) followed by SAA (10 μg/mL; 4.5 h). Under these conditions gene expression for TF and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) increased in SAA-treated HCtAEC and pre-treatment with BAY11-7082 significantly (TNF) and marginally (TF) reduced mRNA expression. Intracellular TNF and interleukin 6 (IL-6) protein also increased in HCtAEC supplemented with SAA and this expression was inhibited by BAY11-7082. Supplemented BAY11-7082 also significantly decreased SAA-mediated leukocyte adhesion to apolipoprotein E-deficient mouse aorta in ex vivo vascular flow studies. In vascular function studies, isolated aortic rings pre-treated with BAY11-7082 prior to incubation with SAA showed improved endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation and increased vascular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) content. Together these data suggest that inhibition of NFκB activation may protect endothelial function by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic activities of SAA.
Directional orientation of migration in an aseasonal explosive-breeding toad from Brazil

Abstract: The directional orientation of pre- and post-reproductive migration was studied in the Brazilian red-bellied toad Melanophryniscus cambaraensis, a species that forms explosive-breeding aggregations at irregular intervals throughout the entire year. Migrating toads were captured by enclosing the breeding site in dual drift fences with inward- and outward-facing funnel traps. Data were collected over 5 mo and totalled 333 captures. The observed directional orientation was significantly different from expected under a uniform distribution for both pre- and post-reproductive migration, regardless of gender. Males and females did not differ significantly from each other in the orientation of entry or exit, and the directional orientation of pre-reproductive migration was not significantly different from post-reproductive migration. It is suggested that the observed directional bias may be due to a dirt road next to the breeding site that could restrict juvenile dispersal to the adjacent forest.
Ringo - R Investigation of NimbleGen Oligoarrays

The package Ringo deals with the analysis of two-color oligonucleotide microarrays used in ChIP-chip projects. The package was started to facilitate the analysis of two-color microarrays from the company NimbleGen1, but the package has a modular design, such that the platform-specific functionality is encapsulated and analogous two-color tiling array platforms can also be processed. The package employs functions from other packages of the Bioconductor project (Gentleman et al., 2004) and provides additional ChIP-chip-specific and NimbleGen-specific functionalities.
Identity profiles and digital engagement among Finnish high school students

Developing a stable personal identity is considered a more precarious task in today’s society than hitherto. Skilful digital engagement may, however, constitute a valuable asset in necessary identity exploration and commitment. Applying a person-oriented approach, we examined for the first time how identity profiles are associated with digital engagement, operationalized as digital competence, gaming seriousness, type of internet activity and excessive ICT use. After controlling for gender, life satisfaction and parental SES, this study of a Finnish high school sample (N = 932) revealed that adolescents with future commitments and some exploration of options (achievement, searching moratorium) were the most advanced in digital skills and, in the former case, least prone to excessive ICT use. By contrast, adolescents desperately trying to solve the identity task (ruminative moratorium) scored highest on friendship-driven internet activity and excessive ICT use, whereas diffused individuals had the weakest digital competence. No differences between the profiles emerged regarding gaming and interest-driven internet activity. The results suggest that the digital world and related devices are purposeful tools for shaping and maintaining healthy identity commitments.
Theory of an all-carbon molecular switch

We study electron transport across a carbon molecular junction consisting of a C60 molecule sandwiched between two semi-infinite metallic carbon nanotubes. It is shown that the Landauer conductance of this carbon hybrid system can be tuned within orders of magnitude not only by varying the tube-C60 distance, but more importantly at fixed distances by (i) changing the orientation of the Buckminsterfullerene or (ii) rotating one of the tubes around its cylinder axis. Furthermore, it is explicitly shown that structural relaxation determines qualitatively the transmission spectrum of such devices.