Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New trends in cement systems: interfaces with TiN thin films and modification with titania nanoparticles

This doctoral thesis has two objetives: the first investigation is dedicated to the evaluation of TiN thin films as a protection barrier against corrosion of reinforced steel in concrete. To achieve this goal, TiN thin films were prepared by using the magnetron sputtering deposition method. Characterization of the TiN-cement interface was performed by advanced experimental techniques such a XRD, XPS, TGA/TG, SEM and HRTEM. The corrosion parameters of the TiN were studied and its dependence on the cement phases was analysed. The cement paste nanostructure at the interface was investigated focusing on the so-formed C-S-H gel. The interface TiN/cement has shown excellent corrosion resistance against chloride ingress. The cement paste in contact with TiN develops adhesion phases which enrich the passive layer and therefore provide further protection to the whole structure. Secondly, we aim to evaluate the feasibility of the application of heterogeneous photocatalysis for the elimination of pollulants from air by modifying cement paste nanostructure with TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by sol-gel. In this work, TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by using the sol-gel technology and inserted in the cement paste matrix at the first stage of hydration. Characterization of the prepared TiO2-modified cement was performed. The photocatalytic activity and its dependence on the TiO2 concentration was studied. The cement paste nanostructure after modification was analysed in order to understand the properties of the new material. The results show that TiO2 nanoparticles provide the cement system not only with photocatalytic activity but also promote the formation of C-S-H gel, which is, ultimately, the phase responsible for the mechanical performance of cement-based construction materials.
Seasonal and diurnal variation of convective available potential energy (CAPE) using COSMIC/FORMOSAT‐3 observations over the tropics

[1] The global pattern of convective available potential energy (CAPE) at seasonal and diurnal time scales is discussed using 1 year of COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 satellite observations. The calculation of CAPE using temperature and humidity measurements of COSMIC is described. The estimated CAPE is grouped into 5 x 5 grid and is further classified into four seasons, namely, winter, spring, summer, and autumn. The CAPE magnitudes in general have high values over land as compared to oceanic region, which confirmed the consistency of CAPE calculations. The systematic migration of CAPE from Northern Hemisphere to Southern Hemisphere is observed during Northern Hemisphere summer to winter, coinciding with the movement of intertropical convergence zone. Once the seasonal pattern is established, the composite diurnal patterns of CAPE with 2 h resolution are obtained by combing all the observations in one season. Diurnal variation of CAPE has shown domination of semidiurnal variations at some latitudes (12 h) and diurnal variation (24 h) at some other latitudes. The mean removed CAPE is then subjected to Fourier analysis to extract the diurnal variation amplitudes. During the observational period, larger CAPE magnitudes are observed over the Indian Ocean during most of the seasons, comparable in magnitude to that of the land regions. As the CAPE and precipitation patterns have correlation, the present study demonstrated the capability of COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 to study the diurnal patterns of CAPE, which will have implications in interpreting the tropical diurnal precipitation patterns.
Geography: Graphics and Economics

Abstract Past studies of the relationships between economic activity and geography have been hampered by limited spatial data on economic activity. This study presents revised data on global economic activity, the G-Econ database, which measures economic activity for the entire globe, measured at a 1° latitude by 1° longitude scale. The methodologies for the study are described. We show several graphical applications, including an "output globe. " The study shows the location of economic deserts. The study indicates the importance of geophysical variables for Africa and questions whether the importance of latitude in economic-growth studies in fact reflects geophysical variables.
Simulation of spatial-temporal change of urban land use/cover in a short period of time

The objective of this study is to simulate and validate temporal and spatial changes of land use/cover in a short time period based on the Markov cellular automata (Markov-CA) model that combines Markov chain analysis and cellular automata models. Aim to this task, this paper first analyzed the land use/cover change (LUCC) of an urban area in 1997 and 2000 and computed transition probabilities using Markov chain. Then Markov-CA model was employed to simulate urban land use/cover in 2002 and a validation was followed by using actual land use map interpreted from the satellite image captured in the same year. Experimental result shows this model is reliable with an acceptable overall accuracy (86.52%) and Kappa coefficient (0.79), which suggests that LUCC in urban within a short time period could be modeled and predicted by Markov-CA model.
The Squared Slacks Transformation in Nonlinear Programming

In this short paper, we recall the use of squared slacks used to transform inequality constraints into equalities and several reasons why their introduction may be harmful in many algorithmic frameworks routinely used in nonlinear programming. Numerical examples performed with the sequential quadratic programming method illustrate those reasons. Our results are reproducible with state-of-the-art implementations of the methods concerned and mostly serve a pedagogical purpose, which we believe will be useful not only to practitioners and students, but also to researchers.
Insulin signaling promotes neurogenesis in the brain of adult zebrafish

Insulin is a peptide hormone that plays a central role in the regulation of circulating blood glucose in vertebrates, including zebrafish. Increasing evidence has demonstrated the important role of insulin in many brain functions. In zebrafish, two insulin receptor genes (insra and insrb) have been identified. However, their biodistribution in the adult brain as well as their cell‐specific expression pattern has not been well described. Using gene expression analysis, in situ hybridization and transgenic fish, we confirmed the expression of insra, insrb, and irs1 (insulin receptor substrate 1, the downstream effector of insulin receptor) in the brain of adult zebrafish and characterized their specific expression in neurons and neural stem cells (radial glia). After demonstrating that intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection resulted in the diffusion of the injected solution within the ventricular system, we analyzed the effect of insulin ICV injection on neurogenesis. We showed that insulin promotes ventricular cell proliferation 24 h postinjection. This neurogenic effect appeared to be independent of neuroinflammatory processes. Also, after a mechanical telencephalic stab‐wound injury, we highlighted the overexpression of irs1 gene 5 days postlesion notably in the ventricular zone where radial glial cells (RGCs) are localized, suggesting key roles of insulin signaling in regenerative processes. Finally, our results reinforced the expression of insulin‐related proteins in the brain of adult zebrafish, highlighting the potential role of insulin signaling on neurogenesis.
The Jurassic extinction events and its relation to CO2 levels in the atmosphere : a case study on Early Jurassic fossil leaves

The Mesozoic was a so-called “hothouse” time period in Earth’s history, with high concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and elevated temperatures, but the exact climate evolution is not fully known for the entire inter-val. The Early Jurassic for instance is believed to have been a warm period, flanked by two episodes of extremely high CO2, coinciding with environmental degradation and mass extinctions: the Triassic-Jurassic (200 Ma) and the early Toarcian (183 Ma) mass extinction events. Mass extinctions are often related to variations in climate condi-tions, which in turn are linked to the global CO2 concentration, and it is therefore important to understand the levels of CO2 before, during and after such events. Here, atmospheric CO2 levels were reconstructed for the late Pliesbachian (ca.185 Ma), an Early Jurassic time period that is not well understood in terms of climate. The sto-matal proxy method of palaeo-CO2 reconstructions was applied, using fossil leaves derived from the Clarence- Moreton Basin in eastern Australia. The stomatal proxy relies on the inverse relationship between the density of plant leaf stomata and atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The ten exceptionally well-preserved fossil leaves derived from the araucarian conifer species Allocladus helgei. Two different methods of calibrations, using the nearest liv-ing equivalent species Athrotaxis cupressoides, were applied to the stomatal data and CO2 concentrations in the range 600 – 750 ppm were found. These values are high compared to present day CO2 concentration (396 ppm in May 2012), but are lower than values usually cited for this period, as interpolated between CO2 concentrations known from the flanking mass extinction events of 1000 – 2000 ppm. The results found here therefore indicate that the Pliensbachian was a cooler period than previously assumed, but that it was still a “hothouse” warm period with higher global temperatures than today.
Emotion Recognition in Multiple System Atrophy: An Exploratory Eye-Tracking Study

Objective Emotional processing is a core feature of social interactions and has been well studied in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD), albeit with contradictory results. However, these studies excluded patients with atypical parkinsonism, such as multiple system atrophy (MSA). The objective of this exploratory study was to provide better insights into emotion processing in patients with MSA using eye tracking data. Methods We included 21 MSA patients, 15 PD patients and 19 matched controls in this study. Participants performed a dynamic and a static emotion recognition task, and gaze fixations were analyzed in different areas of interest. Participants underwent neuropsychological testing and assessment of depression and alexithymia. Results MSA patients were less accurate in recognizing anger than controls (p = 0.02) and had overall fewer fixations than controls (p = 0.001). In the static task, MSA patients had fewer fixations (p < 0.001) and a longer time to first fixation (p = 0.026) on the eye region. Furthermore, MSA patients had a longer fixation duration overall than PD patients (p = 0.004) and longer fixations on the nose than controls (p = 0.005). Alexithymia scores were higher in MSA patients compared to controls (p = 0.038). Conclusion This study demonstrated impaired recognition of anger in MSA patients compared to HCs. Fewer and later fixations on the eyes along with a center bias suggest avoidance of eye contact, which may be a characteristic gaze behavior in MSA patients.
Trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine response and immunogenicity assessment after one week and three months in repeatedly vaccinated adults

ABSTRACT Background The influenza vaccine administrated every year is a recommended infection control procedure for individuals above the age of six months. However, the effectiveness of repeated annual vaccination is still an active research topic. Therefore, we investigated the vaccine immunogenicity in two independent groups: previously vaccinated versus non-vaccinated individuals at three time points; prior vaccination, one week and three months post vaccination. The assessment enabled us to evaluate the elicited immune responses and the durability of the induced protection in both groups. Research Design and Methods A research study was conducted to assess the immunogenicity of a single dose of Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine (A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B) in 278 healthy adults aged between 32 and 66 years. Almost half of the participants, 140 (50·36%), received influenza vaccination at least once precursor to past influenza seasons. One blood sample was taken prior to vaccination for complete blood analysis and baseline immunogenicity assessment. The selected study participants received a single vaccine dose on the first day, and then followed up for three months. Two blood samples were taken after one week and three months post vaccination, respectively, for vaccine immunogenicity assessment. Results Before vaccination, the seroprotection, defined as a hemagglutination-inhibiting titer of =>1:40, was detected for the three vaccine virus strains in 20 previously vaccinated participants (14·29%) [8·95%, 21·2%]. We compared the overall vaccine response for the three virus strains using a normalized response score calculated from linearly transformed titer measurements; the score before vaccination was 84% higher in the previously vaccinated group and the mean difference between the two groups was statistically significant. Three months post-vaccination, we didn’t find a significant difference in vaccine responses; the number of fully seroprotected individuals became 48 (34·29%) [26·48%, 42·77%] in the previously vaccinated group and 59 (42·75%) [34·37%, 51·45%] in the non-vaccinated group. The calculated response score was almost equal in both groups and the mean difference was no longer statistically significant. Conclusion Our findings suggest that a single dose of influenza vaccine is equally protective after three months for annually vaccinated adults and first-time vaccine receivers.
La erupción del 22 de diciembre de 2012 del volcán Copahue, Neuquén, Argentina: caracterización del ciclo eruptivo y sus productos

2 INIBIOMA - CONICET-UNComa, Bariloche. 3 CIG - CONICET-UNL, La Plata. 4 IBiGeo - CONICET-unas, Salta. 5 INREMI - CONICET-UNLP, La Plata. ABSTRACT The December 22 nd 2012 eruption of the Copahue volcano, Neuquen, Argentina: Characterization of the eruptive cycle and its products This paper describes the characteristics, nature and distribution of the products of the 12/22/2012 eruption of the Copahue volcano (Neuquen Province, Argentina). The eruptive cycle was dominated by a pulsatory behavior, with a continuous decrea- se in the released energy since the onset of the eruption in the morning of December 22, when the eruptive column reached its maximum height (1,500-2,000 m). The volcanic plume extended for almost 250 km toward the ESE of the volcano and was characterized by a mean width of 20 km in proximal areas and 35 km in distal areas. This initial pulse was accompanied by significant SO 2 emissions. A second, less intense, eruptive pulse occurred during the afternoon of December 22, leading to the development of a smaller volcanic plume. Eruption products can be classified as: i) ballistic bombs and blocks emitted from the eruptive center, and ii) fallout pyroclasts deposited directly from the volcanic plume, including large flattened juve - nile fragments of highly vesiculated scoria. The characteristics of the eruptive event lead to the accumulation of tephra up to a distance of about 40 km from the crater, distributed along a surface of about 200 km 2 to the SE of the volcano. Petrographic analysis performed on the fallout deposits showed the presence of juvenile fragments with different degrees of vesiculation and accessory fragments of hydrothermally altered subvolcanic rocks. Ballistic bombs and blocks were dispersed to a distance of 1,800-1,900 m from the eruptive center. We estimate a VEI 2 eruption intensity, with an emitted volume of about 0.005 km 3 , which rapidly declined in about 48 hours after the onset of the eruption. The initial stages of the eruption were related to the interaction of an ascending column of magma with the shallow hydrothermal system of the volcano, triggering a hydromag- matic eruption. Once the conduit was open, the progressive decompression of the system led to an eruption dominated by a pulsatory magmatic fragmentation.
Poisson’s ratio of eclogite: Implications for lower crustal delamination of orogens

Laboratory measurements of combined P- and S-wave-velocities of eclogite from the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh pressure metamorphic belt and from literature data show a significant increase of Poisson’s ratio of eclogite with its intrinsic water content H2O+ and thus the degree of hydration. Unaltered eclogites with H2O+<1.0% have an average Poisson’s ratio between 0.24 and 0.25, which is identical to that calculated from single crystal elastic properties but lower than the averages (0.27±0.02) of measurements compiled by previous studies. Thus, the Poisson’s ratio of unaltered eclogites is considerably lower than that of lower crustal mafic granulite and upper mantle peridotite. The lower crust and upper mantle of the Dabie ultrahigh pressure metamorphic belt, the northern and southern parts of the Tibetan Plateau as well as the central Andes, where eclogite may have formed during Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonism, are characterized by the Poisson’s ratio >0.26. This, together with their normal upper mantle P-wave velocities, implies that eclogites are no longer an important component of the present-day lower crust and upper mantle of these subduction-collision belts. Combined with age constraints on eclogite-facies metamorphism and subsequent exhumation, this in turn suggests that the interval from formation to delamination of eclogites is confined to a very short period of <15 Ma.
The Afar Volcanic Province Within The East African Rift System

The seismically and volcanically active East African Rift System is an ideal laboratory for continental break-up processes: it encompasses all stages of rift development. Its northernmost sectors within the Afar volcanic province include failed rifts, nascent seafloor spreading, and youthful passive continental margins associated with one or more mantle plumes. A number of models have been proposed to explain the success and failure of continental rift zones, but there remains no consensus on how strain localizes to achieve rupture of 125–250 km thick plates, or on the interaction between the plates and asthenospheric processes. This collection of papers provides new structural, stratigraphic, geochemical and geophysical data and numerical models needed to resolve fundamental questions concerning continental break-up and mantle plume processes. It focuses on how mantle melt intrudes and is distributed through the plate, and how this magma intrusion process controls along-axis segmentation and facilitates break-up.
Whither field hydrology? The need for discovery science and outrageous hydrological hypotheses

Field hydrology is on the decline. Meanwhile, the need for new field‐derived insight into the age, origin and pathway of water in the headwaters, where most runoff is generated, is more needed than ever. Water Resources Research (WRR) has included some of the most influential papers in field‐based runoff process understanding, particularly in the formative years when the knowledge base was developing rapidly. Here we take advantage of this 50th anniversary of the journal to highlight a few of these important field‐based papers and show how field scientists have posed strong and sometimes outrageous hypotheses—approaches so needed in an era of largely model‐only research. We chronicle the decline in field work and note that it is not only the quantity of field work that is diminishing but its character is changing too: from discovery science to data collection for model parameterization. While the latter is a necessary activity, the loss of the former is a major concern if we are to advance the science of watershed hydrology. We outline a vision for field research to seek new fundamental understanding, new mechanistic explanations of how watershed systems work, particularly outside the regions of traditional focus.
Upscaling groundwater models for inclusion in management models - Case study of California's Sacramento Valley

This article describes and evaluates the upscaling of a calibrated groundwater model of California's Sacramento Valley for the purpose of incorporating it into general management (optimization) models. Upscaling is performed in two stages, by vertical integration, than by combining grid elements into isolated lumped subbasins and switching from a distributed to a simplified lumped subbasin model. Simulation results of the upscaled models are compared to those of the initial spatially distributed model. Because anthropogenic stresses (pumping and recharge) outweigh interbasin flows, the fully upscaled formulation estimates groundwater levels very close to those of the vertically integrated model. An optimization formulation based on the upscaled model efficiently retains almost all relevant management information contained in more detailed models without recourse to expensive distributed embedding methods.
Evaluating climate change adaptation readiness of Caribbean island nations in relation to communities, fisheries and fishing communities

Fishing communities are dependent on natural resources for their sustainable livelihoods especially in developing countries. The Caribbean is one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change with unprecedented sea level rise, severe weather conditions such as hurricanes, coastal erosion and loss of infrastructure and livelihoods. The idea of climate change adaptation plans and programs is therefore recognised among governments and relevant stakeholders as crucial especially in developing appropriate strategies and interventions. It is important for these adaptation plans and policies to be evaluated to ascertain their efficiency, effectiveness and also to measure the level of community involvement. In order to evaluate government level climate change preparation, with a focus on fisheries, communities and fishing communities specifically, Ford and King (2013) climate change adaptation readiness framework with potential components and indicators for evaluating readiness for adaptation was adopted. This analysis included evaluating political leadership on adaptation; institutional organisation for adaptation; adaptation decision making and stakeholder involvement; climate change information and research; funding for adaptation planning and evaluation; and science and technology to inform adaptation. Findings from the study indicated significant differences in adaptation readiness scores across the 13 island countries in the Caribbean. Only three countries were identified to have high adaptation readiness scores, eight countries were categorized as having moderate adaptation readiness scores, and two countries obtained low adaptation readiness scores. The findings are important as it will help to identify trends and gaps in climate change adaptation response and to develop appropriate governance strategies for communities, fisheries and fishing communities. 30 April, 2015
Observations of eddy fields in the northwest Atlantic and northwest Pacific by SEASAT altimeter data

Sea level variability, related to the eddy field activity, can be calculated from repeating tracks of altimetric data, such as the SEASAT 3-day repeat data (September 13 to October 10, 1978). If we consider the eddy field in geostrophic balance, the geostrophic relation gives the surface eddy velocities. Also, an estimation of the eddy kinetic energy can be deduced under the assumption of quasi-isotropy of the velocity variability. This approach is used in the northwest Atlantic and northwest Pacific through the processing of SEASAT data. High variability of sea surface topography (up to 20 cm) and high eddy kinetic energy (800--1600 cm/sup 2//s/sup 2/) are detected in the vicinity of the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio. Power spectra of the observed sea level fluctuations give wavelengths ranging from 100 to 900 km for time scales between 3 and 25 days. Maps of sea surface topography variability and eddy kinetic energy are presented and discussed.