Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indices for calibration data selection of the rainfall‐runoff model

The identification of rainfall‐runoff models requires selection of appropriate data for model calibration. Traditionally, hydrologists use rules of thumb to select a certain period of hydrological data to calibrate the models (i.e., 6 year data). There are no numerical indices to help hydrologists to quantitatively select the calibration data. There are two questions: how long should the calibration data be (e.g., 6 months), and from which period should the data be selected (e.g., which 6 month data should be selected)? In this study, some indices for the selection of calibration data with adequate lengths and appropriate durations are proposed by examining the spectral properties of data sequences before the calibration work. With the validation data determined beforehand, we assume that the more similarity the calibration data set bears to the validation set, the better should the performance of the rainfall‐runoff model be after calibration. Three approaches are applied to reveal the similarity between the validation and calibration data sets: flow‐duration curve, Fourier transform, and wavelet analysis. Data sets used for calibration are generated by designing three scenario groups with fixed lengths of 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively, from 8 year continuous observations in the Brue catchment of the United Kingdom. Scenarios in each group have different starting times and thus various durations with specific hydrological characteristics. With a predetermined 18 month validation set and the rainfall‐runoff model chosen to be the probability distributed model, useful indices are produced for certain scenario groups by all three approaches. The information cost function, an entropy‐like function based on the decomposition results of the discrete wavelet transform, is found to be the most effective index for the calibration data selection. The study demonstrates that the information content of the calibration data is more important than the data length; thus 6 month data may provide more useful information than longer data series. This is important for hydrological modelers since shorter and more useful data help hydrologists to build models more efficiently and effectively. The idea presented in this paper has also shown potential in enhancing the efficiency of calibration data utilization, especially for data‐limited catchments.
Academic self-concept and academic achievement of African American students transitioning from urban to rural schools

The relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement in African American students who have experienced geographic mobility was the focus of this study. Specifically, this study used quantitative methods to assess African American students from counties in Iowa to obtain information about the students’ relocation from urban to rural school environments and to understand how such moves influenced their academic performance and academic self-concept. Gender and length of time since transition were also considered. The sample consisted of 101 African American middle school/junior high students who had been enrolled in Iowa schools for less than 24 months or more than 24 months. Results indicated a significant relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement measures of ITBS composite scores and cumulative GPA. Gender and the length of time since transition were not shown to be linked to students’ academic ability or performance in school. Data gathered from this study will assist administrators, parents, educators, and school counselors with understanding geographic mobility, academic self-concept, and academic achievement. Information obtained will also provide insight about other factors that relate to the academic setting and students’ assessment of school such as student motivation, perceptions of peers, the academic self-perceptions students possess, students’ attitude towards teachers and classes, and students’ attitude towards school. Abstract Approved: __________________________________ Thesis SupervisorApproved: __________________________________ Thesis Supervisor __________________________________ Title and Department __________________________________ Date ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS TRANSITIONING FROM URBAN TO RURAL SCHOOLS by La Shawn Catrice Bacon A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Rehabilitation and Counselor Education in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa
Trends in extreme daily precipitation indices in India

We assembled daily precipitation records, initially for 3838 stations, throughout India and ultimately identified 129 stations with reasonably complete records over the period 1910 to 2000. From these daily records, we generated annual time series of seven different indices of extreme precipitation events, including total precipitation, largest 1, 5, and 30 day totals, and the number of daily events above the amount that marks the 90th, 95th, and 97.5th percentiles of all precipitation at each station. Of the 903 different time series (seven variables for 129 stations), 114 had a significant upward trend and 61 had a significant downward trend; overall, 61% of the time series showed an upward trend. The standard regression coefficients showing the strength and sign of the trend were highly correlated across the network. They generally showed increasing values in a contiguous region extending from the northwestern Himalayas in Kashmir through most of the Deccan Plateau in the south and decreasing values in the eastern part of the Gangetic Plain and parts of Uttaranchal. Our results are in general agreement with the prediction from numerical models for an increase in extreme precipitation events in India given the ongoing build‐up of greenhouse gases. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society
Ozone profiles from GOME satellite data : Algorithm description and first validation

In April 1995 the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) was launched aboard the European Space Agency's second European Remote Sensing (ERS-2) satellite. GOME is a nadir-viewing spectrometer measuring solar radiation backscattered by the system Earth-atmosphere in the ultraviolet and visible spectral range. For the retrieval of ozone vertical distributions from GOME measurements the Full Retrieval Method (FURM) has been developed. It is based on the optimal estimation approach and on results from information theory. The joint retrieval of the ozone profile and several additional parameters (e.g., surface albedo) enables the ozone profile retrieval to be extended below the ozone number density maximum. A first validation of the GOME profiles is performed by a comparison with approximately 200 coincident ozonesonde measurements from five European stations. The RMS difference between ozone subcolumn amounts in 10 km layers as measured by GOME and by the sondes is approximately 7-8 % in the middle stratosphere and 15-20 % in the lower stratosphere. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that information about the ozone content in the troposphere can be retrieved from the GOME measurements.
Gating and Conductance Properties of Bk Channels Are Modulated by the S9–S10 Tail Domain of the α Subunit: A Study of Mslo1 and Mslo3 Wild-Type and Chimeric Channels

The COOH-terminal S9–S10 tail domain of large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels is a major determinant of Ca2+ sensitivity (Schreiber, M., A. Wei, A. Yuan, J. Gaut, M. Saito, and L. Salkoff. 1999. Nat. Neurosci. 2:416–421). To investigate whether the tail domain also modulates Ca2+-independent properties of BK channels, we explored the functional differences between the BK channel mSlo1 and another member of the Slo family, mSlo3 (Schreiber, M., A. Yuan, and L. Salkoff. 1998. J. Biol. Chem. 273:3509–3516). Compared with mSlo1 channels, mSlo3 channels showed little Ca2+ sensitivity, and the mean open time, burst duration, gaps between bursts, and single-channel conductance of mSlo3 channels were only 32, 22, 41, and 37% of that for mSlo1 channels, respectively. To examine which channel properties arise from the tail domain, we coexpressed the core of mSlo1 with either the tail domain of mSlo1 or the tail domain of mSlo3 channels, and studied the single-channel currents. Replacing the mSlo1 tail with the mSlo3 tail resulted in the following: increased open probability in the absence of Ca2+; reduced the Ca2+ sensitivity greatly by allowing only partial activation by Ca2+ and by reducing the Hill coefficient for Ca2+ activation; decreased the voltage dependence ∼28%; decreased the mean open time two- to threefold; decreased the mean burst duration three- to ninefold; decreased the single-channel conductance ∼14%; decreased the Kd for block by TEAi ∼30%; did not change the minimal numbers of three to four open and five to seven closed states entered during gating; and did not change the major features of the dependency between adjacent interval durations. These observations support a modular construction of the BK channel in which the tail domain modulates the gating kinetics and conductance properties of the voltage-dependent core domain, in addition to determining most of the high affinity Ca2+ sensitivity.
The Adriatic Sea General Circulation. Part II: Baroclinic Circulation Structure

Abstract In the second part of the paper dedicated to the Adriatic Sea general circulation, the horizontal structure of the hydrographic parameters and dissolved oxygen fields is described on a seasonal timescale. Maps of temperature and salinity climatological fields reveal the enhanced seasonal variability of the Adriatic Sea, which at the surface is associated with the major dilution effects of river runoff. The density and derived dynamic height fields show for the first time the baroclinic geostrophic structure of the general circulation. Winter is dominated by compensation effects between temperature and salinity fronts along the western coastline. The resulting baroclinic circulation is weak and suggests the presence of barotropic current components not accessible by the dataset. Spring and summer seasons have the smallest spatial scales in the temperature and salinity fields and stronger subbasin-scale gyres and current systems, which have been classified in a schematic representation of the circu.
Molecular Sciences

Recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology radically changed the way we diagnose, treat, and prevent various diseases in all aspects of human life. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most vital and fascinating nanomaterials among several metallic nanoparticles that are involved in biomedical applications. AgNPs play an important role in nanoscience and nanotechnology, particularly in nanomedicine. Although several noble metals have been used for various purposes, AgNPs have been focused on potential applications in cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this review, we discuss the synthesis of AgNPs using physical, chemical, and biological methods. We also discuss the properties of AgNPs and methods for their characterization. More importantly, we extensively discuss the multifunctional bio-applications of AgNPs; for example, as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, and anti-cancer agents, and the mechanism of the anti-cancer activity of AgNPs. In addition, we discuss therapeutic approaches and challenges for cancer therapy using AgNPs. Finally, we conclude by discussing the future perspective of AgNPs.
Metformin inhibits cell cycle progression of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was believed to result from clonal accumulation of resting apoptosis-resistant malignant B lymphocytes. However, it became increasingly clear that CLL cells undergo, during their life, iterative cycles of re-activation and subsequent clonal expansion. Drugs interfering with CLL cell cycle entry would be greatly beneficial in the treatment of this disease. 1, 1-Dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride (metformin), the most widely prescribed oral hypoglycemic agent, inexpensive and well tolerated, has recently received increased attention for its potential antitumor activity. We wondered whether metformin has apoptotic and anti-proliferative activity on leukemic cells derived from CLL patients. Metformin was administered in vitro either to quiescent cells or during CLL cell activation stimuli, provided by classical co-culturing with CD40L-expressing fibroblasts. At doses that were totally ineffective on normal lymphocytes, metformin induced apoptosis of quiescent CLL cells and inhibition of cell cycle entry when CLL were stimulated by CD40-CD40L ligation. This cytostatic effect was accompanied by decreased expression of survival- and proliferation-associated proteins, inhibition of signaling pathways involved in CLL disease progression and decreased intracellular glucose available for glycolysis. In drug combination experiments, metformin lowered the apoptotic threshold and potentiated the cytotoxic effects of classical and novel antitumor molecules. Our results indicate that, while CLL cells after stimulation are in the process of building their full survival and cycling armamentarium, the presence of metformin affects this process.
Deaf Education Teacher Preparation: A Phenomenological Case Study of a Graduate Program With a Comprehensive Philosophy

Abstract: At a time when deaf education teacher preparation programs are declining in number, little is known about their actual effectiveness. A phenomenological case study of a graduate-level comprehensive deaf education teacher preparation program at a midwestern university explored empowered and enabled learning of teacher candidates using the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education educator pillars: (a) commitment to the profession, (b) proficiency in practice, and (c) learning impact, all deemed critical to developing quality teachers. A strong connection was found between the program’s comprehensive philosophy and its practice. Embracing diversity of d/Deafness and differentiated instruction were the most prevalent themes expressed by participants. Teacher candidates displayed outstanding commitment to the profession and high proficiency in practice. The findings suggest that additional consideration should be given to classroom and behavior management, teacher candidate workload, teaching beyond academics, and preparation for navigating the public school system.
A tethering complex dimer catalyzes trans-SNARE complex formation in intracellular membrane fusion

SNARE complexes mediate membrane fusion in the endomembrane system. They consist of coiled-coil bundles of four helices designated as Qa, Qb, Qc and R. A critical intermediate in the fusion pathway is the trans-SNARE complex generated by the assembly of SNAREs residing in opposing membranes. Mechanistic details of trans-SNARE complex formation and topology in a physiological system remain largely unresolved. Our studies on native yeast vacuoles revealed that SNAREs alone are insufficient to form trans-SNARE complexes and that additional factors, potentially tethering complexes and Rab GTPases, are required for the process. Here we report a novel finding that a HOPS tethering complex dimer catalyzes Rab GTPase-dependent formation of a topologically preferred QbQcR-Qa trans-SNARE complex.
3D Models of Ancient Sundials: A Comparison:

In this paper we examine the accuracy of two different methods for creating 3D models of ancient objects. Specifically, models constructed using the structure-from-motion (SfM) system are compared with models created using a structured-light scanner. In our case study, we tested both methods on ancient sundials, as we are in the process of building a digital repository of 3D models of well-known objects. Besides the goal of obtaining visual consistency, another of our objectives is to estimate numerically the accuracy of SfM, so that reliable 3D data of sundials can be used in future research projects.
New approaches in the management of insomnia: weighing the advantages of prolonged-release melatonin and synthetic melatoninergic agonists

Hypnotic effects of melatonin and melatoninergic drugs are mediated via MT1 and MT2 receptors, especially those in the circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which acts on the hypothalamic sleep switch. Therefore, they differ fundamentally from GABAergic hypnotics. Melatoninergic agonists primarily favor sleep initiation and reset the circadian clock to phases allowing persistent sleep, as required in circadian rhythm sleep disorders. A major obstacle for the use of melatonin to support sleep maintenance in primary insomnia results from its short half-life in the circulation. Solutions to this problem have been sought by developing prolonged-release formulations of the natural hormone, or melatoninergic drugs of longer half-life, such as ramelteon, tasimelteon and agomelatine. With all these drugs, improvements of sleep are statistically demonstrable, but remain limited, especially in primary chronic insomnia, so that GABAergic drugs may be indicated. Melatoninergic agonists do not cause next-day hangover and withdrawal effects, or dependence. They do not induce behavioral changes, as sometimes observed with z-drugs. Despite otherwise good tolerability, the use of melatoninergic drugs in children, adolescents, and during pregnancy has been a matter of concern, and should be avoided in autoimmune diseases and Parkinsonism. Problems and limits of melatoninergic hypnotics are compared.
Contributions of traditional knowledge to understanding climate change in the Canadian Arctic

Abstract Despite much scientific research, a considerable amount of uncertainty exists concerning the rate and extent of climate change in the Arctic, and how change will affect regional climatic processes and northern ecosystems. Can an expanded scope of knowledge and inquiry augment understandings of climate change in the north? The extensive use of the land and the coastal ocean in Inuit communities provides a unique source of local environmental expertise that is guided by generations of experience. Environmental change associated with variations in weather and climate has not gone unnoticed by communities that are experiencing change firsthand. Little research has been done to explore the contributions of traditional knowledge to climate-change research. Based in part on a collaborative research project in Sachs Harbour, western Canadian Arctic, this paper discusses five areas in which traditional knowledge may complement scientific approaches to understanding climate change in the Canadian Arctic. These are the use of traditional knowledge as local-scale expertise; as a source of climate history and baseline data; in formulating research questions and hypotheses; as insight into impacts and adaptation in Arctic communities; and for long-term, communitybased monitoring. These five areas of potential convergence provide a conceptual framework for bridging the gap between traditional knowledge and western science, in the context of climate-change research.
Distribución potencial de Pinus herrerae Martínez en el occidente del estado de Jalisco

Based upon its endemism and natural restricted areas at west Jalisco, potential zones were delimited for the distribution of Pinus herrerae. 391 trees were geo-referred which were translated into the same number of accessions of the species to make an environmental description; eight climatic variables were interpolated variables, as well as nine of the environmental kind. With this information, the MaxEnt model was use to classify, in a probabilistic way, its potential distribution. The study area was located at the west of Sierra de Quila. The validation of the model was determined with the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) technique, which is applied in distribution models based on algorithms of presence only. To determine the most important climate and environmental variables that influence the species distribution, the Jackknife test was used. According to the area under the operational curve (AUC) of ROC, both interpolations in the training and testing curves were placed the closest possible, which meant to reach a fit in the model by using 0.959 and 0.958 climate variables. On the other side, with the interpolation of the climatic data with the environmental variables, the highest values for the training (0.973) and testing data (0.971) values were obtained. It can be concluded that the potential distribution of P. herrerae is favored when it grows in a humic cambisoil soil, at an altitudinal range from 1 985 to 2 227m, an average annual precipitation of 882 mm and an average annual temperature of 18 °C.
Long-term variation of bromine monoxide in India from GOME and SCIAMACHY instruments

The production of bromine monoxide (BrO) from seawater and its influence in catalytically depleting stratospheric and boundary layer ozone at high latitudes have been well established. In India the study of BrO has so far been limited to relatively short-term measurements, even though the Indian mainland has a coastline of length 6100 km and is surrounded by the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, all probable major sources of BrO. In this study the variation in BrO vertical column density (VCD) was examined using data derived from Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) and Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) instruments for the period from 1996 to 2008. BrO columns in India are found to be anticorrelated with total ozone column, increase with an increase in latitude, display a small interannual and seasonal variation, and an increasing trend over the Arabian Sea, Ahmedabad and Chennai, a mixed trend over the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, Jharia and Kolkata and a decreasing trend at New Delhi and Kanpur.
Groundwater Transport of Strontium 90 in a Glacial Outwash Environment

As part of the investigation of groundwater contamination at a uranium-scrap recovery plant at Wood River Junction, Rhode Island, laboratory experiments led to the development of a model for predicting the transport of strontium 90 in glacial outwash sediments based on an approximate mechanism for ion exchange. The multicomponent system was simplified to two components by regarding all exchangeable cations other than strontium 90 as a single component. The binary ion-exchange parameter was a function of the variable, total ion concentration. A one-dimensional solute transport model was formulated to evaluate the time necessary for natural groundwater flow to remove the strontium 90 contamination plume from the groundwater system to the Pawcatuck River. The finite difference transport equations were solved sequentially for total ion concentrations, then strontium 90 concentrations. Clay-free quartz and feldspar sands at the study site have little potential for strontium 90 sorption, and high calcium, magnesium, and sodium concentrations compete for the few ion exchange sites. As the total ion concentration plume moves out of the system, ion exchange of strontium 90 increases, reducing the strontium 90 concentration in the groundwater. Cleanout times predicted using the binary ion exchange mechanism were about two thirds of those predicted using a constant distribution coefficient. It is suggested that this type of model can simulate solute transport more realistically in many groundwater systems where the total ion concentration is not constant.