Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the hydraulic properties of unsaturated sand considering various porosities and drying‐wetting paths of the retention curve

Previous studies have shown that water retention curve (WRC) and the hydraulic conductivity vary because of changes of the void ratio or porosity of soil. However, limited documents pointed out the change of hydraulic properties of soil when compacted to different porosities while considering both of the drying and wetting processes of the WRC. This information is sometimes necessary for research like finger flow analysis or the occurrence of wetting and drying cycles as what would be seen in the field. Therefore, this study aims to examine the change of WRC characteristics with varied porosity considering both of the drying and wetting path in WRC by conducting a sand box experiment. Results show that the same type of sand compacted to various porosities have different hydraulic parameters. Hydraulic conductivities generally decrease with reduced porosities; shape parameter α of the van Genuchten equation (1980) linearly decreases with declining porosity and shape parameter n in a reversal manner for the sands of interest whether in the drying process or wetting process. The unsaturated properties of sand are further characterized by inspecting the variations of moisture content, matric suction and vertical displacement of soil body subject to periodic changes of the water level by another sand box experiment. The outcomes suggest that the saturated water content and residual water content are changing during the wetting–drying process, which can be an implication of the changed properties of WRC. The characteristics of volumetric deformation might be varied as well because of the observation of the dissimilar patterns of the changing vertical displacements among each wetting–drying process. Infiltration patterns of the sands also are identified through numerical modelling by introducing a constant infiltration flux from the surface followed by a no‐influx condition. Results indicate that less water accumulates in the sand near the surface for the sand compacted to higher porosity, but water can move deeper. Hydraulic conductivity is found as the prime factor dominating the evolvement of wetting fronts. However, shape parameters of water retention curves also affect the infiltration pattern to some extent. In addition, different sands with similar porosities can have quite different infiltrating characteristics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports the Price Is Right: Updating Infl Ation Expectations in a Randomized Price Information Experiment

paper presents preliminary fi ndings and is being distributed to economists and other interested readers solely to stimulate discussion and elicit comments. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and are not necessarily refl ective of views at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the authors. ). The authors thank Carlos Madeira, Ricardo Reis, and participants at presentations at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York seminar series, the State Bank of Pakistan, and the CIPREE Conference on Formation and Revision of Subjective Expectations for comments. All errors that remain are the authors'. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect the position of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. Abstract Understanding the formation of consumer infl ation expectations is considered crucial for managing monetary policy. Using a unique " information " experiment embedded in a survey, this paper investigates how consumers' infl ation expectations respond to new information. We elicit respon-dents' expectations for future infl ation before and after providing a random subset of respondents with factual information that may affect their expectations. This design creates unique panel data that allow us to identify causal effects of new information. We fi nd, fi rst, that baseline infl ation expectations are right-skewed, and that consumers in the high-expectation right tail are relatively underinformed about objective, infl ation-relevant facts. We next fi nd that providing consumers with new information causes them to update their expectations, such that the expectations distribution converges toward its center. Furthermore, respondents who update do so in sensible ways: revisions are proportional to the strength of the information signal, and inversely proportional to the precision of baseline infl ation expectations. Our fi ndings indicate that heterogeneous consumer expectations are a result of both different information sets, as well as different information-processing rules. Overall, our results are consistent with a Bayesian learning model. We discuss implications of these results for monetary policy and for macroeconomic modeling.
The price is right: making workplace wellness financially sustainable

Purpose – The public health argument for developing and maintaining workplace wellness programmes in organisations is well‐documented, particularly within the healthcare sector which aims to “set the example” for workplace health. However, workplace wellness also makes good business sense, since it is established that investing in employee health can reduce absenteeism, improve job satisfaction and productivity and enhance corporate image. Organisations often place workplace wellness low in their priorities. The purpose of this paper is to present the case for an initial resource investment and top‐level support to pump‐prime a financially sustainable, and even profitable, programme. Design/methodology/approach – A discussion is presented based on academic literature and practical applications from the authors' experiences in practice. Findings – The authors use their own in‐house scheme, “Q‐active” as a case example based in an NHS Trust setting, to demonstrate how such schemes can be developed and successfully implemented and maintained in practice. The paper presents the use of the Business Healthcheck Tool for developing a business case for such schemes. Originality/value – Workplace wellness schemes are financially viable and can become a vital part of a large organisations' infrastructure embedded within policies and internal “health culture”.
Magnitude and symmetry of seismic anisotropy in mica‐ and amphibole‐bearing metamorphic rocks and implications for tectonic interpretation of seismic data from the southeast Tibetan Plateau

We calibrated the magnitude and symmetry of seismic anisotropy for 132 mica‐ or amphibole‐bearing metamorphic rocks to constrain their departures from transverse isotropy (TI) which is usually assumed in the interpretation of seismic data. The average bulk Vp anisotropy at 600 MPa for the chlorite schists, mica schists, phyllites, sillimanite‐mica schists, and amphibole schists examined is 12.0%, 12.8%, 12.8%, 17.0%, and 12.9%, respectively. Most of the schists show Vp anisotropy in the foliation plane which averages 2.4% for phyllites, 3.3% for mica schists, 4.1% for chlorite schists, 6.8% for sillimanite‐mica schists, and 5.2% for amphibole schists. This departure from TI is due to the presence of amphibole, sillimanite, and quartz. Amphibole and sillimanite develop strong crystallographic preferred orientations with the fast c axes parallel to the lineation, forming orthorhombic anisotropy with Vp(X) > Vp(Y) > Vp(Z). Effects of quartz are complicated, depending on its volume fraction and prevailing slip system. Most of the mica‐ or amphibole‐bearing schists and mylonites are approximately transversely isotropic in terms of S wave velocities and splitting although their P wave properties may display orthorhombic symmetry. The results provide insight for the interpretation of seismic data from the southeast Tibetan Plateau. The N‐S to NW‐SE polarized crustal anisotropy in the Sibumasu and Indochina blocks is caused by subvertically foliated mica‐ and amphibole‐bearing rocks deformed by predominantly compressional folding and subordinate strike‐slip shear. These blocks have been rotated clockwise 70–90° around the east Himalayan Syntaxis, without finite eastward or southeastward extrusion, in responding to progressive indentation of India into Asia.
Peptide fragments of bradykinin show unexpected biological activity not mediated by B1 or B2 receptors

Background and purpose: Bradykinin [BK-(1-9)] is an endogenous nonapeptide involved in multiple physiological and pathological processes. A long-held belief is that peptide fragments of BK-(1-9) are biologically inactive. Here, we have tested the biological activities of BK-(1-9) and two major peptide fragments in human and animal systems. Experimental Approach: Levels of BK peptides in male Wistar rat plasma were quantified by mass spectrometric methods. Nitric oxide was quantified in human, mouse and rat cells, and loaded with DAF-FM. We used aortic rings from adult male Wistar rats to test vascular reactivity. Changes in blood pressure and heart rate were measured in conscious adult male Wistar rats. Key results: Plasma levels of BK-(1-7) and BK-(1-5) in rats were increased following infusion of BK-(1-9). All tested peptides induced NO production in all cell types tested. However, unlike BK-(1-9), NO production elicited by BK-(1-7) or BK-(1-5) was not inhibited by B or B receptor antagonists. BK-(1-7) or BK-(1-5) also induced concentration-dependent vasorelaxation of aortic rings, without involving B or B receptors. In vivo, either intravenous or intra-arterial administration of BK-(1-7) or BK-(1-5) induced similar hypotension response. Conclusions and implications: BK-(1-7) and BK-(1-5) are endogenous peptides present in plasma. They are formed, at least partially, through the BK-(1-9) proteolysis. BK-related peptide fragments show biological activity, not mediated by B or B receptors. These BK-fragments could constitute new, active components of the kallikrein-kinin system.
A new clustering technique for function approximation

To date, clustering techniques have always been oriented to solve classification and pattern recognition problems. However, some authors have applied them unchanged to construct initial models for function approximators. Nevertheless, classification and function approximation problems present quite different objectives. Therefore it is necessary to design new clustering algorithms specialized in the problem of function approximation. This paper presents a new clustering technique, specially designed for function. approximation problems, which improves the performance of the approximator system obtained, compared with other models derived from traditional classification oriented clustering algorithms and input-output clustering techniques.
The need for a practical scientific protocol to measure successful restoration

Restoration of habitat is of increasing importance in the modern world as more of the remaining patches of natural habitats become degraded. Restoration is seen as an important way of reversing the trend. Although restoration is part of ecology and therefore could properly be considered a scientific discipline, scientific methodology and current ecological knowledge are missing from many restoration programmes. In Australia, much money and resources are wasted in on-the-ground projects which are poorly designed and seldom evaluated. There is a great need to bring a rigorous scientific protocol into programmes of restoration. Many programmes of restoration are poor because the logical connection between the aims of the programme and the means and assessment of restoration are lost. Here, we discuss the advantages of treating restoration as a test designed to falsify a null hypothesis within the scientific protocol used successfully in other branches of ecology. The aims of restoration, which are often expressed in rather general terms, usually include several steps in this protocol (the observations, models and hypotheses). Clearly separating these in logic is shown to lead to more realistic definitions and goals of restoration and more rigorous ways of assessing the success of these. Finally, we discuss recent advances in methodologies for detecting environmental impacts. These are potentially extremely useful for the measurement and evaluation of restoration, but they are not being incorporated into many programmes of restoration. Restoration must be treated as more of a scientific discipline if it is to progress and cease to be unaccountable.
Ground penetrating radar antennae frequencies and transmitter powers compared for penetration depth, resolution and reflection continuity1

Twelve ground penetrating radar (GPR) experiments were conducted on the modern, wave-influenced William River delta, on the Southern shore of Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The delta is a well-sorted, quartzoserich, clean, sand-dominated, water-saturated geomorphic feature which provided an ideal site to test GPR. Penetration depths, resolution and continuity of reflections were compared for different antennae frequencies (25, 50, 100, 200 MHz) and transmitter powers (pulser voltage: 400 V, 1000 V). The data show significant variations in vertical resolution from 0.15 m to 0.76 m (200-25 MHz), depth of penetration from 14 m-28 m (200-25 MHz), and continuity of reflections. Increasing the transmitter power from 400 V to 1000 V increases the depth of penetration by 5 to 14% and improves the continuity of reflections with little effect on the resolution.
Dependence of Warm and Cold Climate Depiction on Climate Model Resolution

Abstract Climate model results are now being used to asses the potential societal impact of climate change, and to compare with paleoclimate indicators. The models used for these purposes currently employ relatively coarse resolution, and a key question is how the results might change as resolution is improved. To examine this issue, doubled-CO2 and ice age simulations with boundary conditions identical for two different resolutions are run with the GISS model. The resolution dependency of climate change sensitivity, atmospheric dynamics, and regional climate depiction are discussed. The results show that model resolution affects two key processes in the control runs, moist convection and the nonlinear transfer of kinetic energy into the zonal mean flow. The finer resolution model has more penetrative convection but less convection overall, aspects which alter its temperature and wind structure relative to those of the coarser grid model. With finer resolution there are also stronger winds, more evaporati.
An Automated Soil Line Identification Routine for Remotely Sensed Images

The soil line is a linear relationship between the near-infrared (NIR) and red (R) reflectance of bare soil as characterized by slope and intercept parameters. Vegetation indices use soil line parameters extensively in crop growth analyses. Research indicates that the soil line can be related to site-specific soil conditions within a field, especially organic C content. This relationship may provide a means for directing soil sampling. However, these soil and crop growth remotely sensed predictions require accurate estimates of soil line parameters. Determining soil line parameters by manually extracting reflectance characteristics of bare soil pixels can be cumbersome. This research proposes an automated soil line identification routine capable of deriving soil line parameters from bare soil or vegetated remotely sensed images. The automated routine estimates soil line parameters by deriving a set of minimum NIR digital numbers across the R band range. Pixels that contradict soil line theory are removed through an iterative process. The routine was evaluated using bare soil images of two fields in the Midwest USA and 15 multispectral digital video images of South Texas grain sorghum fields dominated by vegetated cover. This research compared soil line parameters derived from the automated routine to actual soil line parameters obtained by extracting R and NIR digital numbers from identifiable bare soil pixels within the images and also by manually inspecting plots of R versus NIR digital numbers for all pixels within an image. The routine performed reasonably well in matching the estimated actual soil line parameters with minimal adjustment between images.
Dental phenomics : High-tech scans reveal similarities and differences in monozygotic twins

Dental phenomics While it was once assumed that genetic and environmental contributions to observed variation in many human physical and behavioral features were independent of each other, advances in the field of epigenetics have confirmed the dynamic nature of the interactions between the genome and the environment, which result in phenotypic variation. Epigenetics can be defined broadly as any alteration in gene expression without changes in nucleotide sequencing. On this basis, the development of the dentition can be viewed as comprising a series of spatial and temporal interactions between epithelial and ectomesenchymal tissues, where minor perturbations in the process of odontogenesis may have significant effects on final phenotypic expression. Describing dental phenotypes in greater detail (compared with traditional methods), together with application of modern approaches to largescale genome scanning, now provides an opportunity to explore genetic, epigenetic and environmental influences on the human dentition in more detail than has been possible previously. This has led to a new era of dental phenomics, which involves either intensive (detailed descriptions of multiple features on a single tooth) or extensive (detailed descriptions of multiple features across multiple teeth) phenotyping of the dentition. The development of new equipment for measuring teeth in two dimensions (2-D) and three dimensions (3-D), including laser scanners, has facilitated the development of dental phenomics. Recent studies have shown both 2-D and 3-D techniques display high levels of reliability, precision and accuracy, opening up a range of exciting possibilities for dental researchers to define new, and more biologically meaningful, phenotypes. Figure 1 shows an example of 3-D imaging of the dental models of a pair of monozygotic (MZ) twins, demonstrating the high degree of detail and depth Dental phenomics: High-tech scans reveal similarities and differences in monozygotic twins
Calculating Sample Size for Studies with Expected All‐or‐None Nonadherence and Selection Bias

Summary We develop sample size formulas for studies aiming to test mean differences between a treatment and control group when all‐or‐none nonadherence (noncompliance) and selection bias are expected. Recent work by Fay, Halloran, and Follmann (2007, Biometrics63, 465–474) addressed the increased variances within groups defined by treatment assignment when nonadherence occurs, compared to the scenario of full adherence, under the assumption of no selection bias. In this article, we extend the authors' approach to allow selection bias in the form of systematic differences in means and variances among latent adherence subgroups. We illustrate the approach by performing sample size calculations to plan clinical trials with and without pilot adherence data. Sample size formulas and tests for normally distributed outcomes are also developed in a Web Appendix that account for uncertainty of estimates from external or internal pilot data.
Microsoft Word-21746471-file00

Center for Molecular Toxicology and Carcinogenesis and Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (GHP, BDH, BCN, LJM), and The Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive. , Burnaby, BC, Canada, V3H 4S3 (MPL, MKT, KJT, TVB). JPET Fast Forward. Published on August 17, 2010 as DOI:10.1124/jpet.110. 170654
Newfoundland macroinvertebrate riffle communities and their potential for use in bioassessment

Macroinvertebrate communities were sampled from 65 Newfoundland riffles from three geographic regions (the Avalon Peninsula, Terra Nova, and Gros Morne) in three seasons (summer, fall, spring). A suite of physical, chemical and land use variables were also measured. Differences in community composition across regions were found as well as large differences among seasons between sites sampled. Macroinvertebrate richness and abundance data were cross-examined with associated environmental variables to detect which ones were most related to macroinvertebrate community differences. UTM Easting, % macrophytes, % igneous rock, % local forest, nitrates, total Nitrogen and alkalinity were all highly correlated with trends in the macroinvertebrate community data. Urban communities differed from rural and pristine communities, the latter two community types being virtually indistinguishable. Temporal effects were examined to tease apart seasonal versus non-seasonal factors affecting the invertebrate-environment relationship. Changes in the frequency of occurrence of a few key taxa between years strongly impacted regional differences.
A new ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography method for the determination of antioxidant flavonol aglycones in six Lysimachia species

Abstract UPLC-DAD method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of free flavonol aglycones (kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin) after acidic hydrolysis in six Lysimachia species. Quantitative analyses showed that the amounts of various flavonol aglycones were significantly different in Lysimachia vulgaris, Lysimachia nummularia, Lysimachia punctata, Lysimachia christinae, Lysimachia ciliata and Lysimachia clethroides. The L. clethroides sample was found to be the richest in kaempferol (25.77 ± 1.29 μg/mg extract) and quercetin (97.67 ± 4.61 μg/mg extract), while the L. nummularia sample contained the highest amount of myricetin (20.79 ± 1.00 μg/mg extract). The antioxidant capacity of hydrolysed extracts was evaluated using in vitro DPPH• (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS•+ [2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)] decolourisation tests. The observed radical scavenging capacities of the extracts showed a relationship with the measured flavonol aglycone content and composition. The acidic treatment resulted in an increased free radical scavenging activity compared to the untreated methanol extract.
Theories of Consciousness

My target in this paper is "theories of consciousness". There are many theories of consciousness around, and my view is that they are all misconceived. Consciousness is not a normal scientific subject, and needs handling with special care. It is foolhardy to jump straight in and start building a theory, as if consciousness were just like electricity or chemical valency. We will do much better to reflect explicitly on our methodology first. When we do this, we will see that theories of consciousness are trying to answer a question that isn't there.