Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Metaheuristic for Amortized Search in High-Dimensional Parameter Spaces

Parameter inference for dynamical models of (bio)physical systems remains a challenging problem. Intractable gradients, high-dimensional spaces, and non-linear model functions are typically problematic without large computational budgets. A recent body of work in that area has focused on Bayesian inference methods, which consider parameters under their statistical distributions and therefore, do not derive point estimates of optimal parameter values. Here we propose a new metaheuristic that drives dimensionality reductions from feature-informed transformations (DR-FFIT) to address these bottlenecks. DR-FFIT implements an efficient sampling strategy that facilitates a gradient-free parameter search in high-dimensional spaces. We use artificial neural networks to obtain differentiable proxies for the model's features of interest. The resulting gradients enable the estimation of a local active subspace of the model within a defined sampling region. This approach enables efficient dimensionality reductions of highly non-linear search spaces at a low computational cost. Our test data show that DR-FFIT boosts the performances of random-search and simulated-annealing against well-established metaheuristics, and improves the goodness-of-fit of the model, all within contained run-time costs.
Chinatown: The Socioeconomic Potential of an Urban Enclave

List of Figures List of Tables Foreword Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. Memories of Sojourning 3. Changes in Recent Chinese Immigration 4. Uprooted: The New Arrivals 5. The Rise of the Economic Enclave 6. The Ethnic Labor Force and Its Labor Market Experience 7. The Other Half of the Sky: Socioeconomic Adaptation of Immigrant Women 8. Residential Mobility and Ethnic Segregation 9. Conclusion: Rising Out of Chinatown Notes References Index
Magnetism and magnetocaloric properties of Co$_{1-x}$Mn$_x$Cr$_2$O$_4$

Co$_{1-x}$Mn$_x$Cr$_2$O$_4$ crystallizes as a normal spinel in the cubic $Fd \overline{3}m$ space group, and the end members have been reported to display a region of collinear ferrimagnetism as well as a low-temperature spin-spiral state with variable coherence lengths from 3 nm to 10 nm in polycrystalline samples. Here, we present the synthesis of the entire solid solution, and data showing that the ferrimagnetic ordering temperature as well as the spin-spiral lock-in temperature are tunable with the Co/Mn ratio. The peak magnetocaloric entropy change was determined to be $\Delta S_M$ = -5.63 J kg$^{-1}$ K$^{-1}$ in an applied magnetic field change of $\Delta H$ = 0 T to 5 T for the Mn end-member at the ferrimagnetic ordering temperature. Using density functional theory (DFT), we explore the shortcomings of the magnetic deformation proxy to identify trends in $\Delta S_M$ across composition in this spinel system, and explore future extensions of theory to address these discrepancies.
Reconstructing historic Glacial Lake Outburst Floods through numerical modelling and geomorphological assessment: Extreme events in the Himalaya

Recession of high‐mountain glaciers in response to climatic change frequently results in the development of moraine‐dammed glacial lakes. Moraine dam failure is often accompanied by the release of large volumes of water and sediment, termed a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). Chukhung Glacier is a small (~3 km2) receding valley glacier in Mt. Everest (Sagarmatha) National Park, Nepal. Unlike many Himalayan glaciers, which possess a thick mantle of supraglacial debris, its surface is relatively clean. The glacier terminus has receded 1.3 km from its maximum Holocene position, and in doing so provided the space for an ice‐contact moraine‐dammed lake to develop. The lake had a maximum volume of 5.5 × 105 m3 and drained as a result of breaching of the terminal moraine. An estimated 1.3 × 105 m3 of material was removed from the terminal moraine during breach development. Numerical dam‐breach modelling, implemented within a Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) framework, was used to investigate a range of moraine‐dam failure scenarios. Reconstructed outflow peak discharges, including failure via overtopping and piping mechanisms, are in the range 146–2200 m3 s‐1. Results from two‐dimensional hydrodynamic GLOF modelling indicate that maximum local flow depths may have exceeded 9 m, with maximum flow velocities exceeding 20 m s‐1 within 700 m of the breach. The floodwaters mobilised a significant amount of material, sourced mostly from the expanding breach, forming a 300 m long and 100 m wide debris fan originating at the breach exit. moraine‐dam. These results also suggest that inundation of the entire floodplain may have been achieved within ten minutes of initial breach development, suggesting that debris fan development was rapid. We discuss the key glaciological and geomorphological factors that have determined the evolution of a hazardous moraine‐dammed lake complex and the subsequent generation of a GLOF and its geomorphological impact. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Meinen Eltern

The goals of the present study were to investigate whether colour Doppler sonography can be used to differentiate temporary from persistent ovarian follicles and follicles with luteal tissue from follicles without luteal tissue and to assess the response of follicular cysts to administration of a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue. Fifty-four cows having ovarian follicular structures with a diameter of >15 mm but no corpus luteum were included. These cows were examined via Bmode and colour Doppler sonography. The same examinations were repeated 10 to 12 days later, and the cows with follicular cysts (n=17) received a GnRH analogue. Blood flow was measured before and 30 min after treatment. Ten to 12 days later, the response to treatment was assessed using B-mode sonography. While 31 of 54 follicles disappeared spontaneously (temporary follicles), 23 follicles persisted and were diagnosed as cystic ovarian follicles (COFs). There was no difference between temporary follicles and COFs in regard to total area, wall thickness or the perfused area. In the luteinized follicles (n=13), based on the plasma progesterone concentration, total area was twice as large, wall thickness was three times greater and the perfused area was 4.5 times larger than those of the non-luteinized follicles (n=41). The sensitivity of diagnosing luteinized follicles was 61.5% using B-mode sonography and 92.3% using colour Doppler sonography. Twelve cows responded to GnRH, and five cows did not. There was a trend (P=0.07) toward higher (59.3%) blood flow in the cyst wall 30 min after treatment in the responding cows compared with the non-responding cows. Our results showed that the perfused area more accurately reflects active luteal tissue than wall thickness. Thus, colour Doppler sonography is superior to B-mode sonography for differentiating follicular and luteal cysts and aids in the selection of treatment. However, exact prediction of COFs destined to regress or persist and the response of COFs to treatment with a GnRH analogue were not possible using colour Doppler sonography.
Development of a Dynamics-Based Statistical Prediction Model for the Changma Onset

AbstractThe timing of the changma onset has high impacts on the Korean Peninsula, yet its seasonal prediction remains a great challenge because the changma undergoes various influences from the tropics, subtropics, and midlatitudes. In this study, a dynamics-based statistical prediction model for the changma onset is proposed. This model utilizes three predictors of slowly varying sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) over the northern tropical central Pacific, the North Atlantic, and the North Pacific occurring in the preceding spring season. SSTAs associated with each predictor persist until June and have an effect on the changma onset by inducing an anticyclonic anomaly to the southeast of the Korean Peninsula earlier than the climatological changma onset date. The persisting negative SSTAs over the northern tropical central Pacific and accompanying anomalous trade winds induce enhanced convection over the far-western tropical Pacific; in turn, these induce a cyclonic anomaly over the South China S.
BILATERAL SPHENOPALATINE GANGLION BLOCK REDUCES BLOOD PRESSURE IN NEVER TREATED PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED SINGLE-BLINDED STUDY

Objective: Sympathetic fibers connect sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) area with the central nervous system. We aimed to study the effect of SPG block in blood pressure (BP) in never treated patients with stage I-II essential hypertension. Design and method: We performed bilateral SPG block with lidocaine 2% in 34 hypertensive patients (mean age 48+12 years, 25 men) and a sham operation with water for injection in 11 patients who served as the control group (mean age 51+12 years, 8 men). All patients have been subjected to 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring prior and a month after the SBG block in order to estimate any differences in blood pressure parameters. We defined as responders to SBG block those patients with a 24 h SBP decrease > 5 mmHg Results: We found that 24 h (p = 0.01) and daytime DBP (p = 0.005) as well as daytime DBP load (p = 0.008) were decreased in the study group a month after SPG block. In addition, a significant response was noted in 12/34 responders (35%) regarding: a. SBP and DBP during overall 24 h and daytime (p < 0.001) and night-time periods (p = 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively), b. pre-awake SBP and DBP (p = 0.01 and p = 0.03, respectively) and c. SBP (daytime and night-time) and DBP (daytime) load (p < 0.001). No differences regarding BP were found in the sham operation group. Conclusions: SPG block is a promising, minimally invasive option of BP decrease in hypertensives, probably through SNS modulation. Additionally, due to its anesthetic effect, SPG block might act as a method of selection for those hypertensive patients with an activated SNS before any other invasive antihypertensive procedure.
Fire History of a Ridge and Valley Oak Forest

The fire history of an oak stand located near Pike Knob, Pendleton County, WV is described. A 156-year fire history chronology was developed from 1846 to 2002 and fire intervals ranged from 7 to 32 years for a single forest stand. The Weibull median fire interval was 14.76 years for one or more trees scarred during a single year, and 17.11 years when at least two trees were scarred during a single year. Oak recruitment ceased after 1937, during an unusually long fire-free interval, offering indirect support of the important role of fire in perpetuating oak forests of the region.
Tracking the Australian plate motion through the Cenozoic: Constraints from 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

Here we use geochronology of Australian intraplate volcanoes to construct a high‐resolution plate‐velocity record and to explore how tectonic events in the southwest Pacific may have influenced plate motion. Nine samples from five volcanoes yield ages from 33.6 ± 0.5 to 27.3 ± 0.4 Ma and, when combined with published ages from 30 to 16 Ma, show that the rate of volcanic migration was not constant. Instead, the results indicate distinct changes in Australian plate motion. Fast northward velocities (61 ± 8 and 57 ± 4 km/Ma) prevailed from 34 to 30 (±0.5) and from 23 to 16 (±0.5) Ma, respectively, with distinct reductions to 20 ± 10 and 22 ± 5 km/Ma from 30 to 29 (±0.5) Ma and from 26 to 23 (±0.5) Ma. These velocity reductions are concurrent with tectonic collisions in New Guinea and Ontong Java, respectively. Interspersed between the periods of sluggish motion is a brief 29–26 (±0.5) Ma burst of atypically fast northward plate movement of 100 ± 20 km/Ma. We evaluate potential mechanisms for this atypically fast velocity, including catastrophic slab penetration into the lower mantle, thermomechanical erosion of the lithosphere, and plume‐push forces; none are appropriate. This period of fast motion was, however, coincident with a major southward propagating slab tear that developed along the northeastern plate margin, following partial jamming of subduction and ophiolite obduction in New Caledonia. Although it is unclear whether such an event can play a role in driving fast plate motion, numerical or analogue models may help address this question.
Comparisons between SCIAMACHY and ground-based FTIR data for total columns of CO, CH 4 , CO 2 and N 2 O

Total column amounts of CO, CH 4 , CO 2 and N 2 O retrieved from SCIAMACHY nadir observations in its near-infrared channels have been compared to data from a ground-based quasi-global network of Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers. The SCIAMACHY data considered here have been produced by three different retrieval algorithms, WFM-DOAS (version 0.5 for CO and CH 4 and version 0.4 for CO 2 and N 2 O), IMAP-DOAS (version 1.1 and 0.9 (for CO)) and IMLM (version 6.3) and cover the January to December 2003 time period. Comparisons have been made for individual data, as well as for monthly averages. To maximize the number of reliable coincidences that satisfy the temporal and spatial collocation criteria, the SCIAMACHY data have been compared with a temporal 3rd order polynomial interpolation of the ground-based data. Particular attention has been given to the question whether SCIAMACHY observes correctly the seasonal and latitudinal variability of the target species. The present results indicate that the individual SCIAMACHY data obtained with the actual versions of the algorithms have been significantly improved, but that the quality requirements, for estimating emissions on regional scales, are not yet met. Nevertheless, possible directions for further algorithm upgrades have been identified which should result in more reliable data products in a near future.
The Cloud Strikes Back: Investigating the Decentralization of IPFS

Interplanetary Filesystem (IPFS) is one of the largest peer-to-peer filesystems in operation. The network is the default storage layer for Web3 and is being presented as a solution to the centralization of the web. In this paper, we present a large-scale, multi-modal measurement study of the IPFS network. We analyze the topology, the traffic, the content providers and the entry points from the classical Internet. Our measurements show significant centralization in the IPFS network and a high share of nodes hosted in the cloud. We also shed light on the main stakeholders in the ecosystem. We discuss key challenges that might disrupt continuing efforts to decentralize the Web and highlight multiple properties that are creating pressures toward centralization.
Feedback Control of Dynamic Systems

From the Publisher: This introductory book provides an in-depth, comprehensive treatment of a collection of classical and state-space approaches to control system designand ties the methods together so that a designer is able to pick the method that best fits the problem at hand. It includes case studies and comprehensive examples with close integration of MATLAB throughout the book. Chapter topics include an overview and brief history of feedback control, dynamic models, dynamic response, basic properties of feedback, the root-locus design method, the frequency-response design method, state-space design, digital control, and control-system design. A basic reference for control systems engineers.
Sound‐channel observations of ice‐generated tremor in the Indian Ocean

Mid to low southern latitude hydrophone stations within the Indian Ocean have recorded two distinct types of low‐frequency (<100 Hz) tremor that can be correlated with drifting icebergs and glacial features along the Wilkes Land coast of eastern Antarctica. The most common of these signals is a variable harmonic tremor (VHT), with spectral peaks that exhibit frequency fluctuations through time. These signals typically display a 4 to 10 Hz fundamental frequency and may have as many as ten harmonic bands. Individual VHT signal packets have durations of up to ∼30 min and occur throughout the year in clusters that continue for hours to days. A second, less commonly observed signal is characterized by shorter duration (25 to 90 s) pulses with a convex‐upward spectrogram appearance. These cusped pulse tremors (CPT) often exhibit a near‐uniform pulse spacing, with episodes continuing for minutes to hours. Tremor received levels at hydrophones near 32°S, 114°E and 7°S, 72°E reach as high as 142 and 133 dB re 1 μPa (peak to peak), respectively. Propagation likely occurs as a sea surface–reflected phase at high latitudes and a sound channel phase north of the convergence zone, with low‐frequency transmission loss estimates suggesting maximum acoustic source levels of ∼245 dB re 1 μPa at 1 m. Source locations for a subset of the loudest VHT signals correlate with the satellite‐derived locations of a large iceberg (B‐15D) that migrated westward along the Wilkes Land shelf region during 2002 and early 2003. Most VHT sources, however, cannot be correlated with known iceberg locations, suggesting that these signals also may be sourced from smaller unnamed icebergs and/or associated with outlet glaciers distributed along the Wilkes Land coast. CPT signals have a more limited spatial distribution, originating from five specific regions where ice streams are observed. The harmonic nature of both signal types is consistent with the resonance of an ice layer or fluid‐filled cavity within an ice mass.
Neighborhood-based Bridge Node Centrality Tuple for Preferential Vaccination of Nodes

We investigate the use of a recently proposed centrality tuple called the Neighborhood-based Bridge Node Centrality (NBNC) tuple to choose nodes for preferential vaccination so that such vaccinated nodes could provide herd immunity and reduce the spreading rate of infections in a complex real-world network. The NBNC tuple ranks nodes on the basis of the extent they play the role of bridge nodes in a network. A node is a bridge node, if when removed its neighbors are either disconnected or at least sparsely connected. We hypothesize that preferentially vaccinating such bridge nodes would block an infection to spread from a neighbor of the bridge node to an another neighbor that are otherwise not reachable to each other. We evaluate the effectiveness of using NBNC to reduce the spread of infections by conducting simulations of the spread of infections per the SIS (Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible) model on a collection of 10 complex real-world social networks. We observe the average fraction of infected nodes per round of the SIS simulations based on NBNC for preferential vaccination to be lower than that of the degree centrality-based preferential vaccination.
Evaluation of HOTAIR, HOXD8, HOXD9, HOXD11 Gene Expression Levels in Turkish Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Single Center Experience

BACKGRAUND: Homeobox (HOX) transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) and HOX genes are reported to be more expressed in various cancers in humans in recent studies. The role of HOTAIR and HOXD genes in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is not well known. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, expression levels of HOXD8, HOXD9 and HOXD11 from HOXD gene family and HOTAIR were determined from peripheral blood samples of 30 AML and 30 CML patients and 20 healthy volunteers by quantitative Real Time PCR. RESULTS: We determined that the expression levels of HOXD9 and HOXD11 in the AML patients were significantly lower than the control group (p<0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). There was no significant difference in the expression levels of HOTAIR and HOXD8 when compared to the control group. In the CML patients there was a significant increase in the expression level of HOTAIR when compared to the control group (p=0.002). The expression levels of HOXD9 and HOXD11 were found to be significantly lower than the control group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that HOTAIR may not be a biomarker in the diagnosis and is not significantly correlated with the clinicopathological prognostic characteristics of AML. Additionally; it can be said that HOTAIR is oncogenic by suppressing the expression of HOXD9 and HOXD11 but not HOXD8 in CML patients. The expression profiles of HOTAIR may be a potential biomarker in the diagnosis of CML patients in predicting and monitoring drug resistance.
Mercury Hazards to Fish, Wildlife, and Invertebrates: A Synoptic Review

SUMMARY Available literature on the ecological and toxicological aspects of mercury (Hg) in the environment, with special reference to fish and wildlife resources, is reviewed and summarized. Subdivisions include sources, chemical properties, background concentrations, acute and chronic toxicity, sublethal effects, and proposed criteria to protect sensitive resources. Mercury has been used by man for at least 2,300 years, most recently as a fungicide in agriculture, in the manufacture of chlorine and sodium hydroxide, as a slime control agent in the pulp and paper industry, in the production of plastics and electrical apparatus, and in mining and smelting operations. Mercury burdens in some environmental compartments are estimated to have increased up to 5X precultural levels, primarily as a result of man's activities. The construction of artificial reservoirs, for example, which releases Hg from flooded soils, has contributed to the observed elevation of Hg concentrations in fish tissues from these localities. Elevated levels of Hg in living organisms in Hg-contaminated areas may persist for as long as 100 years after the source of pollution has been discontinued. One major consequence of increased mercury use, coupled with careless waste disposal practices, has been a sharp increase in the number of epidemics of fatal mercury poisonings in humans, wildlife, and aquatic organisms. Most authorities agree on six points: (1) mercury and its compounds have no known biological function, and the presence of the metal in the cells of living organisms is undesirable and potentially hazardous; (2) forms of mercury with relatively low toxicity can be transformed into forms of very high toxicity, such as methylmercury, through biological and other processes; (3) mercury can be bioconcentrated in organisms and biomagnified through food chains; (4) mercury is a mutagen, teratogen, and carcinogen, and causes embryocidal, cytochemical, and histopathological effects; (5) some species of fish and wildlife contain high concentrations of Hg that are not attributable to human activities; (6) anthropogenic use of Hg should be curtailed, as the difference between tolerable natural background levels of Hg and harmful effects in the environment is exceptionally small. Concentrations of total Hg lethal to sensitive, representative, nonhuman species range from 0.1 to 2.0 ug/l (ppb) of medium for aquatic organisms; from 2,200 to 31,000 ug/kg body weight (acute oral) and 4,000 to 40,000 ug/kg (dietary) for birds; and from 100 to 500 ug/kg body weight (daily dose) and 1,000 to 5,000 ug/kg diet for mammals. Organomercury compounds, especially methylmercury, …
Children Returning from the U.S. to Mexico: School Sweet School?

Children are international migrants who are not generally considered in migration studies, either in the U.S. or Mexico. In order to explain this gap in international migration research in Mexico, a brief overview will be provided of how migration patterns between Mexico and the United States have evolved over the years. During the long, initial phase, including the Bracero Program and the period of undocumented flows (1934–1986), migration from Mexico to the U.S. was circular and short-term.