julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Shift in Mass Transfer of Wastewater Contaminants from Microplastics in the Presence of Dissolved Substances
2017-10-01

In aqueous environments, hydrophobic organic contaminants are often associated with particles. Besides natural particles, microplastics have raised public concern. The release of pollutants from such particles depends on mass transfer, either in an aqueous boundary layer or by intraparticle diffusion. Which of these mechanisms controls the mass-transfer kinetics depends on partition coefficients, particle size, boundary conditions, and time. We have developed a semianalytical model accounting for both processes and performed batch experiments on the desorption kinetics of typical wastewater pollutants (phenanthrene, tonalide, and benzophenone) at different dissolved-organic-matter concentrations, which change the overall partitioning between microplastics and water. Initially, mass transfer is externally dominated, while finally, intraparticle diffusion controls release kinetics. Under boundary conditions typical for batch experiments (finite bath), desorption accelerates with increasing partition coefficients for intraparticle diffusion, while it becomes independent of partition coefficients if film diffusion prevails. On the contrary, under field conditions (infinite bath), the pollutant release controlled by intraparticle diffusion is not affected by partitioning of the compound while external mass transfer slows down with increasing sorption. Our results clearly demonstrate that sorption/desorption time scales observed in batch experiments may not be transferred to field conditions without an appropriate model accounting for both the mass-transfer mechanisms and the specific boundary conditions at hand.
Tectonic and Climatic Controls on the Spatial Distribution of Denudation Rates in Northern Chile (18°S to 23°S) Determined From Cosmogenic Nuclides
2017-10-01

Abstract In the arid region of northern Chile the environmental conditions are favorable for measuring tectonic and climatic influences on catchment denudation rates in the absence of vegetation. Previous studies of denudation rates from cosmogenic 10 Be and 26 Al concentrations are limited to single drainages. In this study, we examine catchment‐ to orogen‐scale spatial variation in denudation rates between 18 and 23°S in the Coastal and Western Cordilleras of northern Chile. 10 Be and 26 Al data were obtained from 33 catchments to examine the relative roles of tectonics and climate on catchment‐averaged denudation rates. At broader scales, we examine whether denudation rates and orogen topography reflect the 3‐D plate geometry of the region. Cosmogenic nuclide‐derived denudation rates range from 0.4 ± 0.5 to 20.6 ± 1.5 m/Myr in the Coastal Cordillera and from 1.4 ± 0.7 to 168.0 ± 19.8 m/Myr in the Western Cordillera. The controls on the denudation rates are evaluated using a statistical factor analysis of 10 selected catchment parameters. Denudation rates indicate a strong linear relationship with channel steepness indices but insignificant correlations and covariation with mean annual precipitation rates, drainage area, stream order, mean elevation, mean local relief, mean basin slope, and grain size of the sampled sediments. Moreover, denudation rates are better correlated with tectonic controls at catchment scale than orogen‐scale plate tectonics in the Western and Coastal Cordillera.
Inversion of the decay of the cyclotron line energy in Hercules X-1
2017-10-01

Recent observations of Her X-1 with NuSTAR and INTEGRAL in 2016 have provided&#13;\\nevidence that the 20-year decay of the cyclotron line energy found between 1996&#13;\\nand 2015 has ended and that an inversion with a new increase, possibly similar&#13;\\nto the one observed around 1990-1993, has started. We consider this a strong&#13;\\nmotivation for further observations and for enhanced efforts to significantly&#13;\\nimprove our theoretical understanding of the accretion process in binary X-ray&#13;\\npulsars. We speculate about the physics behind the long-term decay and its&#13;\\ninversion, a possible cyclic behavior, and correlations with other variable&#13;\\nobservables.
Estimating Soil Moisture Patterns with Remote Sensing and Terrain Data at the Small Catchment Scale
2017-10-01

Core Ideas The FCM SEA was used for sampling and spatial estimation of soil moisture patterns. Multispectral remote sensing and terrain data were combined to guide the sampling and estimation. Selected vegetation patterns and terrain data provided reasonable estimates of soil moisture. The FCM SEA was stable to explain about 50% of the total observed variance. The FCM SEA was superior to an approach driven solely by terrain data. Detailed information on the temporal and spatial evolution of soil moisture patterns is of fundamental importance to improve runoff prediction, optimize irrigation management and to enhance crop forecasting. However, obtaining representative soil moisture measurements at the catchment scale is challenging because of the dynamic spatial and temporal behavior of soil moisture. High‐resolution remote sensing data provide detailed spatial information about catchment characteristics (e.g., terrain and land use) that can be used as proxies to estimate soil moisture. We assessed the potential use of combined multitemporal multispectral remote sensing (RS) and terrain data for estimating spatial soil moisture patterns at the small catchment scale. The fuzzy c ‐means sampling and estimation approach (FCM SEA) was applied to conduct a sensor (proxy) directed (guided) sampling and to reconstruct multitemporal soil moisture patterns based on time domain reflectometry measurements. A comprehensive soil moisture database for the Schäfertal catchment, located in central Germany, was used to test, validate, and compare the FCM SEA performances of the combined remote sensing data with those of a benchmark approach driven solely by terrain data. Results from the study show that a FCM SEA model that integrates bi‐temporal RS imagery and terrain data was more effective in estimating spatial soil moisture patterns relative to the benchmark model. It outperformed the benchmark model in 58% of the cases and was stable to explain about 50% of the total observed variance for a range of different catchment moisture conditions. This was achieved with only a small sample size ( n = 30). The results of this study are promising because they highlight the importance of considering multitemporal RS and terrain data and demonstrate how in situ sensors can be optimally placed to enable cost‐efficient monitoring and prediction of spatial soil moisture patterns at the small catchment scale.
Learning Blind Motion Deblurring
2017-10-01

As handheld video cameras are now commonplace and available in every smartphone, images and videos can be recorded almost everywhere at anytime. However, taking a quick shot frequently yields a blurry result due to unwanted camera shake during recording or moving objects in the scene. Removing these artifacts from the blurry recordings is a highly ill-posed problem as neither the sharp image nor the motion blur kernel is known. Propagating information between multiple consecutive blurry observations can help restore the desired sharp image or video. Solutions for blind deconvolution based on neural networks rely on a massive amount of ground-truth data which is hard to acquire. In this work, we propose an efficient approach to produce a significant amount of realistic training data and introduce a novel recurrent network architecture to deblur frames taking temporal information into account, which can efficiently handle arbitrary spatial and temporal input sizes. We demonstrate the versatility of our approach in a comprehensive comparison on a number of challening real-world examples.
Guided systems engineering by profiled ontologies
2017-10-01

Engineering phase specific tailored views on data are required to prevent over-engineering and to discover missing elements. This paper presents an approach to enhance a semantic Conceptual Data Model (CDM) to define the specific behavior of engineering phases. Therefore, a CDM gets enhanced by an ontology profile to specify required and non-admissible features for each engineering phase. This is exploited to enhance existing transformations from Web Ontology Language (OWL) to Eclipse Modeling Language (EMF) to generate phase specific decorators representing the corresponding views on data items. The approach also supports engineering phase specific handling of constraints and rules that further augment the guidance of engineers through the system development process by applying knowledge management functions such as reasoning. As a result, the presented approach reveals a notably higher data quality and offers more analysis potential by enabling phase-specific definitions of views on data and specification of semantic checks on CDM level. Several use cases from aerospace engineering have been analyzed and the improvements in areas such as inconsistency detection, knowledge derivation, and guided system modeling are highlighted in this paper.
Shifting from data handling to knowledge engineering in aerospace industry
2017-10-01

The development of increasingly complex systems with improved quality levels becomes more and more challenging. Engineering data frameworks with integrated system models have been developed to manage such systems. This paper presents the experiences that have been made in digital systems engineering in the aerospace domain and focuses on the roadmap that has been taken to establish a knowledge engineering framework. While working with first versions of these tools, it became obvious that an engineering framework reflecting all aspects of an engineering data object was required. In addition, data analytics and technologies used to check data consistency became increasingly relevant. As a consequence, semantically rich data models expressed by ontologies come into focus of forming the engineering framework baseline in conjunction with related technologies such as reasoning, error avoidance based on data analytics, and knowledge-driven engineering environments.
Mapping Cortical Brain Asymmetry in 17,141 Healthy Individuals Worldwide via the ENIGMA Consortium
2017-10-01

Abstract Hemispheric asymmetry is a cardinal feature of human brain organization. Altered brain asymmetry has also been linked to some cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. Here the ENIGMA consortium presents the largest ever analysis of cerebral cortical asymmetry and its variability across individuals. Cortical thickness and surface area were assessed in MRI scans of 17,141 healthy individuals from 99 datasets worldwide. Results revealed widespread asymmetries at both hemispheric and regional levels, with a generally thicker cortex but smaller surface area in the left hemisphere relative to the right. Regionally, asymmetries of cortical thickness and/or surface area were found in the inferior frontal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and entorhinal cortex. These regions are involved in lateralized functions, including language and visuospatial processing. In addition to population-level asymmetries, variability in brain asymmetry was related to sex, age, and brain size (indexed by intracranial volume). Interestingly, we did not find significant associations between asymmetries and handedness. Finally, with two independent pedigree datasets ( N = 1,443 and 1,113, respectively), we found several asymmetries showing modest but highly reliable heritability. The structural asymmetries identified, and their variabilities and heritability provide a reference resource for future studies on the genetic basis of brain asymmetry and altered laterality in cognitive, neurological, and psychiatric disorders. Significance Statement Left-right asymmetry is a key feature of the human brain's structure and function. It remains unclear which cortical regions are asymmetrical on average in the population, and how biological factors such as age, sex and genetic variation affect these asymmetries. Here we describe by far the largest ever study of cerebral cortical brain asymmetry, based on data from 17,141 participants. We found a global anterior-posterior 'torque' pattern in cortical thickness, together with various regional asymmetries at the population level, which have not been previously described, as well as effects of age, sex, and heritability estimates. From these data, we have created an on-line resource that will serve future studies of human brain anatomy in health and disease.
Archaeological reconnaissance of the Late Pleistocene Red Sea coast in the Danakil
2017-10-01

The paucity of archaeological evidence from the northern Afar Rift and Red Sea littoral remains a major hindrance to testing the hypothesised Out-of-Africa dispersal of early humans via the ‘Southern Route’—across the Bab al-Mandeb into Arabia and beyond. Encouraged by renewed geological studies (e.g. Atnafu et al. 2015), and recent archaeological discoveries (e.g. Walter et al. 2000; Beyin 2013), we initiated a pioneering exploration along the ancient Red Sea coast in the Danakil Depression (Figure 1a–c). The most conspicuous geomorphological features here constitute terraces of reef carbonates and associated marine deposits, formed when the depression was covered by the open Red Sea during the Middle to Late Pleistocene. Initial results of our exploration promise contexts in which the distribution and cultural/behavioural adaptation of early humans during the Out-of-Africa event can be closely investigated.
Global extraction of the parton-to-kaon fragmentation functions at NLO in QCD
2017-10-01

In this document, we present the global QCD analysis of parton-to-kaon fragmentation functions at next-to-leading order accuracy using the latest experimental information on single-inclusive kaon production in electron-positron annihilation, lepton-nucleon deep-inelastic scattering, and proton-proton collisions. An extended analysis of this work can be found in Ref.[1].
The putative PAINs nostotrebin 6 and derivatives from Nostoc sp. inhibit the trypanosomal cysteine protease rhodesain
2017-10-01

The trypanosomal cysteine protease rhodesain plays a major role during parasitic infection by Trypanosoma brucei, known as human African trypanosomiasis. The enzyme is regarded as a promising target for new drugs [1]. Thus, a collection of about 670 cyanobacteria extracts was screened for inhibitory activity against rhodesain using an established assay. The screening revealed 21 media extracts with an inhibition higher than 80% at 0.2 mg/mL. The most promising extract from a Nostoc sp. strain was fractionated using flash and high-performance liquid chromatography, resulting in the isolation of 14 inhibitory compounds. Structure elucidation by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed one of the compounds to be Nostotrebin 6 [2] while the others are new intriguing structurally related compounds composed of two basic building blocks that form monomeric, dimeric, or trimeric structures. Nostotrebin 6 acts as an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (IC50 6μM) and butyrylcholinesterase (IC50 7μM) [2] and exhibited further bioactivity; e.g. cytotoxicity and pro-apoptotic activity [3]. Due to its broad bioactivity spectrum and as, to our knowledge, no structure-activity relationship has been established so far, we assume Nostotrebin 6, a polyphenolic compound, to be a pan-assay interference (PAIN) compound.
New approaches to handle old compounds – the generation of microcystin and nodularin derivatives with “clickable” features
2017-10-01

Lately, new crosslinking techniques have been developed to study the function of compounds in cellular processes. These techniques became known as bioorthogonal or so-called “click” reactions [1]. They are biorthogonal because they involve functional groups not found in nature. Thus, a semisynthetic approach is required to introduce the “clickable” groups into natural products – a sometimes difficult and time-consuming process.
Stress modification as exemplified in irritated bowel syndrome
2017-10-01

Objective: Neurexan®, a natural pharmaceutical product, is composed of passionflower, oats, coffee and zinc valerianate. It has been investigated in acute stressed subjects. Stress initiates changes in functional connectivity (FC) between amygdala and cortical regions. The functional integrity can be assessed via amygdala-centered resting-state (rs) FC. Amygdala is involved in developing fear and emotions and its reactivity to negative stimuli associates with stress regulation. It can be assessed with the Hariri paradigm. Previous studies reported associations between ongoing variability in Autonomous Nervous System (ANS) tone measured by heart rate variability (HRV) and stress-induced changes in dACC and amygdala FC. In this study we investigated if Neurexan® affects emotional brain response to stress. Methods: Thirty-nine healthy male subjects participated in a doubleblind, randomized, placebo-controlled, within-subject cross-over fMRI study assessing Neurexan® effects at 3 Tesla. In each session, an 11 min rs-measurement was performed at baseline, after single dose of Neurexan® or placebo and after exposure to psychosocial stress. The emotional Hariri paradigm was measured after intake of verum or placebo. HRV was recorded continuously during the sessions. Data were preprocessed and analyzed in SPM12 and DPABI. Results: Significant effect of Neurexan® was found on rs-FC between left centromedial amygdala and cortical regions. In the Hariri task, paired t test showed a drug effect in left amygdala, with stronger activations in placebo than Neurexan® condition. Comparing Neurexan® and placebo groups, Neurexan® improved variability in ANS tone in both conditions, prior and after psychosocial stress, compared to baseline. Conclusion: We saw a beneficial effect of Neurexan® on stress-induced brain function. Neurexan® influenced rs-FC of the centromedial amygdala towards cortical regions involved in emotion regulation and reduced the emotional brain response to negative stimuli. The variability in ANS tone during stress task was also improved by Neurexan®.
Effects of natural medicinal on brain responses to deviant stimuli during an auditory oddball task
2017-10-01

Objective: Neurexan®, a natural pharmaceutical product sold over the counter (OTC), contains diluted plant and mineral components: passionflower, oats, coffee and zinc valerianate. Neurexan® has been investigated in patients with symptoms related to acute stress and nervousness. It was shown that stress is associated with cognitive impairments, as for example during the oddball paradigm. Previous research suggested an standard tones and two types of deviant tones (10 frequency deviant; 10 duration deviant), presented in a pseudo-randomized order. Results: RmANOVA with within-subject factors treatment (drug/-placebo) and deviant-type (frequency/duration) showed significant treatment by deviant-type interaction (F(1, 37) = 8.828, p = 0.005, η2 = 0.193) on the latency of the mismatch negativity. The Wilcoxontest confirmed that Neurexan® significantly reduced latency of the frequency deviant (z(37) = −2.85, p = 0.004). Conclusion: We observed a difference between the placebo and Neurexan® for the latency of mismatch negativity to deviant tones (frequency deviant). Our findings suggest that Neurexan® induces subtle primary processing changes additionally to its postulated topdown effects. Attenuated euroendocrine stress response in healthy volunteers induced by Neurexan®. This study further explores the effects of Neurexan® on cognitive performance. Expecting that Neurexan® reduces the stress level, we hypothesized that the subjects in the placebo group would be more susceptible to distraction compared to treatment group during an oddball paradigm coupled with an EEG measurement. Methods: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, twoperiod crossover trial, brain responses of 39 healthy, moderately stressed males were measured during an unattended auditory oddball paradigm via 64-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) after intake of a single dose Neurexan® or placebo. The paradigm consisted of 80 standard tones and two types of deviant tones (10 frequency deviant; 10 duration deviant), presented in a pseudo-randomized order. Results: RmANOVA with within-subject factors treatment (drug/-placebo) and deviant-type (frequency/duration) showed significant treatment by deviant-type interaction (F(1, 37) = 8.828, p = 0.005, η2 = 0.193) on the latency of the mismatch negativity. The Wilcoxontest confirmed that Neurexan® significantly reduced latency of the frequency deviant (z(37) = −2.85, p = 0.004). Conclusion: We observed a difference between the placebo and Neurexan® for the latency of mismatch negativity to deviant tones (frequency deviant). Our findings suggest that Neurexan® induces subtle primary processing changes additionally to its postulated topdown effects.
Intrinsic network connectivity and affect dysregulation in depression
2017-10-01

Intrinsic network connectivity shows typical abnormalities in depression, which predispose individuals to respond differently to external contexts. Importantly abnormal reactivity can be characterised both blunted positive affect and increased negative affect. The latter is also related to abnormal duration of specific neuronal states following negative information. More recent research investigates such mechanisms in the context of dynamic connectivity elicited in rest-task-rest designs. We have established different cognitive and affective challenges under which specific dynamic changes of functional network connectivity is induced. Results show distinct dynamic profiles of dorsal and ventral posterior cingulate cortex as a main hub of a core network orchestrating reallocation of attentional resources. These mechanisms were shown to depend on subject characteristics including coping style and personality markers. In a clinical group of depressed patients, we found increased tonic reactivity towards attachment related stressors and in both patients and controls, dynamic state trajectories were accompanied by dynamic changes in EEG signatures concurrently recorded during fMRI.