Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modern Pollen Deposition in Glacial Settings in the Himalaya (India): Abundance of Pinus Pollen and Its Significance

abstract Thirty-five surface sediment samples from three glacial sites – [Chorabari Glacier (Kedarnath), Hamtah and Chhatru glaciers (Lahaul-Spiti)] – situated in the western Himalaya, India, were palynologically analysed to explore the relationship between the modern pollen assemblages and the extant vegetation. The Chorabari Glacier is located in the Greater Himalaya and influenced by the Southwest Summer Monsoon; whereas the Hamtah and Chhatru glaciers are located in the Trans-Himalaya and affected more by the Western Disturbances (winter precipitation). The area around Chorabari Glacier receives abundant rainfall, while the Hamtah and Chhatru glaciers are in a high-altitude cold desert. Palynological studies have revealed an overwhelming dominance of Pinus pollen in all the samples. Though the sampling sites are 2 to 8 km away from the treeline and characterised by herbaceous ground vegetation, the marked predominance of arboreal pollen (especially Pinus) in the sediments stresses the importance of a proper interpretation of modern pollen data, so as to have an appropriate standard for deciphering the pollen–vegetation relationship in the respective study areas.
Recent innovations in intensive care unit risk-prediction models

During the past 20 years, ICU risk-prediction models have undergone significant development, validation, and refinement. Among the general ICU severity of illness scoring systems, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), Mortality Prediction Model (MPM), and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) have become the most accepted and used. To risk-adjust patients with longer, more severe illnesses like sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, several models of organ dysfunction or failure have become available, including the Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score (MODS), the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and the Logistic Organ Dysfunction Score (LODS). Recent innovations in risk adjustment include automatic physiology and diagnostic variable retrieval and the use of artificial intelligence. These innovations have the potential of extending the uses of case-mix and severity-of-illness adjustment in the areas of clinical research, patient care, and administration. The challenges facing intensivists in the next few years are to further develop these models so that they can be used throughout the IUC stay to assess quality of care and to extend them to more specific patient groups such as the elderly and patients with chronic ICU courses.
Crosstalks between Myo-Inositol Metabolism, Programmed Cell Death and Basal Immunity in Arabidopsis

Background Although it is a crucial cellular process required for both normal development and to face stress conditions, the control of programmed cell death in plants is not fully understood. We previously reported the isolation of ATXR5 and ATXR6, two PCNA-binding proteins that could be involved in the regulation of cell cycle or cell death. A yeast two-hybrid screen using ATXR5 as bait captured AtIPS1, an enzyme which catalyses the committed step of myo-inositol (MI) biosynthesis. atips1 mutants form spontaneous lesions on leaves, raising the possibility that MI metabolism may play a role in the control of PCD in plants. In this work, we have characterised atips1 mutants to gain insight regarding the role of MI in PCD regulation. Methodology/Principal Findings - lesion formation in atips1 mutants depends of light intensity, is due to PCD as evidenced by TUNEL labelling of nuclei, and is regulated by phytohormones such as salicylic acid - MI and galactinol are the only metabolites whose accumulation is significantly reduced in the mutant, and supplementation of the mutant with these compounds is sufficient to prevent PCD - the transcriptome profile of the mutant is extremely similar to that of lesion mimic mutants such as cpr5, or wild-type plants infected with pathogens. Conclusion/Significance Taken together, our results provide strong evidence for the role of MI or MI derivatives in the regulation of PCD. Interestingly, there are three isoforms of IPS in Arabidopsis, but AtIPS1 is the only one harbouring a nuclear localisation sequence, suggesting that nuclear pools of MI may play a specific role in PCD regulation and opening new research prospects regarding the role of MI in the prevention of tumorigenesis. Nevertheless, the significance of the interaction between AtIPS1 and ATXR5 remains to be established.
Novel Changes in NF-κB Activity during Progression and Regression Phases of Hyperplasia

Utilizing the Citrobacter rodentium-induced transmissible murine colonic hyperplasia (TMCH) model, we measured hyperplasia and NF-κB activation during progression (days 6 and 12 post-infection) and regression (days 20–34 post-infection) phases of TMCH. NF-κB activity increased at progression in conjunction with bacterial attachment and translocation to the colonic crypts and decreased 40% by day 20. NF-κB activity at days 27 and 34, however, remained 2–3-fold higher than uninfected control. Expression of the downstream target gene CXCL-1/KC in the crypts correlated with NF-κB activation kinetics. Phosphorylation of cellular IκBα kinase (IKK)α/β (Ser176/180) was elevated during progression and regression of TMCH. Phosphorylation (Ser32/36) and degradation of IκBα, however, contributed to NF-κB activation only from days 6 to 20 but not at later time points. Phosphorylation of MEK1/2 (Ser217/221), ERK1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204), and p38 (Thr180/Tyr182) paralleled IKKα/β kinetics at days 6 and 12 without declining with regressing hyperplasia. siRNAs to MEK, ERK, and p38 significantly blocked NF-κB activity in vitro, whereas MEK1/2-inhibitor (PD98059) also blocked increases in MEK1/2, ERK1/2, and IKKα/β thereby inhibiting NF-κB activity in vivo. Cellular and nuclear levels of Ser536-phosphorylated (p65536) and Lys310-acetylated p65 subunit accompanied functional NF-κB activation during TMCH. RSK-1 phosphorylation at Thr359/Ser363 in cellular/nuclear extracts and co-immunoprecipitation with cellular p65-NF-κB overlapped with p65536 kinetics. Dietary pectin (6%) blocked NF-κB activity by blocking increases in p65 abundance and nuclear translocation thereby down-regulating CXCL-1/KC expression in the crypts. Thus, NF-κB activation persisted despite the lack of bacterial attachment to colonic mucosa beyond peak hyperplasia. The MEK/ERK/p38 pathway therefore seems to modulate sustained activation of NF-κB in colonic crypts in response to C. rodentium infection.
Anatomy of Scientific Evolution

The quest for historically impactful science and technology provides invaluable insight into the innovation dynamics of human society, yet many studies are limited to qualitative and small-scale approaches. Here, we investigate scientific evolution through systematic analysis of a massive corpus of digitized English texts between 1800 and 2008. Our analysis reveals great predictability for long-prevailing scientific concepts based on the levels of their prior usage. Interestingly, once a threshold of early adoption rates is passed even slightly, scientific concepts can exhibit sudden leaps in their eventual lifetimes. We developed a mechanistic model to account for such results, indicating that slowly-but-commonly adopted science and technology surprisingly tend to have higher innate strength than fast-and-commonly adopted ones. The model prediction for disciplines other than science was also well verified. Our approach sheds light on unbiased and quantitative analysis of scientific evolution in society, and may provide a useful basis for policy-making.
CT Scan Imaging of the Human Fetal Labyrinth: Case Series Data Throughout Gestation

Objectives: The inner ear in humans reaches its final configuration and its adult size during fetal life. According to the literature, this occurs between 18 and 25 weeks of amenorrhea (WA). Our goal is to clarify the course of inner ear size development. Methods: Using computed tomography (CT) scanner, we studied 13 measurements in the inner ear of a collection of 153 fetuses from 21 to 40 WA. Results: We found no side-related differences or sexual dimorphism in the measurements. Cochlear and vestibular bone measurements did not show growth from 21 to 40 WA, with the exception of the lateral semicircular canal (LSCC) bony island, which grows until 25 WA. Internal auditory canal (IAC) and cochlear aqueduct (CA) growth are correlated with gestational age. As our cochlear measurements are similar to those of infants and adults, in accordance with the literature we conclude that the cochlea has reached its adult size before 21 WA. The continuous growth of the IAC and CA is linked to petrous ossification that continues during fetal gestation and after birth. Conclusion: We confirm that the cochlea reaches its adult size during the second trimester of fetal life.
Resveratrol attenuates intermittent hypoxia-induced insulin resistance in rats: Involvement of Sirtuin 1 and the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase/AKT pathway

Obstructive sleep apnea can induce chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) during sleep and is associated with obesity and diabetes. Resveratrol (RSV), a polyphenolic phytoalexin, can regulate glucose metabolism, thereby reducing insulin resistance. The present study aimed to assess whether RSV attenuates CIH-induced insulin resistance in rats and the underlying mechanisms. A total of 40 rats were randomly assigned into five groups: i) Control; ii) subjected to CIH only; iii) subjected to CIH and treated with 3 mg/kg/day of RSV; iv) subjected to CIH and treated with 30 mg/kg/day of RSV; v) subjected to CIH and treated with 60 mg/kg/day of RSV. All animals were sacrificed following 28 days of treatment. Subsequently, the blood and livers were harvested and blood insulin and glucose levels were measured. Levels of sirtuin (Sirt) 1, insulin receptor (InsR) and glucose transporter 2 (Glut2) in the liver were measured. RSV treatment was demonstrated to suppress weight gain and improve hepatic morphology. RSV treatment also significantly reduced the homeostasis model assessment estimate of insulin resistance of the rats exposed to CIH. This effect occurred in a dose-dependent manner. RSV significantly upregulated liver Sirt1 levels and inhibited InsR and Glut2 expression in the liver. Additionally, RSV activated the phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K) and AKT. The present study demonstrates that RSV prevents CIH-induced insulin resistance in rats. Upregulation of Sirt1 and activation of PI3K/AKT signaling may be involved in this process.
On the Performance of Independently Designed LDPC Codes for the Relay Channel

A decode-and-forward LDPC-based coding and decoding scheme is proposed and applied to the BAWGN single-relay channel. The source broadcasts information to both the relay and the destination. The relay is able to simultaneously receive and transmit. Both the relay and the destination apply successive iterative decoding using belief propagation. In the proposed scheme, the LDPC code used by the source and the LDPC code used by the relay are designed independently of each outer: optimality properties of this approach are established via information-theoretic upper and lower bounds. Asymptotic analysis shows that the performance of the proposed scheme can be as close as 0.02 dB away from the theoretical limit for any decode-and-forward scheme, and simulation results show that its performance for a block code of length 214 can be within 0.55 dB away from the same limit with a corresponding bit error probability of ~10-6
Volcanic‐Tectonic Structure of the Mount Dent Oceanic Core Complex in the Ultraslow Mid‐Cayman Spreading Center Determined From Detailed Seafloor Investigation

The flanks of the ultraslow‐spreading Mid‐Cayman Spreading Center (MCSC) are characterized by domal massifs or oceanic core complexes (OCCs). The most prominent of these, Mount Dent, comprises lower‐crustal and upper‐mantle lithologies and hosts the Von Damm vent field ~12 km west of the axial deep. Here, presented autonomous underwater vehicle‐derived swath sonar (multibeam) mapping and deep‐towed side‐scan sonar imagery lead to our interpretation that: (i) slip along the OCC‐bounding detachment fault is ceasing, (ii) the termination zone, where detachment fault meets the hanging wall, is disintegrating, (iii) the domed surface of the OCC is cut by steep north‐south extensional faulting, and (iv) the breakaway zone is cut by outward facing faults. The Von Damm vent field and dispersed pockmarks on the OCC's south flank further suggest that hydrothermal fluid flow is pervasive within the faulted OCC. On the axial floor of the MCSC, bright acoustic backscatter and multibeam bathymetry reveal: (v) a volcanic detachment hanging wall, (vi) a major fault rifting the southern flank of Mount Dent, and (vii) a young axial volcanic ridge intersecting its northern flank. These observations are described by a conceptual model wherein detachment faulting and OCC exhumation are ceasing during an increase in magmatic intrusion, brittle deformation, and hydrothermal circulation within the OCC. Together, this high‐resolution view of the MCSC provides an instructive example of how OCCs, formed within an overall melt‐starved ultraslow spreading center, can undergo magmatism, hydrothermal activity, and faulting in much the same way as expected in magmatically more robust slow‐spreading centers elsewhere.
Satellite altimeter‐derived monthly discharge of the Ganga‐Brahmaputra River and its seasonal to interannual variations from 1993 to 2008

[1] The Ganga-Brahmaputra accounts for ∼25% of the total amount of freshwater received by the Bay of Bengal. Using daily in situ river discharge data along with altimetry-derived river heights, the present study aims to produce a monthly data set of altimetry-derived Ganga-Brahmaputra River discharge at the river mouths for 1993–2008. First, we estimate the standard error of ENVISAT-derived water levels over the Ganga to be 0.26 m, much smaller than the range of variability of ∼7 m, and consistent with the accuracy of altimeter measurements over large rivers. We then establish rating curves between altimetry-derived water levels and in situ river discharges and show that TOPEX-Poseidon, ERS-2, and ENVISAT data can successfully be used to infer Ganga and Brahmaputra discharge. The mean error on the estimated daily discharge derived from altimetry ranges from ∼15% (∼4700 m3/s) using TOPEX-Poseidon over the Brahmaputra to ∼36% (∼9000 m3/s) using ERS-2 over the Ganga. Combined Ganga-Brahmaputra monthly discharges for 1993–2008 are presented, showing a mean error of ∼17% (∼2700 m3/s), within the range (15%–20%) of acceptable accuracy for discharge measurements. During 2004–2008, we assess the variability of the estimate against precipitation and river heights records. Finally, we present a basic approach to infer Ganga-Brahmaputra monthly discharge at the river mouths. The upscaled discharge exhibits a marked interannual variability with a standard deviation in excess of ∼12,500 m3/s, much larger than the data set uncertainty. This new data set represents an unprecedented source of information to quantify continental freshwater forcing flux into Indian Ocean circulation models.
Phase III study of iniparib plus gemcitabine and carboplatin versus gemcitabine and carboplatin in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

PURPOSE There is a lack of treatments providing survival benefit for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC), with no standard of care. A randomized phase II trial showed significant benefit for gemcitabine, carboplatin, and iniparib (GCI) over gemcitabine and carboplatin (GC) in clinical benefit rate, response rate, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Here, we formally compare the efficacy of these regimens in a phase III trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with stage IV/locally recurrent TNBC who had received no more than two previous chemotherapy regimens for mTNBC were randomly allocated to gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) and carboplatin area under the curve 2 (days 1 and 8) alone or GC plus iniparib 5.6 mg/kg (days 1, 4, 8, and 11) every 3 weeks. Random assignment was stratified by the number of prior chemotherapies. The coprimary end points were OS and PFS. Patients receiving GC could cross over to iniparib on progression. RESULTS Five hundred nineteen patients were randomly assigned (261 GCI; 258 GC). In the primary analysis, no statistically significant difference was observed for OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.12; P = .28) nor PFS (HR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.98; P = .027). An exploratory analysis showed that patients in the second-/third-line had improved OS (HR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.91) and PFS (HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.92) with GCI. The safety profile for GCI was similar to GC. CONCLUSION The trial did not meet the prespecified criteria for the coprimary end points of PFS and OS in the ITT population. The potential benefit with iniparib observed in second-/third-line subgroup warrants further evaluation.
Modelling Negative Feedback Networks for Activating Transcription Factor 3 Predicts a Dominant Role for miRNAs in Immediate Early Gene Regulation

Activating transcription factor 3 (Atf3) is rapidly and transiently upregulated in numerous systems, and is associated with various disease states. Atf3 is required for negative feedback regulation of other genes, but is itself subject to negative feedback regulation possibly by autorepression. In cardiomyocytes, Atf3 and Egr1 mRNAs are upregulated via ERK1/2 signalling and Atf3 suppresses Egr1 expression. We previously developed a mathematical model for the Atf3-Egr1 system. Here, we adjusted and extended the model to explore mechanisms of Atf3 feedback regulation. Introduction of an autorepressive loop for Atf3 tuned down its expression and inhibition of Egr1 was lost, demonstrating that negative feedback regulation of Atf3 by Atf3 itself is implausible in this context. Experimentally, signals downstream from ERK1/2 suppress Atf3 expression. Mathematical modelling indicated that this cannot occur by phosphorylation of pre-existing inhibitory transcriptional regulators because the time delay is too short. De novo synthesis of an inhibitory transcription factor (ITF) with a high affinity for the Atf3 promoter could suppress Atf3 expression, but (as with the Atf3 autorepression loop) inhibition of Egr1 was lost. Developing the model to include newly-synthesised miRNAs very efficiently terminated Atf3 protein expression and, with a 4-fold increase in the rate of degradation of mRNA from the mRNA/miRNA complex, profiles for Atf3 mRNA, Atf3 protein and Egr1 mRNA approximated to the experimental data. Combining the ITF model with that of the miRNA did not improve the profiles suggesting that miRNAs are likely to play a dominant role in switching off Atf3 expression post-induction.
Photoplethysmography and Continuous-Wave Doppler Ultrasound as a Complementary Test to Ankle–Brachial Index in Detection of Stenotic Peripheral Arterial Disease

Purpose: We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of ankle–brachial index (ABI), photoplethysmography (PPG), and continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound (CWD) in the detection of anatomically stenotic peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Methods: Ninety-seven patients (194 legs) patients who had coincidentally undergone computed tomography angiography (CTA), ABI, PPG, and CWD for the evaluation of PAD were retrospectively reviewed. Sensitivity and specificity were measured. Results: Among 194 legs, 163 (84%) legs had stenotic PAD on CTA. Overall sensitivity of ABI, PPG, and CWD was 69.3%, 81.6%, and 90.8% and specificity was 96.8%, 77.4%, and 64.5%, respectively. Ankle–brachial index showed a statistically significantly decreased sensitivity (14.8%) for below trifurcation level stenosis compared with CWD (92%) and PPG (67%). The sensitivity of ABI was also significantly decreased in single level and moderate stenosis (45.1% and 42.1%, respectively). In contrast, the sensitivity of CWD and PPG was not significantly decreased. Conclusion: The ABI showed significantly decreased sensitivity especially in stenosis below the trifurcation level. Both PPG and CWD were complementary to ABI in these groups of patients.
Active learning through notes data in Flickr: an effortless training data acquisition approach for object localization

Most of the state-of-the-art systems for object localization rely on supervised machine learning techniques, and are thus limited by the lack of labeled training data. In this paper, our motivation is to provide training dataset for object localization effectively and efficiently. We argue that the notes data in Flickr can be exploited as a novel source for object modeling. At first, we apply a text mining method to gather semantically related images for a specific class. Then a handful of images are selected manually as seed images or initial training set. At last, the training set is expanded by an incremental active learning framework. Our approach requires significantly less manual supervision compared to standard methods. The experimental results on the PASCAL VOC 2007 and NUS-WIDE datasets show that the training data acquired by our approach can complement or even substitute conventional training data for object localization.
Fluid Flow, Brecciation, and Shear Heating on Faults: Insights From Carbonate Clumped‐Isotope Thermometry

Slip on gently dipping detachments in the brittle crust has been enigmatic for decades, because fracture mechanics laws predict frictional resistance is too great for sliding to occur, except under rather unusual circumstances. The Miocene Mormon Peak detachment in Nevada and the Eocene Heart Mountain detachment in Wyoming are two well‐studied examples of upper crustal, carbonate‐hosted low‐angle detachments, with highly debated slip processes. Both low‐angle faults were active during regional magmatism, and a number of proposed slip mechanisms involve magmatic fluids, frictional heating, or both. To address the role that magmatic fluids and frictional heating may have played in reducing friction, we measured clumped‐isotope ratios on 137 carbonate samples from these faults. The majority of fault breccias and gouges on the detachment slip surface record temperatures that are colder than the host rock. Surprisingly, samples from within 5 m of the Heart Mountain detachment average just 65 °C, and not a single sample (out of 37 measurements, excluding metamorphosed host rock at White Mountain) records a temperature greater than 90 °C. Along both faults, most samples are depleted in δ18O relative to the host rock, indicating that meteoric, not magmatic, fluids were present and interacting with the fault rock. However, a few samples preserve temperatures of over 160 °C, which, based on textural and geochemical criteria, are difficult to explain other than by frictional heating during slip. These temperatures are recorded in one sample directly on the Mormon Peak detachment slip surface and in two hanging wall localities above the Heart Mountain detachment.
Geodesics in Margulis spacetimes

Abstract Let M3 be a Margulis spacetime whose associated complete hyperbolic surface Σ2 has a compact convex core. Generalizing the correspondence between closed geodesics on M3 and closed geodesics on Σ2, we establish an orbit equivalence between recurrent spacelike geodesics on M3 and recurrent geodesics on Σ2. In contrast, no timelike geodesic recurs in either forward or backward time.