Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate change and salmon production in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

Alaskan salmon stocks have exhibited enormous fluctuations in production during the 20th century. In this paper, we investigate our hypothesis that large-scale salmon-production variability is driven by climatic processes in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Using a time-series analytical technique known as intervention analysis, we demonstrate that Alaskan salmonids alternate between high and low production regimes. The transition from a high(low) regime to a low(high) regime is called an intervention. To test for interventions, we first fitted the salmon time series to univariate autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models. On the basis of tentatively identified climatic regime shifts, potential interventions were then identified and incorporated into the models, and the resulting fit was compared with the non-intervention models. A highly significant positive step intervention in the late 1970s and a significant negative step intervention in the late 1940s were identified in the four major Alaska salmon stocks analyzed. We review the evidence for synchronous climatic regime shifts in the late 1940s and late 1970s that coincide with the shifts in salmon production. Potential mechanisms linking North Pacific climatic processes to salmon production are identified.
Prenatal Exposure to Wood Fuel Smoke and Low Birth Weight

Background Maternal exposure to wood fuel smoke may lead to impaired fetal growth due to hypoxia and or oxidative stress from smoke constituents such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Objectives We studied the risk of low birth weight (LBW) and reduced mean birth weight in relation to reported use of wood for cooking during the prenatal period, compared with natural gas (NG). Methods We studied a historical cohort of women who had a singleton live birth in the years 2000–2002, from a semirural area of Pakistan. Infant’s birth weight was obtained from records, and prenatal records had data for maternal body mass index and parity. Cooking habits, daytime sleep habits, and type of fuel used during the pregnancies in 2000–2002 were ascertained by a survey done in 2004–2005. We performed multiple linear and logistic regression modeling using propensity scores to adjust for confounding variables. Results Unadjusted mean (± SD) birth weight was 2.78 ± 0.45 kg in wood users, and 2.84 ± 0.43 kg (p < 0.06) in NG users. Infants born to wood users averaged 82 g lighter than infants born to NG users when weight was adjusted for confounders (p < 0.07). The rate of LBW (< 2,500 g) was 22.7% among wood users compared with 15.0% in NG users (p < 0.01), for an adjusted relative risk of 1.64 (95% confidence interval, 1.10–2.34). The population attributable risk for LBW explained by wood use was estimated to be 24%. Conclusion Cooking with wood fuel during pregnancy, a potentially modifiable exposure, was associated with LBW and marginally lower mean birth weight compared with using NG.
MicroRNA93 Regulates Proliferation and Differentiation of Normal and Malignant Breast Stem Cells

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in normal cellular differentiation and oncogenesis. microRNA93 (mir-93), a member of the mir106b-25 cluster, located in intron 13 of the MCM7 gene, although frequently overexpressed in human malignancies may also function as a tumor suppressor gene. Using a series of breast cancer cell lines representing different stages of differentiation and mouse xenograft models, we demonstrate that mir-93 modulates the fate of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) by regulating their proliferation and differentiation states. In “claudinlow” SUM159 cells, expression of mir-93 induces Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition (MET) associated with downregulation of TGFβ signaling and downregulates multiple stem cell regulatory genes, including JAK1, STAT3, AKT3, SOX4, EZH1, and HMGA2, resulting in cancer stem cell (CSC) depletion. Enforced expression of mir-93 completely blocks tumor development in mammary fat pads and development of metastases following intracardiac injection in mouse xenografts. The effect of mir-93 on the CSC population is dependent on the cellular differentiation state, with mir-93 expression increasing the CSC population in MCF7 cells that display a more differentiated “luminal” phenotype. mir-93 also regulates the proliferation and differentiation of normal breast stem cells isolated from reduction mammoplasties. These studies demonstrate that miRNAs can regulate the states and fates of normal and malignant mammary stem cells, findings which have important biological and clinical implications.
Dynamic glucocorticoid-dependent regulation of Sgk1 expression in oligodendrocytes of adult male rat brain by acute stress and time of day

Recent studies support plasticity in adult brain white matter structure and myelination in response to various experiential factors. One possible contributor to this plasticity may be activity-dependent modulation of serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (Sgk1) expression in oligodendrocytes. We examined whether Sgk1 expression in adult rat brain white matter is increased by acute stress-induced elevations in endogenous corticosterone and whether it fluctuates with diurnal variations in corticosterone. We observed rapid increases (within 30 min) in Sgk1 mRNA in the corpus callosum in response to acute stress, as well as large increases at the beginning of the rat’s active period (the time of peak corticosterone secretion). These increases were absent in adrenalectomized rats. Corticosterone treatment of adrenalectomized rats also rapidly increased corpus callosum Sgk1 mRNA. The majority of Sgk1 mRNA in corpus callosum was co-localized with myelin basic protein mRNA, suggesting that mature oligodendrocytes respond dynamically to acute stress and circadian rhythms. The regulation of Sgk1 expression by acute stress and time of day was selective for white matter, with limited alteration of Sgk1 expression by these factors in hippocampus and somatosensory cortex. These results indicate a unique sensitivity of oligodendrocyte Sgk1 expression to activity-dependent fluctuations in corticosterone hormone secretion, and raises the prospect that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation or glucocorticoid pharmacotherapy may compromise the normal activity-dependent interactions between oligodendrocytes and neurons.
Joint object discovery and segmentation with image-wise reconstruction error

We tackle the problem of joint discovery and segmentation of the object of interest from noisy image sets collected via web crawling (e.g., Figure 1). Existing methods [1] [2] [3] employ region-wise comparison in order to separate noise images (images not containing target objects) from the rest, which may be a bottleneck for scaling up to larger datasets. Our idea to avoid such computationally intensive operations is to use image-wise reconstruction errors. Specifically, based on the assumption that images containing target objects are easier to be reconstructed by a pool of target objects than noise images, we first reconstruct each image using a small number of similar target objects. The resulting error is then combined with some other criteria (e.g., saliency) so as to delineate only target object regions. Experimental evaluations on a noisy image dataset [1] demonstrate that our approach achieves state-of-the-art results on every subset of the dataset 5-7 times faster than existing methods.
A Major Quantitative Trait Locus for Cadmium Tolerance in Arabidopsis halleri Colocalizes with HMA4, a Gene Encoding a Heavy Metal ATPase1[OA]

Cadmium (Cd) tolerance seems to be a constitutive species-level trait in Arabidopsis halleri sp. halleri. Therefore, an interspecific cross was made between A. halleri and its closest nontolerant interfertile relative, Arabidopsis lyrata sp. petraea, and a first-generation backcross population (BC1) was used to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for Cd tolerance. Three QTL were identified, which explained 43%, 24%, and 16% of the phenotypic variation in the mapping population. Heavy metal transporting ATPases4 (HMA4), encoding a predicted heavy metal ATPase, colocalized with the peak of the major QTL Cdtol-1 and was consequently further studied. HMA4 transcripts levels were higher in the roots and the shoots of A. halleri than in A. lyrata sp. petraea. Furthermore, HMA4 was also more highly expressed in all BC1 genotypes harboring the HMA4 A. halleri allele at the QTL Cdtol-1, independently of the presence of an A. halleri allele at the two other QTL. Overexpression of AhHMA4 in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) supported a role of HMA4 in zinc (Zn) and Cd transport by reducing the Cd and Zn contents of the yeast cells. In epidermal tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cells, AhHMA4:green fluorescent protein was clearly localized in the plasma membrane. Taken together, all available data point to the elevated expression of HMA4 P1B-type ATPase as an efficient mechanism for improving Cd/Zn tolerance in plants under conditions of Cd/Zn excess by maintaining low cellular Cd2+ and Zn2+ concentrations in the cytoplasm.
Peak-to-average power ratio reduction of OFDM signals using pulse shaping

This paper proposes an efficient technique for reducing the PAPR of OFDM signals. The proposed technique is very effective and avoids the use of extra inverse fast Fourier transformations (IFFTs) as was done in some previously published techniques but instead is based on a proper selection of the time-limited waveforms of the different subcarriers. Thus, its implementation complexity is also much lower in comparison to the previous published methods. This technique is also very flexible and it can be used for OFDM and discrete multi-tone (DMT) transmissions. The improved statistics of the PAPR in the transmitted signal is demonstrated through numerical results for some sets of time waveforms. The significant improvement in PAPR given by the present technique permits to reduce the complexity and cost of the transmitter significantly.
Searching for Annihilation Radiation from SN 1006 with SPI on INTEGRAL

Historical Type Ia supernovae are a leading candidate as the source of positrons observed through diffuse annihilation emission in the Galaxy. However, a search for annihilation emission from individual Type Ia supernovae was not possible before the improved sensitivity of INTEGRAL. The total 511 keV annihilation flux from individual SNe Ia, as well as their contribution to the overall diffuse emission, depends critically on the escape fraction of positrons produced in 56Co decays. Late optical light curves suggest that this fraction may be as high as 5%. We have searched for positron annihilation radiation from the historical Type Ia supernova SN 1006 using the SPI instrument on INTEGRAL. We did not detect significant 511 keV line emission, with a 3 σ flux upper limit of 0.59 × 10-4 photons cm-2 s-1 for ~1 Ms exposure time, assuming a FWHM of 2.5 keV. This upper limit corresponds to a 7.5% escape fraction, 50% higher than the expected 5% escape scenario, and rules out the possibility that Type Ia supernovae produce all of the positrons in the Galaxy (~12% escape fraction), if the mean positron lifetime is less than 105 yr. Future observations with INTEGRAL will provide stronger limits on the escape fraction of positrons, the mean positron lifetime, and the contribution of Type Ia supernovae to the overall positron content of the Galaxy.
Mechanisms of heat exchange between water and rock in karst conduits

Previous studies, motivated by understanding water quality, have explored the mechanisms for heat transport and heat exchange in surface streams. In karst aquifers, temperature signals play an additional important role since they carry information about internal aquifer structures. Models for heat transport in karst conduits have previously been developed; however, these models make different, sometimes contradictory, assumptions. Additionally, previous models of heat transport in karst conduits have not been validated using field data from conduits with known geometries. Here we use analytical solutions of heat transfer to examine the relative importance of heat exchange mechanisms and the validity of the assumptions made by previous models. The relative importance of convection, conduction, and radiation is a function of time. Using a characteristic timescale, we show that models neglecting rock conduction produce spurious results in realistic cases. In contrast to the behavior of surface streams, where conduction is often negligible, conduction through the rock surrounding a conduit determines heat flux at timescales of weeks and longer. In open channel conduits, radiative heat flux can be significant. In contrast, convective heat exchange through the conduit air is often negligible. Using the rules derived from our analytical analysis, we develop a numerical model for heat transport in a karst conduit. Our model compares favorably to thermal responses observed in two different karst settings: a cave stream fed via autogenic recharge during a snowmelt event, and an allogenically recharged cave stream that experiences continuous temperature fluctuations on many timescales.
Automatic Ranking of MT Systems

In earlier work, we succeeded in automatically predicting the relative rankings of MT systems derived from human judgments on the Fluency, Adequacy or Informativeness of their output. In this paper, we present an experiment – using human evaluators and additional data – designed to test the robustness of our earlier results. These had yielded two promising automatically computable predictors, the D-score based on semantic features of the MT output, and the X-score based on syntactic features. We conclude that the X-score is indeed a robust and reliable predictor, even on new data for which it has not been specifically tuned.
An Overview of the Urban Boundary Layer Atmosphere Network in Helsinki

The Helsinki Urban Boundary-Layer Atmosphere Network (UrBAN: http://urban.fmi.fi) is a dedicated research-grade observational network where the physical processes in the atmosphere above the city are studied. Helsinki UrBAN is the most poleward intensive urban research observation network in the world and thus will allow studying some unique features such as strong seasonality. The network's key purpose is for the understanding of the physical processes in the urban boundary layer and associated fluxes of heat, momentum, moisture, and other gases. A further purpose is to secure a research-grade database, which can be used internationally to validate and develop numerical models of air quality and weather prediction. Scintillometers, a scanning Doppler lidar, ceilometers, a sodar, eddy-covariance stations, and radiometers are used. This equipment is supplemented by auxiliary measurements, which were primarily set up for general weather and/or air-quality mandatory purposes, such as vertical soundings and t.
The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior

Self-determination theory (SDT) maintains that an understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. We discuss the SDT concept of needs as it relates to previous need theories, emphasizing that needs specify the necessary conditions for psychological growth, integrity, and well-being. This concept of needs leads to the hypotheses that different regulatory processes underlying goal pursuits are differentially associated with effective functioning and well-being and also that different goal contents have different relations to the quality of behavior and mental health, specifically because different regulatory processes and different goal contents are associated with differing degrees of need satisfaction. Social contexts and individual differences that support satisfaction of the basic needs facilitate natural growth processes including intrinsically motivated behavior and integration of extrinsic motivations, whereas those that forestall autonomy, competence, or relatedness are associated with poorer motivation, performance, and well-being. We also discuss the relation of the psychological needs to cultural values, evolutionary processes, and other contemporary motivation theories.
The asymptotic dynamics of de Sitter gravity in three dimensions

We show that the asymptotic dynamics of three-dimensional gravity with a positive cosmological constant is described by Euclidean Liouville theory. This provides an explicit example of a correspondence between de Sitter (dS) gravity and conformal field theories. In the case at hand, this correspondence is established by formulating Einstein gravity with positive cosmological constant in three dimensions as an SL(2, ) Chern–Simons (CS) theory. The de Sitter boundary conditions on the connection are divided into two parts. The first part reduces the CS action to a nonchiral SL(2, ) WZNW model, whereas the second provides the constraints for a further reduction to Liouville theory, which resides on the past boundary of dS3.
Cognitive correlates of CSF biomarkers in Frontotemporal dementia

Objective In this study we investigated the relationships between CSF biomarkers (tau and amyloid beta1-42 (Aβ1-42)) and cognition or behaviour in patients with Frontotemporal dementia (the behavioural variant, bvFTD). Methods We included 58 patients with bvFTD. All patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment and lumbar puncture. Relationships between CSF biomarkers and cognition or behaviour were assessed with linear regression analysis. Results After correction for age, gender and education, CSF tau levels were found to be negatively related to the visual association test (VAT) (standardized β =-0.3, p < 0.05), whereas CSF Aβ1-42 levels were found to be positively related to the mini-mental-state examination (MMSE) (β = 0.3, p < 0.05), the frontal assessment battery (FAB) (β = 0.5, p < 0.05) and digit span backwards (β = 0.3, p = 0.01). We did not find relations between CSF biomarkers and behaviour (measured by the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI)). After excluding all patients with a CSF biomarker profile often seen in AD (high levels of tau and low levels of Aβ1-42), we still found relations between CSF Aβ1-42 levels and VAT naming (β = 0.4, p < 0.05) as well as between CSF Aβ1-42 levels and the FAB (β = 0.5, p < 0.05), but there was no relation between CSF tau and cognition. Conclusion Low CSF Aβ1-42 levels are associated with worse general cognitive function and worse executive function in patients with bvFTD. Our results provide circumstantial evidence for a pathophysiological role of Aβ1-42 in bvFTD. 99 Introduction Frontotemporal dementia (behavioural variant, bvFTD), the most common form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), is a heterogeneous disorder, both clinically and neuropathologically. Clinically patients present with behavioural change often combined with executive dysfunction and language dysfunction
Uncertainty in terahertz time-domain spectroscopy measurement

Measurements of optical constants at terahertz—or T-ray—frequencies have been performed extensively using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). Spectrometers, together with physical models explaining the interaction between a sample and T-ray radiation, are progressively being developed. Nevertheless, measurement errors in the optical constants, so far, have not been systematically analyzed. This situation calls for a comprehensive analysis of measurement uncertainty in THz-TDS systems. The sources of error existing in a terahertz spectrometer and throughout the parameter estimation process are identified. The analysis herein quantifies the impact of each source on the output optical constants. The resulting analytical model is evaluated against experimental THz-TDS data.
Sulphur abundances in disk stars: A correlation with silicon

We have performed new determinations of sulphur and silicon abundances for a sample of 26 disk stars based on high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra. The results indicate a solar (S/Fe) for (Fe/H) > 0:3, below which (S/Fe) increases to0.25 dex at (Fe/H) = 1:0. We find that there is a good correlation between (S/H) and (Si/H), indicating the same nucleosynthetic origin of the two elements. It seems that the ratio of sulphur to silicon does not depend on metallicity for (Fe/H)> 1:0. The implications of these results on models for the nucleosynthesis of-capture elements and the chemical evolution of the Galaxy are discussed.
Effect of intrathecal baclofen delivered by an implanted programmable pump on health related quality of life in patients with severe spasticity

OBJECTIVES To compare clinical effectiveness and health related quality of life in patients with severe spasticity who received intrathecal baclofen or a placebo. METHODS In a double blind, randomised, multicentre trial 22 patients were followed up during 13 weeks and subsequently included in a 52 week observational longitudinal study. Patients were those with chronic, disabling spasticity who did not respond to maximum doses of oral baclofen, dantrolene, and tizanidine. After implantation of a programmable pump patients were randomly assigned to placebo or baclofen infusion for 13 weeks. After 13 weeks all patients received baclofen. Clinical efficacy was assessed by the Ashworth scale, spasm score, and self reported pain, and health related quality of life by the sickness impact profile (SIP) and the Hopkins symptom checklist (HSCL). RESULTS At three months the scores of the placebo and baclofen group differed slightly for the spasm score (effect size=0.20) and substantially for the Ashworth scale (effect size=1.40) and pain score (effect size=0.94); health related quality of life showed no significant differences. Three months after implantation the baclofen group showed a significant, substantial improvement on the SIP “physical health”, “mental health”, “mobility”, and “sleep and rest” subscales and on the HSCL mental health scale; patients receiving placebo showed no change. After one year of baclofen treatment significant (P<0.05) improvement was found on the SIP dimensions “mobility” and “body care and movement” with moderate effect sizes. Improvement on the SIP subscale “physical health” (P<0.05; effect size 0.86), the SIP overall score (without “ambulation”), and the “physical health” and overall scale of the HSCL was also significant, with effect sizes >0.80. Changes in health related behaviour were noted for “sleep and rest” and “recreation and pastimes” (P<0.01, P<0.05; effect size 0.95 and 0.63, respectively). Psychosocial behaviour showed no improvement. CONCLUSIONS Intrathecal baclofen delivered by an implanted, programmable pump resulted in improved self reported quality of life as assessed by the SIP, and HSCL physical health dimensions also suggest improvement.
On Task Allocation and Scheduling for Lifetime Extension of Platform-Based MPSoC Designs

With the relentless scaling of semiconductor technology, the lifetime reliability of today's multiprocessor system-on-a-chip (MPSoC) designs has become one of the major concerns for the industry. Without explicitly taking this issue into consideration during the task allocation and scheduling process, existing works may lead to imbalanced aging rates among processors, thus reducing the system's service life. To tackle this problem, in this paper, we propose an analytical model to estimate the lifetime reliability of multiprocessor platforms when executing periodical tasks, and we present a novel task allocation and scheduling algorithm that is able to take the aging effects of processors into account, based on the simulated annealing technique. In addition, to speed up the annealing process, several techniques are proposed to simplify the design space exploration process with satisfactory solution quality. Experimental results on various hypothetical multiprocessors and task graphs show that significant system lifetime extension can be achieved by using the proposed approach, especially for heterogeneous platforms with large task graphs.