Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of the Atmosphere in Climate Variability of the Tropical Atlantic

This paper explores climate variability of the lower troposphere and boundary layer in the tropical Atlantic sector through a series of modeling simulations with a diagnostic primitive equation model. The focus is on the role that realistic diabatic heating and its vertical placement as well as surface temperature have in inducing/ reinforcing the local monthly wind circulation, the role that thermal and momentum transients play in the Tropics, the potential for feedbacks, and the way through which other basins influence the tropical Atlantic region. NCEP‐ NCAR reanalysis data for the period 1958‐93 are used to provide forcing and model verification. In the first part of the paper local effects are considered. It is found that the most important terms controlling anomalous surface winds over the ocean are boundary layer temperature gradients and diabatic heating anomalies at low levels (below 780 mb). Anomalous diabatic heating at mid- and upper levels (430‐690 mb) contributes to the near-surface circulation poleward of 158 over the warm hemisphere. Anomalous diabatic heating over the African continent influences zonal winds well into the ocean. It is found that the anomalies of surface latent heat flux induced by the interhemispheric distribution of anomalies provide positive feedback on both sides of the equator, in the deep Tropics and west of 208W. It provides negative feedback off the northwest coast of Africa. In the second part the relative importance of remote forcing is considered. It is found that anomalous heating associated with interhemispheric gradients of surface temperature in the tropical Atlantic influence winds in the northern extratropics in a wavelike pattern during boreal spring. Anomalous heating associated with equatorial anomalies of surface temperature influence winds in the southern extratropics in a wavelike pattern during boreal summer. In contrast, the influence of heating in the midlatitudes is confined to the northern subtropics. Anomalous ENSO-related diabatic heating influences near-surface winds in the tropical Atlantic, which resembles the local response to interhemispheric gradients of surface temperature. This remote influence induces changes in the intensity of the Atlantic Walker and Hadley circulations as a consequence of the direct effect of heating in the eastern tropical Pacific.
Practical issues in developing semantic frameworks for the analysis of verbal fluency data: A Norwegian data case study

Background: Verbal fluency tasks, which require producing as many words in response to a cue in a fixed time, are widely used within clinical neuropsychology and in neuropsychological research. Although semantic word lists can be elicited, typically only the number of words related to the cue is interpreted thus ignoring any structure in the word sequences. Automated language techniques can provide a much needed framework for extracting and charting useful semantic relations in healthy individuals and understanding how cortical disorders disrupt these knowledge structures and the retrieval of information from them. Methods: One minute, animal category verbal fluency tests from 150 participants consisting of healthy individuals, patients with schizophrenia, and patients with bipolar disorder were transcribed. We discuss the issues involved in building and evaluating semantic frameworks and developing robust features to analyze this data. Specifically we investigate a Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) semantic space to obtain semantic features, such as pairwise semantic similarity and clusters. Results and Discussion: An in-depth analysis of the framework is presented, and then results from two measures based on LSA semantic similarity illustrate how these automated techniques provide additional, clinically useful information beyond word list cardinality.
Salt Sensitivity Definition, Conception, Methodology, and Long‐term Issues

Several laboratories have examined the relation between salt intake and blood pressure in both experimental animals and humans. The human studies have used widely varying methodologies and different criteria for sodium sensitivity. Nonetheless, these studies have produced convincing data that the blood pressure of some individuals is far more sensitive to the effects of sodium depletion or loading than that of others. Furthermore, a minority of the population appears to comprise acutely salt-sensitive individuals. Some studies have shown that sodiumsensitive individuals share several characteristics. They include increased forearm vascular resistance, decreased venous compliance, suppressed plasma renln activity, and lower circulating aldosterone concentration. These findings have also been described in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat, which suggest a genetic link in humans as well as the rat Long-term follow-up of sodium-sensitive and sodium-resistant groups has shown that although blood pressure levels are approximately equal in the two groups during sodium depletion, resumption of a daily sodium intake of about 150 meq results in significantly higher levels of blood pressure and forearm vascular resistance in the sodium-sensitive group. This difference persists for at least 12 months.
Indian Ocean variability in the GFDL coupled climate model

The interannual variability of the Indian Ocean, with particular focus on the Indian Ocean dipole/ zonal mode ( IODZM), is investigated in a 250- yr simulation of the GFDL coupled global general circulation model ( CGCM). The CGCM successfully reproduces many fundamental characteristics of the climate system of the Indian Ocean. The character of the IODZM is explored, as are relationships between positive IODZM and El Nino events, through a composite analysis. The IODZM events in the CGCM grow through feedbacks between heat- content anomalies and SST- related atmospheric anomalies, particularly in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean. The composite IODZM events that co- occur with El Nino have stronger anomalies and a sharper east - west SSTA contrast than those that occur without El Nino. IODZM events, whether or not they occur with El Nino, are preceded by distinctive Indo- Pacific warm pool anomaly patterns in boreal spring: in the central Indian Ocean easterly surface winds, and in the western equatorial Pacific an eastward shift of deep convection, westerly surface winds, and warm sea surface temperature. However, delayed onsets of the anomaly patterns ( e. g., boreal summer) are often not followed by IODZM events. The same anomaly patterns often precede El Nino, suggesting that the warm pool conditions favorable for both IODZM and El Nino are similar. Given that IODZM events can occur without El Nino, it is proposed that the observed IODZM - El Nino relation arises because the IODZM and El Nino are both large- scale phenomena in which variations of the Indo- Pacific warm pool deep convection plays a central role. Yet each phenomenon has its own dynamics and life cycle, allowing each to develop without the other. The CGCM integration also shows substantial decadal modulation of the occurrence of IODZM events, which is found to be not in phase with that of El Nino events. There is a weak, though significant, negative correlation between the two.
Factors for glaucoma progression and the effect of treatment: the early manifest glaucoma trial.

OBJECTIVE To assess factors for progression in the Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial (EMGT), including the effect of EMGT treatment. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Two hundred fifty-five open-angle glaucoma patients randomized to argon laser trabeculoplasty plus topical betaxolol or no immediate treatment (129 treated; 126 controls) and followed up every 3 months. METHODS Progression was determined by perimetric and photographic optic disc criteria. Patient-based risk of progression was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard regression models and was expressed as hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS After 6 years, 53% of patients progressed. In multivariate analyses, progression risk was halved by treatment (HR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.35-0.71). Predictive baseline factors were higher intraocular pressure (IOP) (ie, the higher the baseline IOP, the higher the risk), exfoliation, and having both eyes eligible (each of the latter 2 factors doubled the risk), as well as worse mean deviation and older age. Progression risk decreased by about 10% with each millimeter of mercury of IOP reduction from baseline to the first follow-up visit (HR = 0.90 per millimeter of mercury decrease; 95% CI, 0.86-0.94). The first IOP at that visit (3 months' follow-up) was also related to progression (HR = 1.11 per millimeter of mercury higher; 95% CI, 1.06-1.17), as was the mean IOP at follow-up (HR = 1.13 per millimeter of mercury higher; 95% CI, 1.07-1.19). The percent of patient follow-up visits with disc hemorrhages was also related to progression (HR = 1.02 per percent higher; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03). No other factors were identified. CONCLUSIONS Patients treated in the EMGT had half of the progression risk of control patients. The magnitude of initial IOP reduction was a major factor influencing outcome. Progression was also increased with higher baseline IOP, exfoliation, bilateral disease, worse mean deviation, and older age, as well as frequent disc hemorrhages during follow-up. Each higher (or lower) millimeter of mercury of IOP on follow-up was associated with an approximate 10% increased (or decreased) risk of progression.
Recycling the Cyclic Prefix in an OFDM System

In orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, a cyclic prefix (CP) is often used. With traditional reception, the CP is discarded. However, if the length of the CP exceeds the delay spread of the channel, a portion of the CP can be used to improve performance. In the past, Nyquist windowing techniques have been used to recover signal energy from the CP while maintaining orthogonality between symbols. In this paper, a maximum-likelihood (ML) approach is developed, which improves performance further, particularly when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is low. An approximate ML solution is also given which employs a non-Nyquist window.
Regulation of trunk neural crest delamination by δEF1 and Sip1 in the chicken embryo

The vertebrate Zfhx1 transcription factor family comprises δEF1 and Sip1, which bind to CACCT‐containing sequences and act as transcriptional repressors. It has been a longstanding question whether these transcription factors share the same regulatory functions in vivo. It has been shown that neural crest (NC) delamination depends on the Sip1 activity at the cranial level in mouse and chicken embryos, and it remained unclear how NC delamination is regulated at the trunk level. We observed that the expression of δEF1 and Sip1 overlaps in many tissues in chicken embryos, including NC cells at the trunk level. To clarify the above questions, we separately knocked down δEF1 and Sip1 or in combination in NC cells by electroporation of vectors expressing short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) against respective mRNAs on the dorsal side of neural tubes that generate NC cells. In all cases, the migrating NC cell population was significantly reduced, paralleled by the decreased expression of δEF1 or Sip1 targeted by shRNAs. Expression of Sox10, the major transcription factor that regulates NC development, was also decreased by the shRNAs against δEF1 or Sip1. We conclude that the trunk NC delamination is regulated by both δEF1 and Sip1 in an analogous manner, and that these transcription factors can share equivalent regulatory functions in embryonic tissues.
D609 inhibits ionizing radiation-induced oxidative damage by acting as a potent antioxidant.

Tricyclodecan-9-yl-xanthogenate (D609) has been extensively studied in biological systems and exhibits a variety of biological functions, including antiviral, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities. Most of these activities have been largely attributed to the inhibitory effect of D609 on phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C. However, as a xanthate derivative, D609 is a strong electrolyte and readily dissociates to xanthate anions and cations of alkali metals in solution. Xanthate anions and protonated xanthic acid contain a free thiol moiety and are highly reductive. This implies that D609 and other xanthate derivatives may function as potent antioxidants. Indeed, we found that D609 inhibited the Fenton reaction-induced oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123 in a dose-dependent manner similar to that of pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate, a well known antioxidant. In addition, D609 inhibited the formation of the alpha-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone-free radical spin adducts and lipid peroxidation of synaptosomal membranes by the Fenton reagents. Furthermore, preincubation of lymphocytes with D609 resulted in a significant diminution of ionizing radiation (IR)-induced 1) production of reactive oxygen species; 2) decrease in intracellular reduced glutathione; 3) oxidative damage to proteins and lipids; and 4) activation of nuclear factor-kappaB. Moreover, when D609 (50 mg/kg i.v.) was administered to mice 10 min prior to total body IR (6.5 and 8.5 Gy), it protected the mice from IR-induced lethality. Thus, these results indicate that D609 is a potent antioxidant and has the ability to inhibit IR-induced cellular oxidative stress.
A developmentally regulated microsomal protein specific for the pigment epithelium of the vertebrate retina

In the vertebrate retina, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) performs specific functions critical to the normal process of vision. Although some of these functions are well documented, molecular data are still scarce. Using the RPE‐specific monoclonal antibody RPE9, raised against human RPE cells, we have identified a novel 65 kD protein, conserved in mammals, birds, and frogs. This RPE‐specific protein was found to be nonglycosylated. It was most effectively solubilized in the presence of detergent suggesting that it is associated with the RPE cell membranes. Its partitioning in the detergent phase of Triton X‐114 and its solubilization in 0.75 M and 1.0 M KCl suggest that it interacts with the membrane either through a polypeptide anchor or charged amino acids. Cell fractionation by differential solubilization and differential centrifugation demonstrated that the protein was preferentially associated with the microsomal membrane fraction, where it is the major protein. Developmental expression of this 65 kD protein was examined in neonatal rats. Morphologically well‐differentiated RPE cells did not express the 65 kD protein at birth. However, expression was detectable at postnatal day 4, that is, one to two days before the photoreceptors develop their outer segments, suggesting that the expression of the 65 kD protein may be coordinated with other developmental events in the intact retina. This is further supported by the fact that RPE cells in confluent culture lose the expression of this protein within two weeks, while they maintain their characteristic epithelial morphology. Because of its specificity, its evolutionary conservation, and its timing of expression, it is possible that this protein may be involved in one of the key roles of RPE and as such is an important molecular marker for RPE differentiation. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Extracting Key Sentences with Latent Argumentative Structuring

PROBLEM Key word assignment has been largely used in MEDLINE to provide an indicative "gist" of the content of articles. Abstracts are also used for this purpose. However with usually more than 300 words, abstracts can still be regarded as long documents; therefore we design a system to select a unique key sentence. This key sentence must be indicative of the article's content and we assume that abstract's conclusions are good candidates. We design and assess the performance of an automatic key sentence selector, which classifies sentences into 4 argumentative moves: PURPOSE, METHODS, RESULTS and CONCLUSION. METHODS We rely on Bayesian classifiers trained on automatically acquired data. Features representation, selection and weighting are reported and classification effectiveness is evaluated on the four classes using confusion matrices. We also explore the use of simple heuristics to take the position of sentences into account. Recall, precision and F-scores are computed for the CONCLUSION class. For the CONCLUSION class, the F-score reaches 84%. Automatic argumentative classification is feasible on MEDLINE abstracts and should help user navigation in such repositories.
Correlation between balance and the level of functional independence among elderly people

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: As the overall number of elderly people increases there is a corresponding rise in the number of older persons with disabilities. In order to examine whether there is any relationship between balance and activities of daily living, we evaluated balance and daily activities among elderly people living in the community. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study at Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Marília, São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: The study included 70 community-dwelling elderly people aged 65 and over. Balance was evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and physical independence in daily activities was evaluated using the Barthel Index (BI). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between the parameters evaluated. Significance was set at the level of 5% (P < 0.05). RESULTS: The population’s mean age was 70.5 ± 5 years. The mean BBS score was 50.9 ± 4.1, whereas the mean BI score was 98.1 ± 2.8. Statistically significant relationships were found between the BBS and BI (r = 0.41; P = 0.0004); between age and BI (r = -0.24; P = 0.04); and between age and BBS (r = -0.57; P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that among elderly people, there are correlations between age, balance and independence level.
Perceptual responses to microstimulation of single afferents innervating joints, muscles and skin of the human hand.

1. Microneurographic techniques were used to isolate single afferent axons within cutaneous and motor fascicles of the median and ulnar nerves at the wrist in thirteen subjects. Of the sixty‐five identified afferents, eleven innervated the interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints, sixteen innervated muscle spindles, three innervated Golgi tendon organs and thirty‐five supplied the glabrous skin of the hand. 2. Intrafascicular stimulation through the recording microelectrode, using trains of constant‐voltage positive pulses (0.3‐0.8 V, 0.1‐0.2 ms, 1‐100 Hz) or constant‐current biphasic pulses (0.4‐13.0 microA, 0.2 ms, 1‐100 Hz), evoked specific sensations from sites associated with some afferent species but not others. 3. Microstimulation of eight of the eleven joint afferent sites (73%) evoked specific sensations. With four, subjects reported innocuous deep sensations referred to the relevant joint. With the other four, the subjects reported a sensation of joint displacement that partially reflected the responsiveness of the afferents to joint rotation. 4. Microstimulation of fourteen of the sixteen muscle spindle afferent sites (88%) generated no perceptions when the stimuli did not produce overt movement. However, subjects could correctly detect the slight movements generated when the stimuli excited the motor axons to the parent muscle. 5. With seven of the nine rapidly adapting (type RA or FAI) cutaneous afferents (88%) microstimulation evoked sensations of ‘flutter‐vibration’, and with two of eight slowly adapting (type SAI) afferents (25%) it evoked sensations of 'sustained pressure’. Of the eighteen SAII afferents, which were classified as such by their responses to planar skin stretch, the majority (83%) generated no perceptions, confirming previous work, but three evoked sensations of movements or pressure. 6. The present results suggest a relatively secure transmission of joint afferent traffic to perceptual levels, and it is concluded that the human brain may be able to synthesize meaningful information on joint displacement on the basis of impulses in a single joint afferent. This could partly compensate for the low responsiveness of individual joint afferents within the physiological range of joint displacements. Although single muscle spindle afferents can adequately encode joint position and movement, the results suggest that the brain needs the information from more than one muscle spindle afferent to perceive changes in joint angle.
The association between the SH2‐containing inositol polyphosphate 5‐Phosphatase 2 (SHIP2) and the adaptor protein APS has an impact on biochemical properties of both partners

SHIP2 (SH2‐containing inositol polyphosphate 5‐phosphatase 2) is a phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)‐trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P3) 5‐phosphatase containing various motifs susceptible to mediate protein‐protein interaction. In cell models, SHIP2 negatively regulates insulin signalling through its catalytic PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 5‐phosphatase activity. We have previously reported that SHIP2 interacts with the c‐Cbl associated protein (CAP) and c‐Cbl, proteins implicated in the insulin cellular response regulating the small G protein TC10. The first steps of the TC10 pathway are the recruitment and tyrosine phosphorylation by the insulin receptor of the adaptor protein with Pleckstrin Homology and Src Homology 2 domains (APS). Herein, we show that SHIP2 can directly interact with APS in 3T3‐L1 adipocytes and in transfected CHO‐IR cells (Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with the insulin receptor). Upon insulin stimulation, APS and SHIP2 are recruited to cell membranes as seen by immunofluorescence studies, which is consistent with their interaction. We also observed that SHIP2 negatively regulates APS insulin‐induced tyrosine phosphorylation and consequently inhibits APS association with c‐Cbl. APS, which specifically interacts with SHIP2, but not PTEN, in turn, increases the PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 5‐phosphatase activity of SHIP2 in an inositol phosphatase assay. Co‐transfection of SHIP2 and APS in CHO‐IR cells further increases the inhibitory effect of SHIP2 on Akt insulin‐induced phosphorylation. Therefore, the interaction between APS and SHIP2 provides to both proteins potential negative regulatory mechanisms to act on the insulin cascade. J. Cell. Physiol. 214:260–272, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A new method for stator slot wedge testing of large generators

When large generators become operational, the stator bars in the slots are subjected to the electromagnetic force during normal operation. After the generators have been operating for a long time, the electromagnetic force may cause the stator bars to vibrate due to the existence of loose stator slot wedges in large generators. This leads to mechanical abrasion of the groundwall insulation and accelerates the deterioration of the generator, and can even cause generators to fail if the slot wedges are not treated. In order to ensure large generators continue working reliably, it is essential to detect loose slot wedges in the stator slots. This paper describes the modeling of slot wedges with different fixing styles in large generators to study the process by which slot wedges become loose, and also presents an analysis of the looseness of slot wedges based on their vibration characteristics corresponding to the loosening process of the stator slot wedge. Moreover, a series of tests were performed with a nondestructive detection system developed based on this analysis to check the tightness of slot wedges in the laboratory. The results showed that loose stator slot wedges of large generators could be detected either by their vibration frequency or by their displacement amplitude. This verified the correctness of the slot wedge loosening process and the validity of the detection system.