Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-level ozone exposure induces airways inflammation and modifies cell surface phenotypes in healthy humans

The effects of low-level ozone exposure (0.08 ppm) on pulmonary function in healthy young adults are well known; however, much less is known about the inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of low-level ozone in the airways. Techniques such as induced sputum and flow cytometry make it possible to examine airways inflammatory responses and changes in immune cell surface phenotypes following low-level ozone exposure. The purpose of this study was to determine if exposure to 0.08 parts per million ozone for 6.6 h induces inflammation and modifies immune cell surface phenotypes in the airways of healthy adult subjects. Fifteen normal volunteers underwent an established 0.08 part per million ozone exposure protocol to characterize the effect of ozone on airways inflammation and immune cell surface phenotypes. Induced sputum and flow cytometry were used to assess these endpoints 24 h before and 18 h after exposure. The results showed that exposure to 0.08 ppm ozone for 6.6 h induced increased airway neutrophils, monocytes, and dendritic cells and modified the expression of CD14, HLA-DR, CD80, and CD86 on monocytes 18 h following exposure. Exposure to 0.08 parts per million ozone is associated with increased airways inflammation and promotion of antigen-presenting cell phenotypes 18 hours following exposure. These findings need to be replicated in a similar experiment that includes a control air exposure.
Measuring the heterogeneity of the coseismic stress change following the 1999 Mw7.6 Chi‐Chi earthquake

Seismicity quiescences are expected to occur in places where the stress has been decreased, in particular following large main shocks. However, such quiescences can be delayed by hours to years and be preceded by an initial phase of earthquake triggering. This can explain previous analyses arguing that seismicity shadows are rarely observed, since they can only be seen after this triggering phase is over. Such is the case of the main rupture zone, which experiences the strongest aftershock activity despite having been coseismically unloaded by up to tens of bars. The 1999 M w 7.6 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake is characterized by the existence of several such delayed quiescences, especially off the Chelungpu fault on which the earthquake took place. We here investigate whether these delays can be explained by a model of heterogeneous static-stress transfer coupled with a rate-and-state friction law. We model the distribution of coseismic small-scale stress change τ by a Gaussian law with mean tau bar and standard deviation σ τ . The latter measures the level of local heterogeneity of the coseismic change in stress. The model is shown to mimic the earthquake time series very well. Robust inversion of the tau bar and σ τ parameters can be achieved at various locations, although on-fault seismicity has not been observed for a sufficiently long time to provide more than lower bounds on those estimates for the Chelungpu fault. Several quiescences have delays that can be well explained by local stress heterogeneity, even at relatively large distances from the Chi-Chi earthquake.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CLOD STRUCTURE AND ERODIBILITY OF SOIL BY WIND: III. CALCIUM CARBONATE AND DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER

Hopkins (8) observed in Canada that soils high in organic matter and CaC03, or lime, have been eroded severely by wind and suggested that these factors may be responsible for the development of a loose, fine soil structure susceptible to erosion by wind. Initial laboratory studies (2) on some soils of Canada substantiated, in general, the observations of Hopkins. Hardt (7) concluded from his investigations of muck soils in Bavaria, however, that organic matter or humus has little influence on erosion of soil by wind but that the high content of lime, particularly in the clay fraction, increases erodibility appreciably. This paper presents information on the influence of CaC03 and decomposed organic matter on structure and erodibility of some soils of the High Plains area of the United States. Lime, where mentioned in this paper, refers to CaCOa contained naturally in soil.
Self‐potential signals induced by periodic pumping tests

[1] We measured the variations of the self-potential (SP) during periodic pumping tests performed at a test site located near a freshwater reservoir (Kemnader See, Bochum, Germany). Successions of injection and production intervals were applied in a borehole penetrating a jointed sandstone aquifer. We report the SP observations for tests with periods ranging between 10 and 60 min and flow rates between 10 and 25 L min -1 . The SP responses at the surface exhibit the imposed period but are not truly harmonic contrary to the hydraulic pressure and SP measured in monitoring wells. In the grassy zone around the injection well, the amplitude of the SP signals decreases with distance from the injection well (around one order of magnitude at 10 m) in rough agreement with predictions for radial flow in a homogeneous medium around an infinite source. The shape of the SP responses also evolves with distance. Fourier spectral analysis reveals that the surface signals generally contain two main components at the main period and at half the period with the relative weight of the subperiodic components increasing with distance. Furthermore, the characteristics of the SP responses depend on whether the boreholes are left open or closed by packers. The comparison between surface and borehole measurements suggests that nonlinear phenomena are acting, probably related to the saturation and desaturation processes occurring in the vadose zone.
Macroprudential Measures, Housing Markets, and Monetary Policy

The recent financial crisis has raised the discussion among policy makers and researchers on the need of macroprudential policies to avoid systemic risks in financial markets. However, these new measures need to be combined with the traditional ones, namely monetary policy. The aim of this paper is to study how the interaction of macroprudential and monetary policies a¤ect the economy. We take as a baseline a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model which features a housing market in order to evaluate the performance of a rule on the loan-to-value ratio (LTV) interacting with the traditional monetary policy conducted by central banks. We find that, introducing the macroprudential rule mitigates the effects of booms on the economy by restricting credit. Furthermore, when both policies are active, interest-rate shocks have weaker effects on the economy. From a normative perspective, results show that the combination of monetary policy and the macroprudential rule is unambiguously welfare enhancing, especially when monetary policy does not respond to output and house prices and only to inflation.
Climate-Based Models for Pulsed Resources Improve Predictability of Consumer Population Dynamics: Outbreaks of House Mice in Forest Ecosystems

Accurate predictions of the timing and magnitude of consumer responses to episodic seeding events (masts) are important for understanding ecosystem dynamics and for managing outbreaks of invasive species generated by masts. While models relating consumer populations to resource fluctuations have been developed successfully for a range of natural and modified ecosystems, a critical gap that needs addressing is better prediction of resource pulses. A recent model used change in summer temperature from one year to the next (ΔT) for predicting masts for forest and grassland plants in New Zealand. We extend this climate-based method in the framework of a model for consumer–resource dynamics to predict invasive house mouse (Mus musculus) outbreaks in forest ecosystems. Compared with previous mast models based on absolute temperature, the ΔT method for predicting masts resulted in an improved model for mouse population dynamics. There was also a threshold effect of ΔT on the likelihood of an outbreak occurring. The improved climate-based method for predicting resource pulses and consumer responses provides a straightforward rule of thumb for determining, with one year’s advance warning, whether management intervention might be required in invaded ecosystems. The approach could be applied to consumer–resource systems worldwide where climatic variables are used to model the size and duration of resource pulses, and may have particular relevance for ecosystems where global change scenarios predict increased variability in climatic events.
Updating the Lamellar Hypothesis of Hippocampal Organization

Andersen et al. (1971) proposed that excitatory activity in the entorhinal cortex propagates topographically to the dentate gyrus, and on through a “trisynaptic circuit” lying within transverse hippocampal “slices” or “lamellae. ” In this way, a relatively simple structure might mediate complex functions in a manner analogous to the way independent piano keys can produce a nearly infinite variety of unique outputs. The lamellar hypothesis derives primary support from the “lamellar” distribution of dentate granule cell axons (the mossy fibers), which innervate dentate hilar neurons and area CA3 pyramidal cells and interneurons within the confines of a thin transverse hippocampal segment. Following the initial formulation of the lamellar hypothesis, anatomical studies revealed that unlike granule cells, hilar mossy cells, CA3 pyramidal cells, and Layer II entorhinal cells all form axonal projections that are more divergent along the longitudinal axis than the clearly “lamellar” mossy fiber pathway. The existence of pathways with “translamellar” distribution patterns has been interpreted, incorrectly in our view, as justifying outright rejection of the lamellar hypothesis (Amaral and Witter, 1989). We suggest that the functional implications of longitudinally projecting axons depend not on whether they exist, but on what they do. The observation that focal granule cell layer discharges normally inhibit, rather than excite, distant granule cells suggests that longitudinal axons in the dentate gyrus may mediate “lateral” inhibition and define lamellar function, rather than undermine it. In this review, we attempt a reconsideration of the evidence that most directly impacts the physiological concept of hippocampal lamellar organization.
Searching for Color Boundaries on Maps

Searching for critical information is a fundamental component for most map-reading processes. The mapmaker, therefore, must understand the underlying processes involved in human visual search and consider these processes when designing maps. Color is often used as a tool to clarify maps. To fully understand the use of color and visual search processes, mapmakers need to go beyond subjective techniques for applying color to maps. This entails a deeper understanding based on knowledge of the physical, physiological, and perceptual nature of color and human visual processes. The purpose of this study is to examine the interaction between color and the visual processes people use to search maps. An experiment was designed to determine the effectiveness of color using perceptually unique hues defined by Abramov and Gordon (1994). An analysis of variance on reaction times indicated that color strongly affected visual search, especially if the color was yellow. The Euclidean distance between target color had a significant effect on search time, although it appeared to be nonlinear. Whether the target boundary was based on luminance, hue, or both luminance and hue also had a significant effect on reaction times. In addition, geographers appear to have an advantage over nongeographers when searching for information on maps.
Hydrothermal Alteration Maps of the Central and Southern Basin and Range Province of the United States Compiled From Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Data

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data and Interactive Data Language (IDL) logical operator algorithms were used to map hydrothermally altered rocks in the central and southern parts of the Basin and Range province of the United States. The hydrothermally altered rocks mapped in this study include (1) hydrothermal silica-rich rocks (hydrous quartz, chalcedony, opal, and amorphous silica), (2) propylitic rocks (calcite-dolomite and epidote-chlorite mapped as separate mineral groups), (3) argillic rocks (alunite-pyrophyllite-kaolinite), and (4) phyllic rocks (sericite-muscovite). A series of hydrothermal alteration maps, which identify the potential locations of hydrothermal silica-rich, propylitic, argillic, and phyllic rocks on Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) band 7 orthorectified images, and shape files of hydrothermal alteration units are provided.
Prehabilitation Interventions for Older Adults

Prehabilitation aims to increase physical activity and improve physical fitness prior to elective surgery to improve postoperative outcomes. This integrative review examined the effect of prehabilitation randomized clinical trial (RCT) interventions on physical activity behavior and physical fitness in older adults. Seven studies met the search criteria. In two studies, effect sizes from baseline to the preoperative period exceeded d = . 2, specifically in physical activity and in the physical-fitness dimensions of strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and flexibility. For the effect sizes between baseline and the postoperative period, five studies had positive effects greater than d = . 2 in strength, flexibility, balance, and speed. This review demonstrated that prehabilitation continues to be important to physical activity and physical-fitness research because it may improve physical-fitness measures and have implications for multiple dimensions of health in older adults.
Cryoablation for the treatment of occipital neuralgia.

BACKGROUND Treatment of occipital neuralgia (ON) can be complex, though many treatment options exist. Cryoablation (CA) is an interventional modality that has been used successfully in chronic neuropathic conditions and is one such option. OBJECTIVE To study and evaluate the efficacy and safety of cryoablation for treatment of ON. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective evaluation. SETTING Academic university-based pain management center. METHODS All patients received local anesthetic injections for ON. Patients with greater than or equal to 50% relief and less than 2 week duration of relief were treated with CA. RESULTS Thirty-eight patients with an average age of 49.6 years were included. Of the 38 patients, 20 were treated for unilateral greater ON, 10 for unilateral greater and lesser ON, and 8 for bilateral greater ON. There were 10 men and 28 women, with an average age of 45.2 years and 51.1 years, respectively. The average relief for all local anesthetic injections was 71.2%, 58.3% for patients who reported 50 - 74% relief (Group 1) and 82.75% for patients who reported greater than 75% relief (Group 2). The average improvement of pain relief with CA was 57.9% with an average duration of 6.1 months overall. Group 1 reported an average of 45.2% relief for an average of 4.1 months with CA. In comparison, Group 2 reported an average of 70.5% relief for 8.1 months. The percentage of relief (P = 0.007) and duration of relief (P = 0.0006) was significantly improved in those reporting at least 75% relief of pain with local anesthetic injections (Group 2 vs Group 1). Though no significance in improvement from CA was found in men, significance was seen in women with at least 75% benefit with local anesthetic injections in terms of duration (P = 0.03) and percentage (P = 0.001) of pain relief with CA. The average pain score prior to CA was 8 (0 - 10 visual analog scale, VAS), this improved to 4.2, improvement of 3.8 following CA at 6 months (P = 0.03). Of the 38 patients, 3 (7.8%) adverse effects were seen. Two patients reported post procedure neuritis and one was monitored for procedure-related hematoma. LIMITATIONS Study limitations include the retrospective nature of the study. Additionally, only the percentage of relief, pain score, and duration of relief were collected. CONCLUSIONS CA is safe, and should be considered in patients with ON. KEY WORDS Cryoablation, cryoanalgesia, occipital neuralgia, treatment, adverse effects.
An experimental study of the centipede game

We report on an experiment in which individuals play a version of the centipede game. In this game, two players alternately get a chance to take the larger portion of a continually escalating pile of money. As soon as one person takes, the game ends with that player getting the larger portion of the pile, and the other player getting the smaller portion. If one views the experiment as a complete information game, all standard game theoretic equilibrium concepts predict the first mover should take the large pile on the first round. The experimental results show that this does not occur. An alternative explanation for the data can be given if we reconsider the game as a game of incomplete information in which there is some uncertainty over the payoff functions of the players. In particular, if the subjects believe there is some small likelihood that the opponent is an altruist, then in the equilibrium of this incomplete information game, players adopt mixed strategies in the early rounds of the experiment, with the probability of taking increasing as the pile gets larger. We investigate how well a version of this model explains the data observed in the centipede experiments.
The neural basis of the imitation drive

Spontaneous imitation is assumed to underlie the acquisition of important skills by infants, including language and social interaction. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine the neural basis of ‘spontaneously’ driven imitation, which has not yet been fully investigated. Healthy participants were presented with movie clips of meaningless bimanual actions and instructed to observe and imitate them during an fMRI scan. The participants were subsequently shown the movie clips again and asked to evaluate the strength of their ‘urge to imitate’ (Urge) for each action. We searched for cortical areas where the degree of activation positively correlated with Urge scores; significant positive correlations were observed in the right supplementary motor area (SMA) and bilateral midcingulate cortex (MCC) under the imitation condition. These areas were not explained by explicit reasons for imitation or the kinematic characteristics of the actions. Previous studies performed in monkeys and humans have implicated the SMA and MCC/caudal cingulate zone in voluntary actions. This study also confirmed the functional connectivity between Urge and imitation performance using a psychophysiological interaction analysis. Thus, our findings reveal the critical neural components that underlie spontaneous imitation and provide possible reasons why infants imitate spontaneously.
The Null-Space based Behavioral control for non-holonomic mobile robots with actuators velocity saturation

This paper presents the application of the Null-Space based Behavioral (NSB) approach to the motion control of a non-holonomic mobile robot with velocity saturated actuators. In particular, the proposed solution aims at managing actuator velocity saturations by dynamically scaling task velocity commands so that the hierarchy of task priorities is preserved in spite of actuator velocity saturations. The approach is tested on a specific case study where the NSB approach elaborates the motion directives for a mobile robot that has to reach a target while avoiding a punctual obstacle. The approach is validated by numerical simulations and by experimental results with a non-holonomic mobile robot.
Late-Holocene catastrophic floods in the terminal Arno River (Pisa, Central Italy) from the story of a Roman riverine harbour

The results of the stratigraphic and sedimentological analysis carried out at an exceptional archaeological site situated in the coastal plain of the Arno and Serchio Rivers (western Tuscany, Italy) are reported. The site, discovered near central Pisa, records a 1000-yr history of a riverine harbour built by the Etruscans and used by the Romans. This harbour was adjacent to the Arno River, located within an abandoned channel then still connected to the sea, thus allowing efficient stock transfer to and from Roman Pisa. The archaeological importance of this site is primarily due to the discovery of at least 16 well-preserved Roman ships and many other remains mostly deriving from their cargoes. The sedimentological relevance of this record is related to the recurrent, catastrophic, destruction of the harbour documented by the features of the sediment encasing the ships and by the ships’ distribution and age. Such repeated destruction was related to catastrophic flood flows generated by levee crevassing of the Arno River during high-magnitude floods that occurred between the second century BC and the fifth century AD. The Pisa harbour tells a story of river channel instability. The repeated flooding of the harbour indicates that the Roman Arno River attempted to abruptly change its course, exploiting a pre-existing river channel. The concomitance of climatic and eustatic causes is expounded upon to explain the sedimentary dynamic of a coastal floodplain during historical times.
Constraints on the optical afterglow emission of the short/hard burst GRB 010119

We report optical observations of the short/hard burst GRB 010119 error box, one of the smallest error boxes reported to date for short/hard GRBs. Limits of R > 22.3 and I > 21.2 are imposed by observations carried out 20.31 and 20.58 hours after the gamma-ray event, respectively. They represent the most constraining limits imposed to date on the optical emission from a short/hard gamma-ray burst afterglow.
The Seasonal Cycle of Low Stratiform Clouds

Abstract The seasonal cycle of low stratiform clouds is studied using data from surface-based cloud climatologies. The impact of low clouds on the radiation budget is illustrated by comparison of data from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment with the cloud climatologies. Ten regions of active stratocumulus convection are identified. These regions fall into four categories: subtropical marine, midlatitude marine, Arctic stratus, and Chinese stratus. With the exception of the Chinese region, all the regions with high amounts of stratus clouds are over the oceans. In all regions except the Arctic, the season of maximum stratus corresponds to the season of greatest lower-troposphere static stability. Interannual variations in stratus cloud amount also are related to changes in static stability. A linear analysis indicates that a 6% increase in stratus fractional area coverage is associated with each 1°C increase in static stability. Over midlatitude oceans, sky-obscuring fog is a large component of the summ.
Induction of Multiple Cytokine Secretion from RAW264.7 Cells by Alginate Oligosaccharides

We investigated the cytokine-inducing activities of guluronate (G3–G6) and mannuronate (M3–M6) oligomers on RAW264.7 cells with the Bio-Plex assay system. Relatively high levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), granulocyte macrophage (GM)-CSF, and eotaxin were induced by alginate oligomers to different extents depending on the oligomer structures, and low but significant levels of interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-9, and IL-13 were also induced. Throughout all cytokines tested, M-oligomers tended to be more potent than G-oligomers in terms of cytokine induction, and this tendency was evident in differences between G3 and M3.