Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Earthquake-induced thermal anomalies at active volcanoes

Answering the question whether a regional earthquake can trigger or enhance volcanic activity requires a systematic measure of volcanic activity. One such measure is heat fl ux. The availability since A.D. 2000 of a satellite-derived heat fl ux inventory for global volcanism allows us to explore how earthquakes and volcanic activity may be linked. Examination of 7 yr of global volcanic heat fl ux data reveals 37 volcanic responses to regional earthquakes. Each response is expressed by an increase in heat fl ux within 1‐21 days of the triggering earthquake. Whether a volcano responds depends on earthquake magnitude, distance to the epicenter, and orientation of the earthquake focal mechanism in respect to the volcano: the focal mechanism has to align with the responding system. Of the 7 global major increases of seismic energy during 2000‐2006, 4 were followed by a global volcanic heat fl ux increase. The largest response involved a 300% increase and followed the largest earthquake in the period, the 2004 SumatraAndaman (Indonesia) earthquake, moment magnitude, M W = 9.3.
Humoral immunity to respiratory syncytial virus in young and elderly adults

SUMMARY Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been demonstrated to cause substantial disease in elderly and immunocompromised subjects. The relationship of serum antibody to RSV infection and the risk of infection in elderly subjects is controversial, thus we evaluated the presence of neutralizing antibodies to RSV in healthy people of different age groups and the correlation with viral protection. Baseline blood samples from 197 subjects aged 20–80 years were analysed for the presence of anti-RSV antibodies either by indirect immunofluorescence and microneutralization test. The percentage of people who had neutralizing antibodies to RSV was significantly higher (P=0·001) in the youngest group (92·51%) compared to the frail group (36·21%). The RSV antibody level tends to wane in some older people; this factor could determine proneness to RSV re-infections in the elderly who are at a greater risk of developing severe respiratory disease.
Colorectal Cancer Screening among Korean American Immigrants: Unraveling the Influence of Culture

Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) is underutilized among ethnic minority groups, particularly among Korean American immigrants. To explore the role of cultural and health beliefs in CRC screening, a structured questionnaire was administered to 281 Korean American immigrants aged between 50 and 88 in the New York metropolitan area. Results showed that 20% of the sample had undergone a fecal occult blood test within the past year, and 35% of the respondents had received a sigmoidoscopy and/or colonoscopy within the previous five years. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed significant predictors including health belief constructs, such as perceived seriousness of cancer and confidence in screening uptake, and gender-specific cultural beliefs and attitudes about CRC screening. Perceived helplessness lowered CRC screening among the women, while fatalism lowered it among the men. The findings reinforce a need for cultural-and gender-specific intervention strategies to increase CRC screening in this particularly vulnerable population.
Inference of pathways from metabolic networks by subgraph extraction

In this work, we present different algorithmic approaches to the inference of metabolic pathways from metabolic networks. Metabolic pathway inference can be applied to uncover the biological function of sets of co-expressed, enzyme-coding genes. We compare the kWalks algorithm based on random walks and an alternative approach relying on k-shortest paths. We study the influence of various parameters on the pathway inference accuracy, which we measure on a set of 71 reference metabolic pathways. The results illustrate that kWalks is significantly faster and has a higher sensitivity but the positive predictive value is better for the pair-wise k-shortest path algorithm. This finding motivated the design of a hybrid approach, which reaches an average accuracy of 72% for the given set of reference pathways
Life in the fast lane: learning from the rare multiyear recaptures of brown lemmings in the High Arctic

Inter-annual recaptures of Arctic lemmings are extremely rare because their life expectancy is very short, typically less than one year. On Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada, we live-trapped in summer, marked and released brown lemmings (Lemmus trimucronatus, Kerr 1792) between 2004 and 2016 and we performed a large-scale, before-after control-impact experiment from 2014 to 2016 to study the effects of predator reduction on their population dynamics. Although inter-annual recaptures of marked lemmings were rare, our long-term study and predator reduction allowed us to capture 21 (1.4%; n = 1523) individuals over two consecutive years and one over three consecutive years. The inter-annual recapture rate was much higher in the predator-reduction grid (5.7%; n = 193) than in the other grids (0.7%; n = 425) during the experiment. Average distance moved between inter-annual recaptures was small (74 m). Our data thus demonstrate that lemmings are physiologically capable of living up to 24 months in the High Arctic,.
Mapping the Epistatic Network Underlying Murine Reproductive Fatpad Variation

Genome-wide mapping analyses are now commonplace in many species and several networks of interacting loci have been reported. However, relatively few details regarding epistatic interactions and their contribution to complex trait variation in multicellular organisms are available and the identification of positional candidate loci for epistatic QTL (epiQTL) is hampered, especially in mammals, by the limited genetic resolution inherent in most study designs. Here we further investigate the genetic architecture of reproductive fatpad weight in mice using the F10 generation of the LG,SM advanced intercross (AI) line. We apply multiple mapping techniques including a single-locus model, locus-specific composite interval mapping (CIM), and tests for multiple QTL per chromosome to the 12 chromosomes known to harbor single-locus QTL (slQTL) affecting obesity in this cross. We also perform a genome-wide scan for pairwise epistasis. Using this combination of approaches we detect 199 peaks spread over all 19 autosomes, which potentially contribute to trait variation including all eight original F2 loci (Adip1-8), novel slQTL peaks on chromosomes 7 and 9, and several novel epistatic loci. Extensive epistasis is confirmed involving both slQTL confidence intervals (C.I.) as well as regions that show no significant additive or dominance effects. These results provide important new insights into mapping complex genetic architectures and the role of epistasis in complex trait variation.
Biophysical Characteristics Reveal Neural Stem Cell Differentiation Potential

Background Distinguishing human neural stem/progenitor cell (huNSPC) populations that will predominantly generate neurons from those that produce glia is currently hampered by a lack of sufficient cell type-specific surface markers predictive of fate potential. This limits investigation of lineage-biased progenitors and their potential use as therapeutic agents. A live-cell biophysical and label-free measure of fate potential would solve this problem by obviating the need for specific cell surface markers. Methodology/Principal Findings We used dielectrophoresis (DEP) to analyze the biophysical, specifically electrophysiological, properties of cortical human and mouse NSPCs that vary in differentiation potential. Our data demonstrate that the electrophysiological property membrane capacitance inversely correlates with the neurogenic potential of NSPCs. Furthermore, as huNSPCs are continually passaged they decrease neuron generation and increase membrane capacitance, confirming that this parameter dynamically predicts and negatively correlates with neurogenic potential. In contrast, differences in membrane conductance between NSPCs do not consistently correlate with the ability of the cells to generate neurons. DEP crossover frequency, which is a quantitative measure of cell behavior in DEP, directly correlates with neuron generation of NSPCs, indicating a potential mechanism to separate stem cells biased to particular differentiated cell fates. Conclusions/Significance We show here that whole cell membrane capacitance, but not membrane conductance, reflects and predicts the neurogenic potential of human and mouse NSPCs. Stem cell biophysical characteristics therefore provide a completely novel and quantitative measure of stem cell fate potential and a label-free means to identify neuron- or glial-biased progenitors.
Pre‐mRNA splicing repression triggers abiotic stress signaling in plants

Summary Alternative splicing (AS) of precursor RNAs enhances transcriptome plasticity and proteome diversity in response to diverse growth and stress cues. Recent work has shown that AS is pervasive across plant species, with more than 60% of intron‐containing genes producing different isoforms. Mammalian cell‐based assays have discovered various inhibitors of AS. Here, we show that the macrolide pladienolide B (PB) inhibits constitutive splicing and AS in plants. Also, our RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq) data revealed that PB mimics abiotic stress signals including salt, drought and abscisic acid (ABA). PB activates the abiotic stress‐ and ABA‐responsive reporters RD29A:LUC and MAPKKK18:uidA in Arabidopsis thaliana and mimics the effects of ABA on stomatal aperture. Genome‐wide analysis of AS by RNA‐seq revealed that PB perturbs the splicing machinery and leads to a striking increase in intron retention and a reduction in other forms of AS. Interestingly, PB treatment activates the ABA signaling pathway by inhibiting the splicing of clade A PP2C phosphatases while still maintaining to some extent the splicing of ABA‐activated SnRK2 kinases. Taken together, our data establish PB as an inhibitor and modulator of splicing and a mimic of abiotic stress signals in plants. Thus, PB reveals the molecular underpinnings of the interplay between stress responses, ABA signaling and post‐transcriptional regulation in plants. Significance Statement Alternative splicing (AS) of precursor RNAs can enhance transcriptome plasticity and proteome diversity in response to diverse growth and stress cues. Here we used an AS‐inhibiting drug (pladienolide B), previously used in mammalian cell culture, to uncover the interplay between stress responses, ABA signaling, and post‐transcriptional regulation in plants.
Angiogenesis in cutaneous lesions of leprosy: implications for treatment.

OBJECTIVE To examine the potential role of angiogenesis in leprosy. DESIGN Immunohistochemical analysis of leprosy lesions. SETTING Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology, Kasturba Medical College; Division of Dermatology, University of California at Los Angeles; and Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, Emory University. PATIENTS Thirty-two cutaneous lesions that represented the spectrum of leprosy were obtained from 32 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE CD31 microvessel counts. RESULTS The mean CD31 microvessel count in borderline tuberculoid, midborderline, and lepromatous leprosy lesions was significantly higher than in indeterminate leprosy lesions. CONCLUSIONS Increased bacterial load is associated with increased angiogenesis. Angiogenesis inhibitors may be of benefit in the treatment of leprosy.
Extreme Rainfall Associated With Hurricane Maria Over Puerto Rico and Its Connections to Climate Variability and Change

Hurricane Maria was associated with record‐breaking rainfall over Puerto Rico and caused unprecedented flooding and landslides. Here we analyze the extreme rainfall produced by Hurricane Maria using 35 stations with daily precipitation data from 1956–2016. A covariate‐based extreme value analysis point process approach that accounts for natural climate variability and long‐term climate change influences on extreme rainfall is applied. Hurricane Maria produced the single largest maximum rainfall event since 1956 and had the highest total averaged precipitation of 129 storms that have impacted the island since 1956. Return periods for an event of Hurricane Maria's precipitation magnitude decreased in 48.6% of stations across Puerto Rico and at least halved when averaged across the island. Within the most affected areas it is likely that the probability of precipitation of Maria's magnitude has increased by a factor greater than 1 (best estimate 4.85) as a result of long‐term climate trends.
Canopy architectural and physiological characterization of near-isogenic wheat lines differing in the tiller inhibition gene tin

Tillering is a core constituent of plant architecture, and influences light interception to affect plant and crop performance. Near-isogenic lines (NILs) varying for a tiller inhibition (tin) gene and representing two genetic backgrounds were investigated for tillering dynamics, organ size distribution, leaf area, light interception, red: far-red ratio, and chlorophyll content. Tillering ceased earlier in the tin lines to reduce the frequencies of later primary and secondary tillers compared to the free-tillering NILs, and demonstrated the genetically lower tillering plasticity of tin-containing lines. The distribution of organ sizes along shoots varied between NILs contrasting for tin. Internode elongation commenced at a lower phytomer, and the peduncle was shorter in the tin lines. The flag leaves of tin lines were larger, and the longest leaf blades were observed at higher phytomers in the tin than in free-tillering lines. Total leaf area was reduced in tin lines, and non-tin lines invested more leaf area at mid-canopy height. The tiller economy (ratio of seed-bearing shoots to numbers of shoots produced) was 10% greater in the tin lines (0.73–0.76) compared to the free-tillering sisters (0.62–0.63). At maximum tiller number, the red: far-red ratio (light quality stimulus that is thought to induce the cessation of tillering) at the plant-base was 0.18–0.22 in tin lines and 0.09–0.11 in free-tillering lines at levels of photosynthetic active radiation of 49–53% and 30–33%, respectively. The tin lines intercepted less radiation compared to their free-tillering sisters once genotypic differences in tiller numbers had established, and maintained green leaf area in the lower canopy later into the season. Greater light extinction coefficients (k) in tin lines prior to, but reduced k after, spike emergence indicated that differences in light interception between NILs contrasting in tin cannot be explained by leaf area alone but that geometric and optical canopy properties contributed. The careful characterization of specifically-developed NILs is refining the development of a physiology-based model for tillering to improve understanding of the value of architectural traits for use in cereal improvement.
Congenital heart disease associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

suMMARY Experience has shown that clinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM, ASH) occurs in some patients with congenital heart disease, particularly simple lesions with a good natural prognosis. Its presence should be suspected when the clinical course is atypical for the basic congenital lesion or when there is unexpected cardiomegaly, an associated left sided lesion or left ventricular hypertrophy in abnormalities which primarily affect the right side of the heart, or an atypical electrocardiogram showing QS patterns, left anterior hemiblock, deeply inverted septal T inversion, or unusual ST-T changes over the left ventricle.
Exogenic forcing and autogenic processes on continental divide location and mobility

The position and mobility of drainage divides is an expression of exogenic landscape forcing and autogenic channel network processes integrated across a range of scales. At the large scale, represented by major rivers and continental drainage divides, the organization of drainage patterns and divide migration reflects the long‐wavelength gradients of the topography, which are exogenically influenced by tectonics, isostasy, and/or dynamic topography. This analysis utilizes long‐wavelength topography synthesized by a low‐pass filter, which provides a novel framework for predicting the direction of divide movement as well as an estimate of the ultimate divide location that is complementary to recent studies that have focused on the χ channel metric. The Gibraltar Arc active plate boundary and Appalachian stable plate interior, two tectonically diverse settings with ongoing drainage system reorganization, are chosen to explore the length scales of exogenic forcings that influence continental drainage divide location and migration. The major watersheds draining both the active‐ and decay‐phase orogens studied here are organized by topographic gradients that are expressed in long‐wavelength low‐pass filtered topography (λ ≥ 100 km). In contrast, the river network and divide location is insensitive to topographic gradients measured over filtered wavelengths <100 km that are set by local crustal structures and rock type. The lag time between exogenic forcing and geomorphic response and feedbacks cause divide migration to be unsteady, and occur through pulses of drainage capture and drainage network reorganization that are recorded in sedimentological, geomorphic, or denudation data.
Fundamental Limits of Communications in Interference Networks-Part I: Basic Structures

In these series of multi-part papers, a systematic study of fundamental limits of communications in interference networks is established. Here, interference network is referred to as a general single-hop communication scenario with arbitrary number of transmitters and receivers, and also arbitrary distribution of messages among transmitters and receivers. It is shown that the information flow in such networks follows similar derivations from many aspects. This systematic study is launched by considering the basic building blocks in Part I. The Multiple Access Channel (MAC), the Broadcast Channel (BC), the Classical Interference Channel (CIC) and the Cognitive Radio Channel (CRC) are proposed as the main building blocks for all interference networks. First, a brief review of existing results regarding these basic structures is presented. New observations are also presented in this regard. Specifically, it is shown that the well-known strong interference conditions for the two-user CIC do not change if the inputs are dependent. Next, new capacity outer bounds are established for the basic structures with two receivers. These outer bounds are all derived based on a unified framework. By using the derived outer bounds, some new capacity results are proved for the CIC and the CRC; a mixed interference regime is identified for the two-user discrete CIC where the sum-rate capacity is established. Also, a noisy interference regime is derived for the one-sided discrete CIC. For the CRC, a full characterization of the capacity region for a class of more-capable channels is obtained. Moreover, it is shown that the derived outer bounds are useful to study the channels with one-sided receiver side information wherein one of the receivers has access to the non-intended message; capacity bounds are also discussed in details for such scenarios.
Fear and anger have opposite effects on risk seeking in the gain frame

Emotions strongly influence our decisions, particularly those made under risk. A classic example of the effect of emotion on decision making under risk is the “framing effect,” which involves predictable shifts in preferences when the same problem is formulated in different ways. According to dual process theories, this bias could stem from an affective heuristic belonging to an intuitive type of reasoning. In this study, we examined whether specific incidental negative emotions (i.e., fear and anger) influence framing susceptibility and risk-taking identically. In each trial, participants received an initial amount of money, and pictures of angry or fearful faces were presented to them. Finally, participants chose between a sure option and a gamble option of equally expected value in a gain or loss frame. Risk-taking was modulated by emotional context: fear and anger influenced risk-taking specifically in the gain frame and had opposite effects. Fear increased risk-averse choices, whereas anger decreased risk-averse choices, leading to a suppression of the framing effect. These results confirm that emotions play a key role in framing susceptibility.
Acute bacterial meningitis in childhood: aspects of prehospital care in 687 cases

Before the introduction of specific therapy most children with bacterial meningitis died. Although intensive antibiotic treatment in hospital has dramatically improved the prognosis for such children the fatality rate is still usually 10-15% and it seems not to have improved in recent years (Haggerty and Ziai, 1964; Smith et al., 1973). I therefore reviewed some features of prehospital management of children with bacterial meningitis.
Progressive reduction in NE Atlantic intermediate water ventilation prior to Heinrich events: Response to NW European ice sheet instabilities?

We present high‐resolution benthic δ13C records from intermediate water depth core site MD01‐2461 (1153 m water depth), from the Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic, spanning 43 to 8 kyr B.P. At an average proxy time step of 160 ± 56 years this core provides information on the linkage between records from the Portuguese Margin and high‐latitude North Atlantic basin, allowing additional insights into North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) variability during millennial‐scale climatic events of the last glacial. Together, these records document both discrete and progressive reductions in Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water (GNAIW) formation preceding Heinrich (H) events 1, 2, and 4, recorded through the apparent interchange of glacial northern and southern‐sourced intermediate water signatures along the European Margin. Close coupling of NW European ice sheet (NWEIS) instability and GNAIW formation is observed through transient advances of SCW along the European margin concurrent with pulses of ice‐rafted debris and meltwater release into the NE Atlantic between 27 and 16 kyr B.P., when the NWEIS was at maximum extent and proximal to Last Glacial Maximum convection zones in the open North Atlantic. It is such NWEIS instability and meltwater forcing that may have triggered reduced North Atlantic THC prior to collapse of the Laurentide ice sheet at H1 and H2. Precursory reduction in GNAIW formation prior to H4 may also be inferred. However, limited NWEIS ice volume prior to H4 and convection occurring in the Norwegian‐Greenland Sea require that if a meltwater trigger is invoked, as appears to be the case at H1 and H2, the source of meltwater prior to H4 is elsewhere, likely higher‐latitude ice sheets. Clarification of the sequencing and likely mechanisms of precursory decrease of the North Atlantic THC support theories of H event initiation relating to ice shelf growth during cold periods associated with reduced North Atlantic THC and subsequent ablation through subsurface warming and sea level rise associated with further reductions in meridional overturning.