Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The causes of alkalinity variations in the global surface ocean

Human activities have caused the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) to increase by 120 ppmv from pre-industrial times to 2014. The ocean takes up approximately a quarter of the anthropogenic CO2, causing ocean acidification (OA). Therefore it is necessary to study the ocean carbonate system, including alkalinity, to quantify the flux of CO2 into the ocean and understand OA. Since the 1970s, carbonate system measurements have been undertaken which can be analyzed to quantify the causes of alkalinity variation in the surface ocean. A tracer of the oceanic calcium carbonate cycle (Alk*) was created by removing alkalinity variation caused by other processes: evaporation and precipitation, river input, and the biological production and dissolution of organic matter. The remaining variation is similar to the distribution of the major nutrients with low values in the tropical surface ocean and values 110 μmol kg-1 and 85 μmol kg-1 higher in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific respectively. The causes of longitudinal Alk* gradients in the Pacific Ocean were then analyzed. The results indicate that outcropping of isopycnals and upwelling of water enriches Alk* in the subpolar North Pacific and along the North American margin. On the other hand, the eastern equatorial upwelling appears to be from depths too shallow to contain enhanced Alk*. Two algorithms to predict alkalinity were then created for the surface Pacific with r values between predictions and measurements of 0.970 for the entire Pacific Ocean algorithm and 0.991 for the North Pacific eastern margin. A method using in-situ Alk* and velocity measurements to estimate calcium carbonate export was developed. This method estimates a summer and autumn export in the Southern Ocean of 0.31 Pg C yr-1 with the majority occurring around the Polar and Subantarctic Fronts. The Alk* tracer is shown to be a useful tool which could be improved by further research into riverine alkalinity inputs and the influence of sea ice formation on alkalinity.
The roles of two C. elegans HOX co-factor orthologs in cell migration and vulva development

Anteroposterior cell migration and patterning in C. elegans are governed by multiple, interacting signaling pathways and transcription factors. In this study, we have investigated the role of ceh-20, the C. elegans ortholog of the HOX co-factor Extradenticle (Exd/Pbx), and unc-62, the C. elegans ortholog of Homothorax (Hth/Meis/Prep), in two processes that are regulated by Hox gene lin-39: cell migration and vulva formation. As in lin-39 mutants, the anterior migrations of neuroblasts in the Q lineage are truncated in Hox co-factor mutants. Surprisingly, though, our findings suggested that the roles of ceh-20 and unc-62 are different from that of lin-39; specifically, ceh-20 and unc-62 but not lin-39 are required for the transmembrane protein MIG-13 to promote anterior migration. To our knowledge, ceh-20 and unc-62 are the only genes that have been implicated in the mig-13 pathway. We find that ceh-20 and unc-62 are also required for several steps in vulva development. Surprisingly, ceh-20 and unc-62 mutants have phenotypes that are starkly different from those of lin-39 mutants. Thus, in this process, too, ceh-20 and unc-62 are likely to have functions that are independent of lin-39.
Impaired Postural Control in Healthy Men at Moderate Altitude (1630 M and 2590 M): Data from a Randomized Trial

Objectives Intact postural control is essential for safe performance of mountain sports, operation of machinery at altitude, and for piloting airplanes. We tested whether exposure to hypobaric hypoxia at moderate altitude impairs the static postural control of healthy subjects. Methods In 51 healthy men, median age 24 y (quartiles 20;28), static control was evaluated on a balance platform in Zurich, 490 m, and during a 4-day sojourn in Swiss mountain villages at 1630 m and 2590 m, 2 days each. The order of altitude exposure was randomized. Total center of pressure path length (COPL) and sway amplitude measured in two directions by a balance platform, and pulse oximetry were recorded. Data were compared between altitudes. Results Median (quartiles) COPL during standing on both legs with eyes open at 490 m and in the evenings on the first and second days at 1630 and 2590 m, respectively were: 50 (45;57), 55 (48;62), 56 (49;61), 53 (47;59), 54 (48;60) cm, P<0.001 ANOVA. Corresponding arterial oxygen saturation was 97% (96;97), 95% (94;96), 95%(94;96), 92%(90;93), 93%(91;93), P<0.001. Anterior-posterior sway amplitudes were larger at 1630 and 2590 m compared to 490 m, P<0.001. Multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed that higher altitudes (1630 and 2590m) were independently associated with increased COPL when controlled for the order of altitude exposure and age (P=0.001). Conclusions Exposure to 1630 and 2590m was associated with impaired static postural control even when visual references were available. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01130948.
Structural and Functional Properties of Deep Abdominal Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Explain Its Association With Insulin Resistance and Cardiovascular Risk in Men

OBJECTIVE Fat distribution is an important variable explaining metabolic heterogeneity of obesity. Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) is divided by the Scarpa’s fascia into a deep subcutaneous adipose tissue (dSAT) and a superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue (sSAT) layer. This study sought to characterize functional differences between the two SAT layers to explore their relative contribution to metabolic traits and cardiovascular risk (CVR) profile. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We recruited 371 Caucasians consecutively from a local random, population-based screening project in Oxford and 25 Asian Indians from the local community. The depth of the SAT layers was determined by ultrasound (US), and adipose tissue (AT) biopsies were performed under US guidance in a subgroup of 43 Caucasians. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass was quantified by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan. RESULTS Male adiposity in both ethnic groups was characterized by a disproportionate expansion of dSAT, which was strongly correlated with VAT mass. dSAT depth was a strong predictor of global insulin resistance (IR; homeostatic model assessment of IR), liver-specific IR (insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1), and Framingham risk score independently of other measures of adiposity in men. Moreover, dSAT had higher expression of proinflammatory, lipogenic, and lipolytic genes and contained higher proportions of saturated fatty acids. There was increased proportion of small adipocytes in dSAT. CONCLUSIONS SAT is heterogeneous; dSAT expands disproportionally more than sSAT with increasing obesity in Caucasian males (confirmed also in Asian Indians). Its expansion is related to increased CVR independent of other adiposity measures, and it has biological properties suggestive of higher metabolic activity contributing to global IR.
The Phenomenology of Error Processing: The Dorsal ACC Response to Stop-signal Errors Tracks Reports of Negative Affect

A reliable observation in neuroimaging studies of cognitive control is the response of dorsal ACC (dACC) to events that demand increased cognitive control (e.g., response conflicts and performance errors). This observation is apparently at odds with a comparably reliable association of the dACC with the subjective experience of negative affective states such as pain, fear, and anxiety. Whereas “affective” associates of the dACC are based on studies that explicitly manipulate and/or measure the subjective experience of negative affect, the “cognitive” associates of dACC are based on studies using tasks designed to manipulate the demand for cognitive control, such as the Stroop, flanker, and stop-signal tasks. Critically, extant neuroimaging research has not systematically considered the extent to which these cognitive tasks induce negative affective experiences and, if so, to what extent negative affect can account for any variance in the dACC response during task performance. While undergoing fMRI, participants in this study performed a stop-signal task while regularly reporting their experience of performance on several dimensions. We observed that within-subject variability in the dACC response to stop-signal errors tracked changes in subjective frustration throughout task performance. This association remained when controlling for within-subject variability in subjective reports of cognitive engagement and several performance-related variables indexing task difficulty. These results fit with existing models characterizing the dACC as a hub for monitoring ongoing behavior and motivating adjustments when necessary and further emphasize that such a function may be linked to the subjective experience of negative affect.
Studying the feasibility of energy harvesting in a mobile sensor network

We study the feasibility of extending the lifetime of a wireless sensor network by exploiting mobility. In our system, a small percentage of network nodes are autonomously mobile, allowing them to move in search of energy, recharge, and delivery energy to immobile, energy-depleted nodes. We term this approach energy harvesting. We characterize the problem of uneven energy consumption, suggest energy harvesting as a possible solution, and provide a simple analytical framework to evaluate energy consumption and our scheme. Data from initial feasibility experiments using energy harvesting show promising results.
Insect Gut Bacterial Diversity Determined by Environmental Habitat, Diet, Developmental Stage, and Phylogeny of Host

ABSTRACT Insects are the most abundant animals on Earth, and the microbiota within their guts play important roles by engaging in beneficial and pathological interactions with these hosts. In this study, we comprehensively characterized insect-associated gut bacteria of 305 individuals belonging to 218 species in 21 taxonomic orders, using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. In total, 174,374 sequence reads were obtained, identifying 9,301 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the 3% distance level from all samples, with an average of 84.3 (±97.7) OTUs per sample. The insect gut microbiota were dominated by Proteobacteria (62.1% of the total reads, including 14.1% Wolbachia sequences) and Firmicutes (20.7%). Significant differences were found in the relative abundances of anaerobes in insects and were classified according to the criteria of host environmental habitat, diet, developmental stage, and phylogeny. Gut bacterial diversity was significantly higher in omnivorous insects than in stenophagous (carnivorous and herbivorous) insects. This insect-order-spanning investigation of the gut microbiota provides insights into the relationships between insects and their gut bacterial communities.
Forecasting in the NBA and other team sports: Network effects in action

The multi-million sports-betting market is based on the fact that the task of predicting the outcome of a sports event is very hard. Even with the aid of an uncountable number of descriptive statistics and background information, only a few can correctly guess the outcome of a game or a league. In this work, our approach is to move away from the traditional way of predicting sports events, and instead to model sports leagues as networks of players and teams where the only information available is the work relationships among them. We propose two network-based models to predict the behavior of teams in sports leagues. These models are parameter-free, that is, they do not have a single parameter, and moreover are sport-agnostic: they can be applied directly to any team sports league. First, we view a sports league as a network in evolution, and we infer the implicit feedback behind network changes and properties over the years. Then, we use this knowledge to construct the network-based prediction models, which can, with a significantly high probability, indicate how well a team will perform over a season. We compare our proposed models with other prediction models in two of the most popular sports leagues: the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Major League Baseball (MLB). Our model shows consistently good results in comparison with the other models and, relying upon the network properties of the teams, we achieved a ≈ 14% rank prediction accuracy improvement over our best competitor.
Stressors, social support, and effects upon performance in golf

Abstract In this study, we extended the work of Rees and Hardy (2004) by examining the main and stress-buffering effects of social support upon sports performance in a different context, using a different outcome measure, and a specific time-frame. A high-level performance sample of 117 male golfers (mean age 24.8, s = 8.3) completed measures of social support and stressors before competitions. Performance outcome was recorded. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant (P < 0.05) main effects for stressors upon performance in 8 of the 11 models tested (R 2 = 0.08 – 0.21). Over and above the variance accounted for by stressors, there were significant (P < 0.05) main effects for social support upon performance in all models tested (ΔR 2 = 0.10 – 0.24). In all models, stressors were associated with worse performance, whereas social support was associated with better performance. There were no significant interactions (stress-buffering effects). Main effects for social support upon performance suggest that social support may have aided performance directly, regardless of the level of stress.
Compartment Syndrome In Schatzker Type VI Plateau Fractures and Medial Condylar Fracture-Dislocations Treated with Temporary External Fixation

Objective: Bicondylar tibial plateau fracture with metaphyseal-diaphyseal dissociation. Schatzker VI and medial plateau fracture-dislocations are commonly treated with initial external fixation until the soft tissues allow for more definitive internal fixation. The purpose of this study was to review the incidence of compartment syndrome (CS) in these injuries and the timing of their occurrence in relation to placement of the external fixator. Design: Retrospective cohort, consecutive series. Setting: Academic level I trauma center. Patients/Participants: Over a 5-year period, 67 patients with tibial plateau fractures and fracture-dislocations were treated with initial external fixation within 48 hours of injury. There were 50 fractures (type VI) and 17 fracture-dislocations. Intervention: CS was documented prospectively, and all patients were examined for signs of missed CS during office visits. Main Outcome Measure: The timing of the CS was noted as present at presentation and diagnosis after external fixation but during the initial operative session, late, or missed. Results: Overall, there were 18 CSs (27%) in 67 extremities. CS was more common after fracture-dislocations (9 of 17) than plateau fractures (9 of 50) (P = 0.009, χ2). Most CSs were diagnosed after frame placement (10), either in the operating room at the initial session (4 of 10) or within the first 48 hours after frame placement (3 of 10). There were 3 delayed cases diagnosed after the CS had run its course. All 3 of these patients had external fixators that included the foot in the neutral position. Conclusion: The incidence of CS for Schatzker type VI (18%) and medial plateau fracture-dislocations (53%) is high. When compared with the Schatzker type VI injuries, our data suggest that medial plateau fracture-dislocations may be at increased risk of developing CS after placement of spanning external fixation. We recommend careful monitoring of Schatzker type VI fractures and especially medial plateau fracture-dislocations after placement of spanning external fixators.
Crystal structure of piperazine-1,4-diium bis(4-aminobenzenesulfonate)

The asymmetric unit of the title salt, C4H12N2 2+·2C6H6NO3S−, consists of half a piperazindiium dication, located about an inversion centre, and a 4-aminobenzenesulfonate anion. The piperazine ring adopts a chair conformation. In the crystal, the cations and anions are linked via N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional framework. Within the framework there are C—H⋯π interactions and the N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds result in the formation of R 4 4(22) and R 3 4(13) ring motifs.
Calibration of chron C29r: New high-precision geochronologic and paleomagnetic constraints from the Hell Creek region, Montana

The mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary marks one of the most important biotic turnover events in Earth history. Yet, despite decades of study, the causes of the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary crises remain under debate. An important tool that has the capacity to greatly improve our understanding of the events around the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary is the geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS). The GPTS is used for age control in numerous Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary studies, including the timing of Deccan Traps volcanism, a majority of studies in marine sections, and studies on climate and ecological change across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. The current calibration of the GPTS for cir-cum–Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary polarity chrons (C30n–C28n) from the Geologic Time Scale draws heavily on astronomical tuning and uses a 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age for the Cre-taceous-Paleogene boundary as a tie point that has since been shown to be 200 ka too old. Furthermore, complex sedimentation has been recorded in marine sections immediately following the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, which can possibly obscure orbital signals and complicate cyclostratigraphic in-terpretation. An independent test of the cyclostratigraphy for this time period is imperative for confidence in the astronomical time scale. Further, polarity reversal ages given in the GPTS do not include uncertainty estimates, making them unsuitable for quanti-GSA tative chronometry. Recent calibrations have been attempted using U/Pb geochronology on zircons; however, U/Pb zircon dates may be biased by pre-eruptive zircon residence times of tens to hundreds of thousands of years. In this study, we provide constraints on the timing and duration of the most important circum–Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary chron, chron C29r, using high-precision 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology and magnetostratigraphy on fluvial sediments from the Hell Creek region, Montana. Here, we show results for 14 new magnetostratigraphic sections, and 18 new high-precision 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates, which together provide six independent constraints on the age of the C29r/C29n reversal and two constraints on the C30n/ C29r reversal. Together, these results show that the duration of C29r was 587 ± 53 ka, consistent with the most recent Geologic Time Scale calibration and previous U-Pb age models. We further present new geochronologic data for the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary that provide the most precise date yet, of 66.052 ± 0.008/0.043 Ma. Integration of our results into the extensive paleontological framework for this region further provides important constraints on rates of terrestrial faunal change across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.
Dexamethasone Blocking Effects on Mu- and Delta-Opioid-Induced Seizures Involves Kappa-Opioid Activity in the Rabbit

Previous data indicate that intracerebroventricular administration of agonists for µ- and δ-opioid receptors induces limbic seizures in rats, but no data are reported in rabbits. We found that the µ- and δ-opioid peptides [D-Ala2-N,Me-Phe4-Gly5-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO), β-endorphin and deltorphin II, induced EEG non-convulsive hippocampal seizures, and changes in hippocampal background EEG, physical parameters and overt behaviour after central administration. Dexamethasone pre-treatment prevented DAMGO-, deltorphin II- and β-endorphin-induced seizures as well as changes in background EEG, physical parameters and overt behaviour induced by µ-opioid agonists. Dexamethasone antagonism on opioid action was blocked by pre-treatment with a protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide or by the ĸ-opioid antagonist nor-binaltorphimine. Our data suggest that dexamethasone influences opioid actions at µ- and δ-receptors via a protein synthesis mechanism involving ĸ-opioid receptors.
Noninvasive measurement of bladder pressure. Does mechanical interruption of the urinary stream inhibit detrusor contraction?

PURPOSE As part of developing a noninvasive method to measure bladder pressure using an inflatable penile cuff, we tested the hypothesis that detrusor contraction is maintained without inhibition during the test. MATERIALS AND METHODS Five healthy volunteers and 26 male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms underwent interruption of established urine flow by controlled inflation of a cuff placed around the penis with simultaneous invasive bladder pressure monitoring. After interruption of flow the cuff was rapidly deflated and voiding was allowed to resume. The bladder pressure was recorded before, during and after interruption of flow by cuff inflation. RESULTS During flow interruption an isovolumetric increase in detrusor pressure was observed. When the cuff was deflated the detrusor pressure quickly returned to preinflation values and urine flow immediately resumed. Intra-abdominal pressure did not change during the cuff inflation cycle. CONCLUSIONS Mechanical interruption of urine flow by controlled inflation of a penile cuff during voiding does not inhibit detrusor contraction. This finding further validates our noninvasive technique of bladder pressure measurement and supports ongoing studies into its clinical usefulness.
The Scaling, Efficacy, and Timescales of Precipitation Change: A comparison between CO2 and CH4 perturbations using CESM CAM4

Precipitation patterns and rates change with global warming. These changes can be separately evaluated in fast and slow responses, the combination of the two are called apparent responses. The fast precipitation responses can be understood by energetics, while the slow precipitation responses scale with surface temperature change. Precipitation Driver and Response Model Intercomparison Project (PDRMIP) is a project investigating precipitation responses to separate climate drivers. One of their experiments, a tripling of atmospheric CH4, proved too weak of a perturbation to compare to the other experiments in the project. This thesis performs two stronger perturbations of CH4 and compare precipitation responses to a doubling of CO2, using one of the models in PDRMIP, CESM1 CAM4. Two configurations were used to separate responses in timescales, and each perturbation were run as an ensemble to reduce natural variability. Both surface temperature and apparent precipitation responses scale well with forcing for CH4. CO2 does not scale equally to CH4. The apparent surface temperature efficacy for methane was below 1, averaging at 0.96 ± 0.07, while the apparent precipitation efficacy was above 1, averaging at 1.24 ± 0.09. Fast precipitation changes has a negative correlation to atmospheric absorption, and the CO2 simulation exhibited the strongest atmospheric absorption as well as the strongest negative fast precipitation response.