Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the ozone profile specifications in the WRF-ARW model and their impact on the simulation of direct solar radiation

Abstract. Although ozone is an atmospheric gas with high spatial and temporal variability, mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP) models simplify the specification of ozone concentrations used in their shortwave schemes by using a few ozone profiles. In this paper, a two-part study is presented: (i) an evaluation of the quality of the ozone profiles provided for use with the shortwave schemes in the Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model and (ii) an assessment of the impact of deficiencies in those profiles on the performance of model simulations of direct solar radiation. The first part compares simplified data sets used to specify the total ozone column in six schemes (i.e., Goddard, New Goddard, RRTMG, CAM, GFDL and Fu–Liou–Gu) with the Multi-Sensor Reanalysis data set during the period 1979–2008 examining the latitudinal, longitudinal and seasonal limitations in the ozone profile specifications of each parameterization. The results indicate that the maximum deviations are over the poles and show prominent longitudinal patterns in the departures due to the lack of representation of the patterns associated with the Brewer–Dobson circulation and the quasi-stationary features forced by the land–sea distribution, respectively. In the second part, the bias in the simulated direct solar radiation due to these deviations from the simplified spatial and temporal representation of the ozone distribution is analyzed for the New Goddard and CAM schemes using the Beer–Lambert–Bouguer law and for the GFDL using empirical equations. For radiative applications those simplifications introduce spatial and temporal biases with near-zero departures over the tropics throughout the year and increasing poleward with a maximum in the high middle latitudes during the winter of each hemisphere.
Racial Sorting and Neighborhood Quality

In cities throughout the United States, blacks tend to live in significantly poorer and lower-amenity neighborhoods than whites. An obvious first-order explanation for this is that an individual%u2019%u2019s race is strongly correlated with socioeconomic status (SES), and poorer households can only afford lower quality neighborhoods. This paper conjectures that another explanation may be as important. The limited supply of high-SES black neighborhoods in most U.S. metropolitan areas means that neighborhood race and neighborhood quality are explicitly bundled together. In the presence of any form of segregating preferences, this bundling raises the implicit price of neighborhood amenities for blacks relative to whites, prompting our conjecture -- that racial differences in the consumption of neighborhood amenities are significantly exacerbated by sorting on the basis of race, given the small numbers of blacks and especially high-SES blacks in many cities. To provide evidence on this conjecture, we estimate an equilibrium sorting model with detailed restricted Census microdata and use it to carry out informative counterfactual simulations. Results from these indicate that racial sorting explains a substantial portion of the gap between whites and blacks in the consumption of a wide range of neighborhood amenities -- in fact, as much as underlying socioeconomic differences across race. We also show that the adverse effects of racial sorting for blacks are fundamentally related to the small proportion of blacks in the U.S. metropolitan population. These results emphasize the significant role of racial sorting in the inter-generational persistence of racial differences in education, income, and wealth.
The Toll and Imd pathways are the major regulators of the immune response in Drosophila

Microarray studies have shown recently that microbial infection leads to extensive changes in the Drosophila gene expression programme. However, little is known about the control of most of the fly immune‐responsive genes, except for the antimicrobial peptide (AMP)‐encoding genes, which are regulated by the Toll and Imd pathways. Here, we used oligonucleotide microarrays to monitor the effect of mutations affecting the Toll and Imd pathways on the expression programme induced by septic injury in Drosophila adults. We found that the Toll and Imd cascades control the majority of the genes regulated by microbial infection in addition to AMP genes and are involved in nearly all known Drosophila innate immune reactions. However, we identified some genes controlled by septic injury that are not affected in double mutant flies where both Toll and Imd pathways are defective, suggesting that other unidentified signalling cascades are activated by infection. Interestingly, we observed that some Drosophila immune‐responsive genes are located in gene clusters, which often are transcriptionally co‐regulated.
Genetic variation at the MHC DRB1 locus is similar across Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) colonies regardless of plague history

Abstract Yersinia pestis was introduced to North America around 1900 and leads to nearly 100% mortality in prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies during epizootic events, which suggests this pathogen may exert a strong selective force. We characterized genetic diversity at an MHC class II locus (DRB1) in Gunnison's prairie dog (C. gunnisoni) and quantified population genetic structure at the DRB1 versus 12 microsatellite loci in three large Arizona colonies. Two colonies, Seligman (SE) and Espee Ranch (ES), have experienced multiple plague‐related die‐offs in recent years, whereas plague has never been documented at Aubrey Valley (AV). We found fairly low allelic diversity at the DRB1 locus, with one allele (DRB1*01) at high frequency (0.67–0.87) in all colonies. Two other DRB1 alleles appear to be trans‐species polymorphisms shared with the black‐tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicianus), indicating that these alleles have been maintained across evolutionary time frames. Estimates of genetic differentiation were generally lower at the MHC locus (F ST = 0.033) than at microsatellite markers (F ST = 0.098). The reduced differentiation at DRB1 may indicate that selection has been important for shaping variation at MHC loci, regardless of the presence or absence of plague in recent decades. However, genetic drift has probably also influenced the DRB1 locus because its level of differentiation was not different from that of microsatellites in an F ST outlier analysis. We then compared specific MHC alleles to plague survivorship in 60 C. gunnisoni that had been experimentally infected with Y. pestis. We found that survival was greater in individuals that carried at least one copy of the most common allele (DRB1*01) compared to those that did not (60% vs. 20%). Although the sample sizes of these two groups were unbalanced, this result suggests the possibility that this MHC class II locus, or a nearby linked gene, could play a role in plague survival.
Supporting elementary teachers’ enactment of nature of science instruction: a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT This embedded mixed method study used a randomised controlled⁠ trial design to examine two cohorts of upper (grades 4–6) elementary teachers’ classroom implementation of nature of science (NOS) instruction following their participation in a statewide professional development (PD). The treatment group (n = 145) was compared to a control group (n = 90), which received no PD. The PD included a summer institute that situated explicit NOS instruction within the context of problem-based learning (PBL). Data sources included videotaped classroom observations across four time points and teacher-generated descriptions of lessons preceding and following the observed lesson including learning objectives. Data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics and analysed qualitatively for trends in participants’ explicit NOS instruction. Results indicated the majority of treatment teachers (n = 97; 66.9%) accurately taught explicit NOS during the academic year following the summer institute compared to control teachers (n = 2; 2.2%). Participants most often taught about the empirical (69%) and social (63%) aspects of science. Participants’ strategies for integrating NOS varied in temporal placement within the lesson, connectedness to lesson activities, and extent of student-centeredness. These results demonstrate that situated PD that contextualises explicit NOS instruction within PBL facilitated teachers’ explicit NOS instruction compared to teachers who did not receive such instruction.
Two-prover one-round proof systems: their power and their problems (extended abstract)

We characterize the power of two-prover one-round (<italic>MIP</italic>(2,1)) proof systems, showing that <italic>MIP</italic>(2,1)=<italic>NEXPTIME</italic>. However, the following intriguing question remains open: Does parallel repetition decrease the error probability of <italic>MIP</italic>(2,1) proof systems? We use techniques based on quadratic programming to study this problem, and prove the parallel repetition conjecture in some special cases. Interestingly, our work leads to a general polynomial time heuristic for any <italic>NP</italic>-problem. We prove the effectiveness of this heuristic for several problems, such as computing the chromatic number of perfect graphs.
Local but no systemic immunomodulation by intraperitoneal treatment of advanced ovarian cancer with autologous T lymphocytes re‐targeted by a bi‐specific monoclonal antibody

We have reported a 27% overall anti‐tumor response using i.p. immunotherapy of advanced ovarian carcinoma with autologous, ex vivo expanded, T lymphocytes re‐targeted with bi‐specific monoclonal antibody OC/TR, combined with soluble OC/TR and low‐dose recombinant interleukin‐2 (IL‐2). This treatment had no effect on extraperitoneal disease. Therefore we studied in 13 patients whether this immunotherapeutic protocol resulted only in local or also in systemic immunomodulation. The phenotype of the ex vivo expanded lymphocytes was mainly CD3+, 4−, 8+, 16−, 56−. Their OC/TR‐re‐targeted cytolytic activity against Igrov‐1 ovarian‐carcinoma cells was approximately as high in responders as in non‐responders. Following most therapeutic cycles, the immunophenotype of lymphocytes recovered from the peritoneal fluid was similar to that of the infused T cells (i.e., mainly CD3+, 4−, 8+) and they were coated with OC/TR. However, cytolytic activity of the recovered lymphocytes against Igrov‐1 cells was low in direct assays, and only slightly increased after additional in vitro re‐targeting with OC/TR. Systemically, the i.p. immunotherapy resulted in a transient lymphopenia lasting for about 7 days, low (i.e., 5 to 13 ng/ml) serum concentrations of free, functional OC/TR, and very weak coating of circulating T lymphocytes with OC/TR. These peripheral‐blood T lymphocytes did not exert OC/TR‐re‐targeted cytolytic activity. Thus, locoregional OC/TR‐re‐targeted cellular immunotherapy resulted in substantial local immunomodulation and anti‐tumor effects but virtually no systemic immunomodulation. Int. J. Cancer 73:211–219, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Increased basal myocardial perfusion in patients with chronic kidney disease without symptomatic coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND Even minor renal dysfunction is a powerful cardiovascular risk factor. The abnormalities in coronary and peripheral artery function in different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain poorly understood. Our aim was to test by a positron emission tomography (PET)-based method whether microvascular dysfunction, an early marker of coronary dysfunction, exists already in early stages of CKD. METHODS Myocardial blood flow was measured at baseline and during dipyridamole-induced hyperaemia by PET. Peripheral artery endothelial function was examined by measuring flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery at rest and during reactive hyperaemia. Twenty-two patients with moderate to severe kidney failure and 10 healthy controls were investigated. Diabetic patients were excluded. Baseline characteristics were similar between the groups with the exception of antihypertensive medication in all CKD patients. RESULTS The basal myocardial perfusion was statistically significantly higher in CKD patients than observed values in similarly aged controls. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the baseline myocardial perfusion and the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Coronary flow reserve was comparable to healthy controls in all patients. FMD was significantly reduced in all patients with CKD regardless of the stage of kidney failure. CONCLUSIONS Coronary flow reserve was normal although baseline myocardial blood flow was increased in all CKD patients as compared to healthy controls. Peripheral endothelial dysfunction was detected in all patients. Our findings suggest that coronary perfusion and peripheral vascular function are disturbed by different mechanisms in patients with CKD.
Inference of the Trend in a Partially Linear Model

In this paper, we construct the uniform confidence band (UCB) of a time-varying trend in a partially linear model. A two-stage local linear regression is proposed to estimate the time-varying trend. Based on this estimate, we develop an invariance principle to construct the UCB of the trend function. The proposed methodology is used to estimate the Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU) in the Phillips curve and to perform inference of the parameter based on its UCB. The empirical results strongly suggest that the U.S. NAIRU is time-varying.
Extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles using leaves of Euphorbia hirta and their antibacterial activities

Aqueous extract of shade dried leaves of Euphorbia hirta (L) was used for the synthesis of silver (Ag) nanoparticles. UV-visible spectroscopy studies were carried out to assess the formation Ag nanoparticles. Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) was used to characterize the Ag nanoparticles. SEM image divulges that silver nanoparticles are quite polydispersed, the size ranging from 40 nm to 50 nm. The above silver nanoparticles were effective against B.cereus and S.aureus. The move towards extracellular synthesis of Ag nanoparticles using dried biomass appears to be cost effective, eco-friendly to that of conventional methods of nanoparticles synthesis.
Estimation of confidence measures for machine translation

Confidence Estimation has been extensively used in Speech Recognition and now it is also being applied in Statistical Machine Translation. Its basic goal is to estimate a confidence measure for each word in a given hypothesis, in order to locate those words, if any, that are likely to be incorrectly recognised or translated. It can be seen as a two-class pattern recognition problem in which each hypothesized word is transformed into a feature vector and then classified as either correct or incorrect. This view provides a solid, well-know framework, within which accurate dichotomizers (two-class classifiers) can be derived. In this paper, we study the performance of certain pattern features along with a smoothed Naive Bayes dichotomizer. Good empirical results are reported on a translation task of technical manuals.
A review on the effects of land use on water quality and use: a case study of River Romi in Kaduna State

Rapid changes in land use have been shown to have high impact on water quality and use. Access to portable water is necessary for all life and therefore, it is of paramount importance to investigate issues surrounding water availability and its usage. In this review, the effects of land use on the water quality of the River Romi in Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria have been reviewed. This river is being utilised as a source of water for domestic and industrial consumption as these needs are not being met with any alternatives by the Nigerian government. However, literature has shown that rapid population increase and industrialisation have resulted in high levels of water contamination. Consequently, both physicochemical and biological parameters are above acceptable limits reported by researchers. It is recommended that best management practice (BMP) that uses different techniques such as source control, permeable paving using pervious concrete, storm water detention, storm water infiltration and vapour- transpiration in the treatment of wastewater be employed to reduce waste concentration going into the River, thereby lowering the risk of public health issues. Furthermore, it is recommended that Nigerian government agencies strictly impose regulatory sanctions to ensure effective waste management disposal. Keywords: Land-use, Population, River Romi, Waste Water, Water quality
Pim kinases modulate resistance to FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors in FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia

Synergy between FLT3 and Pim kinase inhibition in acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3-ITD mutation. ABSTRACT Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) is frequently detected in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and is associated with a dismal long-term prognosis. FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors provide short-term disease control, but relapse invariably occurs within months. Pim protein kinases are oncogenic FLT3-ITD targets expressed in AML cells. We show that increased Pim kinase expression is found in relapse samples from AML patients treated with FLT3 inhibitors. Ectopic Pim-2 expression induces resistance to FLT3 inhibition in both FLT3-ITD–induced myeloproliferative neoplasm and AML models in mice. Strikingly, we found that Pim kinases govern FLT3-ITD signaling and that their pharmacological or genetic inhibition restores cell sensitivity to FLT3 inhibitors. Finally, dual inhibition of FLT3 and Pim kinases eradicates FLT3-ITD+ cells including primary AML cells. Concomitant Pim and FLT3 inhibition represents a promising new avenue for AML therapy.
Risky Music Listening, Permanent Tinnitus and Depression, Anxiety, Thoughts about Suicide and Adverse General Health

Objective To estimate the extent to which exposure to music through earphones or headphones with MP3 players or at discotheques and pop/rock concerts exceeded current occupational safety standards for noise exposure, to examine the extent to which temporary and permanent hearing-related symptoms were reported, and to examine whether the experience of permanent symptoms was associated with adverse perceived general and mental health, symptoms of depression, and thoughts about suicide. Methods A total of 943 students in Dutch inner-city senior-secondary vocational schools completed questionnaires about their sociodemographics, music listening behaviors and health. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations. Results About 60% exceeded safety standards for occupational noise exposure; about one third as a result of listening to MP3 players. About 10% of the participants experienced permanent hearing-related symptoms. Temporary hearing symptoms that occurred after using an MP3 player or going to a discotheque or pop/rock concert were associated with exposure to high-volume music. However, compared to participants not experiencing permanent hearing-related symptoms, those experiencing permanent symptoms were less often exposed to high volume music. Furthermore, they reported at least two times more often symptoms of depression, thoughts about suicide and adverse self-assessed general and mental health. Conclusions Risky music-listening behaviors continue up to at least the age of 25 years. Permanent hearing-related symptoms are associated with people’s health and wellbeing. Participants experiencing such symptoms appeared to have changed their behavior to be less risky. In order to induce behavior change before permanent and irreversible hearing-related symptoms occur, preventive measurements concerning hearing health are needed.
Impact of mild exacerbation on COPD symptoms in a Japanese cohort

Background Patients with COPD might not report mild exacerbation. The frequency, risk factors, and impact of mild exacerbation on COPD status are unknown. Objectives The present study was performed to compare features between mild exacerbation and moderate or severe exacerbation in Japanese patients with COPD. Patients and methods An observational COPD cohort was designed at Keio University and affiliated hospitals to prospectively investigate the management of COPD comorbidities. This study analyzes data only from patients with COPD who had completed annual examinations and questionnaires over a period of 2 years (n=311). Results Among 59 patients with mild exacerbations during the first year, 32.2% also experienced only mild exacerbations in the second year. Among 60 patients with moderate or severe exacerbations during the first year, 40% also had the same severity of exacerbation during the second year. Findings of the COPD assessment test and the symptom component of the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire at steady state were worse in patients with mild exacerbations than in those who were exacerbation free during the 2-year study period, although the severity of the ratio of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second did not differ between them. Severe airflow limitation (the ratio of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second <50%) and experience of mild exacerbations independently advanced the likelihood of an elevated COPD assessment test score to ≥2 per year. Conclusion The severity of COPD exacerbation seemed to be temporally stable over 2 years, and even mild exacerbations adversely impacted the health-related quality of life of patients with COPD.
Self-assessment of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma (SACRA) Questionnaire-based Allergic Rhinitis Treatment Improves Asthma Control in Asthmatic Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

Objective This study was conducted to investigate whether the add-on treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) based on the Self-assessment of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma (SACRA) questionnaire for assessing AR control improves both AR and asthma control in asthmatic patients with AR. Methods This multi-center prospective study was performed in Nagano prefecture, Japan. Two hundred five asthmatic patients and 23 respiratory physicians participated in the study. We administered add-on AR treatments based on the results of the SACRA questionnaire. After the first SACRA questionnaire, 67 asthmatic patients agreed to receive an add-on AR treatment. Three months after the AR treatment, a secondary SACRA questionnaire, asthma control test (ACT), and pulmonary function tests were performed. Results After the add-on AR treatment, the visual analogue scales (VASs) for AR and asthma, as assessed by the SACRA questionnaire and ACT score, were significantly improved in the patients of the AR+ group. With regard to the pulmonary function tests, the percent predicted vital capacity, and percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second were also significantly improved. Regardless of whether the patients had previously undergone leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) treatment, the VASs for AR and asthma and the ACT score were significantly improved in the AR+ group. However, the vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume (FEV1) were only significantly improved in the AR+ group that had previously undergone LTRA treatment. Conclusion SACRA questionnaire-based add-on AR treatment would be convenient for the detection of AR by respiratory physicians and would offer improved asthma control. This questionnaire can also be used to assess the therapeutic effects.