Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linearity of Climate Response to Increases in Black Carbon Aerosols

AbstractThe impacts of absorbing aerosols on global climate are not completely understood. This paper presents the results of idealized experiments conducted with the Community Atmosphere Model, version 4 (CAM4), coupled to a slab ocean model (CAM4–SOM) to simulate the climate response to increases in tropospheric black carbon aerosols (BC) by direct and semidirect effects. CAM4-SOM was forced with 0, 1×, 2×, 5×, and 10× an estimate of the present day concentration of BC while maintaining the estimated present day global spatial and vertical distribution. The top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative forcing of BC in these experiments is positive (warming) and increases linearly as the BC burden increases. The total semidirect effect for the 1 × BC experiment is positive but becomes increasingly negative for higher BC concentrations. The global-average surface temperature response is found to be a linear function of the TOA radiative forcing. The climate sensitivity to BC from these experiments is estimated to be.
Influence of Diet on Exposure to Acrylamide – Reflections on the Validity of a Questionnaire

Aim: This pilot study attempts to assess how far the standardized questionnaires are a valid tool to detect the food-related burden of acrylamide. Acrylamide is a toxic substance classified by the International Agency of Research on Cancer, as well as the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, as a probable human carcinogen. Methods: A venous blood sample was taken in order to determine the smoking-specific acrylnitrile adduct N-cyanoethylvaline and the acrylamide adduct N-2-carbamoylethylvaline in a female study population expecting delivery soon. A standardized questionnaire was used to determine the consumption of acrylamide-contaminated food. The results of our questionnaire were transferred to a linear evaluation system. Finally, anamnestic data of the questionnaire were correlated to objective parameters such as blood levels of hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide and acrylonitrile. Results: A positive correlation between the acrylamide intake and the levels of hemoglobin adducts in our study population was not proven. Conclusions: Evaluation of food-related exposure to acrylamide is difficult due to several reasons. Firstly, the validity of anamnestic data strongly depends on the patient’s ability to remember precisely all consumed food (quality as well as quantity) over a 3-month period. In addition, the contamination of acrylamide in food varies from one product to another; even the contamination of the same product is variable. Therefore, the missing correlation between the questionnaire and hemoglobin adduct rates is rather due to restricted validity of anamnestic data.
Knowledge and Awareness about Cervical Cancer and Its Prevention amongst Interns and Nursing Staff in Tertiary Care Hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan

Background and Objective Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality amongst the gynecological cancers worldwide, especially in developing countries. It is imperative for at least health professionals in developing countries like Pakistan to have a sound knowledge about the disease. This study was carried out to assess the knowledge and awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention amongst health professionals in tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods and Design A cross-sectional, interview based survey was conducted in June, 2009. Sample of 400 was divided between the three tertiary care centers. Convenience sampling was applied as no definitive data was available regarding the number of registered interns and nurses at each center. Results Of all the interviews conducted, 1.8% did not know cervical cancer as a disease. Only 23.3% of the respondents were aware that cervical cancer is the most common cause of gynecological cancers and 26% knew it is second in rank in mortality. Seventy-eight percent were aware that infection is the most common cause of cervical cancer, of these 62% said that virus is the cause and 61% of the respondents knew that the virus is Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Majority recognized that it is sexually transmitted but only a minority (41%) knew that it can be detected by PCR. Only 26% of the study population was aware of one or more risk factors. Thirty seven percent recognized Pap smear as a screening test. In total only 37 out of 400 respondents were aware of the HPV vaccine. Conclusion This study serves to highlight that the majority of working health professionals are not adequately equipped with knowledge concerning cervical cancer. Continuing Medical Education program should be started at the hospital level along with conferences to spread knowledge about this disease.
Particle size distributions in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific

Size distributions for particles larger than 2.22 μ were measured at selected depths in the eastern equatorial Pacific along with the standard hydrographic variables. The particle size distributions were approximately exponential in shape, but a better fit is provided by the Weibull distribution. Measured, particle concentrations at the surface averaged 5×103cc. Near-surface maxima were found in both number and mean size, especially in regions with sharp thermal gradients. Below the thermocline, the concentration decreased rapidly to a typical value of 5×102/cc. The volume scattering function at 45° and the particle size distribution as measured at several stations were combined to create an optical vector consisting of the specific light scattering of the average particle and the cross section of the mean particle. Plots of the optical vector show a characteristic form, with a decrease in mean area accompanying an increase in specific scattering in the water above the oxygen minimum and little change below the minimum. The change in the optical vector with depth appears to be directly related to the oxidation of the decomposable parts of the nepheloid material.
Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in Scrapie-Infected Mouse Brains by Using Global Gene Expression Technology

ABSTRACT The pathogenesis of prion diseases, a class of transmissible fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals, is still unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the differentially regulated genes that correlate with the development of prion diseases for a better understanding of their pathological mechanisms. We employed Affymetrix Mouse Expression Arrays 430A containing >22,000 transcripts and compared the global gene expression profiles from brains of mice who were intracerebrally inoculated with scrapie strains ME7 and RML with those from brains of uninfected and mock-infected mice. The microarray data were analyzed by Significance Analysis of Microarrays, revealing 121 genes whose expression increased at least twofold in both ME7- and RML-infected mouse brains, with an estimated false discovery rate of ≤5%. These genes encode proteins involved in proteolysis, protease inhibition, cell growth and maintenance, the immune response, signal transduction, cell adhesion, and molecular metabolism. The time course of expression generally showed up-regulation of these genes from 120 days postinoculation (dpi) for ME7-inoculated mouse brains and from 90 dpi for RML-inoculated mouse brains. The onset of elevated expression correlated temporally with the onset of PrPSc accumulation and the activation of glia, which may have contributed to neuronal cell death. Among the differentially regulated genes reported in the present study, the emergence of genes for several cathepsins and S100 calcium binding proteins was conspicuous. These and other genes reported here may represent novel potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for prion disease.
Long‐term behaviour of ENSO: Interactions with the PDO over the past 400 years inferred from paleoclimate records

This study uses proxy climate records derived from paleoclimate data to investigate the long‐term behaviour of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During the past 400 years, climate shifts associated with changes in the PDO are shown to have occurred with a similar frequency to those documented in the 20th Century. Importantly, phase changes in the PDO have a propensity to coincide with changes in the relative frequency of ENSO events, where the positive phase of the PDO is associated with an enhanced frequency of El Niño events, while the negative phase is shown to be more favourable for the development of La Niña events.
The taxonomic status and the geographical relationships of the Macaronesian endemic moss Fissidens luisieri (Fissidentaceae) based on DNA sequence data

Abstract The taxonomic identity and the geographical relationships of the Macaronesian endemic moss Fissidens luisieri have been studied using the chloroplast trnGUCC intron, the spacer between trnM and trnV, together with the trnV intron and ITS1 and ITS2 sequences. A comparison of F. luisieri with the most closely related species, F. serrulatus, from the same geographical areas reveals that the distribution pattern of F. serrulatus and F. luisieri, rather than their morphological differences, explains the observed differences. Therefore, we conclude that both names correspond to the same species. One of the primers for the chloroplast trnGUCC intron and both primers for the trnM–trnV region were designed for this study; they can all be widely used within bryophytes because they provide similar degrees of variability as other regions of the chloroplast genome such as the atpB–rbcL intergenic spacer.
An analysis of the Antarctic Halogen Occultation Experiment trace gas observations

Analysis of the version 16 Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) CH 4 data shows that this long-lived trace gas is well correlated with potential vorticity (PV) computed from National Meteorological Center balanced winds. Analyzing late September and October 1992 data, we show that very low CH 4 values are confined to the interior of a vortex edge defined by the maximum gradient in PV. The CH 4 and HF time tendency is used to estimate the descent rate in the Antarctic vortex. After removing a component of the trend correlated with the HALOE sampling pattern, we compute the lower stratosphere vertical descent rates and net heating rates in the spring Antarctic vortex. Our computations of the spring Antarctic vortex heating rates give −0.5 to −0.1 K/day. Over the winter season, the overall lower stratospheric descent rate averages about 1.8-1.5 km/month. These computations are in line with radiative transfer estimates of the heating and descent rate. The HALOE data thus appear to be consistent with the picture of an isolated lower stratospheric Antarctic vortex
Harnessing network-based intellectual capital in online academic networks. From the organizational policies and practices towards competitiveness

Purpose The paper aims to investigate the standpoints and practices of university members from European developing countries regarding the harnessing of the intellectual capital (IC) within online academic social networks. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire-based survey with 210 university members was conducted, with the indicators adopting prior measurement scales which were further adapted to a network framework. Findings The organizational policies and practices relate positively and highly significantly with the valuation of the network-based IC components. Moreover, 63 per cent of the professional and organizational competitiveness of higher education institutions is determined by the exploitation of the IC embedded in online academic networks. Research limitations/implications All survey respondents were from the European developing countries, which may limit the general applicability of the findings. Also, the emphasis is laid solely on online academic networks. Practical implications This paper brings to the fore both the potential and the state-of-the-art in leveraging the IC of online specialized networks which are indicative of the academic field. When acknowledged as such, the network-based IC is liable to generate substantial competitive advantages at the professional and organizational levels at the same time. Originality/value This research adds to the extant literature in two main ways. First, it advances a new construct – network-based IC – in the context of the online academic social networks. Second, it proposes a research model for addressing the network-based IC from a competitive advantage perspective.
Total Flavonoids Content in the Raw Material and Aqueous Extractives from Bauhinia monandra Kurz (Caesalpiniaceae)

The aim of this work was to evaluate the spectrophotometric methodology for determining the total flavonoid content (TFC) in herbal drug and derived products from Bauhinia monandra Kurz. Several analytical parameters from this method grounded on the complex formed between flavonoids and AlCl3 were evaluated such as herbal amount (0.25 to 1.25 g); solvent composition (ethanol 40 to 80%, v/v); as well as the reaction time and AlCl3 concentration (2 to 9%, w/v). The method was adjusted to aqueous extractives and its performance studied through precision, linearity and preliminary robustness. The results showed an important dependence of the method response from reaction time, AlCl3 concentration, sample amount, and solvent mixture. After choosing the optimized condition, the method was applied for the matrixes (herbal material and extractives), showing precision lower than 5% (for both parameters repeatability and intermediate precision), coefficient of determination higher than 0.99, and no important influence could be observed for slight variations from wavelength or AlCl3 concentration. Thus, it could be concluded that the evaluated analytical procedure was suitable to quantify the total flavonoid content in raw material and aqueous extractives from leaves of B. monandra.
On Energy Efficiency in Collaborative Target Tracking in Wireless Sensor Network: A Review

Energy-efficiency in target tracking applications has been extensively studied in the literature of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). However, there is little work which has been done to survey and summarize this effort. In this paper, we address the lack of these studies by giving an up-to-date State-of-the-Art of the most important energy-efficient target tracking schemes. We propose a novel classification of schemes that are based on the interaction between the communication subsystem and the sensing subsystem on a single sensor node. We are interested in collaborative target tracking instead of single-node tracking. In fact, WSNs are often of a dense nature, and redundant data that can be received from multiple sensors help at improving tracking accuracy and reducing energy consumption by using limited sensing and communication ranges. We show that energy-efficiency in a collaborative WSN-based target tracking scheme can be achieved via two classes of methods: sensing-related methods and communication-related methods. We illustrate both of them with several examples. We show also that these two classes can be related to each other via a prediction algorithm to optimize communication and sensing operations. By self-organizing the WSN in trees and/or clusters, and selecting for activation the most appropriate nodes that handle the tracking task, the tracking algorithm can reduce the energy consumption at the communication and the sensing layers. Thereby, network parameters (sampling rate, wakeup period, cluster size, tree depth, etc.) are adapted to the dynamic of the target (position, velocity, direction, etc.). In addition to this general classification, we discuss also a special classification of some protocols that put specific assumptions on the target nature and/or use a "non-standard" hardware to do sensing. At the end, we conduct a theoretic comparison between all these schemes in terms of objectives and mechanisms. Finally, we give some recommendations that help at designing a WSN-based energy efficient target tracking scheme.
Comparison of Real-Time, Quantitative PCR with Molecular Beacons to Nested PCR and Culture Methods for Detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Bovine Fecal Samples

ABSTRACT An automated PCR with fluorescent probes (molecular beacons) detected Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in bovine feces. When the PCR was compared with culture in testing 41 fecal samples, kappa scores of 0.94 to 0.96, a sensitivity of 93 to 96%, and a specificity of 92% were obtained. Results were quantitated by using a standard curve derived from a plasmid containing IS900. A minimum quantity of 1.7 × 10−4 pg of DNA, correlating to 1 to 8 CFU, was detected.
The Hydraulics of Local Separation in a Coastal Current with Application to the Kuroshio Meander

Abstract A hydraulic theory is advanced to explain the large sustained meandering of the Kuroshio Current to the south of Japan. It is shown that in general a promontory induces separation of a coastal current. Once separated the current will meander on the second derivative of the topography (i.e. it is not a shelf wave-like meander) in barotropic waters, and with Rossby wave-like behavior in baroclinic waters. The theory reduces to a hydraulic description of the White and McCreary model of the Kuroshio meander away from the coast but avoids difficulties associated with that theory at the source of the meander at the Kyushu promontory.
Modeling the Fate and Transport of Plunging Inflows to Onondaga Lake

The transport and fate of two plunging tributaries, Onondaga and Ninemile Creeks, in Onondaga Lake, New York, are quantified based on application of hydrodynamic/transport models. Short‐term transport is simulated with a three‐dimensional Estuary Lake and Coastal Ocean Model (ELCOM), while the longer term fate is represented by a previously validated one‐dimensional model (UFILS4). The validation of ELCOM for the vertical distribution of tributary inflow into the lake's water column is demonstrated for four dye tracer experiments. The models are applied for three years to represent the dynamics of transport and fate for the two tributaries, with ELCOM predictions serving as input for UFILS4. The models together quantify the distribution of these inflows between the upper mixed layer (UML) and stratified depths, and the subsequent transport from stratified depths to the UML by vertical mixing. Substantial short‐term variations are predicted for both tributaries in response to variability in hydrology and weather. Increased inflow to the UML is predicted for high runoff periods. The fraction of Ninemile Creek's inflow directly entering the UML is predicted to be 50% greater than for Onondaga Creek due to Ninemile's lower negative buoyancy. The plunging phenomenon has important water quality implications, by reducing the effective loading to the UML, particularly for constituents with large rates of loss/transformation relative to the rate of vertical transport from stratified depths.
The Ordovician marginal basin of Wales

Summary The Lower Palaeozoic Welsh Basin was founded on immature continental crust. During late Precambrian-early Cambrian times, volcanism and sedimentation were influenced by NE-SW-trending faults which defined the NW and SE margins of the basin. During the Cambrian, marine sediments infilled a graben and at the end of the Tremadoc widespread tectonism was associated with an island-arc volcanic episode. In the Ordovician this subduction-related activity was succeeded by mainly tholeiitic volcanism related to back-arc extension, with the locus of arc volcanism sited further N, in the Lake District—Leinster Zone of the Caledonides. In Wales, the Ordovician volcanic activity shifted in time and space. In S Wales volcanism persisted from the middle Arenig through the Llanvirn. In N Wales the volcanism can be broadly divided into dominantly pre-Caradoc activity in southern Snowdonia and an intra-Caradoc episode in central and northern Snowdonia. In eastern Wales, including the Welsh Borderland, and in Llŷn, both episodes are represented. In all areas faults greatly influenced both volcanism and sedimentation. Intrusive activity was dominated by high-level emplacement of sills. Granite (s.l.) stocks are restricted to central and northern Snowdonia and Llŷn and many were coeval with extrusive volcanism. Volcanism in the basin was essentially bimodal with voluminous eruptions of tholeiitic basalts with ocean-floor affinities, and of rhyolites. Minor volumes of andesite to rhyodacite resulted from low-pressure fractional crystallization of the tholeiitic basalts. Available evidence suggests that the rhyolites resulted mainly from crustal fusion, although in some instances evolution by crystal fractionation from intermediate magma has been proposed. Calc-alkaline assemblages are petrographically distinct, of minor occurence and, contrary to previous conclusions, are relatively insignificant in the characterization of the tectonic environment of the basin. Throughout the basin, volcanism was generally succeeded by deposition of black muds and then turbidite-dominated sequences.
B-Learning para capacitación de profesores en alfabetización digital: Una estrategia para el mejoramiento de la inclusión social en el resguardo Indígena de Guambía

El presente articulo, es un reporte de caso del proyecto â€œAlfabetizacion digital en el Resguardo de Guambia: un aporte a la construccion de la interculturalidadâ€, una iniciativa financiada por la Vicerrectoria de Investigaciones de la Universidad del Cauca, desarrollada entre los anos 2006 y 2007, por los grupos de investigacion de Ingenieria Telematica y de Estudios Linguisticos Pedagogicos y Socioculturales del Sur occidente Colombiano, conjuntamente con el Cabildo del Resguardo de Guambia (Silvia, Cauca), cuyo proposito es analizar el impacto sociocultural de la introduccion de los principios, metodos, y tecnologias de la alfabetizacion digital en el pueblo guambiano. Se presenta la justificacion, formulacion, y desarrollo metodologico del proyecto, asi como los resultados obtenidos por los distintos equipos de trabajo en temas relativos a infraestructura de telecomunicaciones e informatica del Resguardo, educacion mediada por tecnologias telematicas con los habitantes de la region y construccion de terminos tecnologicos en la lengua guambiana (namui wam).
Bipolar mixed episodes and antidepressants: a cohort study of bipolar I disorder patients

Valentí M, Pacchiarotti I, Rosa AR, Bonnín CM, Popovic D, Nivoli AMA, Murru A, Grande Í, Colom F, Vieta E. Bipolar mixed episodes and antidepressants: a cohort study of bipolar I disorder patients. Bipolar Disord 2011: 13: 145–154. © 2011 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Interannual variability of the chlorophyll-a and sea surface temperature of the Black Sea

A comparative analysis of the Black Sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration was based on the satellite data (PODAAC JPL AVHRR Pathfinder and SeaWiFS) for 1998–2005. The fields of dispersion and spatial gradient were analysed as well. On the interannual scale, no statistical relationship was found between the field of sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a. The mesoscale variability (which masked the statistical assessments of interannual coupling) was well pronounced in the fields of both parameters. For the deep part of the sea, a sign of the wave-type origin of the variability of chlorophyll-a and sea surface temperature was evaluated.