Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barium isotope evidence for pervasive sediment recycling in the upper mantle

Barium isotopes in mid-ocean ridge basalts reveal that the global upper mantle is contaminated with small amounts of sediment. The upper mantle, as sampled by mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs), exhibits significant chemical variability unrelated to mechanisms of melt extraction at ridges. We show that barium isotope variations in global MORBs vary systematically with radiogenic isotopes and trace element ratios, which reflects mixing between depleted and enriched MORB melts. In addition, modern sediments and enriched MORBs share similar Ba isotope signatures. Using modeling, we show that addition of ~0.1% by weight of sediment components into the depleted mantle in subduction zones must impart a sedimentary Ba signature to the overlying mantle and induce low-degree melting that produces the enriched MORB reservoir. Subsequently, these enriched domains convect toward mid-ocean ridges and produce radiogenic isotope variation typical of enriched MORBs. This mechanism can explain the chemical and isotopic features of enriched MORBs and provide strong evidence for pervasive sediment recycling in the upper mantle.
On the entropy of a spherical plasma shell

Negative entropy was repeatedly observed in the Casimir effect caused by dissipation or geometry. However, it was restricted to subsystems. Recently, the question about the entropy for a complete Casimir effect like configuration was raised. In the present paper we consider a spherical plasma shell which can be considered as a (crude) model for a giant carbon molecule (e.g. C60). The entropy is free of ultraviolet divergences and its calculation does not need any regularization. We calculate the entropy numerically and demonstrate unambiguously the existence of a region where it takes negative values. This region is at small values of temperature and plasma frequency (in units of the inverse radius).
Interactive comment on “ Accounting for the effects of surface BRDF on satellite cloud and trace-gas retrievals : A new approach based on geometry-dependent Lambertian-equivalent reflectivity applied to OMI algorithms ” by A .

In their manuscript “Accounting for the effects of surface BRDF on satellite cloud and trace-gas retrievals: A new approach based on geometry-dependent Lambertianequivalent reflectivity applied to OMI algorithms”, A. Vasilkov et al. report on an approach to include surface BRDF effects in OMI NO2 and cloud retrievals. The algorithm is based on the use of MODIS BRDF values for land and a simplified model of surface reflection for the ocean which are then used as geometry dependent LER input parameter for existing lookup-tables of air mass factors and intensities. The algorithm
The specificity of the interaction with intestinal bacterial fermentation by prebiotics determines their physiological efficacy

The concept of prebiotic food ingredients is an important recent development in nutrition. The concept has attracted a great deal of attention, and many food ingredients (mainly dietary carbohydrates) have been claimed to be ‘prebiotic’. It is emphasised that in order to be called prebiotic, a compound should be: (1) non-digestible; (2) fermentable; (3) fermentable in a selective way. These properties should be demonstrated in human volunteers in at least two independent dietary intervention trials. On the basis of published and unpublished results, it is shown in the present paper that the way in which a prebiotic influences intestinal fermentation is the key to its physiological properties. This statement is illustrated mainly by considering an established group of prebiotics, the (2-1) fructans. These linear molecules show a strong discontinuity in physicochemical properties as the chains become longer. The (2-1) fructans with a chain length of up to ten monomer units are very soluble and are particularly ‘bifidogenic’. Longer chains (ten to sixty-five monomer units) are poorly soluble in water, they have less pronounced bifidogenic properties, and they are fermented more slowly. It was observed that a combination of short-chain and long-chain fructans (Synergy1) is physiologically (for example, increasing mineral absorption, suppressing carcinogenesis, modulating lipid metabolism, etc) more active than the individual fractions. A possible mechanism is described in the present review. From an in-depth overview of the literature it is confirmed that for prebiotic action, the ‘selectivity principle’ for intestinal fermentation is determinative for the type and for the efficiency of physiological activity. It is confirmed that prebiotics act through their influence on intestinal fermentation.
A miniature Marine Aerosol Reference Tank ( miniMART ) as a compact breaking wave analogue

In order to understand the processes governing the production of marine aerosols, repeatable, controlled methods for their generation are required. A new system, the miniature Marine Aerosol Reference Tank (miniMART), has been designed after the success of the original MART system, to approximate a small oceanic spilling breaker by producing an evolving bubble plume and surface foam patch. The smaller tank utilizes an intermittently plunging jet of water produced by a rotating water wheel, into an approximately 6 L reservoir to simulate bubble plume and foam formation and generate aerosols. This system produces bubble plumes characteristic of small whitecaps without the large external pump inherent in the original MART design. Without the pump it is possible to easily culture delicate planktonic and microbial communities in the bulk water during experiments while continuously producing aerosols for study. However, due to the reduced volume and smaller plunging jet, the absolute numbers of particles generated are approximately an order of magnitude less than in the original MART design.
Year : 2018 Really uncertain business cycles

We investigate the role of uncertainty in business cycles. First, we demonstrate that microeconomic uncertainty rises sharply during recessions, including during the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Second, we show that uncertainty shocks can generate drops in gross domestic product of around 2.5% in a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with heterogeneous firms. However, we also find that uncertainty shocks need to be supplemented by first‐moment shocks to fit consumption over the cycle. So our data and simulations suggest recessions are best modelled as being driven by shocks with a negative first moment and a positive second moment. Finally, we show that increased uncertainty can make first‐moment policies, like wage subsidies, temporarily less effective because firms become more cautious in responding to price changes. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA10927 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-151988 Journal Article Published Version Originally published at: Bloom, Nicholas; Floetotto, Max; Jaimovich, Nir; Saporta-Eksten, Itay; Terry, Stephen J (2018). Really uncertain business cycles. Econometrica, 86(3):1031-1065. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA10927 Econometrica, Vol. 86, No. 3 (May, 2018), 1031–1065 REALLY UNCERTAIN BUSINESS CYCLES NICHOLAS BLOOM Dept. of Economics, Stanford University MAX FLOETOTTO McKinsey & Company NIR JAIMOVICH Dept. of Economics, University of Zurich ITAY SAPORTA-EKSTEN Dept. of Economics, Tel Aviv University and Dept. Economics, University College London STEPHEN J. TERRY Dept. of Economics, Boston University We investigate the role of uncertainty in business cycles. First, we demonstrate that microeconomic uncertainty rises sharply during recessions, including during the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Second, we show that uncertainty shocks can generate drops in gross domestic product of around 2.5% in a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with heterogeneous firms. However, we also find that uncertainty shocks need to be supplemented by first-moment shocks to fit consumption over the cycle. So our data and simulations suggest recessions are best modelled as being driven by shocks with a negative first moment and a positive second moment. Finally, we show that increased uncertainty can make first-moment policies, like wage subsidies, temporarily less effective because firms become more cautious in responding to price changes.
Absolute calibration of the colour index and O-4 absorption derived from Multi AXis (MAX-)DOAS measurements and their application to a standardised cloud classification algorithm

Abstract. A method is developed for the calibration of the colour index (CI) and the O4 absorption derived from differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements of scattered sunlight. The method is based on the comparison of measurements and radiative transfer simulations for well-defined atmospheric conditions and viewing geometries. Calibrated measurements of the CI and the O4 absorption are important for the detection and classification of clouds from MAX-DOAS observations. Such information is needed for the identification and correction of the cloud influence on Multi AXis (MAX-)DOAS profile inversion results, but might be also be of interest on their own, e.g. for meteorological applications. The calibration algorithm was successfully applied to measurements at two locations: Cabauw in the Netherlands and Wuxi in China. We used CI and O4 observations calibrated by the new method as input for our recently developed cloud classification scheme and also adapted the corresponding threshold values accordingly. For the observations at Cabauw, good agreement is found with the results of the original algorithm. Together with the calibration procedure of the CI and O4 absorption, the cloud classification scheme, which has been tuned to specific locations/conditions so far, can now be applied consistently to MAX-DOAS measurements at different locations. In addition to the new threshold values, further improvements were introduced to the cloud classification algorithm, namely a better description of the SZA (solar zenith angle) dependence of the threshold values and a new set of wavelengths for the determination of the CI. We also indicate specific areas for future research to further improve the cloud classification scheme.
Pregnancy and Scleroderma

More than 30 years ago, pregnancy was not recommended for patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) because of the overrepresentation in the literature of pregnancies with poor outcome. Thus, women with SSc had been strongly advised against pregnancy and often counseled to terminate ongoing pregnancies. Retrospective studies found an increased frequency of pre-term births and small full-term infants in cohorts of patients with SSc. However, it turned out that finally the frequency of miscarriage and neonatal survival rate did not differ from that observed in the general population. Thus, in recent retrospective studies, maternal prognosis has improved as compared to historical series, possibly as a consequence of a better knowledge of the natural history of SSc and complications that may occur during pregnancy and a better multidisciplinary management of pregnancies occurring in patients with SSc.
Interactive comments on “ Ground-based passive remote sensing of thin ice clouds : challenges caused by sensor , method and atmosphere

The authors introduce a method to retrieve cloud optical (cloud optical thickness ) and microphysical (effective particle size reff) properties from ground-based measurements of solar spectral radiance transmitted through cirrus. To avoid ambiguity in the retrieved data the authors extend the classical approach by Nakajima and King (1990) by a third dimension; a slope fit between 485 and 560 nm. To test this approach and to estimate the retrieval uncertainties, the manuscript provides an intensive sensitive study on different uncertainty sources using extensive radiative transfer simulations. Furthermore, the retrieval results for two test cases (measured in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range using the imaging spectrometer system specMACS during the ACRIDICON-Zugspitze campaign) are compared to satellite retrievals of cloud optical thickness and effective radius.
Self-consistent feedback mechanism for the sudden viscous dissipation of finite-Mach-number compressing turbulence.

Previous work [Davidovits and Fisch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 105004 (2016)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.116. 105004] demonstrated that the compression of a turbulent field can lead to a sudden viscous dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and that paper suggested this mechanism could potentially be used to design new fast-ignition schemes for inertial confinement fusion (ICF). We expand on previous work by accounting for finite Mach numbers, rather than relying on a zero-Mach-limit assumption as previously done. The finite-Mach-number formulation is necessary to capture a self-consistent feedback mechanism in which dissipated TKE increases the temperature of the system, which in turn modifies the viscosity and thus the TKE dissipation itself. Direct numerical simulations with a tenth-order accurate Padé scheme were carried out to analyze this self-consistent feedback loop for compressing turbulence. Results show that, for finite Mach numbers, the sudden viscous dissipation of TKE still occurs, for both the solenoidal and dilatational turbulent fields. As the domain is compressed, oscillations in dilatational TKE are encountered due to the highly oscillatory nature of the pressure dilatation. An analysis of the source terms for the internal energy shows that the mechanical-work term dominates the viscous turbulent dissipation. As a result, the effect of the suddenly dissipated TKE on temperature is minimal for the Mach numbers tested. Moreover, an analytical expression is derived that confirms the dissipated TKE does not significantly alter the temperature evolution for low Mach numbers, regardless of compression speed. The self-consistent feedback mechanism is thus quite weak for subsonic turbulence, which could limit its applicability for ICF.
Enhanced Upper Extremity Functions with a Single Session of Action-Observation-Execution and Accelerated Skill Acquisition Program in Subacute Stroke

Background Action-observation-execution (AOE) primes physical training. We examined the immediate effect of AOE with accelerated skill acquisition program (ASAP) on dexterity in subacute stroke. Methods Twelve individuals from 1 to 6 months after stroke were allocated into two groups by matching age and side of stroke. After AOE of 30 minutes, the experimental group received ASAP for 60 minutes whereas the control group received dose-equivalent usual care. The movement time (MT) and functional ability (FA) of hand items of the Wolf motor function test (WMFT), hand functions and global recovery of stroke impact scale (SIS), and intrinsic motivation items of stroke rehabilitation motivation scale were assessed at baseline, after training, and during one-week follow-up. Data were analyzed within and between the groups. Results AOE significantly decreased MT of flipping cards of WMFT and hand functions of SIS. Total MT was markedly reduced. AOE with ASAP demonstrated significant group-by-time interactions on MT of lifting pencil of WMFT, total MT, and global recovery. Grip strength, FA, and hand functions were significantly improved only in the experimental group. Both groups improved motivation significantly. Conclusions The AOE with ASAP enhanced dexterity, which persisted for at least a week. This intervention might improve dexterity in subacute stroke. Trial Registration Number This trial is registered with TCTR20161007001.
Pallidal deep brain stimulation and intraoperative neurophysiology for treatment of poststroke hemiballism

Deep brain stimulation is a recognized and effective treatment for several movement disorders. Nevertheless, the efficacy of this intervention on abnormal movements secondary to structural brain pathologies is less consistent. In this report, we describe a case of hemiballism–hemichorea due to a peripartum ischemic stroke‐treated with deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus internus. Patient observed marked improvement in her symptoms at long‐term follow‐up. Neurophysiologic data revealed lower globus pallidus internus firing rates compared to other hyperkinetic disorders. Pallidal deep brain stimulation is a plausible option for medically refractory hemiballism–hemichorea and cumulative data from multiple centers may be used to fully evaluate its efficacy.
Noninvasive Biomarkers of Colorectal Cancer: Role in Diagnosis and Personalised Treatment Perspectives

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It has been estimated that more than one-third of patients are diagnosed when CRC has already spread to the lymph nodes. One out of five patients is diagnosed with metastatic CRC. The stage of diagnosis influences treatment outcome and survival. Notwithstanding the recent advances in multidisciplinary management and treatment of CRC, patients are still reluctant to undergo screening tests because of the associated invasiveness and discomfort (e.g., colonoscopy with biopsies). Moreover, the serological markers currently used for diagnosis are not reliable and, even if they were useful to detect disease recurrence after treatment, they are not always detected in patients with CRC (e.g., CEA). Recently, translational research in CRC has produced a wide spectrum of potential biomarkers that could be useful for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of these patients. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the newer noninvasive or minimally invasive biomarkers of CRC. Here, we discuss imaging and biomolecular diagnostics ranging from their potential usefulness to obtain early and less-invasive diagnosis to their potential implementation in the development of a bespoke treatment of CRC.
Tune: A Research Platform for Distributed Model Selection and Training

Modern machine learning algorithms are increasingly computationally demanding, requiring specialized hardware and distributed computation to achieve high performance in a reasonable time frame. Many hyperparameter search algorithms have been proposed for improving the efficiency of model selection, however their adaptation to the distributed compute environment is often ad-hoc. We propose Tune, a unified framework for model selection and training that provides a narrow-waist interface between training scripts and search algorithms. We show that this interface meets the requirements for a broad range of hyperparameter search algorithms, allows straightforward scaling of search to large clusters, and simplifies algorithm implementation. We demonstrate the implementation of several state-of-the-art hyperparameter search algorithms in Tune. Tune is available at this http URL
Sensitivity analysis of human brain structural network construction

Network neuroscience leverages diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and tractography to quantify structural connectivity of the human brain. However, scientists and practitioners lack a clear understanding of the effects of varying tractography parameters on the constructed structural networks. With diffusion images from the Human Connectome Project (HCP), we characterize how structural networks are impacted by the spatial resolution of brain atlases, total number of tractography streamlines, and grey matter dilation with various graph metrics. We demonstrate how injudicious combinations of highly refined brain parcellations and low numbers of streamlines may inadvertently lead to disconnected network models with isolated nodes. Furthermore, we provide solutions to significantly reduce the likelihood of generating disconnected networks. In addition, for different tractography parameters, we investigate the distributions of values taken by various graph metrics across the population of HCP subjects. Analyzing the ranks of individual subjects within the graph metric distributions, we find that the ranks of individuals are affected differently by atlas scale changes. Our work serves as a guideline for researchers to optimize the selection of tractography parameters and illustrates how biological characteristics of the brain derived in network neuroscience studies can be affected by the choice of atlas parcellation schemes. Author Summary Diffusion tractography has been proven to be a promising noninvasive technique to study the network properties of the human brain. However, how various tractography and network construction parameters affect network properties has not been studied using a large cohort of high-quality data. We utilize data provided by the Human Connectome Project to characterize the changes to network properties induced by varying the brain parcellation atlas scales, the number of reconstructed tractography tracks, and the degree of grey matter dilation with graph metrics. We illustrate the importance of increasing the reconstructed track sampling rate when higher atlas scales are used. In addition to changing the raw values of graph metrics, we find that the ranks of individuals relative to the population metric distributions are altered. We further discuss how the dependency of graph metric ranks can affect the brain characteristics derived in group comparison studies using network neuroscience techniques.
CD4+CD45RA−FOXP3low Regulatory T Cells as Potential Biomarkers of Disease Activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Brazilian Patients

Heren, we analyzed Treg cells as potential biomarkers of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 30 SLE patients (15 active: SLEDAI > 6/15 SLE remission: SLEDAI< 6) and 15 healthy volunteers were purified. Treg immunophenotyping was performed using CD4, CD25, CD45, CD127, and FOXP3 markers. CD4+FOXP3+ Treg activation state was investigated based on CD45RA and FOXP3 expression. To increase the accuracy of our findings, a multivariate linear regression was performed. We showed a significant increase in the frequency of CD4+FOXP3+ Treg cells in SLE patients. However, unlike all other Treg cells phenotypes analyzed, only eTreg (CD4+FOXP3highCD45RA−) (p=0.01) subtype was inversely correlated with disease activity while Foxp3+nontreg (CD4+FOXP3lowCD45RA−) (p=0.003) exerted a direct influence in the outcome of the disease. Foxp3+nontreg cells were the most consistent SLE active indicator, confirmed by multiple linear regression analyses. In summary, our results demonstrate Foxp3+nontreg cells as new biomarkers in the search of an effective therapeutic strategy in SLE.
On Neurodynamics with Limiter Function and Linsker's Developmental Model

The limiter function is used in many learning and retrieval models as the constraint controlling the magnitude of the weight or state vectors. In this paper, we developed a new method to relate the set of saturated fixed points to the set of system parameters of the models that use the limiter function, and then, as a case study, applied this method to Linsker's Hebbian learning network. We derived a necessary and sufficient condition to test whether a given saturated weight or state vector is stable or not for any given set of system parameters, and used this condition to determine the whole regime in the parameter space over which the given state is stable. This approach allows us to investigate the relative stability of the major receptive fields reported in Linsker's simulations, and to demonstrate the crucial role played by the synaptic density functions.