Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A field‐scale analysis of the dependence of wind erosion threshold velocity on air humidity

The wind‐forced detachment and movement of soil particles, is known for having important regional and global implications on climate change and biogeochemical cycles. The wind erosion process occurs when wind speed exceeds a certain threshold value, which depends on a number of factors, including surface soil moisture. In arid regions changes in atmospheric humidity contribute to most of the variability in surface soil moisture, which, in turn, has a significant influence on wind erosion threshold. This paper investigates the dependence of wind erosion threshold on air humidity in two arid regions in North America, the Mojave Desert (CA) and Canyonlands (UT). Field data are used to test existing models relating the threshold velocity for wind erosion to atmospheric conditions. The threshold velocity is found to be significantly dependent on the atmospheric relative humidity (RH) and to exhibit a well‐defined maximum for RH ≈ 35%. This result validates at the field scale recent theories and laboratory‐scale experimental results.
Paleomagnetism of the Contact Aureole and Late Dikes of the Otto Stock, Ontario, and its Application to Early Proterozoic Apparent Polar Wandering

The Otto Stock consists mainly of syenite. Except for some mafic phases the syenites are magnetically unstable, but late-stage lamprophyre dikes and basic rocks in the contact aureole contain abundant stable material. Their mean direction of magnetization is 330°, +71 °(18 sites, 84 samples, α95 = 3°) with a corresponding pole at 69°N, 133°W (A95 = 5°). A subordinate later magnetization also occurs in three lamprophyre dikes. Using these and previous results a path of apparent polar wander for Laurentia for the interval 2200 to 1800 m.y. of simple form is constructed. The fact that a single simple polar path can be constructed, which is consistent with data from localities spread widely over the Laurentian Shield, indicates that the Hudsoni orogeny may not have been accompanied by very large relative motions of the bordering Archean cratons.
The design and user-testing of a question prompt list for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Objectives This study involved the development of a question prompt list (QPL) booklet designed to facilitate communication and shared decision-making between parents/carers of children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their clinicians; and user-testing of the QPL to assess its usability. Design Best practice in information writing and design was used to format the QPL content into a 16-page booklet. We then applied user-testing, which uses mixed methods to assess document performance with small cohorts of participants and then improves it in an iterative process. Individual interviews assessed the ability of QPL users to locate and understand key points of information, followed by a semistructured questionnaire, to ascertain their general views about the booklet. Setting and participants Testing was undertaken with two cohorts of 10 parents/carers of children with ADHD (n=20); matched on age, gender and educational attainment. Tested documents In round 1, we tested 15 key points of information related to the QPL. Participant responses and feedback from round 1 informed a revised version of the booklet, tested in a subsequent round. Primary outcome measure The target was for 8/10 of the participants to be able to find and demonstrate an understanding of all key information points, in accordance with European guidelines for medicine leaflet testing. Results After round 1, problems related to 4/15 information points were identified (booklet purpose; preparing for appointments; asking about a second medical opinion; selecting which questions to ask). Participants also made suggestions regarding the booklet's layout and design. After round 2, all information points were located and understood by at least 8/10 participants. Conclusions This is the first study to have developed a usable ADHD-specific QPL for use by parents/carers of children with ADHD during clinical consultations, and the first demonstration of the utility of user-testing methods in ensuring QPL usability.
An assessment of ECC ozonesondes operated using 1% and 0.5% KI cathode solutions at Lauder, New Zealand

The effects of reducing the concentration of the potassium iodide (KI) cathode electrolyte from 1% to 0.5% in electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes flown at Lauder, New Zealand (45° S, 170° E) have been investigated. Four studies were made to assess these effects: 1% and 0.5% KI ozonesonde performance was compared directly in three dual flights, one year of 1% KI and one year of 0.5% KI ozonesonde profiles were compared with near‐simultaneous lidar profiles, integrated ozonesonde profiles were compared with Dobson spectrophotometer measurements over the same period, and ascent and descent profiles were compared for both KI concentrations. Ozonesondes flown with a 1% KI solution showed positive differences of 3% to 8% in the ozone profile and ∼5% in the ozone column compared with the 0.5% KI ozonesondes, which also showed better agreement in profiles and ozone column compared with the lidar and Dobson spectrophotometer measurements respectively.
Pleiotropic effects of extended blockade of CSF1R signaling in adult mice

We investigated the role of CSF1R signaling in adult mice using prolonged treatment with anti‐CSF1R antibody. Mutation of the CSF1 gene in the op/op mouse produces numerous developmental abnormalities. Mutation of the CSF1R has an even more penetrant phenotype, including perinatal lethality, because of the existence of a second ligand, IL‐34. These effects on development provide limited insight into functions of CSF1R signaling in adult homeostasis. The carcass weight and weight of several organs (spleen, kidney, and liver) were reduced in the treated mice, but overall body weight gain was increased. Despite the complete loss of Kupffer cells, there was no effect on liver gene expression. The treatment ablated OCL, increased bone density and trabecular volume, and prevented the decline in bone mass seen in female mice with age. The op/op mouse has a deficiency in pancreatic β cells and in Paneth cells in the gut wall. Only the latter was reproduced by the antibody treatment and was associated with increased goblet cell number but no change in villus architecture. Male op/op mice are infertile as a result of testosterone insufficiency. Anti‐CSF1R treatment ablated interstitial macrophages in the testis, but there was no sustained effect on testosterone or LH. The results indicate an ongoing requirement for CSF1R signaling in macrophage and OCL homeostasis but indicate that most effects of CSF1 and CSF1R mutations are due to effects on development.
Normalized behavior of very loose non-plastic soils: Effects of fabric

In order to clarify the behaviour of loose sandy and non-plastic silty soils, which are the most susceptible to liquefaction, a multiple series of tests were undertaken, concentrating on the effects of fabric. For this purpose, three distinctively different specimen preparation methods were chosen, and two or three were used for each of the materials, to prepare specimens with a very loose structure. The loosest state of packing was found to exist, for each of the preparation methods with different void ratios. In the loosest state, the normalisation of the undrained stress-strain curves and stress paths to the initial confining pressure can provide a meaningful interpretation of the soil behaviour. This procedure is similar to the one adopted for normally consolidated clays. Regarding the effects of fabric on the undrained behaviour, it was found that they are negligible up to the peak strength. However, once the shear straining reaches the state beyond the peak, the fabric becomes a very important factor governing the undrained response of non-plastic soil, which includes the minimal or residual shear strength. When the soil is largely sheared to reach the steady state, gradual remoulding erases the initial fabric and ultimate stress state is, governed by the void ratio only, once again not affected by the initial fabric.
A Model Combining Oscillations and Attractor Dynamics for Generation of Grid Cell Firing

Different models have been able to account for different features of the data on grid cell firing properties, including the relationship of grid cells to cellular properties and network oscillations. This paper describes a model that combines elements of two major classes of models of grid cells: models using interactions of oscillations and models using attractor dynamics. This model includes a population of units with oscillatory input representing input from the medial septum. These units are termed heading angle cells because their connectivity depends upon heading angle in the environment as well as the spatial phase coded by the cell. These cells project to a population of grid cells. The sum of the heading angle input results in standing waves of circularly symmetric input to the grid cell population. Feedback from the grid cell population increases the activity of subsets of the heading angle cells, resulting in the network settling into activity patterns that resemble the patterns of firing fields in a population of grid cells. The properties of heading angle cells firing as conjunctive grid-by-head-direction cells can shift the grid cell firing according to movement velocity. The pattern of interaction of oscillations requires use of separate populations that fire on alternate cycles of the net theta rhythmic input to grid cells.
Differential Effects of Comorbidity on Antihypertensive and Glucose-Regulating Treatment in Diabetes Mellitus – A Cohort Study

Background Comorbidity is often mentioned as interfering with “optimal” treatment decisions in diabetes care. It is suggested that diabetes-related comorbidity will increase adequate treatment, whereas diabetes-unrelated comorbidity may decrease this process of care. We hypothesized that these effects differ according to expected priority of the conditions. Methods We evaluated the relationship between comorbidity and treatment intensification in a study of 11,248 type 2 diabetes patients using the GIANTT (Groningen Initiative to Analyse type 2 diabetes Treatment) database. We formed a cohort of patients with a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg (6,820 hypertensive diabetics), and a cohort of patients with an HbA1c ≥7% (3,589 hyperglycemic diabetics) in 2007. We differentiated comorbidity by diabetes-related or unrelated conditions and by priority. High priority conditions include conditions that are life-interfering, incident or requiring new medication treatment. We performed Cox regression analyses to assess association with treatment intensification, defined as dose increase, start, or addition of drugs. Results In both the hypertensive and hyperglycemic cohort, only patients with incident diabetes-related comorbidity had a higher chance of treatment intensification (HR 4.48, 2.33–8.62 (p<0.001) for hypertensives; HR 2.37, 1.09–5.17 (p = 0.030) for hyperglycemics). Intensification of hypertension treatment was less likely when a new glucose-regulating drug was prescribed (HR 0.24, 0.06–0.97 (p = 0.046)). None of the prevalent or unrelated comorbidity was significantly associated with treatment intensification. Conclusions Diabetes-related comorbidity induced better risk factor treatment only for incident cases, implying that appropriate care is provided more often when complications occur. Diabetes-unrelated comorbidity did not affect hypertension or hyperglycemia management, even when it was incident or life-interfering. Thus, the observed “undertreatment” in diabetes care cannot be explained by constraints caused by such comorbidity.
Impact of diagnostic accuracy on the estimation of excess mortality from incidence and prevalence: simulation study and application to diabetes in German men

Aggregated data about the prevalence and incidence of chronic conditions is becoming more and more available. We recently proposed a method to estimate the age-specific excess mortality in chronic conditions from aggregated age-specific prevalence and incidence data. Previous works showed that in age groups below 50 years, estimates from this method were unstable or implausible. In this article, we examine how limited diagnostic accuracy in terms of sensitivity and specificity affects the estimates. We use a simulation study with two settings, a low and a high prevalence setting, and assess the relative importance of sensitivity and specificity. It turns out that in both settings, specificity, especially in the younger age groups, dominates the quality of the estimated excess mortality. The findings are applied to aggregated claims data comprising the diagnoses of diabetes from about 35 million men in the German Statutory Health Insurance. Key finding is that specificity in the lower age groups (<50 years) can be derived without knowing the sensitivity. The false-positive ratio in the claims data increases linearly from 0.5 per mil at age 25 to 2 per mil at age 50. As a conclusion, our findings stress the importance of considering diagnostic accuracy when estimating excess mortality from aggregated data using the method to estimate excess mortality. Especially the specificity in the younger age-groups should be carefully taken into account.
Response of small motile epifauna to complexity of epiphytic algae on seagrass blades

Field collections and experiments were performed to examine the relationship between the biomass of epiphytic algae (= habitat complexity) on Thalassia testudinum blades and the density of associated motile epifauna. Samples collected at Egmont Key, Florida indicated a significant positive association between the density of harpacticoid copepods, the most numerous taxon on seagrass blades, and biomass of the dominant epiphyte, Giffordia mitchelliae. Similar results were noted for nematodes, amphipods, and crustacean nauplii. Seagrass blades with large amounts of epiphytic algae are often older than blades with lesser amounts of algae, and have had a longer time to be colonized by epifauna. A recolonization experiment was conducted in aT. testudinum bed in the Indian River lagoon, Florida examining associations between the density of epifauna on blades ofthe "same" age (blades defaunated and replanted in the field) with various amounts of epiphytes. After 2 days a significant positive relationship between epiphyte biomass and density of dominant epifauna (copepods, crustacean nauplii, and nematodes) was recorded, suggesting that results were attributable to differential amounts of epiphytic algae since length of colonization time did not vary among blades. Recolonization experiments in a T. testudinum bed at Ft. Desoto, Florida using artificial blades (polypropylene ribbon) and 3 densities (no, intermediate, and high) of artificial epiphytes (clumps of cotton-polyester thread) produced results comparable to those above within 3 days. Highest densities of dominant epifauna (copepods, nematodes, and polychaetes) were found on blades in the high epiphyte treatment. Mean numbers of copepods and also polychaetes on high and intermediate epiphyte treatments were not significantly different from each other, but were significantly higher than on blades with no epiphytes. Nematode densities declined significantly with decreasing amounts of artificial epiphytes. These results suggest that much of the relationship observed between motile epifauna and epiphytic algae on seagrass blades may be attributed to the physical structure of the algae, given the similar responses of most fauna to both living and artificial plant material. The pattern observed for harpacticoid copepods and epiphytic algae on seagrass blades in field collections and experiments varied among species. Laophontid sp. , Harpacticus sp. , and Diosaccus sp. were strongly positively associated with the amount of epiphytic algae, however, Amphiascus sp. , Ectinosomatid spp. , and Dactylopodia tisboides showed little association. The results of this study demonstrate that relationships which have been shown for larger plant structure and fauna also hold for small motile epifauna and fine scale vegetative architecture. I. Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, 33620, U.S.A.
A viscoelastic earthquake cycle model for Taiwan

[1] While recent geophysical measurements, including Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys, have clarified the mechanisms of active mountain building in the Taiwan arc-continent collision, the geometry of faults beneath the island remains unclear. In this paper we use GPS data collected before the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake to image the geometry of active faults under Taiwan and estimate slip rates on these faults. We invert the data using kinematic and mechanical earthquake cycle models consisting of faulting in an elastic lithosphere overlying a viscoelastic asthenosphere. In the kinematic model, uniform slip is prescribed on the faults at a constant rate, while in the mechanical model, the faults slip in response to shear stresses in the lithosphere. These models explain the essential features of both the horizontal and vertical GPS velocity fields. We find a 27–39 km thick elastic lithosphere overlying a viscoelastic asthenosphere with Maxwell relaxation time of 15–80 years, or viscosity of 0.5–4 × 1019 Pa s. The models produce a combined slip rate of 30–50 mm/yr on the frontal thrusts in western Taiwan and 60–80 mm/yr of slip on the Longitudinal Valley Fault. Inversion of the data using both models indicates a decollement dipping ∼10° under western Taiwan and increasing in dip by no more than 10° under the Central Ranges and eastern Taiwan.
Chloritization in Proterozoic granite from the Äspö Laboratory, southeastern Sweden: record of hydrothermal alterations and implications for nuclear waste storage

Abstract Hydrothermal alteration of Proterozoic granitic rocks in the Äspö underground laboratory, southestern Sweden, resulted in the formation of chlorite with large variations in textural and chemical characteristics, which reflect differences in formation temperatures, fluid composition, and reaction mechanisms. The mineral assemblage associated with chlorite, including Ca-Al silicates (prehnite, pumpellyite, epidote, and titanite), Fe-oxides, calcite, albite and K-feldspar, suggests that chloritization occurred at temperatures of between 200−350°C during various hydrothermal events primarily linked to magmatism and rock deformation. Petrographic and electron microprobe analyses revealed that chlorite replaced biotite, amphibole and magnetite, and hydrothermal chlorite phases filled fractures and vugs in the granitic rocks. While fracture-filling chlorite reduces fracture permeability, chloritization reactions in the host granite resulted in the formation of new localized microporosity that should thus be taken into consideration when evaluating the safety of the granitic basement rocks as a repository for nuclear waste. It is also important to take into account that similar alteration reactions may occur at the site of stored nuclear waste where temperatures in excess of 100ºC might be encountered.
Seasonal variation of mesospheric iron layers at Arecibo: First results from low‐latitudes

We present the annual variation of the distribution of neutral iron of the low‐latitude mesopause region measured at the Arecibo Observatory using resonance fluorescence lidar. A comparison was made between our low‐latitude measurements and similar mid‐and high‐latitude observations of Fe column abundance, centroid height, and RMS width of the layer. We find that the annual variation of the height and width of the layer are essentially anti‐correlated with previous measurements, while the column abundance lags its midlatitude counterpart by roughly three months. We suggest that the latitudinal differences in Fe layer properties result from variations in the distribution of mesospheric ozone and O2, which in turn affect the iron chemistry at the two latitudes.
‘sidereal’ cosmic-ray diurnal variations

New data from underground mu-meson telescopes, at depths of 40 MWE, in the northern and southern hemispheres are presented. Analysis in sidereal time of three years of data from the northern hemisphere telescopes and two years of data from the southern hemisphere telescopes confirm that a maximum intensity is observed near 18 hours sidereal time for telescopes pointing into the northern hemisphere and near 06 hours sidereal time for telescopes pointing into the southern hemisphere, in agreement with previous observations by others. A model is proposed in which just such a ‘sidereal’ variation can be produced in the vicinity of the earth as a result of the radial cosmic-ray density gradient and the interplanetary magnetic field; the model is tested by dividing the cosmic-ray data according to the direction of the interplanetary field and performing the same sidereal time analysis on these data. The results confirm the principal features of the model and demonstrate that the ‘sidereal’ variation can be produced in the inner solar system, correctly predicting the observed times of maximum in the northern and southern hemispheres, without recourse to assumptions about anisotropies of the particle flux in galactic space.
Physical Processes Involved in the 1988 Drought and 1993 Floods in North America

Abstract An analysis of the spring–summer 1988 drought and 1993 floods over North America reveals a reversal in the sign of anomalies in several fields. Large sea surface temperature anomalies of opposite signs existed in the tropical Pacific with strong La Nina conditions in 1988 and a mature El Nino in 1993. The distribution of tropical convection in the convergence zones and associated latent heating of the atmosphere were correspondingly altered, implying a large-scale switch in the anomalous tropical heating and forcing of extratropical quasi-stationary waves in the atmosphere, influencing the subtropical jet stream over the North Pacific and across North America. In 1988 the jet stream and the closely related storm track of high-frequency disturbances in the upper troposphere were displaced into Canada well north of the normal location—the farthest north of any year from 1979 to 1993. In 1993 a broader jet stream and the storm track were displaced well south of normal to a more springlike location a.
Simplified design methods for pipelines subject to transverse and longitudinal soil movements

Pipelines are often subjected to transverse and longitudinal movements due to displacements in the ground caused by landslides. As landslide movements develop, pipelines can undergo transverse and longitudinal displacements and the resistance offered by the surrounding soil steadily increases depending on the soil characteristics. This resistance reaches an ultimate as the soil reaches failure and develops plastic strains. Two simple analytical solutions have been developed based on this concept: one for transverse movements and another for longitudinal movements. Nondimensional relationships have been developed and are presented in the form of charts. These charts permit hand calculations and rapid verification of structural design of the pipeline and, thus, assess the integrity of existing pipelines located in areas with ground instability. A knowledge of the soil strength and subgrade modulus is required along with pipeline geometry and pipe stiffness to apply the nondimensional relationships. The soil.