Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Role of the Anterior Superior Temporal Lobe in Language Processing : Hints from Functional Neuroimaging Studies

A number of functional neuroimaging studies have reported activation in the left anterior superior temporal lobe (aSTL), encompassing the cortex of the anterior superior temporal gyrus and sulcus, in response to various linguistic stimuli. In this paper, I review these studies in order to explore the possible contribution of the aSTL to language processing. A specialization of the aSTL for sentence processing is unlikely, as activation in this area is not only elicited by sentences, but also by words, syllables, and even nonlinguistic auditory stimuli. It seems, however, that the aSTL responds more strongly to sentences than to other speech stimuli, and that the anterior superior temporal sulcus in particular is more responsive to speech than to other types of sound. As an alternative to a language-specific account, I suggest that the aSTL can be regarded as sensory association cortex that underlies the analysis of complex acoustic features, especially those that are typical for speech. The efficient completion of this sensory analysis is particularly critical when stimulus complexity and processing demands increase. Consequently, the amount of aSTL activation grows, as more difficult tasks have to be performed on auditory or linguistic stimuli.
The empty nest

"If I could give you just two things, One would be Roots, the other, Wings. " Roots, not to tie you to the ground, But to guide you to where your fulfillment is found The nourishing start, the firm foundation, The source of your inner determination. Wings to soar over obstacles, wings to fly free, Wings to glide to the heights of the best you can be. And when obstacles loom, from your Roots grows a hand Providing a strong, sturdy, safe place to land. I'd choose these two things for the gifts that are best, For with Roots and with Wings, you'll find all the rest!
Shallow-water wave energy dissipation in a multi-bar coastal zone

The paper presents the results of studies of wave transformation on a multi-bar cross-shore profile of the southern Baltic Sea. The field investigations of wave motion were carried out using an offshore wave buoy and string wave gauges at the IBW PAN Coastal Research Station, Lubiatowo (Poland). These experimental results were used to validate statistical relationships between characteristic wave parameters in the coastal region and to assess wave energy dissipation in the surf * The paper presents results of the research carried out within the project N306 003 31/0081 entitled: ‘Determination and description of relationships between sediment motion, flow structures and bottom changes, together with extension and verification of the model of these phenomena for shallow water areas of a multi-bar (dissipative) and a non-bar (reflective) shore’, funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Poland). A part of the study was also sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Poland) under the IBW PAN statutory research programme. The complete text of the paper is available at http://www.iopan. gda.pl/oceanologia/
Monetary Policy and the Currency Denomination of Debt: A Tale of Two Equilibria

Exchange rate policies depend on portfolio choices, and portfolio choices depend on anticipated exchange rate policies. This opens the door to multiple equilibria in policy regimes. We construct a model in which agents optimally choose to denominate their assets and liabilities either in domestic or in foreign currency. The monetary authority optimally chooses to float or to fix the currency, after portfolios have been chosen. We identify conditions under which both fixing and floating are equilibrium policies: if agents expect fixing and arrange their portfolios accordingly, the monetary authority validates that expectation; the same happens if agents initially expect floating. We also show that a flexible exchange rate Pareto-dominates a fixed one. It follows that social welfare would rise if the monetary authority could precommit to floating.
Parameter estimation by ensemble Kalman filters with transformed data: Approach and application to hydraulic tomography

Ensemble Kalman filters (EnKFs) are a successful tool for estimating state variables in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. Recent research has prepared the EnKF for parameter estimation in groundwater applications. EnKFs are optimal in the sense of Bayesian updating only if all involved variables are multivariate Gaussian. Subsurface flow and transport state variables, however, generally do not show Gaussian dependence on hydraulic log conductivity and among each other, even if log conductivity is multi‐Gaussian. To improve EnKFs in this context, we apply nonlinear, monotonic transformations to the observed states, rendering them Gaussian (Gaussian anamorphosis, GA). Similar ideas have recently been presented by Béal et al. (2010) in the context of state estimation. Our work transfers and adapts this methodology to parameter estimation. Additionally, we address the treatment of measurement errors in the transformation and provide several multivariate analysis tools to evaluate the expected usefulness of GA beforehand. For illustration, we present a first‐time application of an EnKF to parameter estimation from 3‐D hydraulic tomography in multi‐Gaussian log conductivity fields. Results show that (1) GA achieves an implicit pseudolinearization of drawdown data as a function of log conductivity and (2) this makes both parameter identification and prediction of flow and transport more accurate. Combining EnKFs with GA yields a computationally efficient tool for nonlinear inversion of data with improved accuracy. This is an attractive benefit, given that linearization‐free methods such as particle filters are computationally extremely demanding.
Overbidding in Fixed Rate Tenders: The Role of Exposure Risk

The fixed rate tender is one of the main procedures used by central banks in the implementation of their monetary policies. While academic research has largely dismissed the procedure owing to its tendency to encourage overbidding, central banks such as the ECB and the Bank of England have continued using it. We investigate this apparent conflict by considering an auction-theoretic setting with private information about declining marginal valuations. Since overbidding entails exposure risk, an equilibrium may exist even if bids are costless and the intended volume is pre-announced. In fact, the allotment quota may be strictly below one with certainty. Also with adaptive expectations, overbidding need not escalate. However, the resulting allocation is typically inefficient. Empirical proxies of exposure risk are significant in both euro and sterling operations. Our findings have implications, in particular, for the potential reintroduction of pro rata allotment in the main refinancing operations of the Eurosystem.
Is the Price Kernel Monotone?

We provide a new method to derive the state price density per unit probability based on option prices and GARCH model. We derive the risk neutral distribution using the result in Breeden and Litzenberger (1978) and the historical density adapting the GARCH model of Barone-Adesi, Engle, and Mancini (2008). We take the ratio of these two probabilities in order to describe the shape of the state price density and to evaluate its consistency with economic theory. We find that using a large dataset and introducing non-Gaussian innovations, the pricing kernel puzzle that arises in Jackwerth (2000) disappears both in a single day and over an average of different days with options expiring at the same maturity. We also evaluate the price kernel at the onset of the recent crisis.
Quality 26-30 September 2005 , Munich , Germany Development and validation of a HAZOP-based inspection of UML models

The paper presents an inspection technique dedicated to detection of defects in UML models. The technique was developed by adoption of HAZOP – the method widely used in safetycritical systems domain. The main idea of HAZOP application of generic guidewords to find all potential anomalies related to a given element of a model – has been applied to generate checklists for UML diagrams in a systematic way. The checklists together with the process of their application constitute the core of the UML-HAZOP inspection. The paper introduces UMLHAZOP and presents results of its validation through a series of case studies and controlled experiments.
The influence of the percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect on the occurrence of migraine

study showing that danaparoid sodium for isolated HIT received in low prophylactic doses is associated with a high failure rate compared with patients received lepirudin in APTT-adjusted doses. This speaks in favour of the use of therapeutic-dose danaparoid in both isolated HIT and HITwith PE. Our recent clinical practice has registered nine successfully treated patients diagnosed with PE caused by HIT II. Initial danaparoid sodium (four patients) or lepirudin (three patients) treatment was successful in seven patients. The remaining two fell into the category of full therapeutic dose-danaparoid sodium resistant cases. One of these patients responded positively only upon lepirudin introduction, whereas in the other patient, no effect was produced even by therapeutic lepirudin doses where the remission was achieved only after plasmapheresis. Thus, it has not escaped our notice that the management of patients resistant to initial non-heparin anticoagulants was absolutely neglected, not only in the Guidelines themselves but also in other principal reference sources, though such cases account for a considerable proportion of HIT II patients treated with danaparoid sodium or lepirudin as nonheparin anticoagulants of similar efficacy (9.4% thrombosis rate with danaparoid vs. 7.9% thrombosis rate with lepirudin). Administration of new anticoagulants of bivaluridin and fondaparinux type may even have certain advantages over the standard alternative non-heparin anticoagulants. Hope remains that new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of PE will take into account the complexity of both HIT II patients and individualized treatment demands dependent on their specific state of haemostasis, possible accompanying diseases, and the patient’s resistance to initial therapy, with special reference to the application of adjunctive measures, of which plasmapheresis has a proved clinical effect.
The Welfare Effects of Social Media

The rise of social media has provoked both optimism about potential societal benefits and concern about harms such as addiction, depression, and political polarization. In a randomized experiment, we find that deactivating Facebook for the four weeks before the 2018 US midterm election (i) reduced online activity, while increasing offline activities such as watching TV alone and socializing with family and friends; (ii) reduced both factual news knowledge and political polarization; (iii) increased subjective well-being; and post-experiment Facebook use. Deactivation reduced post-experiment valuations of Facebook, suggesting that traditional metrics may overstate consumer surplus. (JEL D12, D72, D90, I31, L82, L86, Z13)
A systematic assessment of uncertainties in large-scale soil loss estimation from different representations of USLE input factors – a case study for Kenya and Uganda

Abstract. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is the most commonly used model to assess soil erosion by water. The model equation quantifies long-term average annual soil loss as a product of the rainfall erosivity R, soil erodibility K, slope length and steepness LS, soil cover C, and support measures P. A large variety of methods exist to derive these model inputs from readily available data. However, the estimated values of a respective model input can strongly differ when employing different methods and can eventually introduce large uncertainties in the estimated soil loss. The potential to evaluate soil loss estimates at a large scale is very limited due to scarce in-field observations and their comparability to long-term soil estimates. In this work we addressed (i) the uncertainties in the soil loss estimates that can potentially be introduced by different representations of the USLE input factors and (ii) challenges that can arise in the evaluation of uncertain soil loss estimates with observed data. In a systematic analysis we developed different representations of USLE inputs for the study domain of Kenya and Uganda. All combinations of the generated USLE inputs resulted in 972 USLE model setups. We assessed the resulting distributions in soil loss, both spatially distributed and on the administrative level for Kenya and Uganda. In a sensitivity analysis we analyzed the contributions of the USLE model inputs to the ranges in soil loss and analyzed their spatial patterns. We compared the calculated USLE ensemble soil estimates to available in-field data and other study results and addressed possibilities and limitations of the USLE model evaluation. The USLE model ensemble resulted in wide ranges of estimated soil loss, exceeding the mean soil loss by over an order of magnitude, particularly in hilly topographies. The study implies that a soil loss assessment with the USLE is highly uncertain and strongly depends on the realizations of the model input factors. The employed sensitivity analysis enabled us to identify spatial patterns in the importance of the USLE input factors. The C and K factors showed large-scale patterns of importance in the densely vegetated part of Uganda and the dry north of Kenya, respectively, while LS was relevant in small-scale heterogeneous patterns. Major challenges for the evaluation of the estimated soil losses with in-field data were due to spatial and temporal limitations of the observation data but also due to measured soil losses describing processes that are different to the ones that are represented by the USLE.
Depth Distribution and Predictors of Soil Organic Carbon in Podzols of a Forested Watershed in Southwestern Canada

Forest soils of coastal British Columbia, Canada, may store significant amounts of organic matter because of the cool climate and high forest productivity of the area. The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the profile and to identify the most important predictors of SOC in Podzols of a forested watershed in southwestern British Columbia. We sampled 9 soil profiles in undisturbed forest plots by morphological horizon and measured SOC using a dry combustion method. We also determined soil pH, texture, moisture content, total nitrogen, loss on ignition, and pyrophosphate- and oxalate-extractable Fe and Al. The average soil profile stored 15.9 kg C/m2 over a depth of 100 cm, which is higher than SOC stocks estimates for inland Canadian forests. The organic layer (LFH) only accounted for one fourth of the C stock. Sixty percent of the profile SOC (including the forest floor) was found in the subsoil of depth greater than 20 cm. Studies of SOC dynamics that only sample the topsoil are therefore inappropriate. Although the clay concentration was low (∼5%), the clay fraction accounted for one third of SOC. This suggests that organo-mineral interactions were an important factor for SOC storage. The major predictors of SOC in the mineral horizons were organically complexed Al and Fe and short-range order inorganic material. Crystalline clays also seemed to play a role in organic matter accumulation, but were not as important as poorly crystalline compounds. In the organic layer, organically complexed Fe forms correlated negatively with SOC, indicating that the amount of Fe available for adsorption to organic matter is limited. Organically complexed Al did not show the same negative association, suggesting the existence of a mechanism for upward translocation of Al into the FH horizon.
The Variability of Daily Precipitation Totals in Poland (1951–2000)

The analysis concerned the variability of daily precipitation totals observed during the second half of the 20th century at five stations in Poland. The elements examined were number of days with precipitation exceeding given thresholds, lengths of wet and dry spells and precipitation amounts in a single spell. There is an upward trend for the number of spells and days with precipitation, and a downward trend for mean precipitation during a given spell. Changes in peak precipitation are not uniform, there being negative trends at some stations and positive ones at others. However the lack of a trend for precipitation totals combines with the climatic warming now to be observed to imply risk of a water deficit.
Penetration rate effects on cone resistance measured in a calibration chamber

In this paper, the effects of penetration rate on cone resistance in satu- rated clayey soils were investigated by performing miniature cone penetration tests in a calibration chamber. These tests, using both a conical and flat-tip penetrometers, were performed at nine and eight different penetration rates, respectively, in two spe- cimens prepared by mixing kaolin clay and Jumunjin sand with different mixing ra- tios and consolidated to a K0 condition. The mixing ratios of these two specimens were decided based on results of flexible-wall permeameter tests performed on clayey sand mixtures prepared at various mixing ratios. A correlation between cone resis- tance and drainage conditions was established based on the cone penetration test re- sults. The transition from no drainage to partial drainage and from partial drainage to full drainage were defined as a function of penetration rate normalized with respect to the penetrometer diameter and the coefficient of consolidation.
Influence of pre-existing fault fabrics on normal-fault development: An experimental study

We use scaled experimental (analog) models to study the effect of a pre-existing fault fabric on fault development during extension. In our models, a homogeneous layer of wet clay undergoes two non-coaxial phases of extension whose directions differ by up to 45°. The normal faults that develop during the first phase create a pronounced fault fabric that influences normal-fault development during the second phase. In all models, the pre-existing faults are reactivated during the second phase of extension. Their sense of slip depends on the angle between the firstand second-phase extension directions. Specifically, the component of dip slip relative to strike slip decreases as the angle between the firstand second-phase extension directions increases. New normal faults also form during the second phase of extension in all models. The number of new fault segments increases as the angle between the first-and second-phase extension directions increases. The orientations of the new normal-fault segments are both orthogonal and oblique to the second-phase extension direction, indicating that both the second-phase extension direction and the pre-existing fault fabric control the orientation of new fault segments. Some of the new normal faults cut and offset the pre-existing faults, whereas others terminate against them, producing complex fault patterns and interactions. The modeling results explain fault interactions observed in the Jeanne d’Arc rift basin of offshore Newfoundland, Canada, and the reactivation of abyssal-hill normal faults at outer highs near subduction zones.
Mitochondrial 2,4-dienoyl-CoA Reductase Deficiency in Mice Results in Severe Hypoglycemia with Stress Intolerance and Unimpaired Ketogenesis

The mitochondrial b-oxidation system is one of the central metabolic pathways of energy metabolism in mammals. Enzyme defects in this pathway cause fatty acid oxidation disorders. To elucidate the role of 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase (DECR) as an auxiliary enzyme in the mitochondrial b-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, we created a DECR–deficient mouse line. In Decr mice, the mitochondrial b-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids with double bonds is expected to halt at the level of trans-2, cis/trans-4-dienoyl-CoA intermediates. In line with this expectation, fasted Decr mice displayed increased serum acylcarnitines, especially decadienoylcarnitine, a product of the incomplete oxidation of linoleic acid (C18:2), urinary excretion of unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, and hepatic steatosis, wherein unsaturated fatty acids accumulate in liver triacylglycerols. Metabolically challenged Decr mice turned on ketogenesis, but unexpectedly developed hypoglycemia. Induced expression of peroxisomal b-oxidation and microsomal v-oxidation enzymes reflect the increased lipid load, whereas reduced mRNA levels of PGC-1a and CREB, as well as enzymes in the gluconeogenetic pathway, can contribute to stress-induced hypoglycemia. Furthermore, the thermogenic response was perturbed, as demonstrated by intolerance to acute cold exposure. This study highlights the necessity of DECR and the breakdown of unsaturated fatty acids in the transition of intermediary metabolism from the fed to the fasted state. Citation: Miinalainen IJ, Schmitz W, Huotari A, Autio KJ, Soininen R, et al. (2009) Mitochondrial 2,4-dienoyl-CoA Reductase Deficiency in Mice Results in Severe Hypoglycemia with Stress Intolerance and Unimpaired Ketogenesis. PLoS Genet 5(7): e1000543. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen. 1000543 Editor: Philip A. Wood, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, United States of America Received September 29, 2008; Accepted June 1, 2009; Published July 3, 2009 Copyright: 2009 Miinalainen et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was supported by grants from the Academy of Finland, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation, FP6 European Union Project LSHG-CT-2004-512018, and NordForsk under the Nordic Centers of Excellence programme in Food, Nutrition, and Health, Project (070010) ‘‘MitoHealth. ’’ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: Kalervo.Hiltunen@oulu.fi