Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atmospheric brown clouds: Hemispherical and regional variations in long‐range transport, absorption, and radiative forcing

polluted oceanic regions, the EC mass exceeds 0.5 m gm 3 , the OC mass exceeds 2 m gm 3 and sulfate mass exceeds 10 m gm 3 from the surface to 3 km. The brown clouds also have strong seasonal dependence. In the tropics the seasonal dependence is driven by pollution accumulating during the dry seasons, December to February in Northern Hemisphere tropics and June to August in Southern Hemisphere tropics. In the extratropics the pollution peaks during the summer. The brown cloud problem is not restricted to the tropical regions. Over the eastern half of US and western Europe the AODs exceeds 0.2 and absorption AODs exceed 0.02. Brown clouds also extend well into the western Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean reaching as far south as 60S and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The largest total SO2 emission occurs over China and US, while SO2 emission per unit surface area is maximum over Germany and England. The largest total EC and OC emissions occur over China, but the largest OC emission per unit surface area occur over India. As a result, the maximum negative annual mean TOA direct forcing is over India and Germany. The surface annual-diurnal mean dimming over the regional hot spots is of the order of 10 W m 2 and 20 W m 2 over megacity hotpots.
HIV-1 Directly Kills CD4 (cid:49) T Cells by a Fas-independent Mechanism

CD3-FITC (PharMingen, at a 1:25 dilution, anti-CD4-PE (Caltag Labs.) at a 1:100 dilution, and anti-CD8-CyChrome (PharMingen) at a 1:25 dilution. Two-color staining for surface PLAP and Fas was performed using rabbit anti–human PLAP as above and mouse anti–human Fas IgM (Upstate Bio-technology, Lake Placid, at a 1:200 dilution; secondary staining was done with goat anti–rabbit PE (Southern Biotech-nology Birmingham, AL) at 1:200 and goat anti-mouse IgM FITC (Caltag) at 1:250. FasL staining was performed using the NOK-1 antibody (PharMingen) at 20 (cid:109) l per reaction followed by biotin-conjugated goat anti–mouse immunoglobulin (PharMingen) at 1:100 and then Ultra-avidin PE at 1:100. Cells that were stained for FasL were grown and stained in the presence of 10 (cid:109) M of the metalloproteinase inhibitor KB8301 (24), which was provided by Hideo Yagita. After staining, were fixed in 1% paraformaldehyde Flow cytometry was performed on a FACScan (cid:210) (Becton Dickinson, San Jose, CA) as previously described.
Uncertainty in water resource model parameters used for climate change impact assessment

Despite their acknowledged limitations, lumped conceptual models continue to be used widely for climate‐change impact assessments. Therefore, it is important to understand the relative magnitude of uncertainties in water resource projections arising from the choice of model calibration period, model structure, and non‐uniqueness of model parameter sets. In addition, external sources of uncertainty linked to choice of emission scenario, climate model ensemble member, downscaling technique(s), and so on, should be acknowledged. To this end, the CATCHMOD conceptual water balance model was used to project changes in daily flows for the River Thames at Kingston using parameter sets derived from different subsets of training data, including the full record. Monte Carlo sampling was also used to explore parameter stability and identifiability in the context of historic climate variability. Parameters reflecting rainfall acceptance at the soil surface in simpler model structures were found to be highly sensitive to the training period, implying that climatic variability does lead to variability in the hydrologic behaviour of the Thames basin. Non‐uniqueness of parameters for more complex model structures results in relatively small variations in projected annual mean flow quantiles for different training periods compared with the choice of emission scenario. However, this was not the case for subannual flow statistics, where uncertainty in flow changes due to equifinality was higher in winter than summer, and comparable in magnitude to the uncertainty of the emission scenario. Therefore, it is recommended that climate‐change impact assessments using conceptual water balance models should routinely undertake sensitivity analyses to quantify uncertainties due to parameter instability, identifiability and non‐uniqueness. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enhanced layer of black carbon in a north Indian industrial city

During a comprehensive aerosol field campaign as part of Indian Space Research Organization Geosphere Biosphere Programme (ISRO‐GBP), aircraft measurements of vertical profiles of aerosol black carbon (BC) were made during winter, for the first time, at Kanpur (80°20′E and 26°26′N), an urban industrial location in Northern India. Two vertical profiling from the same day (morning and afternoon) of BC showed that BC decreases with height up to ∼600 m and then increases up to 900 m before becoming more or less constant with height. Potential temperature profile, derived from concurrent measurements of temperature, shows a stable layer at the same altitude where BC shows increased concentration. This vertical structure of boundary layer was further confirmed by separate temperature and relative humidity profiles obtained from balloonsondes during December. The increased BC at ∼900 m suggests the presence of enhanced BC layer, which will have significant implications to BC radiative forcing and modifying cloud properties.
Quantifying landscape morphology influence on peatland lateral expansion using ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) and peat core analysis

Northern peatlands contain vast amounts of organic carbon. Large‐scale datasets have documented spatial patterns of peatland initiation as well as vertical peat accumulation rates. However, the rate, pattern, and timing of lateral expansion across the northern landscape remain largely unknown. As peatland lateral extent is a key boundary condition constraining the dynamics of peatland systems, understanding this process is essential. Here we use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and peat core analysis to study the effect of local slope and topography on peatland development at a site in south‐central Alaska. The study site is unique in that a thick tephra (volcanic ash) layer, visible in the GPR data, interrupted the peatland development for about one thousand years during the mid Holocene. In our analysis, this tephra layer serves as a re‐initiation point for peatland development. By comparing the initial mineral basin vs. the post‐tephra surfaces, the influence of topography and slope on peatland expansion rate and peat‐carbon sequestration was analyzed. Our results show that (1) peatland surface slope becomes progressively shallower over the Holocene, (2) slope affects peatland lateral expansion nonlinearly, (3) the relationship between lateral expansion rate and slope follows a power‐law behavior, and (4) peatland expansion becomes slope‐limited above a threshold (0.5°). Furthermore, we propose a conceptual model linking slope to peatland lateral expansion where slope gradient and basin topography exert deterministic controls on peatland lateral expansion directly or through hydrology and vertical accumulation rates.
The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia

Summary The rice-wheat cropping pattern of South Asia has seen a phenomenal growth in area, production and yield in the last two decades. This cropping system encompasses the four countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan along the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) and into the mid-hills of the Himalayas. Traditionally, wheat was grown mostly in the northwestern belt and rice in the eastern belt of the IGP. With the introduction of improved high yielding, input responsive, short duration rice and wheat varieties, the rice-wheat pattern became feasible and saw both crops grown in the same year. In this pattern, rice is grown during the summer months followed by wheat in the winter months. It is now found as a major system throughout the IGP. However, there are signs that the productivity of this cropping system is either stagnating or declining. Several site-specific benchmark and diagnostic farm level surveys have been conducted in the region to understand the constraints of this cropping system and ways to improve its productivity and sustainability. This article analyzes the trend in the area, production and yields of rice and wheat as a whole and assumes these trends are similar in rice-wheat areas. It also summarizes the results of the farm level surveys and productivity analyses done in the IGP on rice and wheat.
Longevity and stability of cratonic lithosphere: Insights from numerical simulations of coupled mantle convection and continental tectonics

[1] The physical conditions required to provide for the tectonic stability of cratonic crust and for the relative longevity of deep cratonic lithosphere within a dynamic, convecting mantle are explored through a suite of numerical simulations. The simulations allow chemically distinct continents to reside within the upper thermal boundary layer of a thermally convecting mantle layer. A rheologic formulation, which models both brittle and ductile behavior, is incorporated to allow for plate-like behavior and the associated subduction of oceanic lithosphere. Several mechanisms that may stabilize cratons are considered. The two most often invoked mechanisms, chemical buoyancy and/or high viscosity of cratonic root material, are found to be relatively ineffective if cratons come into contact with subduction zones. High root viscosity can provide for stability and longevity but only within a thick root limit in which the thickness of chemically distinct, high-viscosity cratonic lithosphere exceeds the thickness of old oceanic lithosphere by at least a factor of 2. This end-member implies a very thick mechanical lithosphere for cratons. A high brittle yield stress for cratonic lithosphere as a whole, relative to oceanic lithosphere, is found to be an effective and robust means for providing stability and lithospheric longevity. This mode does not require exceedingly deep strength within cratons. A high yield stress for only the crustal or mantle component of the cratonic lithosphere is found to be less effective as detachment zones can then form at the crust-mantle interface which decreases the longevity potential of cratonic roots. The degree of yield stress variations between cratonic and oceanic lithosphere required for stability and longevity can be decreased if cratons are bordered by continental lithosphere that has a relatively low yield stress, i.e., mobile belts. Simulations that combine all the mechanisms can lead to crustal stability and deep root longevity for model cratons over several mantle overturn times, but the dominant stabilizing factor remains a relatively high brittle yield stress for cratonic lithosphere.
Conventional Treatment Integrated with Chinese Herbal Medicine Improves the Survival of Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background: There is a lack of research to evaluate the effectiveness of Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) as an adjunct therapy in patients with advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess whether the advanced NSCLC patients treated by Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), when combined with CHM, can improve the five-year survival rate compared to those treated by EGFR-TKIs alone. Methods: A nationwide population-based study of advanced NSCLC patients receiving EGRF-TKIs, combined with or without CHM treatment, was conducted in Taiwan. The study is based on information in the sub-dataset of the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from 2000 to 2010, during which time a total of 14,244 patients were diagnosed with NSCLC. After selection of exclusion criteria and matching process, 2,616 NSCLC patients were included in the study. Statistical analysis was utilized to evaluate the differences in characteristic distribution, and to compare the survival rates between the CHM cohort and non-CHM cohort. Results: Patients with advanced NSCLC using CHM as an adjunct therapy exhibited a significantly improved survival rate [Hazard Ration (HR) =0.8; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.73-0.87, p value<0.001], compared with non-CHM users. Based on a survival analysis by Kaplan-Meier method, the 5-year survival rate of CHM users increased 4.9%, with the most notable difference being an increase of the 2-year survival rate by up to 12.75%. In addition to survival rate analysis, we provide the ten most used single herbs and herbal formulas prescribed for patients with advanced NSCLC. Conclusions: This nationwide retrospective cohort study provides evidence supporting CHM as an effective adjunct modality to ameliorate the side effects of target therapy and prolong the five-year survival rate of patients with advanced NSCLC.
Estimating and accommodating uncertainty through the soft classification of remote sensing data

Land cover mapping is perhaps the most important application of remote sensing data. The abundance of mixed pixels (representing uncertainties in class allocation), particularly in coarse spatial resolution images, has always been known to lead to difficulties in producing accurate land cover classifications. Soft classification methods may help in quantifying uncertainties in areas of transition between various types of land cover. This study aims to estimate and accommodate uncertainties in all stages of a supervised classification process (i.e. training, allocation and testing) so as to produce accurate and meaningful land cover classifications. Three soft classification methods have been used—a probabilistic maximum likelihood classifier and the two classifiers based on fuzzy set theory (fuzzy c‐means and possibilistic c‐means). Uncertainty and accuracy measures based on a fuzzy error matrix have been adopted to evaluate each classifier. All of the classifiers show an increase in classification accuracy when uncertainty is appropriately accounted for in all stages of the supervised classification. In particular, the possibilistic c‐means classifier produced the highest map and individual class accuracy and has been found to be more robust to the existence of uncertainties in the datasets. The approach suggested in this paper can be used to generate accurate land cover maps, even in the presence of uncertainties in the form of mixed pixels in remote sensing images.
Dual Forcing and State Correction via Soil Moisture Assimilation for Improved Rainfall–Runoff Modeling

AbstractUncertainties in precipitation forcing and prestorm soil moisture states represent important sources of error in streamflow predictions obtained from a hydrologic model. An earlier synthetic twin experiment has demonstrated that error in both antecedent soil moisture states and rainfall forcing can be filtered by assimilating remotely sensed surface soil moisture retrievals. This opens up the possibility of applying satellite soil moisture estimates to address both key sources of error in hydrologic model predictions. Here, in an attempt to extend the synthetic analysis into a real-data environment, two satellite-based surface soil moisture products—based on both passive and active microwave remote sensing—are assimilated using the same dual forcing/state correction approach. A bias correction scheme is implemented to remove bias in background forecasts caused by synthetic perturbations in the ensemble filtering routines, and a triple collocation–based technique is adopted to derive rescaled obser.
Precambrian–Cambrian boundary interval occurrence and form of the enigmatic tubular body fossil Shaanxilithes ningqiangensis from the Lesser Himalaya of India

The affinity of the Ediacaran fossil Shaanxilithes ningqiangensis and putatively related forms has long been enigmatic; over the past few decades, interpretations ranging from trace fossils to algae to metazoans of uncertain phylogenetic placement have been proposed. Combined morphological and geochemical evidence from a new occurrence of S. ningqiangensis in the Krol and Tal groups of the Lesser Himalaya of India indicates that S. ningqiangensis is not a trace fossil, but rather an organic‐walled tubular body fossil of unknown taxonomic affinity. Specimens consist of compressed organic cylindrical structures, characterized by extended, overlapping or fragmented iterated units. Where specimens intersect, overlapping rather than branching or intraplanar crossing is observed. Lithologic comparisons and sequence stratigraphic data all suggest a late Ediacaran age for the uppermost Krol Group and basalmost Tal Group. By extending the biogeographical distribution of S. ningqiangensis, hitherto confined to the Ediacaran of China and potentially Siberia, to the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary interval of India, this new occurrence of S. ningqiangensis expands the biostratigraphic utility of this enigmatic fossil to the inter‐regional and intercontinental scale. Moreover, study of these new and exceptionally preserved samples may help to significantly constrain the long‐debated problem of Shaanxilithes' affinity, elucidating its ‘problematic’ status and shedding new light upon the ecology and taphonomy of one of the most significant intervals in early life history.
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Sigma Factor (cid:2) B Is Required for Full Response to Cell Envelope Stress and Hypoxia In Vitro, but It Is Dispensable for In Vivo Growth (cid:1) ‡

The numerous sigma ( (cid:1) ) factors present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis are indicative of the adaptability of this pathogen to different environmental conditions. In this report, we describe the M. tuberculosis (cid:1) B regulon and the phenotypes of an M. tuberculosis sigB mutant strain exposed to cell envelope stress, oxidative stress, and hypoxia. The sigB mutant was especially defective in survival under hypoxic conditions in vitro, but it was not attenuated for growth in THP-1 on supplemented 7H10 solid medium. For preparation of liquid cultures, bacteria growing in 7H10 agar plates were suspended in 7H9 medium at an optical density at 540 nm (OD 540 ) of 0.05 (5 (cid:5) 10 6 CFU/ml). Liquid cultures were grown in plastic roller bottles in a roller apparatus or in 9-ml glass tubes in a rotating wheel. Cloning and construction of M. tuberculosis sigB mutant and complemented strains. DNA recombinant techniques were performed by following standard techniques. PCR DNA primers were commercially obtained (IDT), and Pfu DNA polymerase was used for all PCRs. M. tuberculosis genomic DNA from strain H37Rv was used as a template. PCR products were cloned into pCR-Blunt II-PCR-BLUNT II-TOPO and sequenced. Clones with error-free DNA sequences were used for further genetic manipulation. Transformation of plasmids into M. tuberculosis was done by electroporation, and DNA Southern blot anal-*
Opaline cherts associated with sublacustrine hydrothermal springs at Lake Bogoria, Kenya Rift valley

An unusual group of cherts found at saline, alkaline Lake Bogoria in the Kenya Rift differs from the Magadi-type cherts commonly associated with saline, alkaline lakes. The cherts are opaline, rich in diatoms, and formed from a siliceous, probably gelatinous, precursor that precipitated around submerged alkaline hot springs during a Holocene phase of high lake level. Silica precipitation resulted from rapid drop in the temperature of the spring waters and, possibly, pH. Lithification began before subaerial exposure. Ancient analogous cherts are likely to be localized deposits along fault lines.
Estimating mean monthly runoff at ungauged locations: an application to France

An approach for estimating mean monthly runoff at ungauged sites is presented. Special attention is paid to include effects of local features such as karst and river regulation by reservoirs. The developments introduced conform with hydrostochastic concepts in that simple physical and statistical laws are inherent in the methods used for mapping. Hence, the approach developed here is consistent with the water balance along the river network. The suggested method combines an application of empirical orthogonal functions and an adapted stochastic interpolation scheme to match the runoff data. The observation data are handled in the frame of a hydrological information system. This allows the display of results either in the form of the change in a statistical parameter along the river branches towards the basin outlet or as a map of the variation of the parameters across the basin or region space. The approach is demonstrated for France.
Auroral studies with a chain of meridian‐scanning photometers: 1. Observations of proton and electron aurora in magnetospheric substorms

A chain of sensitive meridian-scanning photometers and all-sky cameras was operated during two new moon periods in 1978 to observe auroral proton and electron precipitation patterns with high time resolution (30 s). The latitude range was from 59.5/sup 0/ to 73.3/sup 0/N (invariant) with Churchill, Manitoba, as the northernmost of three stations. Intensity plots on a latitude-time scale were prepared, and from these, 14 auroral substorms over a broad range of local times were selected for analysis. Data from a widely spaced array of auroral zone and low-latitude magnetometers were used to determine substorm onset times and longitude sectors. Representative meridian intensity profiles of H/sub . beta. /lambda4861 and OIlambda5577 were then assembled as a function of invariant and local magnetic time to obtain a synthetic model of a typical substorm. It is found that the data are better ordered when the local magnetic time scale for the individual substorms is shifted so as to place the substorm origins at local magnetic midnight. While the results are in general agreement with earlier observations, the quantitative nature of the present data base leads to a more objective proton substorm model.
Estimating evapotranspiration from a reed bed using the Bowen ratio energy balance method

An increase in demand for water for agricultural and domestic use, combined with new legislation regarding the water needs of natural habitats, has led to an increased requirement for accurate calculations of hydrological fluxes through wetlands. Evapotranspiration is one of the most important but least well understood fluxes in wetland hydrology. Research has been carried out on Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve in Kent, UK, a Ramsar site containing the largest reed beds in southern England. The objective was to quantify water loss through evapotranspiration on the site to allow more effective management of water levels and maintenance of maximum conservation potential for bird life. The Bowen ratio energy balance approach was employed, which is one of the most accurate ways of measuring evapotranspiration but has been rarely used on reed beds. These measurements were used with Penman–Monteith reference evapotranspiration in order to create crop coefficients. It was found that crop coefficients were inconsistent from day to day but were generally less than unity. The inconsistency was thought to be caused by variations in meteorological conditions: e.g. significant differences in crop coefficients were found between days with high radiation and a dry canopy, compared with days with low radiation and a wet canopy. Canopy interception of precipitation was particularly important, with crop coefficients being significantly higher on wet days, possibly due to the higher rates of evaporation of intercepted water due to the lack of stomatal resistance. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.