Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Process-based classification of Mediterranean cyclones using potential vorticity

Abstract. Mediterranean cyclones (MCs) govern extreme weather events across the Euro-African Basin, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions. Despite many studies addressing MCs in the last few decades, their correct simulation and prediction remain a significant challenge to the present day, which may be attributed to the large variability among MCs. Past classifications of MCs are primarily based on geographical and/or seasonal separations; however, here we focus on cyclone genesis and deepening mechanisms. A variety of processes combine to govern MC genesis and evolution, including adiabatic and diabatic processes, topographic influences, land–sea contrasts, and local temperature anomalies. As each process bears a distinct signature on the potential vorticity (PV) field, a PV approach is used to distinguish among different “types” of MCs. Here, a combined cyclone-tracking algorithm is used to detect 3190 Mediterranean cyclone tracks in ECMWF ERA5 from 1979–2020. Cyclone-centered, upper-level isentropic PV structures in the peak time of each cyclone track are classified using a self-organizing map (SOM). The SOM analysis reveals nine classes of Mediterranean cyclones, with distinct Rossby-wave-breaking patterns, discernible in corresponding PV structures. Although classified by upper-level PV structures, each class shows different contributions of lower-tropospheric PV and flow structures down to the surface. Unique cyclone life cycle characteristics, associated hazards (precipitation, winds, and temperature anomalies), and long-term trends, as well as synoptic, thermal, dynamical, seasonal, and geographical features of each cyclone class, indicate dominant processes in their evolution. Among others, the classification reveals the importance of topographically induced Rossby wave breaking to the generation of the most extreme Mediterranean cyclones. These results enhance our understanding of MC predictability by linking the large-scale Rossby wave formations and life cycles to coherent classes of under-predicted cyclone aspects.
(2020) Lessons from miniature brains: Cognition cheap, memory expensive (sentience linked to active movement?). Animal Sentience

: Studies on invertebrate minds suggest that the neural machinery for basic cognition is cheap, and that bigger brains are probably associated with greater memory storage rather than more advanced cognition. Sentience may be linked to feedforward mechanisms ( Reafferenzprinzip ) that allow organisms with active movement to distinguish active and passive sensing. Invertebrates may offer special opportunities for testing these hypotheses.
COVID-19 Disease in Pediatric Solid Organ Transplantation from Alpha to Omicron: A High Monocyte Count in the Preceding Three Months Portends a Risk for Severe Disease

Importance: Planning for future resurgences in SARS-CoV-2 infection is necessary for providers who care for immunocompromised patients. Objective: to determine factors associated with COVID-19 disease severity in immunosuppressed children. Design: a case series of children with solid organ transplants diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection between 15 March 2020 and 31 March 2023. Setting: a single pediatric transplant center. Participants: all children with a composite transplant (liver, pancreas, intestine), isolated intestine transplant (IT), isolated liver transplant LT), or simultaneous liver kidney transplant (SLK) with a positive PCR for SARS-CoV-2. Exposure: SARS-CoV-2 infection. Main outcome and measures: We hypothesized that children on the most immunosuppression, defined by the number of immunosuppressive medications and usage of steroids, would have the most severe disease course and that differential white blood cell count in the months preceding infection would be associated with likelihood of having severe disease. The hypothesis being tested was formulated during data collection. The primary study outcome measurement was disease severity defined using WHO criteria. Results: 77 children (50 LT, 24 intestine, 3 SLK) were infected with SARS-CoV-2, 57.4 months from transplant (IQR 19.7–87.2). 17% were ≤1 year post transplant at infection. 55% were male, 58% were symptomatic and ~29% had severe disease. A high absolute lymphocyte count at diagnosis decreased the odds of having severe COVID-19 disease (OR 0.29; CI 0.11–0.60; p = 0.004). Conversely, patients with a high absolute monocyte count in the three months preceding infection had increased odds of having severe disease (OR 30.49; CI 1.68–1027.77; p = 0.033). Steroid use, higher tacrolimus level, and number of immunosuppressive medications at infection did not increase the odds of having severe disease. Conclusions and relevance: The significance of a high monocyte count as predictor of severe disease potentially confirms the importance of monocytic inflammasome-driven inflammation in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Our data do not support reducing immunosuppression in the setting of infection. Our observations may have important ramifications in resource management as vaccine- and infection-induced immunity wanes.
Long-range transported pollution from the Middle East and its 1 impact on carbonaceous aerosol sources over Cyprus.Ambient 2 carbonaceous aerosol levels in Cyprus and the role of pollution 3 transport from the Middle East.

The geographical origin and source apportionment of submicron carbonaceous aerosols (organic aerosols, OA, and 23 black carbon, BC) have been investigated here for the first time by means of deploying high- time resolution measurements at 24 an urban background site of Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. This study covers a half-year 25 period, encompassing both the cold and warm periods with continuous observations of the physical and chemical properties 26 of PM 1 performed with an Aerosol Chemical Speciation monitor (ACSM), an Aethalometer, accompanied by a suite of various 27 ancillary off and on-line measurements. Carbonaceous aerosols were dominant during both seasons (cold and warm periods), 28 with a respective contribution of 57% and 48% to PM 1 , respectively, and exhibited recurrent intense night-time peaks (>20- 29 30 µg m -3 ) during the cold period associated with local domestic heating. The Ffindings of this study show that high 30 concentrations of sulfate (close to 3 µg m -3 ) were continuously recorded, standing among the highest ever reported for Europe 31 and originating from the Middle East region. 32 Source apportionment of the OA and BC fractions was performed using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) approach and 33 the combination of two models (aethalometer model and multilinear regression), respectively. Our study revealed elevated 34 hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) concentrations in Nicosia (among the highest reported for a European urban 35 background site), originating from a mixture of local and regional fossil-fuel combustion sources. Although air masses from 36 the Middle East had a low occurrence and were observed mostly during the cold period, they were shown to strongly affect 37 the mean concentrations levels of BC and OA in Nicosia during both seasons. Overall, the present study brings to our attention 38 the need to further characterize primary and secondary carbonaceous aerosols in the Middle East; an undersampled region 39 characterized by continuously increasing fossil fuel (oil and gas) emissions and extreme environmental conditions, which can 40 contribute to photochemical aging.
Effect of structural setting of source volume on rock avalanche mobility and deposit architecture

: Deposit morphologies and sedimentary characteristics are direct threads for investigating rock avalanches. The 10 geologic setting of source volume, namely the structures of disaggregated rock mass, will influence these two deposit characteristics and rock avalanches’ mobility. In this study, a series of experiments were conducted by setting different initial configurations of blocks to simulate different geologic settings of source volume, specifically including the long axis of the blocks perpendicular to the strike of the inclined plate EP, parallel to the strike of the inclined plate LV, perpendicular to the inclined plate LP, randomly R and without the blocks NB as a control experiment. The experimental materials comprised both 15 cuboid blocks and granular materials to simulate large blocks and matrixes, respectively, in natural rock avalanches. The results revealed that the mobility of the mass flows was enhanced at LV, LP and R configurations, whereas it was restricted at the EP configuration. The mobility decreased with the increase in slope angles at LV configurations. Strand protrusion of the blocks made the elevation of the deposits at LV configuration larger than that at EP, LP, and R configurations. An alternate deflection of the blocks for the bending moment that was created during the lateral spread of the mass flows was responsible for creating 20 zigzag structures. Varying degrees of deflection of the blocks demonstrated different levels of collision and friction in the interior of the mass flows; the most intensive collision was observed at EP. In the mass deposits, the blocks’ orientation was affected by their initial configurations and the motion process of the mass flows. This research would support studies relating geologic setting of source volume to landslide mobility and deposit architecture
Making ATIS Accessible for Pilots who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Making ATIS accessible for pilots who are deaf or hard of hearing Anke M Brock, Céline Classe, Laura Duphil, Florent Fabas, Liam Guigo, Thomas Holstein, Christophe Lounis, Ilyes Reguig, Caroline Senaux
Impact of Precipitation Mass Sinks on Midlatitude Storms over a Wide Range of Climates

Precipitation formation and fallout affects atmospheric ﬂows through the release of latent heat and through the removal of mass from the atmosphere, but because the mass of water vapor is only a small fraction of the total mass of Earth’s atmosphere, precipitation mass sinks are often neglected in theory and models. However, a small number of modeling studies suggest that water mass sources and sinks can intensify heavily-precipitating weather systems. These studies point to a need to more systematically verify the impact of neglecting precipitation mass sinks, particularly for warmer and moister climates 5 in which precipitation rates can be much higher. In this paper, we add precipitation mass sources and sinks to an idealized general circulation model and examine their effects on steady-state midlatitude storm track statistics across a wide range of climates, including very warm climates. We ﬁnd that modifying the model to include mass sources and sinks has no detectable effect on midlatitude variability or extremes, even in climates much warmer and moister than the modern. However, we ﬁnd that a tenfold exaggeration of mass sources and sinks is sufﬁcient to produce more intense midlatitude weather extremes and 10 increase surface pressure variance. This result is consistent with theoretical potential vorticity analysis, which suggests that the dynamical effects of mass sources and sinks are much smaller than the dynamical effects of accompanying latent heating unless mass sinks are artiﬁcially ampliﬁed by at least a factor of 10. Finally, we use simulations of “tropical cyclone worlds” to attempt to reconcile our results with earlier work showing stronger deepening in a simulation of a tropical cyclone case study when precipitation mass sinks were included. We demonstrate that abruptly “turning on” mass sources and sinks can lead to 15 stronger transient deepening in some individual storms (consistent with results of past work) but weaker transient deepening in other storms, without modifying the steady-state statistics of storms in equilibrium with the large-scale environment (consistent with our other results). Our results provide a ﬁrmer foundation for using general circulation models that neglect moist mass sources and sinks in climate simulations, even in climates much warmer than today, while leaving open the possibility that their inclusion might lead to short-term improvements in forecast skill
Soil organic carbon stocks did not change after 130 years of afforestation on a former Swiss Alpine pasture

Abstract. Soil organic matter (SOM) plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, especially in alpine ecosystems. However, ongoing forest expansion in high-elevation systems potentially alters SOM storage through changes in organic matter (OM) inputs and microclimate. In this study, we investigated the effects of an Picea abies L. afforestation chrono-sequence (0 to 130 years) of a former subalpine pasture in Switzerland on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and SOM dynamics. We found that SOC stocks remained constant throughout the chrono-sequence, with comparable SOC stocks in the mineral soils after afforestation and previous pasture (SOC forest40 = 11.6 ± 1.1 kg m−2, SOC forest130 = 11.0 ± 0.3 kg m−2 and SOC pasture = 11.5 ± 0.5 kg m−2). However, including the additional carbon of the organic horizons in the forest, reaching up to 1.7 kg m−2 in the 55-year old forest, resulted in an increase in the overall SOC stocks following afforestation. We found that the soil C:N ratio in the mineral soil increased in the topsoil (0–5 cm) with increasing forest stand age, from 11.9 ± 1.3 in the pasture to 14.3 ± 1.8 in the 130-year old forest. In turn, we observed a decrease in the soil C:N ratio with increasing depth in all forest stand ages. This suggests that litter-derived organic matter (C:N from 35.1 ± 1.9 to 42.4 ± 10.8) is likely to be incorporated and translocated from the organic horizon to the mineral topsoil (0–10 cm) of the profiles. Due to the high root C:N ratio (pasture 63.5 ± 2.8 and forests between 54.7 ± 3.9 and 61.2 ± 2.9), particulate root-derived organic matter seems to have a rather small effect on forest soil C:N ratios, as well as on SOC accumulation in the mineral soil. These results suggest that, although afforestation does not change the SOC stock in the mineral soil, there is an apparent alteration in the SOM dynamics through changes in the litter composition caused by the vegetation shift. We conclude that, at our study site, spruce afforestation on a former subalpine pasture does not change the total SOC stock and that, consequently, there is no additional SOC sequestration on a decadal to centennial scale.
Cortex necessary for pain — but not in sense that matters Commentary on Key on Fish Pain

: Certain cortical regions are necessary for pain in humans in the sense that, at particular times, they play a direct role in pain. However, it is not true that they are necessary in the more important sense that pain is never possible in humans without them. There are additional details from human lesion studies concerning functional plasticity that undermine Key’s (2016) interpretation. Moreover, no one has yet identified any specific behaviors that mammalian cortical pain regions make possible that are absent in fish.
The Cost of Imperfect Knowledge: How Epistemic Uncertainties Influence Flood Hazard Assessments

Classical approaches to flood hazard are obtained by the concatenation of a recurrence model for the events (i.e., an extreme river discharge) and an inundation model that propagates the discharge into a flood extent. The classical approach, however, uses “best‐fit” models that do not include uncertainty from incomplete knowledge or limited data availability. The inclusion of these, so called epistemic uncertainties, can significantly impact flood hazard estimates and the corresponding decision‐making process. We propose a simulation approach to robustly account for uncertainty in model's parameters, while developing a useful probabilistic output of flood hazard for further risk assessments via the Bayesian predictive posterior distribution of water depths. A Peaks‐Over‐Threshold Bayesian analysis is performed for future events simulation, and a pseudo‐likelihood probabilistic approach for the calibration of the inundation model is used to compute uncertain water depths. The annual probability averaged over all possible models’ parameters is used to develop hazard maps that account for epistemic uncertainties. Results are compared to traditional hazard maps, showing that not including epistemic uncertainties can underestimate the hazard and lead to non‐conservative designs, and that this trend increases with return period. Results also show that the influence of the uncertainty in the future occurrence of discharge events is predominant over the inundation simulator uncertainties for the case study.
Interstitial O2 and Si-H defects produced in fused silica during laser-induced damage

Fused silica irradiated with 6.8 ns 355 nm laser pulses is studied by micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy. Results show that, for laser fluences above the laser-induced breakdown threshold (Fth ~3.9 J/cm2), irradiation results in the formation of four laser-induced defect-related Raman bands centered at 1363, 1557, 1605.9 and 2330 cm−1. Bands centered on 1363, 1557 and 2330 cm−1 are attributed to Si = O, interstitial O2 and Si-H bond. However, defects giving rise to a broad band at 1605.9 cm−1 are unknown. Based on these results, we discuss physical processes occurring during the laser-induced fused silica breakdown, leading to the formation of Si-H bond and interstitial O2 and the fracture of fused silica.
CHRONIC UNEXPLAINED VOMITING: A CASE REPORT WITH FOCUS ON ISSUES RELEVANT FOR INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASE (ICD)-11

Objective: Current classificatory systems subsume the psychogenic vomiting as a form of eating disorder, in spite of several obvious differences. Given the clinical presentation, vomiting associated with psychological factors as a solitary symptom merits clinical and research attention. Methods: The paper discusses a case with psychogenic vomiting presenting to child and adolescent psychiatric clinic at a tertiary care hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, India. Results: It adds to the scarce reports on vomiting of psychogenic origin, and adds a newer perspective on diagnostic issues. Conclusion: Psychogenic vomiting might warrant recognition as an entity independent from eating disorders. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 18 (1): January – June 2017: XX XX.
Opportunities to Discuss Diversity-Related Topics in Neuroscience Courses

Diversity is a foundational topic in psychology, and APA recommends that diversity is covered across the psychology curriculum. Neuroscience courses face challenges with incorporating diversity-related topics owing to the historical lack of neuroscience research that focuses on diversity and the restricted range of diversity-related topics that neuroscience is typically associated with (i.e., health and disability status). This may limit students’ learning of neuroscience’s contributions towards understanding diversity. We review some specific examples of diversity-related topics that can be incorporated into neuroscience courses. These examples have been selected to include topics across the three major content domains of neuroscience (cellular/molecular, neuroanatomy/systems, and cognitive/behavioral), as well as across multiple diversity-related topics. Neuroscience instructors can use these examples to incorporate greater coverage of diversity-related topics within their courses and/or as points of inspiration for their own curricular additions. Providing systematic coverage of diversity-related topics in neuroscience courses highlights the ways neuroscience advances our understanding of human diversity and contributes to the educational objectives of psychology and neuroscience programs.
Response to Reviewers Reviewer Comment 1 Review of " The evolution of precipitation and warm conveyor belts during the central southwest Asia wet season " by

The present study by Breeden et al. investigates the seasonal evolution of precipitation over southwest Asia and the link of precipitation to warm conveyor belts and ENSO. The study first extensively compares different precipitation data sets and finds good agreement in terms of the timing of the peak precipitation. However, the data sets disagree concerning the precipitation amounts. The study continues with an analysis of the seasonal evolution and the comparison of days with little and heavy precipitation. Overall, the methods are sound, the text is well written, and the figures are clear. However, many of the conclusions remain rather vague and it is not upfront clear what the main novelty of the study is. Suggestions for further investigations that may help to strengthen the conclusions and to make this study distinct from other previous studies are given below.
The Influence of Urban Forms and Street Infrastructure on Pedestrian-Motorist Collisions

Unwalkable cities are afflicted by serious issues such as increasing rates of pedestrian traffic accidents, public health concerns, and the denied right to have an accessible city. This study examines how different types of urban forms and street infrastructure contribute to the prevalence of traffic accidents in two major metropolitan cities in the United States: Atlanta, Georgia, and Boston, Massachusetts. This study utilizes geospatial analysis through the Average Nearest Neighbor and Optimized Hot Spot Analysis tools to determine the spatial distribution of traffic accidents throughout both cities. Additionally, statistical tests were conducted to explore the relationships between the number of accidents, urban form, and street infrastructure. The variables were analyzed through Ordinary Least Squares, Spatial Lag, and Spatial Error models. The results of this study indicate that accident clustering was occurring at a slightly higher severity in Atlanta than in Boston as based on the results of the Average Nearest Neighbor Analysis. Hot spots covered a greater expanse of the city in Boston than in Atlanta, likely due to pedestrian walkability being greater throughout Boston. The following variables were found to increase the number of pedestrian-motorist accidents with high statistical significance in each city: risky driver characteristics, poor lighting, inclement weather, crosswalks, three lanes, and five lanes. The variables of population density and speed limits of 30 to 35 MPH were significant in Atlanta only with a positive effect on accidents. Additionally, the entropy index, speeds of 25 MPH or less, and speeds of 50 MPH or greater were statistically significant in Atlanta with a negative influence on accidents. These findings support the need to reduce speed limits and lane numbers to improve pedestrian safety, along with the need for better pedestrian infrastructure in Atlanta to diminish its motorist centricity.