Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of lipid and lipid-associated cardiovascular risk marker changes after treatment with tocilizumab or adalimumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective Compare changes in lipids and lipid-associated cardiovascular (CV) risk markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with tocilizumab or adalimumab. Methods Post-hoc analysis was performed in patients with RA who received tocilizumab intravenously every 4 weeks or adalimumab subcutaneously every 2 weeks for 24 weeks in the ADACTA trial. Lipid and lipid-associated CV risk biomarkers, including high-density lipoprotein-associated serum amyloid-A (HDL-SAA), secretory phospholipase A2 IIA (sPLA2 IIA) and lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), were measured at baseline and at week 8. Results The study included 162 patients treated with tocilizumab and 162 patients treated with adalimumab; HDL-SAA and sPLA2 IIA were measured in a subpopulation of 87 and 97 patients, respectively. Greater increases in mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (0.46 mmol/L (95% CI 0.30 to 0.62)), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (0.07 mmol/L (0.001 to 0.14)), total cholesterol (TC) (0.67 mmol/L (0.47 to 0.86)), triglycerides (0.24 mmol/L (0.10 to 0.38)) and TC:HDL ratio (0.27 (0.12 to 0.42)) occurred with tocilizumab from baseline to 8 weeks. HDL-SAA, sPLA2 IIA and Lp(a) decreased more with tocilizumab than adalimumab. Median changes from baseline to week 8 were –3.2 and –1.1 mg/L (p=0.0077) for HDL-SAA and –4.1 and –1.3 ng/mL (p<0.0001) for sPLA2 IIA; difference in adjusted means was –7.12 mg/dL (p<0.0001) for Lp(a). Similar results were observed in efficacy responders and non-responders per American College of Rheumatology and European League against Rheumatism criteria. Conclusion LDL-C and HDL-C increased more with tocilizumab than adalimumab. HDL-SAA, sPLA2 IIA and Lp(a) decreased more with tocilizumab. Lipid change effects of interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibition, manifest by their net impact on lipids and lipoproteins, are not synonymous; the clinical significance is unclear and requires further study. Trial registration number NCT01119859. ; post-results
Infiltration and Clogging by Sand and Clay in a Pervious Concrete Pavement System

From a hydrologic perspective, one limitation of pervious concrete pavement is the risk of clogging, defined as a reduction in hydraulic conductivity that reduces infiltration into the pavement or exfiltration into the subgrade. Accordingly, a laboratory study was performed to measure clogging by sand and clay (sodium montmorillonite) in a saturated pervious concrete pavement system, and the subsequent effect of surface cleaning by pressure washing. Both sand and clay caused measurable clogging that was not reversible by pressure washing. However, even after clogging, the infiltration and exfiltration rates were well above the average intensity of 66 mm/h for the 100-year 1-h design storm for Denver. This result is encouraging, but should be interpreted with caution, because in these experiments the flow-limiting layer was never the pervious concrete, but rather the subgrade, which in this case was a thin layer of sand with a large hydraulic conductivity. Accordingly, this study suggests that pervious co.
Validation and production of RADARSAT‐1 derived ice‐motion maps in the North Water (NOW) polynya, January ‐ December 1998

Abstract Monitoring ice motion may provide insight into the atmospheric and oceanic forces acting on ice motion and thus the mechanisms that contribute to polynya dynamics. A study of ice kinematics in the North Water (NOW) region was performed using time sequential and spatially overlapping RADARSAT‐1 ScanSAR Wide images (January to December 1998) processed by the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) Ice Tracking Algorithm (Tracker). The objectives of this research were to: 1) validate the NOW region ice motions derived using Tracker; 2) create monthly image‐maps that present ice speeds and directions over the NOW region for an entire year (January to December 1998); 3) compare these results to previous ice motion studies done in the NOW region; and 4) develop initial insights into relations between derived ice motion and latent and sensible heat mechanisms in the NOW Polynya. Tracker ice motions were validated using in situ ice beacons deployed between April and November 1998. Tracker magnitude and direction coefficients of determination (R2) were 0.93 and 0.79 respectively, with standard errors of estimate of 3.6 km in magnitude and 38.8° in direction. The monthly ice motion maps describe the annual evolution of the polynya quite accurately and compare well to other studies. High levels of ice export are found which supports the theory that winds or ocean currents continually remove ice from the polynya as it forms. A northward import of ice into the polynya along the Greenland coast shows the recycling of ice into the polynya. Evidence of oceanic (sensible) heat contributing to the open water of the polynya was not evident using the Tracker ice motion methods.
Glaciation‐induced perturbations in the Earth's rotation: A new appraisal

We revisit the theory and predictions of glaciation-induced perturbations in both the rotation rate of the Earth (or J 2 ) and the wander of the rotation pole with respect to the surface geography. The two most common theoretical formulations associated with polar wander driven by the surface loading of a viscoelastic Earth [e.g., Sabadini et al., 1982; Wu and Peltier, 1984] appear to disagree (by one) on the number of rotational normal modes associated with a surface gravitational response having N normal modes. We show, using a generalized theory, that the two formalisms yield essentially equivalent predictions. We next consider a benchmark comparison of recent predictions of present-day polar wander speed due to glacial isostatic adjustment (henceforth GIA). These comparisons confirm the validity of certain previous analyses [e.g., Spada et al., 1992a]. They also reveal that predictions of polar wander speed can be sensitive to an assumption of incompressibility. Previous studies have noted that predictions of J 2 /rotation rate, as a function of lower mantle viscosity, differ significantly in form from analogous predictions of polar wander speed. We investigate these differences by considering the contribution to the predicted anomalies from the individual normal modes of relaxation. We find that the normal mode structure of the J 2 /rotation rate predictions is fundamentally different from that which characterizes the polar wander response, and this difference reflects the distinct physical mechanisms which govern these anomalies. Finally, using a large suite of forward computations, as well as the calculation of a set of Frechet kernels, we investigate the sensitivity of our predictions to variations in the viscoelastic Earth model. We find, for example, that a previously noted sensitivity of polar wander speed predictions to variations in lithospheric thickness is only valid for Earth models with relatively weak lower mantle viscosities (< 5 x 10 21 Pa s).
Synthesis of coral reef health indicators for the Western Atlantic: Results of the AGRRA program (1997-2000)

The Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) sampling strategy is designed to collect both descriptive and quantitative information for a large number of reef vitality indicators over large spatial scales. AGRRA assessments conducted between 1998 and 2000 across a spectrum of western Atlantic reefs with different histories of disturbance, environmental conditions, and fishing pressure were examined to reveal means and variances for 15 indicators. Twenty surveys were compiled into a database containing a total of 302 benthic sites (249 deep, 53 shallow), 2,337 benthic transects, 14,000 quadrats, 22,553 stony corals. Seventeen surveys contained comparable fish data for a total of 247 fish sites (206 deep, 41 shallow), 2,488 fish transects, and 71,102 fishes. Shallow (≤ 5 m) reefs were dominated by A. palmata, a good proportion of which was standing dead, while deep (>5m) reefs were nearly always dominated by the Montastraea annularis species complex. Fish communities were dominated by acanthurids and scarids with seranids making up less than 1% of the fish seen on shallow reefs and 4% on deep reefs. AGRRA benthic and fish indicators on deep reefs showed the highest variation at the smallest spatial scale (~<0.1 km), with recent mortality and macroalgal canopy height displaying the largest area and subregional scale (~1-100 km) variation. A mean live coral cover of 26% for the 20 survey areas was determined for the deep sites. Significant bleaching and disease-induced mortality of stony corals associated with the 1998 (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) ENSO event were most apparent in the western Caribbean and Bahamas subregions and the Montastraea annularis complex was the most heavily impacted. The overall low number of sightings for larger-bodied groupers and snappers (~< 1/100 m) as a whole suggest that the entire region is overfished for many of these more heavily targeted species. More remote reefs showed as much evidence of reef degradation as reefs more proximal to human coastal development. Characterizing present-day reef condition across the region is a complex problem since there are likely multiple sources of stress operating over several spatial and temporal scales. Not withstanding the many 1 Marine Geology and Geophysics, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL, 33149. Email: pkramer@rsmas.miami. edu
The West Bornholm basin in the Baltic Sea: geological structure and Quaternary sediments

KOgler, F. -C. & Larsen, B. 1979 03 01: The West Bornholm basin in the Baltic Sea: geological structure and Quaternary sediments. Boreas. Vol. 8, pp. 1–22. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483. The West Bornholm basin is an approx. 1000 km2 subbasin of the Bornholm basin just north of Bornholm. The basin has been mapped by acoustic profiling and sampling of the sea floor. The basin is eroded down into Mesozoic sediments which are downfaulted between basement horsts in the Fennoscandian Border Zone. The development of the Quaternary morphology is illustrated by maps of the surface of the bedrock, the glacial landscape beneath the varved clays, the recent topography combined with isopach maps of late Glacial and Holocene formations. Quaternary formations are defined and described. The brown, very fine grained varved clay is deposited as a conformable cover on the substratum. It is probably deposited from suspensions carried in the whole water body, while turbidity currents were of minor importance. The recent sedimentary environment is an example of a restricted, but not totally anoxic basin. The recent sediment is chiefly mud rich in organic matter (ca. 4% Corg). According to a rough estimate, the long-term mean sedimentation rate of organic carbon is 6 g/m2/year.
Role of mean circulation, tides, and waves in the transport of bottom sediment on the New Zealand continental shelf

Abstract Evaluation of velocity data on water movements over the New Zealand continental shelf has revealed that the mean circulation by itself is too slow to induce transport of bottom sediments. Tides generally have higher velocities, but are still not the main transporting agent except in the tide‐dominated Cook and Foveaux. Straits. Waves have the potential to stir sediments on the inner and middle shelf (less than about 70 m deep) during annual storms, and probably down to 130 m depth during the maximum 25‐y storm. For sediment transport to take place, energies of at least two of the major water movements would have to complement one another. Optimum conditions for transport probably occur during storm periods when wave‐suspended sediment is readily moved by tides and the mean circulation. The direction of transport is mainly along the continental shelf and is largely in response to prevailing weather patterns coincident with the direction of the mean circulation and strongly reinforced by the approp.
The evolution and dynamic behaviour of the Northern Uummannaq Ice Stream System, West Greenland

This thesis considers the evolution and dynamic behaviour of the northern Uummannaq Ice Stream System (UISS), a large ice stream which extended to the Greenland shelf edge during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The Uummannaq region has been shown to be dominated by areas of selective linear erosion (SLE) and areal scour. Over multiple glacial cycles, enhanced by favourable geology and uplift, SLE controlled the formation of a confluent fjord system which triggered the onset and development of the UISS. At the LGM, northern UISS ice thicknesses reached 1400-1968 m a.s. l. , comparable to data from the southern UISS. However, in the north, thicknesses were not sufficient to overtop fjord confines, with ice flow remaining topographically controlled. The presence of thick, fast ice flowing ice in the onset zone suggests that subglacial conditions within the study area were characterised by intense basal sliding. The evolution of bedforms (roches moutonnees and whalebacks) was influenced by basal ice dynamics, but bedrock type, joints and bedding were also critical controls on bedform morphometry. Deglaciation following the LGM began on the outer shelf by 14.9 kyr, with increased air temperature, rising relative sea-level and bathymetric over-deepening driving the UISS to the outer edge of coastal fjords by 11.4-11.0 kyr. Geochronological data demonstrate that the retreat rate of the northern and southern UISS became highly asynchronous during the early-Holocene. In the south, topographic constrictions stabilised the ice from 11.0-9.3 kyr, before it retreated beyond its present ice margin at 8.7 kyr. Ice in the north became pinned at the mouth of Rink-Karrat Isfjord between 11.6-6.9 kyr, remaining stable through the Holocene Thermal Maximum, demonstrating the ability of topography to override climate and sea-level drivers. Geomorphological and sedimentological evidence has demonstrated that the Svartenhuk Peninsula in the northern Uummannaq region, previously cited as an LGM ice-free enclave, was overrun by ice during the LGM. Ice was sourced from the Svartenhuk interior, and expanded radially to the present coastline. This is contrary to existing work, and suggests there may be a need to reassess the evidence for interstadial, high sea-level conditions throughout Greenland.
Rise dynamics and relative ash distribution in vulcanian eruption plumes at Santiaguito Volcano, Guatemala, revealed using an ultraviolet imaging camera

Santiaguito Volcano, Guatemala, regularly produces small vulcanian eruption plumes which rise to heights of up to 2 km. A combined study using a novel UV camera coupled with classical analysis of the fluid dynamics of finite‐volume buoyant releases (thermals) has been used to develop a detection algorithm for ground‐based volcanic ash monitoring. Analysis of plume rise dynamics shows that vulcanian eruption plumes at Santiaguito behave as axisymmetric buoyant thermals, and this behaviour is consistent with eruption of volcanic gas and particle mixtures whose initial momentum is dissipated by flow through a porous capping layer. The UV imager has been adapted to detect relative ash burdens through the use of a single filter, centred on 307 nm, an edge detection and background fitting procedure and normalising to a simple theoretical model. The method provides the capability to observe and measure the internal structure of the plume, and processes occurring during plume rise, including concentration of ash over time into the thermal ‘head’, increased ash at the plume edges during early formation of the thermal and dilution at the top of the plume head as entrainment occurs.
Properties of salt-saturated concrete and grout after six years in situ at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Samples of concrete and grout were recovered from short boreholes in the repository floor at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant more than six years after the concrete and grout were placed. Plugs from the Plug Test Matrix of the Plugging and Sealing Program of Sandia National Laboratories were overcored to include a shell of host rock. The cores were analyzed at the Waterways Experiment Station to assess their condition after six years of service, having potentially been exposed to those aspects of their service environment (salt, brine, fracturing, anhydrite, etc.) that could cause deterioration. Measured values of compressive strength and pulse velocity of both the grout and the concrete equaled or exceeded values from tests performed on laboratory-tested samples of the same mixtures at ages of one month to one year after casting. The phase assemblages had changed very little. Materials performed as intended and showed virtually no chemical or physical evidence of deterioration. The lowest values for strength and pulse velocity were measured for samples taken from the Disturbed Rock Zone, indicating the influence of cracking in this zone on the properties of enclosed seal materials. There was evidence of movement of brine in the system. Crystalline phases containingmore » magnesium, potassium, sulfate, and other ions had been deposited on free surfaces in fractures and pilot holes. There was a reaction rim in the anhydrite immediately surrounding each recovered borehole plug, suggesting interaction between grout or concrete and host rock. However, the chemical changes apparent in this reaction rim were not reflected in the chemical composition of the adjacent concrete or grout. The grout and concrete studied here showed no signs of the deterioration found to have occurred in some parts of the concrete liner of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant waste handling shaft. « less
SWORDFISH TAGGING WITH POP - UP SATELLITE TAGS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

SUMMARY A total of 19 swordfish, ranging in weight from 15 to 45 kg, have been tagged using pop-up satellite tags between June 2003 and November 2006. Twelve swordfish were tagged during the month of June in the Messina Strait/Aeolian Islands area, by means of the traditional local harpoon fishery. Seven specimens were tagged in the Ligurian Sea by means of surface long-lines during summer and fall. The tags have been programmed to detach from the fish after different time intervals, between 12 and 365 days. 13 out of the 19 deployed tags established a connection after being released, even if several premature releases (54%) were recorded. Data analysis shows that swordfish follow a daily behavioral scheme, spending the night near the surface and diving during the day at depths that reach up to 650 m. The analysis of horizontal movements pointed out how swordfish is able to travel long distances in short periods of time. The animals tagged in the Messina Strait, during summer traveled away from this area and tags were released at hundreds of kilometers from the tagging point. The fish tagged in the Ligurian Sea showed minor horizontal movement; they remained within the North Western Mediterranean area until autumn.
Large-scale relative dynamic topography of the Southern Ocean

The large-scale or climatic distribution of relative dynamic topography south of 30°S using a selective set of hydrographic stations indicates significant deviations from a purely latitudinal dependence of the isopleths. The geostrophic flow relative to 1000-dbar level shows the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to vary greatly in its intensity and latitude during its course around Antarctica. High-intensity flow occurs over the northern slope of the midocean ridge from 105°E eastward to the fracture zones near 145°W, significant perturbations being introduced in the vicinity of the Macquarie Ridge and Campbell Plateau. A strong expression of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is found in the Drake Passage downstream of weak baroclinicity in the southeast Pacific. East of the Drake Passage strong meridional trends of the dynamic height isopleths occur with significant latitudinal offset (about 1100 km) of the main axis of geostrophic flow. In the southwest Indian Ocean, maximum baroclinicity is associated with the Agulhas Return Current near 40°S rather than the more continuous branch of Circumpolar flow to the south near 50°S. The two axes may combine east of Kerguelen Island. The dynamic height anomaly to the south of the main circumpolar current indicates the presence of weak baroclinic gyres in the western Weddell Basin and to the north and northeast of the Ross Sea and much meridional trend of the isopleths over the south eastern flank of the Kerguelen Plateau. North of the main circumpolar flow dynamic height anomaly also indicates weak baroclinicity, though a relatively strong axis of northward geostrophic flow occurs over the eastern flank of Campbell Plateau.
Mytilus galloprovincialis as a Bioindicator of Microbiological Pollution of Coastal Waters: A Study Conducted in the Salento Peninsula (Italy)

Abstract One of the problems dealing with traditional water-monitoring methods is the need to collect water samples at the precise moment that faecal contamination is actually present; for this reason, the use of Mytilus galloprovincialis as an indicator of previously high bacteria concentrations in coastal seawaters was examined. These molluscs are able to integrate the fluctuations in pollutants, they are good representatives of the sampling area because they are sedentary, and they offer the advantage of being resistant to pollution. The research was conducted from September 2001 to October 2002, twice a month, in two coastal areas of Salento (Apulia, Italy), near the discharge channels. We analysed both natural and cultivated mussels. The latter were placed in cages, after checking their starting level of microbiological pollution. Bacteriological analyses were conducted simultaneously on mussels and their ambient water to detect total coliforms, faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci, and Escherichia coli. The abundance of bacteria investigated was always higher within mussels than in the surrounding water where levels were sometimes undetectable. These results confirm the ability of mussels to concentrate and to retain bacteria into their tissues (recorders of present or even past microbiological pollution). Therefore, mussels can enable to detect a bacterial contamination that might be missed by standard water-monitoring methods, and we suggest they be included in routine microbiological investigations of coastal seawaters even in areas where these species aren't widely distributed.
Estimation of ice cloud parameters from ground‐based infrared radiometer and radar measurements

A technique is presented to estimate ice cloud particle characteristic sizes and concentrations as well as the integrated ice water path from simultaneous ground-based radar and infrared radiometer measurements. The approach is based on the theoretical consideration of infrared thermal radiative transfer within a cloud and can be applied to clouds that are semitransparent in the infrared “window” and horizontally extensive. The suggested technique is applied to radar and infrared radiometer data collected during the Cloud Lidar and Radar Exploratory Test (CLARET-I) experiment. Retrieved values of ice cloud microphysical parameters are in general agreement with results obtained by other methods.
A Neolithic Wetland Site at Abercynafon, Talybont, South Wales

Abstract This paper presents the results of an integrated archaeological and palaeoecological investigation following the discovery of waterlogged worked-wood in a small boggy hollow on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons in south Wales. Analysis of the pollen, radiocarbon and dendrochronological evidence suggests the main phase of activity at the site involved local clearance of the primary oak forest in the early 3rd millennium BC. Later activity at the site is indicated by dates in the mid 1st millennium AD along with two pewter bowls of known Roman form. A tree-ring chronology spans the period 3098–2730BC. Neolithic woodworking techniques are examined from what was for the most part debris from the processing of large trees. Possible parallels for the site are discussed and suggestions made for its use.