Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating the sensitivity of regional dust sources to sea surface temperature patterns

Exploring the impact of sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly patterns on local climate in major dust source regions helps clarify our understanding of variability in the global dust cycle. In contrast to previous work, this research focuses explicitly on the influence of SST anomalies on dust emissions and attempts to explain the mechanisms by which SST anomalies affect seasonal dust emissions. This study investigates the seasonal sensitivity of mineral aerosol emissions to SST anomaly patterns from the Bodele Depression, West Africa, Sahel, Kalahari Desert, Arabian Desert, and Lake Eyre basin. The global teleconnection operator, which relates regional climate responses to SST anomaly patterns, is estimated for relevant variables in an ensemble of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model version 5 forced by randomly perturbed climatological SST fields. Variability in dust emissions from major dust sources is linked to tropical SST anomalies, particularly in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Teleconnections excited by remote SST anomalies typically impact dust emissions via changes in near‐surface wind speeds and friction velocity. However, SST‐driven impacts on the threshold friction velocity can be of the same order of magnitude as changes in the friction velocity, suggesting the impact of SST anomalies on precipitation and soil moisture is also significant. Identifying SST anomaly patterns as a component of internal variability in regional dust emissions helps characterize human influences on the dust cycle as well as improve predictions of climate, nutrient cycles, and human environments.
Don’t Try to Meditate- Potential Effects on Neural Activity and Connectivity of Psilocybin-Assisted Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Social Anxiety Disorder: A systematic review systematic

Background Current first-line treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD), one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders, is limited in its efficacy. Hence, novel treatment approaches are urgently needed. The current review suggests a combination of meditation-based interventions and the administration of a psychedelic as a future alternative treatment approach. While both separate treatments show promise in the treatment of (other) clinical conditions, their combination has not yet been investigated in the treatment of psychopathologies. With a systematic literature review, we aim to identify the potential mechanisms by which combined psilocybin and mindfulness treatment could adjust anomalous neural activity underlying SAD and exert therapeutic effects. Results Thirty experimental studies investigating the neural effects of meditation or psilocybin treatment in healthy and patient samples were included. Findings suggest that psilocybin-assisted meditation interventions might change cognitive processes like biased attention to threat linked to SAD by modulating connectivity of the salience network, balancing the activity and connectivity of cortical-midline structures, and increasing frontoparietal control over amygdala reactivity. Conclusions Future studies should investigate whether psilocybin-assisted mindfulness-based intervention can provide therapeutic benefits to SAD patients who are do not remit following conventional therapy. ―Mindfulness reduction (MBSR) were compared to an active control condition receiving a health enhancement program (HEP). The findings indicate increased FC between the PFC and the amygdala and decreased amygdala reactivity to positive stimuli in long-term meditators and MNP after MBSR training. It was suggested that MM training improves emotion regulation strategies, thereby downregulating emotional
Satellite chlorophyll off the British Columbia Coast, 1997–2010

We examine the spatial and temporal variability of satellite-sensed sea surface chlorophyll off the west coast of North America from 1997 to 2010, with focus on coastal British Columbia. The variability in surface chlorophyll is complex. Whereas the spring bloom generates the highest phytoplankton concentration for coastal Alaska, the north and east coasts of Haida Gwaii, Queen Charlotte Sound, the Strait of Georgia, and coastal Oregon and California, it is the fall bloom that normally generates the highest concentration for the west coast of Vancouver Island, Juan de Fuca Strait, and the west coast of Washington. The highest satellite-sensed chlorophyll concentrations occur in the Strait of Georgia, where mean values are at least 2 times higher than elsewhere in the northeast Pacific. Moreover, the annual average surface chlorophyll concentration increased significantly in the Strait of Georgia during this period, with highest concentration observed during the near neutral ENSO conditions of the spring of 2007. The next highest concentrations occur off southwest Vancouver Island but have no statistically significant trend. The lowest average peak chlorophyll concentration is observed off Southern California. The timing of the highest chlorophyll concentration is latest off the coast of Washington and earliest off the coast of Southern California. Small increasing concentration trends are observed off the Washington and California coasts.
Cell-Free Tumor DNA Dominant Clone Allele Frequency (DCAF) Is Associated With Poor Outcomes In Advanced Biliary Cancers Treated With Platinum-Based Chemotherapy

PURPOSE: This investigation sough to evaluate the prognostic value of pre-treatment ctDNA in metastatic biliary tract cancers (BTC) treated with platinum based first-line chemotherapy treatment. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 67 patients who underwent ctDNA testing before platinum-based chemotherapy for first-line treatment for metastatic BTC. For analysis we considered the detected gene with highest variant allele frequency (VAF) as the dominant clone allele frequency (DCAF). Results of ctDNA analysis were correlated with patients demographics, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The median age of patients was 67 years (27-90). 54 (80.6%) of 67 patients evaluated had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma; seven had extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and six gallbladder cancers. 46 (68.6%) of the patients were treated with cisplatin plus gemcitabine, 16.4% of patients received gemcitabine and other platinum (carboplatin or oxaliplatin) combinations while 15% of patients were treated on a clinical trial with gemcitabine and cisplatin plus additional agents (CX4945, PEGPH20 or nab-paclitaxel). TP53, KRAS, FGFR2, ARID1A, STK11 and IDH1 were the genes with highest frequency as DCAF. Median DCAF was 3% (0-97%). DCAF >3% was associated with worse OS (median OS: 10.8 vs. 18.8 months, p=0.032). Stratifying DCAF in quartiles, DCAF>10% was significantly related to worse PFS (median PFS: 3 months, p=0.014) and worse OS (median OS: 7.0 months, p=0.001). Each 1% increase in ctDNA was associated with a hazard ratio of 13.1 in OS when adjusting for subtypes, metastatic sites, size of largest tumor, age, sex, and CA19-9. CONCLUSION: DCAF at diagnosis of advanced BTC can stratify patients who have worse outcomes when treated with upfront platinum-based chemotherapy. Each increase in %ctDNA decrease survival probabilities.
Novel Radioiodinated γ-Hydroxybutyric Acid Analogues for Radiolabeling and Photolinking of High-Affinity γ-Hydroxybutyric Acid Binding Sites

γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a therapeutic drug, a drug of abuse, and an endogenous substance that binds to low- and high-affinity sites in the mammalian brain. To target the specific GHB binding sites, we have developed a 125I-labeled GHB analog and characterized its binding in rat brain homogenate and slices. Our data show that [125I]4-hydroxy-4-[4-(2-iodobenzyloxy)phenyl]butanoate ([125I]BnOPh-GHB) binds to one site in rat brain cortical membranes with low nanomolar affinity (Kd, 7 nM; Bmax, 61 pmol/mg protein). The binding is inhibited by GHB and selected analogs, but not by γ-aminobutyric acid. Autoradiography using horizontal slices from rat brain demonstrates the highest density of binding in hippocampus and cortical regions and the lowest density in the cerebellum. Altogether, the findings correlate with the labeling and brain regional distribution of high-affinity GHB sites or [3H](E,RS)-(6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5-hydroxy-5H-benzocyclohept-6-ylidene)acetic acid ([3H]NCS-382) binding sites. Using a 125I-labeled photoaffinity derivative of the new GHB ligand, we have performed denaturing protein electrophoresis and detected one major protein band with an apparent mass of 50 kDa from cortical and hippocampal membranes. [125I]BnOPh-GHB is the first reported 125I-labeled GHB radioligand and is a useful tool for in vitro studies of the specific high-affinity GHB binding sites. The related photoaffinity linker [125I]4-hydroxy-4-[4-(2-azido-5-iodobenzyloxy)phenyl]butanoate can be used as a probe for isolation of the elusive GHB binding protein.
Changes in Eurasian glaciation during the past century: glacier mass balance and ice-core evidence

Glaciers of both the Arctic and mid-latitude mountain systems within Eurasia have retreated intensively during the past century. Measured and reconstructed glacier mass balances show that glacier retreat began around the 1880s. The mean annual mass-balance value for 1880–1990 was −480 mm a−1 for glaciers with maritime climatic conditions, and −140 mm a−1 for continental glaciers. It can be concluded that warming in the Caucasus occurred during at least the last 60 years, according to the distribution of crystal sizes in an ice core from the Dzhantugan firn plateau. Temperatures measured in 1962 at 20 m on the Gregoriev ice cap, Tien Shan, were −4.2°C while in 1990 they were −2°C, a warming of 2.2°C over 28 years. Changes in the isotopic composition of glacier ice during the 20th century indicate recent and continuing warming in different regions of Eurasia. The δ 18O records reveal an enrichment at the Gregoriev ice cap during the last 50 years, while surface temperatures at the Tien Shan meteorological station have increased 0.5°C since 1930.
A dynamic model for population mapping: a methodology integrating a Monte Carlo simulation with vegetation-adjusted night-time light images

Population is attracting increasing attention as a driver of resource overexploitation, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, and other environmental challenges. Timely and accurately updating maps of population distribution are thus urgently needed. Images of night-time lights from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) have been used for years in population mapping as an alternative to human settlement distribution. The capacity of night-time light images for gridding populations, however, is compromised by the dual effects of saturation and overglow. Static models of the human settlement index (HSI), elevation-adjusted human settlement index (EAHSI), and vegetation-adjusted night-time light urban index (VANUI) have been developed to counteract these negative effects by using constant coefficients. The static models, however, retain disadvantages due to the negative effects of the high variation of socio-economic backgrounds in different study areas. In this study, we integrate Monte Carlo simulation with the above three static indices and propose the dynamic model VANUI Supported by Monte Carlo Simulation (VANUIMCS) for mapping the population of Liaoning Province, China. We assess the accuracy of the simulation using data for 60 counties and 1251 townships. The VANUIMCS improve the accuracy of population mapping, with the mean percentage errors of 19.43% at the county level and 43.19% at the township level.
Raman Profiling of Embryo Culture Medium to Identify Aneuploid and 3 Euploid Embryos 4

Objective: To develop and validate Raman metabolic footprint analysis to determine chromosome euploidy and aneuploidy in IVF embryos 26 Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Academic hospital. 28 Patient(s): Unselected assisted reproductive technology population. 29 Intervention(s): To establish the analysis protocol, spent embryo culture medium samples 30 with known genetic outcomes from 87 human embryos were collected and measured by Raman 31 spectroscopy. Individual Raman spectrum was analyzed to find biological components 32 contributing to either euploidy or aneuploidy. To validate the protocol via machine learning 33 algorithms, additional 1107 Raman spectra from 123 embryo culture medium (61 euploidy and 34 62 aneuploidy) were analyzed. Main Outcome Measure(s): Raman-based footprint profiling of spent culture media and 36 preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) analysis. 37 Results: Mean-centered Raman spectra and principal component analysis (PCA) showed 38 differences in the footprints of euploid and aneuploid embryos growing in culture medium. 39 Significant differences in Raman bands associated with small RNAs and lipids were also 40 observed. Stacking classification based on k-Nearest-Neighbor (kNN), Random Forests (RF) 41 and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) algorithms achieved an overall accuracy of 95.9% in 42 correctly assigning either euploidy or aneuploidy based on Raman spectra, which is validated 43 by PGT-A sequencing results. 44 Conclusions: This study suggests that chromosomal abnormalities in embryos should lead to 45 the changes of metabolic footprints in embryo growth medium, which can be detected by 46 Raman spectroscopy. The ploidy status of embryos was analyzed by Raman-based footprint 47 profiling of spent culture media, which is consistent with PGT-A testing performed by next- 48 generation sequencing (NGS). 49
A relationship between timing of El Niño onset and subsequent evolution

A relationship between the timing of El Niño onset and the subsequent evolution is examined, using 130‐year long time series of Niño‐3.4 index from 1871 to 2000. It is found that El Niño events can be classified into two major types: one is the onset of which is from April to June (spring type) and the other is from July to October (summer‐fall type). Here, the duration of El Niño is defined as the period when the 5‐month running mean anomaly of Niño‐3.4 index is exceeding 0.5°C. As a result, 24 El Niño events are identified, and classified into 10 spring type events and 14 summer‐fall type events. In general, spring type events grow greater in magnitude, and take the mature phase around a boreal winter and the evolution is relatively regular. On the contrary, summer‐fall type events are relatively weaker in magnitude, and have rather irregular aspects.
Using self-organizing maps to learn geometric hash functions for model-based object recognition

A major problem associated with geometric hashing and methods which have emerged from it is the nonuniform distribution of invariants over the hash space. This has two serious effects on the performance of the method. First, it can result in an inefficient storage of data which can increase recognition time. Second, given that geometric hashing is highly amenable to parallel implementation, a nonuniform distribution of data poses difficulties in tackling the load-balancing problem. Finding a "good" geometric hash function which redistributes the invariants uniformly over the hash space is not easy. Current approaches make assumptions about the statistical characteristics of the data and then use techniques from probability theory to calculate a transformation that maps the nonuniform distribution of invariants to a uniform one. In this paper, a new approach is proposed based on an elastic hash table. In contrast to existing approaches which try to redistribute the invariants over the hash bins, we proceed oppositely by distributing the hash bins over the invariants. The key idea is to associate the hash bins with the output nodes of a self-organizing feature map (SOFM) neural network which is trained using the invariants as training examples. In this way, the location of a hash bin in the space of invariants is determined by the weight vector of the node associated with the hash bin. During training, the SOFM spreads the hash bins proportionally to the distribution of invariants (i.e., more hash bins are assigned to higher density areas while less hash bins are assigned to lower density areas) and adjusts their size so that they eventually hold almost the same number of invariants. The advantage of the proposed approach is that it is a process that adapts to the invariants through learning. Hence, it makes absolutely no assumptions about the statistical characteristics of the invariants and the geometric hash function is actually computed through learning. Furthermore, SOFM's "topology preserving" property ensures that the computed geometric hash function should be well behaved. The proposed approach, was shown to perform well on both artificial and real data.
A molecular framework for proximal secondary vein branching in the Arabidopsis thaliana embryo

The establishment of a closed vascular network in foliar organs is achieved through the coordinated specification of newly recruited procambial cells, their proliferation and elongation. An important, yet poorly understood component of this process, is secondary vein branching; a mechanism employed in Arabidopsis thaliana cotyledons to extend vascular tissues throughout the organ’s surface by secondary vein formation. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanism in vein branching, we analyzed at a single-cell level the discontinuous vein network of cotyledon vascular pattern 2 (cvp2) cvp2-like 1 (cvl1). Utilizing live-cell imaging and genetic approaches we uncovered two distinct branching mechanisms during embryogenesis. Similar to wild type, distal veins in cvp2 cvl1 embryos emerged from the bifurcation of cell files contained in the midvein. However, the branching events giving rise to proximal veins are absent in this mutant. Restoration of proximal branching in cvp2 cvl1 cotyledons could be achieved by increasing OCTOPUS dosage as well as by silencing of RECEPTOR LIKE PROTEIN KINASE 2 (RPK2) expression. The RPK2-mediated restriction of proximal branching is auxin and CLE-independent. Our work defines a genetic network conferring plasticity to Arabidopsis embryos to adapt the spatial configuration of vascular tissues to organ growth.
Incidence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) In a Small Poultry in South-West,Nigeria.

Microbiological studies were carried out in a small poultry farm in a Community in South West Nigeria following a report of acute diarrhea in 6-week old broilers, catarrh and cough in the poultry attendants. Nasal swabs were collected from 25 symptomatic and 5 asymptomatic attendants. Swabs were collected from the cloacae of 100 birds with diarrhea. Twenty-five (100%) symptomatic attendants carried Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in their nostrils. Five asymptomatic attendants carried Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Ninety five (95%) cloacae swabs yielded MRSA and five (5%) yielded Lactosefermenting (LF) isolates suggestive of Escherichia coli on MacConkey agar. There was an incidence of 83.3% MRSA in the poultry attendants, and 95% in chickens in the poultry. Cross infection of MRSA seems to occur from chickens to the attendants in the poultry farm.
M-CSF-stimulated myeloid cells can convert into epithelial cells to participate in re-epithelialization and hair follicle regeneration during skin wound healing

Skin wound healing is a complex process which requires the interaction of many cell types and mediators in a highly sophisticated temporal sequence. Myeloid cells compose a significant proportion of the inflammatory cells recruited to a wound site and play important roles in clearance of damaged tissue and microorganisms. Myeloid cells have also been suggested to convert into fibro-blast-like cells and endothelial cells in participation of wound healing process. However, whether myeloid cells in wound skin can convert into epithelial cells and contribute to re-epithelialization and skin appendage regeneration is still unclear. In this study, we performed double immunofluorescent staining with antibodies for hematopoietic cells and keratinocytes as well as cell tracing technique to investigate hematopoietic cell conversion. The result show that during the healing process, some of the CD45-positive hematopoietic cells are overlapped with keratin 14, the markers of keratinocytes. Further, CD11b-positive myeloid cells seem the origin of converted epithelial cells. To confirm these results, we culture CD11b-posiitve myeloid cells from mouse splenocytes in a medium containing macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and dermal injection of these cells into the healthy skin when punch biopsy is created in mouse skin. Tracing injected labeled splenocyte-derived myeloid cells in skin, we confirm that myeloid cells able to convert into keratinocytes in repaired skin. Furthermore, our results from in vivo experiments provide new information on contribution of myeloid cells in hair follicle regeneration. In conclusion, this work highlights the myeloid cell contributions in wound repair and hair follicle regeneration in mice through conversion of M-CSF-stimulated CD11b+ myeloid cells into epithelial cells.
The genus Potentilla L. in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: distribution, morphology and taxonomy

This thesis presents the results of multivariate and cladistic analysis of the genus Potentilla as well as of SEM studies of leaves, pollen and seeds surfaces of the Baltic Potentilla taxa. In the sect. Aureae Wolf the most varying species is P. neumanniana Rchb: it can be clustered into morphs but their taxonomic rank needs further research. Since P. subarenaria Borkh. is undoubtedly a species of hybrid origin occupying a morphologically intermrdiate position between its parents, it is not justified to attempt to divide it into subtaxa. For P. neumanniana and P. crantzii (Crantz) Beck, only the chromosome number 2n=42 has been determined, which refers to the possible occurrence of apomixis. P. erecta Räusch. is represented by two subtaxa in Estonia; however, as there exist very many intermediate forms, and no ecological or distributional differences were found between them, these taxa belong to the rank of variety, not to subspecies, viz. var. erecta and var. strictissima (Zimm.) Hegi. In the sect. Rivales Wolf, P. heidenreichii Zimm. is a vaiyable taxon which can be divided into morphs, whereas P. norvegica L. is much more homogenous. Also P. canescens Bess, must belong to the sect. Rivales, not to the sect. Argenteae. It reached the Baltics in the 1950ies, and all earlier hints about its occurrence here are erraneous: in fact, P. heidenreichii was meant. P. argentea s.l. is morphologically very varyable with six varieties being identified in the material. P. impolita is not worthy of the rank of the species and should be referred to as a subspecies (or even a variety). The subgenera of the genus Potentilla were created by Wolf mostly on the basis of style morphology. However, as the pollen of all species studied appeared monomorphic (isopolar, tricolpate, exine meridionally striped), the importance of style characters seemed overestimated. This opinion is supported also by cladistic analysis according to which the subgenera were not formed as monophyletic groups, whereas most of the sections did.