Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Littoral Sediment From Rivers: Patterns, Rates and Processes of River Mouth Morphodynamics

Rivers provide important sediment inputs to many littoral cells, thereby replenishing sand and gravel of beaches around the world. However, there is limited information about the patterns and processes of littoral-grade sediment transfer from rivers into coastal systems. Here I address these information gaps by examining topographic and bathymetric data of river mouths and constructing sediment budgets to characterize time-dependent patterns of onshore, offshore, and alongshore transport. Two river deltas, which differ in their morphology, were used in this study: the Elwha River, Washington, which builds a mixed sediment Gilbert-style delta, and the Santa Clara River, California, which builds a cross-shore dispersed sand delta from hyperpycnal flows. During and after sediment discharge events, both systems exhibited a similar evolution composed of three phases: (i) submarine delta growth during offshore transport of river sediment, (ii) onshore-dominated transport from the submarine delta to a subaerial river mouth berm, and (iii) longshore-dominated transport away from the river mouth following subaerial berm development. Although stage (ii) occurred within days to weeks for the systems studied and was associated with the greatest rates of net erosion and deposition, onshore transport of sediment from submarine deposit to the beach persisted for years following the river discharge event. These morphodynamics were similar to simple equilibrium profile concepts that were modified with an onshore-dominated cross-shore transport rule. Additionally, both study sites revealed that littoral-grade sediment was initially exported to depths beyond the active littoral cell (i.e., below the depth of closure) during the stage (i). Following several years of reworking by coastal processes, bathymetric surveys suggested that 14 and 46% of the original volume of littoral-grade sediment discharged by the Santa Clara and Elwha Rivers, respectively, continued to be below the depth of closure. Combined, this suggests that integration of river sediment into a littoral cell can be a multi-year process and that the full volume of littoral-grade sediment discharged by small rivers may not be integrated into littoral cells because of sand and gravel “losses” to the continental shelf.
Continuous Blood Pressure Estimation From Electrocardiogram and Photoplethysmogram During Arrhythmias

Objective Continuous blood pressure (BP) provides valuable information for the disease management of patients with arrhythmias. The traditional intra-arterial method is too invasive for routine healthcare settings, whereas cuff-based devices are inferior in reliability and comfortable for long-term BP monitoring during arrhythmias. The study aimed to investigate an indirect method for continuous and cuff-less BP estimation based on electrocardiogram (ECG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals during arrhythmias and to test its reliability for the determination of BP using invasive BP (IBP) as reference. Methods Thirty-five clinically stable patients (15 with ventricular arrhythmias and 20 with supraventricular arrhythmias) who had undergone radiofrequency ablation were enrolled in this study. Their ECG, PPG, and femoral arterial IBP signals were simultaneously recorded with a multi-parameter monitoring system. Fifteen features that have the potential ability in indicating beat-to-beat BP changes during arrhythmias were extracted from the ECG and PPG signals. Four machine learning algorithms, decision tree regression (DTR), support vector machine regression (SVR), adaptive boosting regression (AdaboostR), and random forest regression (RFR), were then implemented to develop the BP models. Results The results showed that the mean value ± standard deviation of root mean square error for the estimated systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP) with the RFR model against the reference in all patients were 5.87 ± 3.13 and 3.52 ± 1.38 mmHg, respectively, which achieved the best performance among all the models. Furthermore, the mean error ± standard deviation of error between the estimated SBP and DBP with the RFR model against the reference in all patients were −0.04 ± 6.11 and 0.11 ± 3.62 mmHg, respectively, which complied with the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and the British Hypertension Society (Grade A) standards. Conclusion The results indicated that the utilization of ECG and PPG signals has the potential to enable cuff-less and continuous BP estimation in an indirect way for patients with arrhythmias.
Characteristics of Children’s Media Use and Gains in Language and Literacy Skills

Media use could be detrimental to children’s language and literacy skills because it may displace other language-enhancing activities like shared reading and caregiver-child interactions. Furthermore, the extent to which children use media with adults (joint media engagement), the extent to which they use interactive media (apps/games), and the time of the day and week during which media use occurs may attenuate any negative effects. The current study examines the relation between characteristics of children’s media use and gains in first graders’ language and literacy skills. Children (N = 488) completed direct assessments of language and literacy skills in the spring of kindergarten and the spring of first grade. Parents reported how many hours children used both interactive and non-interactive media during different times of the day on the most recent weekday and weekend day and responded to items about the extent to which they engage with their children during media use. A quadratic relationship between media use and language gains showed that a moderate amount of media use was related to larger language gains, whereas high use was related to smaller gains. For literacy, an interaction between media use and joint media engagement showed a small negative effect of media use at low levels of joint media engagement and little to no relation between media use and literacy gains at higher levels of joint media engagement. Children’s language and literacy skills were not predicted by either the proportion of media time that was spent with apps/games or morning and weekday media use. These results show that moderate amounts of media use may not be a negative influence on children’s developing language skills, whereas high levels may displace other language-enhancing activities. Additionally, joint media engagement may play an important buffering role in the relation between media use and early literacy skills, aligned with current recommendations encouraging co-viewing.
The Most Cited Original Articles in Brain Imaging of Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Bibliometric Analysis Between 1984 and 2019

Objective: Brain imaging is important in diagnosing children with cerebral palsy (CP) and in identifying its etiology. To provide study navigation in this field, a bibliometric analysis was conducted by analyzing the most highly cited articles. Methods: The Web of Science All Databases were used for literature search in this study. All original articles on imaging in children with CP were searched. Two reviewers screened the search results independently and eliminated articles based on exclusion criteria such as participants over 20 years old, topics referring to images outside of the brain, or trauma. According to descending order of yearly citation counts, the top 25% of all included articles were considered as highly cited articles. Information such as yearly citations, research purposes, imaging modalities, CP types, and study designs were recorded and analyzed. Results: A total of 50 highly cited articles ranked by yearly citations (from 23.85 to 3.33, 1991–2018) were included in this study. Considering different research purposes, these studies were classified into three categories: diagnosis studies (n = 25; 1991–2017, median: 2011), mechanism studies (n = 15; 1999–2018; median: 2014), and prognosis and therapeutic effect studies (n = 10; 2008–2017; median: 2014.5). First, for diagnosis studies, 22 studies used single modality and three used multi-modalities; the majority of these studies focused on diagnostic value evaluation (n = 10) and image performance (n = 12) of a single type of CP (n = 15) by using descriptive (n = 14) or cross-sectional approaches (n = 10). Second, for mechanism studies, the ratio between single and multi-modality was 8:7; most of these studies concentrated on a single subtype of spastic CP (hemiplegia = 10, quadriplegia = 2) with a cross-sectional study design (n = 10). Third, regarding the prognosis and therapeutic effect studies, the single vs. multi-modality ratio was 5:5, and these studies were dedicated to the efficiency of constraint-induced movement therapy in children with hemiplegia; paired design trials (n = 6) and randomized controlled trials (n = 2) were used more frequently. Conclusion: Studies using multi-modality and high-level evidence-based design to provide information regarding mechanism, prognosis, and therapeutic efficacy may be the potential future research direction in the field of CP research.
Stroking a Real Horse Versus Stroking a Toy Horse: Effects on the Frontopolar Area of the Human Brain

ABSTRACT The effects of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on human cerebral activity are not clearly understood, although many studies have reported psychological and physiotherapeutic benefits associated with it. Any benefits of AAT are likely to be closely related to brain activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of stroking a horse on brain activity in humans, specifically the frontopolar area, to evaluate the significance of using real animals in AAT. In a randomized cross-over trial, 30 healthy adults saw and stroked a stuffed toy (Session T) followed by a miniature horse (Session A), or vice versa. Participants saw and stroked the object (the stuffed toy or the real animal) for 10 minutes, followed by seeing and stroking another object (the real animal or the stuffed toy) for 10 minutes, with 20 minutes for measurements and resting. We measured changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in the frontopolar area using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Three-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare oxy-Hb changes between the object used (stuffed toy versus real animal), contact method (see versus stroke), and laterality (left versus right). Oxy-Hb changes were larger in the right frontopolar area compared with those in the left frontopolar area when participants stroked a real horse (p < 0.05). Binominal tests showed that, in participants who reported that they “loved horses,” the laterality of oxy-Hb changes when participants stroked a real horse was significant (p = 0.031), but this was not seen in those who reported that they only “kind of liked” horses. These findings suggest that stroking a real horse activates the right frontopolar area, but this effect is not achieved when stroking a stuffed toy. Using horses in AAT that aims to activate human brain activity could be useful.
The effect of weeds on soil arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and agronomic traits in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under organic management in Canada

Kubota, H. , Quideau, S. A. , Hucl, P. J. and Spaner, D. M. 2015. The effect of weeds on soil arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and agronomic traits in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under organic management in Canada. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 615-627. Understanding the influence of weeds in agroecosystems may aid in developing efficient and sustainable organic wheat production systems. We examined the effect of weeds on soil microbial communities and the performance of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under organic management in Edmonton, AB, Canada. We grew 13 Canadian spring wheat cultivars in organically managed hand-weeded less-weedy and weedy treatments in 2010 and 2011. The less-weedy treatment exhibited greater grain yield and tillers per square meter, while kernel weight, test weight, days to maturity, plant height, grain P and protein content were not altered by weed treatment. Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat cultivars CDC Go and CDC Kernen were the most yield-stable because they minimized fertile tiller reduction in response to weed pressure (10 and 13% reduction, respectively, compared with the average reduction of 20%). Other cultivars exhibited yield stability through increased kernel weight. The contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to the total phospholipid fatty acid increased in both treatments; however, the rate of this increase was greater in the weedy treatment than the less-weedy treatment (from 2.9 to 3.9%, from 2.8 to 3.1%, respectively). Weed dry biomass was positively correlated with AMF% in the less-weedy treatment only. Organic systems tend to be weedier than conventional systems. We found that weeds are important determinants of AMF proliferation in soil. In addition, choosing wheat cultivars that maintain important yield components under severe weed stress is one strategy to maximize yields in organic systems.
Dissociable Effects of Monetary, Liquid, and Social Incentives on Motivation and Cognitive Control

Humans are social creatures and, as such, can be motivated by aspects of social life (e.g., approval from others) to guide decision-making in everyday contexts. Indeed, a common view is that people may have stronger orientation toward social goals or incentives relative to other incentive modalities, such as food or money. However, current studies have only rarely addressed how social incentives compare to other types of rewards in motivating goal-directed behavior. The current study tested this claim; across two separate experiments, the effects of liquid and social incentives were compared in terms of their subsequent impact on task performance and self-reported affect and motivation. Critically, valenced social incentives offered both ecological validity (short video clips—Experiment 1) and continuity with prior stimuli used in the social reward and motivation literature (static images—Experiment 2) when examining their effect on behavior. Across both studies, the results replicate and extend prior work, demonstrating robust effects of liquid incentives on task performance and self-reported affect and motivation, while also supporting an interpretation of weaker motivational and affective effects for social incentives. These patterns of results highlight the complex and wide-ranging effects of social incentives and call into question the effectiveness of social incentives, relative to other incentive modalities, in motivating behavior.
Blood Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio Is Associated With Cerebral Large-Artery Atherosclerosis but Not With Cerebral Small-Vessel Disease

Background and Objective: The blood neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of peripheral inflammation, with a high NLR associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and poor prognosis in ischemic stroke. However, few data are available on the differential impact of the blood NLR on different silent cerebral vascular pathologies, including cerebral large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) and cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD), in neurologically healthy individuals. Methods: We evaluated cardiovascular risk factors, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and MR angiography of 950 individuals without any neurological diseases. The study participants were divided into three groups according to NLR tertile (low, middle, and high). The presences of extracranial (EC) and intracranial (IC) atherosclerosis were considered to indicate LAA on brain MR angiography. The presences of silent lacunar infarction (SLI) and cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) were analyzed as indices of CSVD on brain MRI. Results: In univariate analysis, the high NLR tertile group showed a high prevalence of old age, hyperlipidemia, and renal dysfunction and higher fasting glucose. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that indices of LAA (EC atherosclerosis [odds ratio: 1.88; 95% confidence interval: 1.14–3.09; p = 0.01] and IC atherosclerosis [odds ratio: 1.87; 95% confidence interval: 1.15–3.06; p = 0.01]) were more prevalent in the highest NLR tertile group than in the lowest NLR tertile group after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. However, no significant differences were found in the prevalence of CSVD indices (SLI and WMHs) among the three NLR tertile groups. Conclusions: A high NLR is associated with the development of cerebral LAA but not CSVD.
Genome-Wide Association Study of Wood Anatomical and Morphological Traits in Populus trichocarpa

To understand the genetic mechanisms underlying wood anatomical and morphological traits in Populus trichocarpa, we used 869 unrelated genotypes from a common garden in Clatskanie, Oregon that were previously collected from across the distribution range in western North America. Using GEMMA mixed model analysis, we tested for the association of 25 phenotypic traits and nine multitrait combinations with 6.741 million SNPs covering the entire genome. Broad-sense trait heritabilities ranged from 0.117 to 0.477. Most traits were significantly correlated with geoclimatic variables suggesting a role of climate and geography in shaping the variation of this species. Fifty-seven SNPs from single trait GWAS and 11 SNPs from multitrait GWAS passed an FDR threshold of 0.05, leading to the identification of eight and seven nearby candidate genes, respectively. The percentage of phenotypic variance explained (PVE) by the significant SNPs for both single and multitrait GWAS ranged from 0.01% to 6.18%. To further evaluate the potential roles of candidate genes, we used a multi-omic network containing five additional data sets, including leaf and wood metabolite GWAS layers and coexpression and comethylation networks. We also performed a functional enrichment analysis on coexpression nearest neighbors for each gene model identified by the wood anatomical and morphological trait GWAS analyses. Genes affecting cell wall composition and transport related genes were enriched in wood anatomy and stomatal density trait networks. Signaling and metabolism related genes were also common in networks for stomatal density. For leaf morphology traits (leaf dry and wet weight) the networks were significantly enriched for GO terms related to photosynthetic processes as well as cellular homeostasis. The identified genes provide further insights into the genetic control of these traits, which are important determinants of the suitability and sustainability of improved genotypes for lignocellulosic biofuel production.
RskA Is a Dual Function Activator-Inhibitor That Controls SigK Activity Across Distinct Bacterial Genera

It has been previously shown that RskA, the anti-Sigma factor K of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, inhibits SigK and that mutations in RskA promote high expression of the SigK regulon. The latter observation led us to hypothesize that RskA mutations lead to loss of the anti-Sigma factor function. In this report, we used natural and artificial mutations in RskA to determine the basis of the SigK-RskA partnership. Consistent with predictions, the N-terminal cytoplasmic portion of RskA was sufficient on its own to inhibit SigK. Unexpectedly, RskA also served as an activator of SigK. This activation depended on the same N-terminal region and was enhanced by the membrane-extracellular portion of RskA. Based on this, we engineered similar truncations in a Gram-negative bacterium, namely Yersinia enterocolitica. Again, we observed that, with specific alterations of RskA, we were able to enhance SigK activity. Together these results support an alternative mechanism of anti-Sigma factor function, that we could term modulator (activator-inhibitor) in both Actinobacteria and Gram-negative bacteria, suggesting that Sigma factor activation by anti-Sigma factors could be under-recognized.
Alzheimer's disease: early alterations in brain DNA methylation at ANK1, BIN1, RHBDF2 and other loci

Here, we leverage a unique collection of 708 prospectively collected autopsied brains to assess the methylation state of the brain's DNA in relation to Alzheimer's disease (AD). We find that the level of methylation at 71 of the 415,848 interrogated CpGs is significantly associated with the burden of AD pathology, including CpGs in the ABCA7 and BIN1 regions, which harbor known AD susceptibility variants. We validate 11 of the differentially methylated regions in an independent set of 117 subjects. Further, we functionally validate these CpG associations and identify the nearby genes whose RNA expression is altered in AD: ANK1, CDH23, DIP2A, RHBDF2, RPL13, RNF34, SERPINF1 and SERPINF2 . Our analyses suggest that these DNA methylation changes may have a role in the onset of AD since (1) they are seen in presymptomatic subjects and (2) six of the validated genes connect to a known AD susceptibility gene network.
Localism at New Zealand surfing destinations: Durkheim and the social structure of communities

ABSTRACT Surfing’s popularity has seen substantial growth over the last 50 years, resulting in an increased number of surfers worldwide. With a greater number of individuals in the water, many surf breaks have become overcrowded, thus leading to management issues. At these crowded locations, some local surfers are protective and maintain ownership over a site or break through the practice of localism. Localism may produce aggressive behaviour, including verbal abuse, damage to property and violent confrontations. Previous studies on localism have mainly focused on residents’ perceptions of tourists and newcomers. To further our understanding of the relationships and social interactions between local surfers and outsiders, the following research draws on the experience of 94 foreign participants who travelled to New Zealand with a surfing tour operator. Based on a participant observation and informal interviews conducted from 2011 to 2016, this paper reflects on experiences of outsiders at seven New Zealand surfing locations. The argument draws on the neo-tribal understanding of surfing and localism in reflecting on the concepts of masculinity and intersectionality, as well as in exploring Durkheim’s theory of social organization. This paper concludes that localism is an expression of a coercive social structure belonging to the global, yet heterogeneous, surf community.
A Dynamic Network Model of Interbank Lending — Systemic Risk and Liquidity Provisioning

We develop a dynamic model of interbank borrowing and lending activities in which banks are organized into clusters, and adjust their monetary reserve levels to meet prescribed capital requirements. Each bank has its own initial monetary reserve level and faces idiosyncratic risks characterized by an independent Brownian motion, whereas system wide, the banks form a hierarchical structure of clusters. We model the interbank transactional dynamics through a set of interacting measure-valued processes. Each individual process describes the intracluster borrowing/lending activities, and the interactions among the processes capture the intercluster financial transactions. We establish the weak limit of the interacting measure-valued processes as the number of banks in the system grows large. We then use the weak limit to develop asymptotic approximations of two proposed macromeasures (the liquidity stress index and the concentration index), both capturing the dynamics of systemic risk. We use numerical examples to illustrate the applications of the asymptotics and conduct-related sensitivity analysis with respect to various indicators of financial activity.