Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using fMRI Brain Activation to Identify Cognitive States Associated with Perception of Tools and Dwellings

Previous studies have succeeded in identifying the cognitive state corresponding to the perception of a set of depicted categories, such as tools, by analyzing the accompanying pattern of brain activity, measured with fMRI. The current research focused on identifying the cognitive state associated with a 4s viewing of an individual line drawing (1 of 10 familiar objects, 5 tools and 5 dwellings, such as a hammer or a castle). Here we demonstrate the ability to reliably (1) identify which of the 10 drawings a participant was viewing, based on that participant's characteristic whole-brain neural activation patterns, excluding visual areas; (2) identify the category of the object with even higher accuracy, based on that participant's activation; and (3) identify, for the first time, both individual objects and the category of the object the participant was viewing, based only on other participants' activation patterns. The voxels important for category identification were located similarly across participants, and distributed throughout the cortex, focused in ventral temporal perceptual areas but also including more frontal association areas (and somewhat left-lateralized). These findings indicate the presence of stable, distributed, communal, and identifiable neural states corresponding to object concepts.
Analysis of the phenology of global vegetation using meteorological satellite data

Coarse spatial resolution, high temporal frequency satellite data from the NOAA/AVHRR system are presented to demonstrate their utility for monitoring vegetation seasonal dynamics. The techniques for processing and analysing the data are outlined and examples are given for selected applications at a range of scales. Normalized difference vegetation index images are presented for the entire globe and for the continents of Africa, South America and south-east Asia, with descriptions of the seasonal dynamics of major vegetation formations as portrayed by the transformed AVHRR data. Monitoring of forest clearance in Brazil, the productivity of African grasslands, Indian tropical forest and Chinese agriculture are selected for discussion. The paper concludes that coarse-resolution satellite data provide a valuable tool for vegetation mapping and monitoring at regional and global scales.
Poly(I:C) stimulation is superior than Imiquimod to induce the antitumoral functional profile of tumor‐conditioned macrophages

Macrophage plasticity is the ability of mononuclear phagocytes to change phenotype, function, and genetic reprogramming upon encounter of specific local stimuli. In the tumor microenvironment, Tumor‐Associated Macrophages (TAMs) acquire an immune‐suppressive and tumor‐promoting phenotype. With the aim to re‐educate TAMs to antitumor effectors, in this study, we used two immunestimulatory compounds: the TLR7 agonist Imiquimod (IMQ) and the TLR3 agonist Poly(I:C). To better mimic in vitro the response of TAMs, we used Tumor‐Conditioned Macrophages (TC‐Mϕ) differentiated in the presence of tumor cell supernatants. Our results show that TC‐Mϕ respond differently from conventional M2‐polarized macrophages. Upon stimulation with IMQ, TC‐Mϕ did not upregulate major histocompatibility complex (MHC II) molecules and unexpectedly expressed increased CD206. With both compounds, TC‐Mϕ produced higher levels of inflammatory cytokines than M2 macrophages. IMQ and Poly(I:C) differed in the types of regulated genes and secreted mediators. Reflecting their signaling pathways, only IMQ significantly induced IL‐1β and IL‐6, while only Poly(I:C) stimulated CXCL10, and both upregulated CCL5. Of note, using a novel cytotoxicity assay, Poly(I:C), but not IMQ, was effective in triggering the cytotoxic activity of TC‐Mϕ against cancer cells. Overall, the results demonstrate that Poly(I:C) stimulation of TC‐Mϕ is superior than IMQ in terms of macrophage re‐education toward antitumor effectors.
Role of a low‐viscosity zone in stabilizing plate tectonics: Implications for comparative terrestrial planetology

Earth's near‐surface layer, its lithosphere, is broken into quasi‐rigid plates that form the upper thermal boundary layer for mantle convection. Since the discovery of plate tectonics, it has been widely conjectured but only recently demonstrated that this peculiar style of convection may be facilitated by an upper mantle low viscosity zone (LVZ) over which the plates glide easily. The LVZ, or “asthenosphere,” concept dates from 19th century investigations of isostatic support of mountain belts and is supported by modern evidence for a seismic low velocity zone and by studies of postglacial rebound and dynamic compensation of the Earth's gravity field. Here we show in both two‐dimensional (2‐D) Cartesian and 3‐D spherical Earth models that combining a pronounced LVZ and a plastic yield stress to allow localized weakening of the cold thermal boundary layer results in a distinctly plate tectonic style of convection, with ∼30% toroidal surface motion for the 3‐D case. Recycling of water into the upper mantle at subduction zones is a plausible cause of Earth's LVZ, whereas Venus is dry and lacks both an LVZ and plate tectonics.
Mantle transition zone thickness beneath Ross Island, the Transantarctic Mountains, and East Antarctica

The thickness of the mantle transition zone beneath Ross Island, and parts of the Transantarctic Mountains and East Antarctic Craton has been mapped using data from the 2000–2003 Transantarctic Mountain Seismic Experiment to determine if, as indicated by some tomographic images, an upper mantle thermal anomaly centered beneath Ross Island is a deep‐seated feature extending into the mantle transition zone. Some 2700 receiver functions have been stacked using a 3D velocity model, revealing Ps conversions from the mantle transition zone discontinuities at depths of 410 and 660 km. Results yield an average nearly uniform transition zone thickness (266 ± 10 km) that is slightly larger than the global average, implying that the upper mantle thermal anomaly does not likely extend into the transition zone. This finding favors explanations for the upper mantle thermal anomaly invoking a plume head or small‐scale convection.
Modeling mineral dust emissions from the Sahara desert using new surface properties and soil database

[1] The present study investigates the mineral dust emissions and the occurrence of dust emission events over the Sahara desert from 1996 to 2001. Mineral dust emissions are simulated over a region extending from 16°N to 38°N and from 19°W to 40°E with a 1/4° × 1/4° spatial resolution. The input parameters required by the dust emission model are surface features data (aerodynamic roughness length, dry soil size distribution and texture for erodible soils), and meteorological surface data (mainly surface wind velocity and soil moisture). A map of the aerodynamic roughness lengths is established based on a composition of protrusion coefficients derived from the POLDER-1 surface products. Soil dry size distribution and texture are derived from measurements performed on soil samples from desert areas, and from a soil map derived from a geomorphologic analysis of desert landscapes. Surface re-analyzed meteorological databases (ERA-40) of the European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are used. The influence of soil moisture on simulated dust emissions is quantified. The main Saharan dust sources identified during the 6-year simulated period are in agreement with the previous studies based on in situ or satellite observations. The relevance of the simulated large dust sources and point sources ("hot spots") is tested using aerosol indexes derived from satellite observations (TOMS Absorbing Aerosol Index and Infrared Dust Difference Index Meteosat). The Saharan dust emissions simulated from 1996 to 2001 range from 585 to 759 Tg a -1 . The simulations show marked seasonal cycles with a maximum in summer for the western Sahara and in spring for the eastern Sahara. The interannual variability of dust emissions is pronounced in the eastern part of the Sahara while the emissions from the western Sahara are more regular over the studied period. The soil moisture does not noticeably affect the Saharan dust emissions, their seasonal cycle or their interannual variability, but it can partly control and limit the dust emissions in some parts of the northern desert margin, where the precipitation rates are higher. Our simulations also tend to confirm that the Sahara is the major terrestrial source of mineral dust.
Effectiveness of Mobile Health Interventions on Diabetes and Obesity Treatment and Management: Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews

Background Diabetes and obesity have become epidemics and costly chronic diseases. The impact of mobile health (mHealth) interventions on diabetes and obesity management is promising; however, studies showed varied results in the efficacy of mHealth interventions. Objective This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth interventions for diabetes and obesity treatment and management on the basis of evidence reported in reviews and meta-analyses and to provide recommendations for future interventions and research. Methods We systematically searched the PubMed, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, and Cochrane databases for systematic reviews published between January 1, 2005, and October 1, 2019. We analyzed 17 reviews, which assessed 55,604 original intervention studies, that met the inclusion criteria. Of those, 6 reviews were included in our meta-analysis. Results The reviews primarily focused on the use of mobile apps and text messaging and the self-monitoring and management function of mHealth programs in patients with diabetes and obesity. All reviews examined changes in biomarkers, and some reviews assessed treatment adherence (n=7) and health behaviors (n=9). Although the effectiveness of mHealth interventions varied widely by study, all reviews concluded that mHealth was a feasible option and had the potential for improving patient health when compared with standard care, especially for glycemic control (−0.3% to −0.5% greater reduction in hemoglobin A1c) and weight reduction (−1.0 kg to −2.4 kg body weight). Overall, the existing 6 meta-analysis studies showed pooled favorable effects of these mHealth interventions (−0.79, 95% CI −1.17 to −0.42; I2=90.5). Conclusions mHealth interventions are promising, but there is limited evidence about their effectiveness in glycemic control and weight reduction. Future research to develop evidence-based mHealth strategies should use valid measures and rigorous study designs. To enhance the effectiveness of mHealth interventions, future studies are warranted for the optimal formats and the frequency of contacting patients, better tailoring of messages, and enhancing usability, which places a greater emphasis on maintaining effectiveness over time.
The wrinkle‐like slip pulse is not important in earthquake dynamics

A particular solution for slip on an interface between different elastic materials, the wrinkle‐like slip pulse, propagates in only one direction with reduced normal compressive stress. More general solutions, and natural earthquakes, need not share those properties. In a 3D dynamic model with a drop in friction and heterogeneous initial stress, the wrinkle‐like slip pulse is only a small part of the solution. Rupture propagation is determined primarily by the potential stress drop, not by the wrinkle‐like slip pulse. A 2D calculation with much finer resolution shows that energy loss to friction might not be significantly reduced in the wrinkle‐like slip pulse.
Do Climate Models Capture the Tropical Influences on North Pacific Sea Surface Temperature Variability

AbstractThis study evaluates the ability of global climate models to reproduce observed tropical influences on North Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature variability. In an ensemble of climate models, the study finds that the simulated North Pacific response to El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forcing is systematically delayed relative to the observed response because of winter and spring mixed layers in the North Pacific that are too deep and air–sea feedbacks that are too weak. Model biases in mixed layer depth and air–sea feedbacks are also associated with a model mean ENSO-related signal in the North Pacific whose amplitude is overestimated by about 30%. The study also shows that simulated North Pacific variability has more power at lower frequencies than is observed because of model errors originating in the tropics and extratropics. Implications of these results for predictions on seasonal, decadal, and longer time scales are discussed.
Simulating soil‐water movement under a hedgerow surrounding a bottomland reveals the importance of transpiration in water balance

The objective of this study was to quantify components of the water balance related to root‐water uptake in the soil below a hedgerow. At this local scale, a two‐dimensional (2D) flow domain in the x–z plane 6 m long and 1·55 m deep was considered. An attempt was made to estimate transpiration using a simulation model. The SWMS‐2D model was modified and used to simulate temporally and spatially heterogeneous boundary conditions. A function with a variable spatial distribution of root‐water uptake was considered, and model calibration was performed by adjusting this root‐water uptake distribution. Observed data from a previous field study were compared against model predictions. During the validation step, satisfactory agreement was obtained, as the difference between observed and modelled pressure head values was less than 50 cm for 80% of the study data. Hedge transpiration capacity is a significant component of soil‐water balance in the summer, when predicted transpiration reaches about 5·6 mm day−1. One of the most important findings is that hedge transpiration is nearly twice that of a forest canopy. In addition, soil‐water content is significantly different whether downslope or upslope depending on the root‐water uptake. The high transpiration rate was mainly due to the presence of a shallow water table below the hedgerow trees. Soil‐water content was not a limiting factor for transpiration in this context, as it could be in one with a much deeper water table. Hedgerow tree transpiration exerts a strong impact not only on water content within the vadose zone but also on the water‐table profile along the transect. Results obtained at the local scale reveal that the global impact of hedges at the catchment scale has been underestimated in the past. Transpiration rate exerts a major influence on water balance at both the seasonal and annual scales for watersheds with a dense network of hedgerows. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exhumation of the Dayman dome metamorphic core complex, eastern Papua New Guinea

The ∼750 km2 Dayman dome of the Late Cretaceous Suckling‐Dayman massif, eastern Papua New Guinea, is a domed landform that rises to an elevation of 2850 m. The northern edge of the dome is a fault scarp >1000 m high that is now part of an active microplate boundary separating continental crust of the New Guinea highlands from continental and oceanic crust of the Woodlark microplate. Previous work has shown that a parallel belt of eclogite‐bearing core complexes north‐east of the Dayman dome were exhumed from up to 24–28 kbar in the last few millions of years. The remarkably fresh and lightly eroded scarp of the Dayman dome exposes shallowly‐dipping mylonitic (S1) metabasite rocks (500 m thick) on the northern flank of Mount Dayman. Field relationships near the base of this scarp show a cross cutting suite of ductile and brittle meso‐structures that includes: (i) rare ductile S2 folia with a shallowly ESE‐plunging mineral elongation lineation defined by sodic‐calcic blue amphibole; (ii) narrow steeply‐dipping ductile D2 shear zones; and (iii) semi‐brittle to brittle fault zones. Pumpellyite‐actinolite facies assemblages reported by previous workers to contain local aragonite, lawsonite and/or glaucophane are found in the core of the complex at elevations greater than 2000 m. These assemblages indicate peak metamorphic pressures of 6–9.5 kbar, demonstrating exhumation of the core of the Dayman dome from depths of 20–30 km. The S1 metamorphic mineral assemblage in metabasite includes actinolite‐chlorite‐epidote‐albite‐quartz‐calcite‐titanite, indicative of greenschist facies conditions for the main deformation. New mineral equilibria modelling suggests that this S1 assemblage evolved at 5.9–7.2 kbar at ∼425 °C. Modelling variable Fe3+ indicates that the sodic‐calcic blue amphibole (D2) formed under a higher oxidation state compared with the S1 assemblage, probably at <4.5 kbar. A SE‐dipping, Mio‐Pliocene sedimentary sequence (Gwoira Conglomerate) forms a hangingwall block juxtaposed by low‐angle fault contact with the metabasite footwall. Prehnite‐bearing D3 brittle fault zones separate the two blocks and likely accommodated the final exhumation of the S1 greenschist facies assemblage in the footwall. These results indicate that the extensive Mt Dayman fault surface coincides with a domed S1 greenschist facies foliation that was last active at >20 km depth. Exhumation of this foliation must therefore be controlled by brittle faults of the active microplate boundary that are largely not observed in the study area. The structural record of the final exhumation of the Dayman dome to the surface was likely lost as a result of erosion, poor exposure or wide spacing of semi‐brittle to brittle fault zones.
Geochemical evaluation of the hydrocarbon prospects of sedimentary basins in Northern Nigeria

Sedimentary basins of Northern Nigeria comprise the Middle and Upper Benue Trough, the southeastern sector of the Chad Basin, the Mid-Niger (Bida) Basin, and the Sokoto Basin. Organic geochemical and organic petrologic studies indicate the existence of potential source rocks in the Benue Trough and the Chad Basin, with coal beds constituting major potential source rocks in the whole of the Benue Trough. The generation and production of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons from coal beds presently is world-wide indisputable. Although TOC values and liptinite contents are relatively high in the Mid-Niger (Bida) Basin, Tmax values and biomarker data show that hydrocarbons are probably just being generated in the basin and may not yet have been expelled nor migrated in large quantities.
Dating the Euro Area Business Cycle

In this Paper we compare alternative approaches for dating the euro area business cycle and analysing its characteristics. First, we extend a commonly used dating procedure to allow for length, size and amplitude restrictions, and to compute the probability of a phase change. Second, we apply the modified algorithm for dating both the classical euro area cycle and the deviation cycle, where the latter is obtained by a variety of methods, including a modified HP filter that reproduces the features of the BK filter but avoids end-point problems, and a production function based approach. Third, we repeat the dating exercise for the main euro area countries, evaluate the degree of synchronization, and compare the results with the UK and the US. Fourth, we construct indices of business cycle diffusion, and assess how widespread are cyclical movements throughout the economy. Finally we repeat the dating exercise using monthly industrial production data, to evaluate whether the higher sampling frequency can compensate the higher variability of the series and produce a more accurate dating.
Rethinking the “Diseases of Affluence” Paradigm: Global Patterns of Nutritional Risks in Relation to Economic Development

Background Cardiovascular diseases and their nutritional risk factors—including overweight and obesity, elevated blood pressure, and cholesterol—are among the leading causes of global mortality and morbidity, and have been predicted to rise with economic development. Methods and Findings We examined age-standardized mean population levels of body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol in relation to national income, food share of household expenditure, and urbanization in a cross-country analysis. Data were from a total of over 100 countries and were obtained from systematic reviews of published literature, and from national and international health agencies. BMI and cholesterol increased rapidly in relation to national income, then flattened, and eventually declined. BMI increased most rapidly until an income of about I$5,000 (international dollars) and peaked at about I$12,500 for females and I$17,000 for males. Cholesterol's point of inflection and peak were at higher income levels than those of BMI (about I$8,000 and I$18,000, respectively). There was an inverse relationship between BMI/cholesterol and the food share of household expenditure, and a positive relationship with proportion of population in urban areas. Mean population blood pressure was not correlated or only weakly correlated with the economic factors considered, or with cholesterol and BMI. Conclusions When considered together with evidence on shifts in income–risk relationships within developed countries, the results indicate that cardiovascular disease risks are expected to systematically shift to low-income and middle-income countries and, together with the persistent burden of infectious diseases, further increase global health inequalities. Preventing obesity should be a priority from early stages of economic development, accompanied by population-level and personal interventions for blood pressure and cholesterol.
Seawater composition during deposition of Viséan evaporites in the Moncton Subbasin of New Brunswick as inferred from the fluid inclusion study of halite

The Visean evaporites of the Windsor Group in the Moncton Subbasin at the western limit of the Maritimes Basin of eastern Canada represent an important stratigraphic sequence to study in determining changes in the chemistry of marine brines. Seventeen samples of halite have been selected for fluid inclusion study. The chemical composition of inclusion brines was examined using the Petrichenko method of glass capillaries with applied ultramicroanalytical techniques. The results of the study indicate that the conditions of evaporite deposition in the Windsor Basin differed from those recorded in other Phanerozoic basins and that the history of the Windsor Basin brines was characterized by changes in the chemical composition of the brines. It was also found that there existed continual unfavourable conditions for the day-and-night zonality in chevron halite crystals and for the origin of relatively large (>50 µm) fluid inclusions and that the gas content was low not only during the deposition but also during.
Method for prediction of attenuation on earth-space links based on radar measurements of the physical structure of rainfall

A new method for prediction of attenuation on earth-space links is presented, which is more rigorous in relation to modelling the physical characteristics of rainstorms than previously published techniques. It is also more accurate in providing attenuation predictions for the European region than all other published methods. The method has been derived nonempirically, based entirely on the structure of storms as observed on a dual-polarisation radar and interpreted using scattering theory.