Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain Network Evaluation by Functional-Guided Effective Connectivity Reinforcement Learning Method Indicates Therapeutic Effect for Tinnitus

Using functional connectivity (FC) or effective connectivity (EC) alone cannot effectively delineate brain networks based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, limiting the understanding of the mechanism of tinnitus and its treatment. Investigating brain FC is a foundational step in exploring EC. This study proposed a functionally guided EC (FGEC) method based on reinforcement learning (FGECRL) to enhance the precision of identifying EC between distinct brain regions. An actor–critic framework with an encoder–decoder model was adopted as the actor network. The encoder utilizes a transformer model; the decoder employs a bidirectional long short-term memory network with attention. An FGEC network was constructed for the enrolled participants per fMRI scan, including 65 patients with tinnitus and 28 control participants healthy at the enrollment time. After 6 months of sound therapy for tinnitus and prospective follow-up, fMRI data were acquired again and retrospectively categorized into an effective group (EG) and an ineffective group (IG) according to the treatment effect. Compared with FC and EC, the FGECRL method demonstrated better accuracy in discriminating between different groups, highlighting the advantage of FGECRL in identifying brain network features. For the FGEC network of the EG and IG per state (before and after treatment) and healthy controls, effective therapy is characterized by a similar pattern of FGEC network between patients with tinnitus after treatment and healthy controls. Deactivated information output in the motor network, somatosensory network, and medioventral occipital cortex may biologically indicate effective treatment. The maintenance of decreased EC in the primary auditory cortex may represent a failure of sound therapy, further supporting the Bayesian inference theory for tinnitus perception. The FGEC network can provide direct evidence for the mechanism of sound therapy in patients with tinnitus with distinct outcomes.
Submarine landslide and tsunami hazards offshore southern Alaska: Seismic strengthening versus rapid sedimentation

The southern Alaskan offshore margin is prone to submarine landslides and tsunami hazards due to seismically active plate boundaries and extreme sedimentation rates from glacially enhanced mountain erosion. We examine the submarine landslide potential with new shear strength measurements acquired by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 341 on the continental slope and Surveyor Fan. These data reveal lower than expected sediment strength. Contrary to other active margins where seismic strengthening enhances slope stability, the high‐sedimentation margin offshore southern Alaska behaves like a passive margin from a shear strength perspective. We interpret that seismic strengthening occurs but is offset by high sedimentation rates and overpressure. This conclusion is supported by shear strength outside of the fan that follow an active margin trend. More broadly, seismically active margins with wet‐based glaciers are susceptible to submarine landslide hazards because of the combination of high sedimentation rates and earthquake shaking.
STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN TRANSPORTASI MASSAL DI WILAYAH SUBURBAN MAKASSAR

Fenomena suburbanisasi yang terjadi di kota Makassar mendorong terciptanya pusat-pusat aktivitas baru di kawasan pinggiran dan menimbulkan berbagai masalah baru, seperti masalah transportasi. Penelitian ini menjelaskan arah perkembangan kota di wilayah suburban, karakteristik pergerakan, kondisi pelayanan angkutan massal dan menemukan strategi pengembangan transportasi angkutan massal. Proses pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui observasi lapangan dan wawancara, kemudian dianalisis menggunakan mapping analysis, deskriptif kuantitatif, komparasi dan SWOT untuk menemukan strategi pengembangan. Hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa kota berkembang ke arah Timur dan Selatan serta tidak sesuai dengan hierarki jalan. Disamping itu masyarakat suburban dominan melakukan perjalanan 5 kali dalam seminggu dengan waktu tempuh berkisar 30 menit. Pelayanan angkutan massal menggunakan bus (Bus Rapid Transit) masih rendah karena halte masih sulit dijangkau meskipun biaya penggunaannya sangat terjangkau dan memberikan kenyamanan lebih dibanding angkutan massal lainnya. Oleh karena itu diperlukan strategi pengembangan konsep transportasi yang bersifat mikro dan adaptif untuk diterapkan.
Congo Basin precipitation: Assessing seasonality, regional interactions, and sources of moisture

Precipitation in the Congo Basin was examined using a version of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model (CESM) with water tagging capability. Using regionally defined water tracers, or tags, the moisture contribution from different source regions to Congo Basin precipitation was investigated. We found that the Indian Ocean and evaporation from the Congo Basin were the dominant moisture sources and that the Atlantic Ocean was a comparatively small source of moisture. In both rainy seasons the southwestern Indian Ocean contributed about 21% of the moisture, while the recycling ratio for moisture from the Congo Basin was about 25%. Near the surface, a great deal of moisture is transported from the Atlantic into the Congo Basin, but much of this moisture is recirculated back over the Atlantic in the lower troposphere. Although the southwestern Indian Ocean is a major source of Indian Ocean moisture, it is not associated with the bulk of the variability in precipitation over the Congo Basin. In wet years, more of the precipitation in the Congo Basin is derived from Indian Ocean moisture, but the spatial distribution of the dominant sources is shifted, reflecting changes in the midtropospheric circulation over the Indian Ocean. During wet years there is increased transport of moisture from the equatorial and eastern Indian Ocean. Our results suggest that reliably capturing the linkages between the large‐scale circulation patterns over the Indian Ocean and the local circulation over the Congo Basin is critical for future projections of Congo Basin precipitation.
Diachronous Paleozoic accretion of peri-Gondwanan terranes at the Laurentian margin

Abstract In the original Wilson cycle, the northern Appalachian–Caledonide orogen resulted from the collision of two continental masses separated by a single ocean. One of these corresponds to the modern concept of Laurentia, but the colliding continent to the east has been variously subdivided into many smaller terranes and domains, including Ganderia, Avalonia and Megumia. Using published stratigraphic evidence and detrital zircon provenance data from units of known depositional age, the timing of arrival of these units at the Laurentian margin between the Early Ordovician and Early Devonian can be constrained. Several of the accreted terranes do not extend over the entire length of the orogen, with the result that the lines separating them change character along strike from terrane-bounding sutures to simple accretionary faults. The Ganderia domain consists of at least four separate terranes that share a common origin on the continental margin of Gondwana, but were separated by back-arc oceanic crust as they crossed the Iapetus Ocean and collided diachronously with the Laurentian margin.
Characteristics of Water Vapor Turbulence Profiles in Convective Boundary Layers During the Dry and Wet Seasons Over Darwin

This study explores water vapor turbulence in the convective boundary layer (CBL) using the Raman lidar observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site located at Darwin, Australia. An autocovariance technique was used to separate out the random instrument error from the atmospheric variability during time periods when the CBL is cloud‐free, quasi‐stationary, and well mixed. We identified 45 cases, comprising of 8 wet and 37 dry seasons events, over the 5‐year data record period. The dry season in Darwin is known by warm and dry sunny days, while the wet season is characterized by high humidity and monsoonal rains. The inherent variability of the latter resulted in a more limited number of cases during the wet season. Profiles of the integral scale, variance, coefficient of the structure function, and skewness were analyzed and compared with similar observations from the Raman lidar at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. The wet season shows larger median variance profiles than the dry season, while the median profile of the variance from the dry season and the SGP site are found to be more comparable particularly between 0.4 and 0.75 zi. The variance and coefficient of the structure function show qualitatively the same vertical pattern. Furthermore, deeper CBL, larger gradient of water vapor mixing ratio at zi, and the strong correlation with the water vapor variance at zi are seen during the dry season. The median value in the skewness is mostly positive below 0.6 zi unlike the SGP site.
Fracture hydromechanical response measured by fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing at milliHertz frequencies

A new method of measuring dynamic strain in boreholes was used to record fracture displacement in response to head oscillation. Fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) was used to measure strain at mHz frequencies, rather than the Hz to kHz frequencies typical for seismic and acoustic monitoring. Fiber optic cable was mechanically coupled to the wall of a borehole drilled into fractured crystalline bedrock. Oscillating hydraulic signals were applied at a companion borehole 30 m away. The DAS instrument measured fracture displacement at frequencies of less than 1 mHz and amplitudes of less than 1 nm, in response to fluid pressure changes of less 20 Pa (2 mm H2O). Displacement was linearly related to the log of effective stress, a relationship typically explained by the effect of self‐affine fracture roughness on fracture closure. These results imply that fracture roughness affects closure even when displacement is a million times smaller than the fracture aperture.
The nutrient requirements of white clover on hill soils

Acknowledgements GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 White clover (Trifolium repens L.) 1 Hill soils and vegetation 4 Nutrient requirements of white clover 6 PART I. THE RESPONSE BY WHITE CLOVER TO THE MAJOR NUTRIENT ELEMENTS AND LIME INTRODUCTION 10 Present fertilizer recommendations for establishment of hill pasture 12 The uptake of nutrients 20 The effect of fertilizers on nodulation, nitrogen fixation and the growth of rnizobia 24 Levels of nutrients in the plant and defici­ ency symptoms 32 Plan of the experiments 40 MATERIALS AND METHODS 41 Laboratory experiments 41 Field experiments 48 THE EFFECT OF NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS AND POTASSIUM ON THE YIELD AND NUTRIENT CONTENT OF WHITE CLOVER 51 Experiment 1 Nitrogen x phosphorus x potassium factorial experi­ ment on three hill soils 51 Experiment 2 The effect of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer on leaf growth 7 6 Page
Clinical significance of initial symptoms in endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer

Objective: Endometriosis is associated with various symptoms, but their severity varies from case to case. In this study, we investigated the reality of symptoms presented by patients with clinically early-stage endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC) and explored the relationship between symptoms and laboratory/imaging findings, pathological findings, and prognosis. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study of patients who received initial surgical treatment and were diagnosed with clinically early-stage EAOC, including ovarian endometrioid carcinoma (OEC), ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), and seromucinous borderline tumor (SMBT). Patients with OEC/OCCC diagnosed between 2006 and 2016 and those with SMBT diagnosed between 2006 and 2020 were included. Chi-square and Kaplan-Meier estimates were used for statistical analyses. Results: One hundred-seven patients (OEC, n=31; OCCC, n=39; SMBT, n=37) were included. Fifty-nine (55.1%) patients presented with symptoms, and the proportion of patients with OEC who presented with symptoms was significantly higher than that of others (OEC, 77.4%; OCCC, 43.6%; SMBT, 48.6%). The details of symptoms differed significantly among the pathological types (lower abdominal pain/abdominal discomfort/abnormal bleeding, OEC: 11/8/9; OCCC: 6/12/1; SMBT: 15/5/3). Only in the OEC group did symptomatic patients show significantly higher white blood cell (WBC) count and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio (symptomatic vs. asymptomatic, median: WBC count: 7250 vs. 5000, p=0.008; N/L ratio: 4.6 vs. 1.7, p=0.013). None of the asymptomatic patients showed recurrence during follow-up. Conclusion: Patients with EAOC show varying symptoms depending on the histological type of the tumor. Laboratory findings underlying symptoms also vary by histopathological type, which may reflect differences in the carcinogenesis process.
Using an intersectionality-based approach to evaluate mental health services use among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver

Aims To cope with homonegativity-generated stress, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM) use more mental health services (MHS) compared with heterosexual men. Most previous research on MHS among GBM uses data from largely white HIV-negative samples. Using an intersectionality-based approach, we evaluated the concomitant impact of racialization and HIV stigma on MHS use among GBM, through the mediating role of perceived discrimination (PD). Methods We used baseline data from 2371 GBM enrolled in the Engage cohort study, collected between 2017 and 2019, in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, using respondent-driven sampling. The exposure was GBM groups: Group 1 (n = 1376): white HIV-negative; Group 2 (n = 327): white living with HIV; Group 3 (n = 577): racialized as non-white HIV-negative; Group 4 (n = 91): racialized as non-white living with HIV. The mediator was interpersonal PD scores measured using the Everyday Discrimination Scale (5-item version). The outcome was MHS use (yes/no) in the prior 6 months. We fit a three-way decomposition of causal mediation effects utilizing the imputation method for natural effect models. We obtained odds ratios (ORs) for pure direct effect (PDE, unmediated effect), pure indirect effect (PIE, mediated effect), mediated interaction effect (MIE, effect due to interaction between the exposure and mediator) and total effect (TE, overall effect). Analyses controlled for age, chronic mental health condition, Canadian citizenship, being cisgender and city of enrolment. Results Mean PD scores were highest for racialized HIV-negative GBM (10.3, SD: 5.0) and lowest for white HIV-negative GBM (8.4, SD: 3.9). MHS use was highest in white GBM living with HIV (GBMHIV) (40.4%) and lowest in racialized HIV-negative GBM (26.9%). Compared with white HIV-negative GBM, white GBMHIV had higher TE (OR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.27, 2.29) and PDE (OR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.27, 2.24), and racialized HIV-negative GBM had higher PIE (OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.17). Effects for racialized GBMHIV did not significantly differ from those of white HIV-negative GBM. MIEs across all groups were comparable. Conclusions Higher MHS use was observed among white GBMHIV compared with white HIV-negative GBM. PD positively mediated MHS use only among racialized HIV-negative GBM. MHS may need to take into account the intersecting impact of homonegativity, racism and HIV stigma on the mental health of GBM.
Laboratory testing on compacted, partially saturated silty and sandy soils

This Technical note summarizes some experimental results concerning the effective strength parameters (c’ – j’) and the saturated coefficient of hydraulic conductivity (k) of silty and sandy soil specimens that have been compacted at different compaction degrees. The tested soils were used for the construction/refurbishment of existing levees. The effective strength parameters were obtained from conventional triaxial loading compression tests. Specimens were compacted at different percentages of the maximum (optimum) dry density and at the optimum water content. The maximum dry density and optimum water content were determined according to the Modified Proctor method. Specimens with different percentages of the maximum dry density at the optimum water content were obtained in the Proctor mold by using different compaction energy. Levees (and more generally any type of earthworks) can increase their water content because of intense rainfall or repeated floods. Therefore, the strength parameters of fully saturated specimens have also been experimentally determined. The saturated coefficient of hydraulic conductivity has been inferred from variable head permeability measurements that were performed in specially equipped oedometers. This coefficient has been measured in the case of specimens compacted at different compaction degrees and at different initial water contents (i.e. saturation degrees). The effect of compaction degree on strength and permeability parameters has been shown. As for the strength parameters, the effect of partial saturation (suction) has also been shown.
Is there a difference in the clinical profile and outcome of women using levonorgestrel IUD for abnormal uterine bleeding and those using it for contraception?: A comparative cross-sectional study

Objective: The most common indications for Levonorgestrel intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) are contraception and management of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). This study was conducted with the aim of exploring the differences in the clinical profile and outcome of women using LNG-IUD for contraception and AUB. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective comparative cross-sectional study of women who underwent LNG-IUD (52 mg) between 2012 and 2017. Their electronic health records were reviewed until the last documented follow-up or until December 2021. Results: A total of 235 women had LNG-IUD with an age range of 21 to 62 years and a mean of (37.98 years±6.76). Of these women, 153/235 (65.1%) had it for contraception and 82/235 (34.89%) had it for AUB. The follow-up was 1-94 months with (mean ± SEM) follow-up for the AUB group of (21.48±2.31) months and for contraception group was (20.74±1.76) months (p-value of 0.80). There was a significant difference between the two groups in the age and body mass index (BMI), where women who had LNG-IUD for AUB were older (mean of 42.54±6.49 years, p-value <0.001) and had higher BMI (31.88±7.52 kg/m2, p-value =0.011). All LNG-IUDs that were indicated for contraception were inserted in an outpatient setting. However, 68.3% in the AUB, the insertion was in the operating theater in conjunction with hysteroscopy. After combining both expulsion and removal of LNG-IUD during the follow-up period, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the overall retention rate during the follow-up (p-value =0.998). Conclusion: this study shows that women using LNG-IUD for the management of AUB are older and have a higher BMI compared with those using it for contraception. AUB women experienced more expulsion compared with the contraception group, but there was no difference between the 2 groups in the overall survival/retention of LNG-IUD.
Ceramic Production and Interaction in the Northern Range of Trinidad

ABSTRACT Regional syntheses based on data recovered mostly from outside of the Northern Range have characterized the mountainous region in northern Trinidad as a boundary between two distinct interaction spheres during the Early Ceramic Age (ca. AD 350–650/800) (Boomert 2000). Changes occurring on Trinidad, other islands of the southern Lesser Antilles, and the South American mainland resulted in the disintegration of these earlier style zones during the final centuries of the Early Ceramic (Boomert 2000, 2010). This period of Late Ceramic cultural realignment was characterized by climate change, the renegotiation of political and social networks, and demographic transformations. We consider newly recovered ceramic evidence from the central Northern Range in order to evaluate the characterization of the region as a boundary and the region's role in broader Caribbean trends. We examine participation in interaction spheres to provide a more nuanced understanding of regional dynamics as they were expressed locally. Ceramic data indicate that occupants of the central Northern Range interpreted regional styles using locally derived materials, thus simultaneously engaging regional traditions and constructing local patterns of resource exploitation.
Psychopathic callousness and perspective taking in pain processing: an ERP study

Abstract Psychopathy is a multifaceted personality disorder characterized by distinct affective/interpersonal traits, including callousness–unemotionality/meanness, which are often considered the hallmarks of empathic deficits. It has been posited that the processing of others’ pain could play an important role in empathy capabilities. This study aimed to investigate the influence of perspective taking on electrocortical responses during pain processing in relation to psychopathic callousness. The late positive potential (LPP) —a well-established electrophysiological indicator of sustained attention to motivationally significant stimuli— was measured while 100 female undergraduates viewed images depicting bodily injuries while adopting an imagine–self or an imagine–other perspective. Callousness factor scores —computed as regression-based component scores from EFA on three relevant self-report measures of this dimension— predicted reduced LPP amplitudes to pain pictures under the imagine–other (but not imagine–self) perspective, even after controlling for other LPP conditions. This result suggests that high-callous individuals exhibit diminished brain responsiveness to others’ distress, potentially contributing to the empathic deficits observed in psychopathy. This finding highlights the usefulness of the LPP and perspective taking in studies on pain processing to refine our understanding of the low empathy characteristics of psychopathy in biobehavioral terms.
U-Pb, Re-Os, AND 40Ar/39Ar GEOCHRONOLOGY OF PORPHYRY Sn ± Cu ± Mo AND POLYMETALLIC (Ag-Pb-Zn-Cu) VEIN MINERALIZATION AT BIANJIADAYUAN, INNER MONGOLIA, NORTHEAST CHINA: IMPLICATIONS FOR DISCRETE MINERALIZATION EVENTS

Many new discoveries of base and precious metal (Ag-Pb-Zn-Cu) veins in the Great Hinggan Range ore district have made this region the most important Ag-Pb-Zn metallogenic belt in northern China. The newly discovered Bianjiadayuan deposit, which is located in this district, is characterized by diverse mineralization types, including porphyry Sn ± Cu ± Mo, breccia Sn-Pb-Zn, and base metal veins. Geochronological studies have revealed two separate mineralization events. The earliest magmatic-hydrothermal event is recorded by two robust zircon U-Pb ages of 140.8 ± 0.9 and 140.2 ± 0.6 Ma for the quartz porphyry intrusion. These ages are indistinguishable, within error, from the mean Re-Os age of 140.0 ± 1.7 Ma for molybdenite veins/veinlets hosted by the porphyry. A slightly younger 40Ar/39Ar age of 138.7 ± 1.0 Ma was obtained for sericite in base and precious metal (Ag-Pb-Zn) veins hosted by slate adjacent to the porphyry. On the basis of the U-Pb, Re-Os, and 40Ar/39Ar data, we infer that the above mineralization occurred at ~140 Ma and was caused by fluids released from the magma that crystallized the quartz porphyry. A late hydrothermal event is evident from numerous Cu-Pb-Zn–mineralized veins hosted in a gabbro intrusion with zircon U-Pb ages of 133.2 ± 0.9 and 133.0 ± 0.8 Ma. The late base metal veins are interpreted to be coeval with or postdate diorite dikes that intruded both gabbro and slate; the diorite yielded a zircon U-Pb age of 130.0 ± 2.8 Ma. The discovery of separate but superimposed hydrothermal events has important implications for local and regional exploration.