Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dependence of SuperDARN cross polar cap potential upon the solar wind electric field and magnetopause subsolar distance

[1] Dependence of the cross polar cap potential (CPCP) upon the interplanetary electric field (IEF), solar wind ram pressure, and magnetopause standoff distance (RMS) are investigated by considering the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) HF radar data on the CPCP and information on the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field from ACE satellite. Data of up to IEF ∼12 mV/m are available. The CPCP scatterplot versus IEF shows a linear increase between 0 and ∼3 mV/m. For larger IEFs, the rate of the CPCP growth decreases, and the dependence eventually saturates. If the same data are arranged in groups of RMS values, linear dependences were found for each group, but the slope of the regression line increases with RMS. The inferred linear fit lines of CPCP versus IEF for various RMS groups intersect each other at IEF ∼3 mV/m. This number is found to be unique because for the IEF above it (below it), the CPCP decreases (increases) with the solar wind ram pressure. This value also corresponds to the condition of the solar wind magnetic field at the subsolar point to be equal to the Earth's dipole magnetic field, as previously reported by Siscoe et al. (2002). Presented analysis suggests that the magnetopause standoff distance (the length of the merging X line) is an important factor in the CPCP saturation.
Prevalence and Characteristics of Invasive Staphylococcus argenteus among Patients with Bacteremia in Hong Kong

Staphylococcus argenteus is a novel Staphylococcus species derived from Staphylococcus aureus. Information on the prevalence and genetic characteristics of invasive S. argenteus in Asia is limited. In this study, 275 invasive S. aureus complex strains were retrieved from blood culture specimens in Hong Kong and re-analyzed using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and an in-house multiplex real-time PCR for S. argenteus. The prevalence of invasive S. argenteus in Hong Kong was found to be 4.0% (11/275). These strains were primarily susceptible to commonly used antibiotics, except penicillin. Whole-genome sequencing revealed the circulation of three S. argenteus genotypes (ST-2250, ST-1223, and ST-2854) in Hong Kong, with ST-2250 and ST-1223 being the predominant genotypes. The local ST-2250 and ST-1223 strains showed close phylogenetic relationships with isolates from mainland China. Antimicrobial-resistant genes (fosB, tet-38, mepA, blaI, blaZ) could be found in nearly all local S. argenteus strains. The ST-1223 and ST-2250 genotypes carried multiple staphylococcal enterotoxin genes that could cause food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. The CRISPR/Cas locus was observed only in the ST-2250 strains. This study provides the first report on the molecular epidemiology of invasive S. argenteus in Hong Kong, and further analysis is needed to understand its transmission reservoir.
Variation of accumulation rates over the last eight centuries on the East Antarctic Plateau derived from volcanic signals in ice cores

[1] Volcanic signatures in ice-core records provide an excellent means to date the cores and obtain information about accumulation rates. From several ice cores it is thus possible to extract a spatio-temporal accumulation pattern. We show records of electrical conductivity and sulfur from 13 firn cores from the Norwegian-USA scientific traverse during the International Polar Year 2007–2009 (IPY) through East Antarctica. Major volcanic eruptions are identified and used to assess century-scale accumulation changes. The largest changes seem to occur in the most recent decades with accumulation over the period 1963–2007/08 being up to 25% different from the long-term record. There is no clear overall trend, some sites show an increase in accumulation over the period 1963 to present while others show a decrease. Almost all of the sites above 3200 m above sea level (asl) suggest a decrease. These sites also show a significantly lower accumulation value than large-scale assessments both for the period 1963 to present and for the long-term mean at the respective drill sites. The spatial accumulation distribution is influenced mainly by elevation and distance to the ocean (continentality), as expected. Ground-penetrating radar data around the drill sites show a spatial variability within 10–20% over several tens of kilometers, indicating that our drill sites are well representative for the area around them. Our results are important for large-scale assessments of Antarctic mass balance and model validation.
Bipolar Disorder and Gaming Disorder—Compatible or Incompatible Diagnoses?

Gaming Disorder (GD) is one of the latest additions in the psychiatric taxonomy, following its official inclusion in the latest revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). This narrative review examines the rationale of an exclusion criterion for the diagnosis of GD, that of disordered gaming being limited exclusively during an episode of elevated mood in bipolar disorder. The history of the formulation of diagnostic criteria for the disorder and all relevant published studies are examined critically, and conclusions are drawn as to the potential validity and usability of the exclusion criterion. Suggestions are offered for future research to elucidate not only the relevance of the exclusion criterion but also the differential diagnosis of GD with pathological gambling (PG).
Vertical Uplift Capacity of Horizontal Anchors

The method of characteristics coupled with a log-spiral failure surface was used to develop a theory for vertical uplift capacity of shallow horizontal strip anchors in a general c-phi soil. Uplift-capacity factors F(c), F(q) and F(gamma), for the effects of cohesion, surcharge, and density, respectively, have been established as functions of embedment ratio lambda and angle of friction phi. The extent of the failure surface at the ground has also been determined. Comparisons made with existing test results support the predictive capability of the theory, and comparisons with the analysis proposed by Meyerhof and Adams show the proposed analysis provides slightly more conservative predictions of pullout capacity.
Modelling of multiple events using empirical Green’s functions: method, application to swarm earthquakes and implications for their rupture propagation

SUMMARY Recent studies of source-time functions (STFs) of small earthquakes have shown that some of the ML < 3 events may display complicated waveforms indicating multiple rupturing episodes. The STFs of such earthquakes consist of several pulses whose relative positions provide information on the mutual position of the subevents. I have used the waveform modelling method to analyse multiple events in order to disclose the geometry of the rupture. The P and S waveforms of multiple events (MEs) are modelled as the sum of waveforms of single subevents with different hypocentre coordinates and scalar moments. To construct the waveform of each single event composing the ME, the waveform of a co-located small event is used as an empirical Green's function (EGF). Assuming similar focal mechanisms of the subevents and of the EGF, the method seeks the coordinates and origin times of the subevents and their relative seismic moments. The non-linear problem is solved using the genetic algorithms method. Synthetic tests have shown that the method is capable of locating reliably up to three subevents with an accuracy better than 40 m. The method was applied to the records of the 2000 earthquake swarm in NW-Bohemia/Vogtland in Central Europe. By the EGF deconvolution, 54 MEs were identified in the magnitude range from 1.2 to 3.3, and 18 of them were successfully modelled as double or triple events with separate rupture positions. The separation of subsources reached 100 ms in time and 320 m in space. The relative positions of the subevents with respect to the orientation of the fault indicate that most of them occurred on a common fault plane. The space-time separation of the subevents corresponds to a speed of 3.0 ± 0.9 km s−1, a value typical for rupture propagation of large earthquakes. The later subevents occur farther than the nominal rupture radius of the first subevent, and their mutual distance scales with magnitude. These observations suggest that the analysed MEs share a common fault surface and that their subevents represent individual rupture episodes. The angular distribution of the position vectors of later subevents indicates that many of them result from slip-parallel rupture growth, while some of the ruptures propagate upwards.
Tropospheric corrections of SAR interferograms with strong topography. Application to Etna

The accuracy of spaceborne geodetic techniques, including SAR interferometry, is limited by the time and spatial variation and altitude dependance of the propagation delay of electomagnetic waves in the lower troposphere, particularly in mountainous areas. In this paper, we use a 1D model developed for tropospheric corrections of GPS and DORIS measurements to correct SAR data. The differential tropospheric delay is computed at each pixel of the interferogram from ground temperature, humidity and pressure using two empirical parameters calibrated from several radio‐soundings acquired in various latitude and climate conditions. It is shown that with such a model, given the 3300 meters topography of Etna, tropospheric variations can generate up to 4π phase rotations between the top and the bottom of the volcano. In 16 out of the 20 interferograms processed with images acquired between August 1992 and October 1993, correction of the tropospheric effect reduces the number of fringes associated with the 1991–93 eruption from previous estimates. The remaining deformation is consistant with a deforming source located at a depth of 14±1 km. During the second half of the eruption, the subsidence rate at the top of the volcano is roughly stable at 13±3 mm/month. These values are in good agreement with tiltmeter data collected on Etna during the same period and with the estimated volume of erupted material. No significant deformation can be observed during the last month of eruption. Inflation of the volcano seems to resume immediately after the end of the eruption at a rate of 3 mm/month.
Regional variability in the vertical flux of particulate organic carbon in the ocean interior

Carbon transport within sinking biogenic matter in the ocean contributes to the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere. Here we assess the extent to which particulate organic carbon (POC) transport to the ocean’s interior can be predicted from primary production or export flux. Relationships between POC flux and depth are generally described by a uniform power law or rational decrease with depth, scaled to new or total primary production of POC. While these parameterizations of flux are used in most quantitative biogeochemical models, they are based on data sets from a limited geographic and depth range. We examine these relationships through a review of parameters derived from 14C uptake experiments, regional remote sensing, 234Th studies, nitrogen balances, and sediment trap records. Ocean regions considered include sites studied by the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, Hawaii Ocean Time‐series, and Bermuda Atlantic Time‐series Study programs and involve observed and radiochemically corrected flux to depth. We demonstrate regional variability in the efficiency of the biological pump to transport organic carbon from surface waters to the ocean’s interior. Commonly applied flux relationships, while representative of some areas of the ocean, generally overestimate flux to depth. We estimate that the fraction of carbon transported as POC to depths greater than 1.5 km ranges between 0.10 and 8.8% (1.1% average) of primary production and between 0.28 and 30% (5.7% average) of export from the base of the euphotic zone. We develop empirical parameterizations of flux to depth using region‐specific constants. Using a one‐dimensional ocean model, we predict that the residence time of biogenic carbon may vary by up to 2 orders of magnitude depending on the regional efficiency of export and vertical transport.
Comparison of vertical dust flux by implementing three dust emission schemes in WRF/Chem

[1] Vertical dust flux parameterizations were assessed by implementing three different dust emission schemes, namely, those of Marticorena and Bergametti (1995), Lu and Shao (1999), and Shao (2004) (hereinafter referred to as MB, LS, and S04 schemes, respectively) in Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF/Chem). Through sensitivity tests, the scattering of vertical dust fluxes resulting from different parameterizations was shown even under the condition of same horizontal sand flux. The difference between the estimated vertical dust fluxes of three emission schemes ranges from the order of 101 for sand to the order of 102 for clay. The MB scheme generally produces higher dust emissions than the LS and S04 schemes, and the difference is the greatest for clay because the MB scheme considers vertical dust flux to be related to clay content, while the LS and S04 schemes consider it to be inversely proportional to surface hardness. To investigate the performance of each dust emission scheme in the simulation of Asian dust events, a case study was carried out for a severe Asian dust event that took place between 30 March and 1 April 2007. Simulation results reproduced the outbreak and transport pattern of dust plumes satisfactorily. However, the estimated dust emission amounts in each scheme differed greatly, particularly in loamy soil. The total dust emission amounts averaged for the main dust source region in this Asian dust event for five consecutive days are 84 Tg, 149 Tg, and 532 Tg for the LS, S04, and MB schemes, respectively.
Applications of extensive survey techniques to describe freshwater pearl mussel distribution and macrohabitat in the River Spey, Scotland

The spatial distribution and associated physical habitat of endangered freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) in a 145 km stretch of the River Spey, northeast Scotland, were investigated. The overall size of the Spey M. margaritifera population was estimated to be in the order of 10 million. Mussel distributions were compared with River Corridor Survey (RCS) macrohabitat data and found to be positively associated with coarse riverbed substrata, ‘fast‐flowing’ waters, riparian woodland, and river bends; and negatively associated with shingle bars, flood barriers, ‘slow‐flowing’ waters, eroding cliffs and aquatic macrophytes. Significant positive relationships between mussel density and channel slope, width and bank height, were also observed. Binary logistic regression models (based on four to six features) were used to predict the presence/absence of mussels or the occurrence of ‘optimal’ mussel habitat (i.e. mussel density >1 m−2) at any given site. Overall predictive success rates of 79% and 78% were achieved, respectively. Discriminant function models (based on five variables) were also used, with predictive success rates of 78% and 88%, respectively. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ethanol-Producing Enterocloster bolteae Is Enriched in Chronic Hepatitis B-Associated Gut Dysbiosis: A Case–Control Culturomics Study

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health epidemic that causes fatal complications, leading to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The link between HBV-related dysbiosis and specific bacterial taxa is still under investigation. Enterocloster is emerging as a new genus (formerly Clostridium), including Enterocloster bolteae, a gut pathogen previously associated with dysbiosis and human diseases such as autism, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Its role in liver diseases, especially HBV infection, is not reported. Methods: The fecal samples of eight patients with chronic HBV infection and ten healthy individuals were analyzed using the high-throughput culturomics approach and compared to 16S rRNA sequencing. Quantification of ethanol, known for its damaging effect on the liver, produced from bacterial strains enriched in chronic HBV was carried out by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results: Using culturomics, 29,120 isolated colonies were analyzed by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (MALDI–TOF); 340 species were identified (240 species in chronic HBV samples, 254 species in control samples) belonging to 169 genera and 6 phyla. In the chronic HBV group, 65 species were already known in the literature; 48 were associated with humans but had not been previously found in the gut, and 17 had never been associated with humans previously. Six species were newly isolated in our study. By comparing bacterial species frequency, three bacterial genera were serendipitously found with significantly enriched bacterial diversity in patients with chronic HBV: Enterocloster, Clostridium, and Streptococcus (p = 0.0016, p = 0.041, p = 0.053, respectively). However, metagenomics could not identify this enrichment, possibly concerning its insufficient taxonomical resolution (equivocal assignment of operational taxonomic units). At the species level, the significantly enriched species in the chronic HBV group almost all belonged to class Clostridia, such as Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium sporogenes, Enterocloster aldenensis, Enterocloster bolteae, Enterocloster clostridioformis, and Clostridium innocuum. Two E. bolteae strains, isolated from two patients with chronic HBV infection, showed high ethanol production (27 and 200 mM). Conclusions: Culturomics allowed us to identify Enterocloster species, specifically, E. bolteae, enriched in the gut microbiota of patients with chronic HBV. These species had never been isolated in chronic HBV infection before. Moreover, ethanol production by E. bolteae strains isolated from the chronic HBV group could contribute to liver disease progression. Additionally, culturomics might be critical for better elucidating the relationship between dysbiosis and chronic HBV infection in the future.
Predicting plasmaspheric radial density profiles

A principle question concerning storm time convection is, What physical process or measurable parameter controls the location of the equatorward edge of the large-scale convection zone expansion during magnetic storms and hence the plasmapause location? Experimental data on convection and particle precipitation consistently show that in the evening to midnight local time sector, the inner boundary of the high-latitude westward ion convection band colocates with the equatorward boundary of soft electron precipitation (SEB). Low-energy electron precipitation is usually absent, or very weak, above the lower-latitude band of the disturbed-time double-peaked convection pattern. It follows that large-scale convection streamlines carrying plasma sheet particles do not enter the polarization jet band which lies on the opposite (inner) side of the Alfven layer, which limits the inward expansion of hot plasma and convection by polarizing the edge of the inner magnetosphere plasma population. We conclude that the SEB (measured and/or modeled) can be used in plasmasphere density models as a substitute for the convection boundary. A time-dependent convection-driven plasmaspheric density model (CDPDM) is introduced to describe plasmaspheric thermal density profiles. The CDPDM is based on the convection drift and refilling rate prehistory calculated for a particular plasma flux tube, and its most important ingredient is a realistic convection model for disturbed times. Sharp density gradients (plasmapauses) on the radial profiles are indicators of preceding convection boundary locations outside of which the thermal plasma content was lost. We compare the predictions of the model with storm time ionospheric observations with the Millstone Hill radar and conclude that the CDPDM can be used to predict the locations of plasma density radial gradients, including the plasmapause.
Cellular and Molecular Triggers of Retinal Regeneration in Amphibians

Understanding the mechanisms triggering the initiation of retinal regeneration in amphibians may advance the quest for prevention and treatment options for degenerating human retina diseases. Natural retinal regeneration in amphibians requires two cell sources, namely retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and ciliary marginal zone. The disruption of RPE interaction with photoreceptors through surgery or injury triggers local and systemic responses for retinal protection. In mammals, disease-induced damage to the retina results in the shutdown of the function, cellular or oxidative stress, pronounced immune response, cell death and retinal degeneration. In contrast to retinal pathology in mammals, regenerative responses in amphibians have taxon-specific features ensuring efficient regeneration. These include rapid hemostasis, the recruitment of cells and factors of endogenous defense systems, activities of the immature immune system, high cell viability, and the efficiency of the extracellular matrix, cytoskeleton, and cell surface remodeling. These reactions are controlled by specific signaling pathways, transcription factors, and the epigenome, which are insufficiently studied. This review provides a summary of the mechanisms initiating retinal regeneration in amphibians and reveals its features collectively directed at recruiting universal responses to trauma to activate the cell sources of retinal regeneration. This study of the integrated molecular network of these processes is a prospect for future research in demand biomedicine.
Microstructural characterization of ice cores

Abstract In this paper, we outline the use of Raman spectroscopy coupled with scanning confocal optical microscopy for determining the microstructural location of impurities in ice-core specimens. We also demonstrate how the orientations of grains and the misorientations across grain boundaries can be determined to high precision for ice polycrystals using either selected area channeling patterns or electron backscatter patterns in a scanning electron microscope.
Prevalence and risk factors/predictors of seizure-related injuries among children with Epilepsy at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City

Children with epilepsy are considered to be at an amplified risk for injuries as compared to the general population. The increased risk may occur directly as a result of the seizure or due to other comorbid conditions that predispose to injuries. Objectives : This study aimed to determine the frequency and the pattern of seizure-related injuries in children aged 0-17 years with epilepsy seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, (UBTH), Benin City, Nigeria. Methods : Consecutive cases of children with epilepsy seen at the Paediatric Neurology Clinic of UBTH, Benin-City over a period of 6 months were evaluated for injuries in the preceding 12 months using a structured questionnaire. Results : A total of 119 respondents were involved in the study, 50 (42.02%) sustained an injury at some point in the preceding 12 months. Participants in the middle socio-economic class had more seizure-associated injuries (n = 25, 59.5%), compared to those in the low socio-economic class (n = 20, 42.0%) and high socio-economic class (n = 5, 18.5%); P = 0.003. Seizure-related injuries were associated most with generalized seizure (50.5%) when compared with focal seizures (14.3%) P = 0.001. Among the subjects, a tonic-clonic seizure was the most common subtype of generalised seizure (p =22.306, p = < 0.001). The commonest seizure-related injuries are skin bruises (35.1%), followed by soft tissue lacerations (22.8%). Strong association between epilepsy-related injuries and compliance to anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) were noted. Conclusion : Children with epilepsy are at higher risk of injury and this risk is modified by some factors like socioeconomic status, seizure type, and compliance with medication