Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrological processes in the different landscape zones of alpine cold regions in the wet season, combining isotopic and hydrochemical tracers

Studies on hydrological processes are often emphasized in resource and environmental studies. This paper identifies the hydrological processes in different landscape zones during the wet season based on the isotopic and hydrochemical analysis of glacier, snow, frozen soil, groundwater and other water sources in the headwater catchment of alpine cold regions. Hydrochemical tracers indicated that the chemical compositions of the water are typically characterized by: (1) CaHCO3 type in glacier snow zone, (2) MgCaSO4 type for surface runoff and CaMgHCO3 type for groundwater in alpine desert zone, (3) CaMgSO4 type for surface water and CaMgHCO3 type for groundwater in alpine shrub zone, and (4) CaNaSO4 type in surface runoff in the alpine grassland zone. The End‐Members Mixing Analysis (EMMA) was employed for hydrograph separation. The results showed that the Mafengou River in the wet season was mainly recharged by groundwater in alpine cold desert zones and shrub zones (52%), which came from the infiltration and transformation of precipitation, thawed frozen soil water and glacier‐snow meltwater. Surface runoff in the glacier‐snow zone accounted for 11%, surface runoff in alpine cold desert zones and alpine shrub meadow zones accounted for 20%, thawed frozen soil water in alpine grassland zones accounted for 9% of recharge and precipitation directly into the river channel (8%). This study suggested that the whole catchment precipitation did not produce significant surface runoff directly, but mostly transformed into groundwater or interflow, and finally arrived in the river channel. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The record 2013 Southern Hemisphere sea-ice extent maximum

Abstract Observations of Southern Hemisphere sea ice from passive microwave satellite measurements show that a new record maximum extent of 19.58 x 106 km2 was reached on 30 September 2013; the extent is just over two standard deviations above the 1979-2012 mean and follows a similar record (19.48x 106km2) in 2012. On the record day in 2013, sea-ice extent was greater than the 30 year average (1981-2010) in nearly all Southern Ocean regions. For the year as a whole, Southern Hemisphere sea-ice area and extent were well above average, and numerous monthly and daily records were broken. Analysis of anomaly patterns and the atmospheric and oceanic events suggests that a sequence of regional wind and cold-freshened surface waters is likely responsible for the record maximum and the generally high 2013 extent. In particular, the Ross Sea sector experienced a combination of cold southerly winds associated with the position and depth of the Amundsen Sea low, and lower than normal sea surface temperatures (up to 2°C below normal). The resulting very high anomaly in ice extent in this region was a major component of the overall record maximum.
Impact of the quasi‐biweekly oscillation over the western North Pacific on East Asian subtropical monsoon during early summer

The impact of quasi‐biweekly oscillation (QBWO) over the western North Pacific on East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) is investigated. The life cycle of QBWO is divided into eight phases defined by the two leading principal components (PC1 and PC2) of an empirical orthogonal function analysis. Subtropical rainfall shows significant changes, with a northwestward propagation of convection from equatorial regions to the South China Sea (SCS). The most significant variations occur in QBWO phases 3 and 4 (enhanced convection over SCS) and phases 7 and 8 (reduced convection over SCS). The East Asia Mei‐yu significantly decreases in QBWO phases 3 and 4 but increases in phases 7 and 8. The QBWO influences EASM through modulating the subtropical monsoon flow and extratropical circulation. The response of lower tropospheric atmosphere to QBWO shows a northwestward propagation and a downstream wave train that extends northward into the western North Pacific, modulating the SCS monsoon trough and the EASM flow associated with moisture transportation. The mid‐tropospheric extratropical circulation and the western Pacific subtropical high also show obvious changes accompanying QBWO evolution, resulting in circulation patterns associated with cold air activity. Moreover, changes with QBWO are found in the upper tropospheric East Asian westerly jet stream and the South Asian high, and these changes contribute to upper level divergence over subtropical East Asia.
Marine Parks and Household Poverty in Tanzania: A Baseline Analysis

This paper offers a baseline data for future assessment of the extent to which Marine Parks improve households’ welfare and reduce poverty in the Tanzanian Coastal area. Household Budget Survey Data was collected from 24 villages along the coast of Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar. Axiomatically preferred poverty indices are used in this paper to assess relative poverty between villages currently in the Marine Parks and villages that are outside the Marine Parks. The analysis is buttressed by stochastic dominance tests to ensure that the results are robust to any reasonable alteration of poverty line. The paper finds widespread poverty but no notable difference in poverty between villages in the Marine Park Areas and villages outside the Marine Parks. This is important baseline information for future analysis of the impact of Marine Parks on households’ welfare.
Long‐term drift induced by the electronic crosstalk in Terra MODIS Band 29

Terra MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is one of the key sensors in the NASA's Earth Observing System, which has successfully completed 15 years of on‐orbit operation. Terra MODIS continues to collect valuable information of the Earth's energy radiation from visible to thermal infrared wavelengths. The instrument has been well characterized over its lifetime using onboard calibrators whose calibration references are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology standards. In this paper, we focus on the electronic crosstalk effect of Terra MODIS band 29, a thermal emissive band (TEB) whose center wavelength is 8.55 µm. Previous works have established the mechanism to describe the effect of the electronic crosstalk in the TEB channels of Terra MODIS. This work utilizes the established methodology to apply to band 29. The electronic crosstalk is identified and characterized using the regularly scheduled lunar observations. The moon being a near‐pulse‐like source allowed easy detection of extraneous signals around the actual Moon surface. First, the crosstalk‐transmitting bands are identified along with their amplitudes. The crosstalk effect then is characterized using a moving average mechanism that allows a high fidelity of the magnitude to be corrected. The lunar‐based analysis unambiguously shows that the crosstalk contamination is becoming more severe in recent years and should be corrected in order to maintain calibration quality for the affected spectral bands. Finally, two radiometrically well‐characterized sites, Pacific Ocean and Libya 1 desert, are used to assess the impact of crosstalk effect. It is shown that the crosstalk contamination induces a long‐term upward drift of 1.5 K in band 29 brightness temperature of MODIS Collection 6 L1B, which could significantly impact the science products. The crosstalk effect also induces strong detector‐to‐detector differences, which result in severe stripping in the Earth view images. With crosstalk correction applied, both the long‐term drift and detector differences are significantly reduced.
Sexually Transmitted Infections and the Risk of Reinfection Within 12 Months: A Population-Based Cohort

A population-based study using New Zealand sexually transmitted infection surveillance data found that sexually transmitted infection reinfection within 12 months was more common among men who has sex with men, young people, and among Māori and Pacific peoples. Background Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are common sexually transmitted infections that disproportionately affect specific groups in New Zealand (NZ). Predictors of reinfection are not well studied in NZ but could inform public health strategies to decrease sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence. Methods New Zealand–wide chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases during 2019 were identified using nationally collected data. Cases were followed-up to identify reinfection with the same STI within 12 months of initial infections. Logistic regression models were used to identify predictors for each STI reinfection. Results Determinants identified for increased odds of chlamydia reinfection were age groups 16–19 and 20–24 years, females, Māori and Pacific peoples, cases in the Northern region, and cases with at least one test before the initial infection. Age 40 years and older was associated with lower odds of gonorrhea reinfection, as was being of Asian ethnicity, living in Midland or Southern regions, and reporting heterosexual behavior. Region was the only statistically significant predictor for syphilis reinfection, with higher odds of reinfection for people living in the Central region. Conclusions Our findings reflect disproportionate STI rates for some groups in NZ, with younger age groups, Māori and Pacific peoples, men who have sex with men, and people living in the Northern region experiencing higher odds of reinfection. Groups identified with higher odds for reinfection require increased access to culturally responsive health services to treat, understand, and prevent possible reinfection. Changes to current public health strategies could include culturally specific behavioral counseling, and improvements to and adherence to effective contract tracing.
Improved Antibacterial Activity of 1,3,4-Oxadiazole-Based Compounds That Restrict Staphylococcus aureus Growth Independent of LtaS Function

The lipoteichoic acid (LTA) biosynthesis pathway has emerged as a promising antimicrobial therapeutic target. Previous studies identified the 1,3,4 oxadiazole compound 1771 as an LTA inhibitor with activity against Gram-positive pathogens. We have succeeded in making six 1771 derivatives and, through subsequent hit validation, identified the incorporation of a pentafluorosulfanyl substituent as central in enhancing activity. Our newly described derivative, compound 13, showed a 16- to 32-fold increase in activity compared to 1771 when tested against a cohort of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains while simultaneously exhibiting an improved toxicity profile against mammalian cells. Molecular techniques were employed in which the assumed target, lipoteichoic acid synthase (LtaS), was both deleted and overexpressed. Neither deletion nor overexpression of LtaS altered 1771 or compound 13 susceptibility; however, overexpression of LtaS increased the MIC of Congo red, a previously identified LtaS inhibitor. These data were further supported by comparing the docking poses of 1771 and derivatives in the LtaS active site, which indicated the possibility of an additional target(s). Finally, we show that both 1771 and compound 13 have activity that is independent of LtaS, extending to cover Gram-negative species if the outer membrane is first permeabilized, challenging the classification that these compounds are strict LtaS inhibitors.
Human Roots*: Africa and Asia in the Middle Pleistocene

1 After 'After the Australopithecines' Hilary J Deacon 2 Mid-Pleistocene environmental change and human evolution Richard Potts 3 Mode 3, Homo helmei, and the pattern of human evolution in the Middle Pleistocene Marta Mirazon Lahr and Robert Foley 4 Chronometric dating of the Middle Pleistocene Henry P Schwarcz 5 Middle Pleistocene populations of southern Africa and the emergence of modern behaviour Hilary J Deacon and Sarah Wurz 6 Central Africa and the emergence of regional identity in the Middle Pleistocene Lawrence Barham 7 The Middle Pleistocene of east Africa Sally McBrearty 8 Northwestern African Middle Pleistocene hominids and their bearing on the emergence of Homo sapiens Jean-Jacques Hublin 9 Comparison of Middle Pleistocene hominids from Africa and Asia G Philip Rightmire 10 Chinese Middle Pleistocene hominids and modern human origins in east Asia Peter Brown 11 The Middle Pleistocene archaeology of the valley of the Yangtze River Wang Youping 12 An examination of culture and evolution of Middle Pleistocene Chinese hominids Susan G Keates 13 The Middle Pleistocene record of mainland southeast Asia Kate Robson Brown 14 An environmental approach to the fate of Homo erectus in Australasia Paul Storm 15 The Lower Palaeolithic of India and its behavioural significance Mike Petraglia 16 The Acheulian culture project of the Hunsgi and Baichbal Valleys, peninsular India K Paddayya
Interaction between aeolian, fluvial and playa environments in the Permian Upper Rotliegend Group, UK southern North Sea

The Permian Upper Rotliegend Group in offshore UK Quadrants 42, 43, 47 and 48 comprises a sequence of mixed aeolian/fluvial/playa deposits. These deposits are up to 300 m thick and contain a record of the interaction between desert fluvial systems and adjacent aeolian and playa environments. The relative dominance of water vs. wind transport and deposition in this stratigraphic package was a function of fluctuations in the discharge of ephemeral fluvial systems and changes in water table/playa level driven by a combination of climatic change and syndepositional tectonics. The Rotliegend sedimentary record is punctuated by numerous surfaces recording erosion by wind and water. The origin of these surfaces is mostly climatic, with periods of increased runoff resulting in fluvial incision, especially near active faults. During periods of reduced runoff, wind erosion of fluvial deposits occurred, with fluvially derived sand being reworked into expanding aeolian dune fields. Wind erosion also occurred as a rising water table isolated dunes from their sediment supply, resulting in deflation of dunes down to the water table. These surfaces formed in a basin that was subsiding. Thus, even in a background of overall increasing accommodation space, climatically driven falls in the water table allowed for periods of erosion. The occurrence of significant erosion, especially near syndepositional fault zones, resulted in a sedimentary record that shows pronounced lateral as well as vertical facies variations.
Vegetation responses to invasive alien plant clearing along the Sabie River in and adjacent to the Kruger National Park

Recovery of indigenous species subsequent to the clearing of invasive alien plants (IAPs) is crucial for ecosystem recovery to occur. However, cleared sites are often just left in the hope that revegetation will occur naturally. In riparian areas of Kruger National Park (KNP), the Working for Water (WfW) Programme has cleared IAPs on a regular basis, but little post-clearance monitoring has taken place. Thus investigating short-term effects of IAPs and IAP clearing on plant community diversity and vegetation recovery provided an ideal opportunity to assess feasible targets of natural ecosystem recovery in similar areas. Vegetation was sampled from twelve transects along the Sabie River in and adjacent to the KNP, before (March/April 2006) and after (March 2007) the annual clearing of IAPs by WfW. Rarefied species richness, alpha diversity and evenness of distribution of species all declined with increasing density of IAPs (Pb0.05). There was a mean reduction in IAP density of 80% (S.E±6%) (P=0.002) through the clearing by WfW. After clearing of IAPs, indigenous vegetation densities increased, with herbaceous growth forms showing the largest increase in transects that were previously heavily invaded. Thus, in this system, which is relatively undisturbed by human activities, initial recovery of indigenous vegetation can occur without further restorative interventions. This process is more than likely aided by the continuous clearing of IAPs by WfW as this acts to deplete alien seed banks and maintain IAPs at acceptable and manageable levels. © 2008 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Modeling of linkage disequilibrium in whole genome genetic association studies.

GWAS is an essential tool for disease gene discovery, but has severe problems of statistical power when it is impractical to genetically sample tens of thousands of subjects. The results presented here—a novel, effective correction for local ancestral population LD allowing use of dense markers in MALD using the ALDsuite and the demonstration that the simpleM method provides an optimum Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons in GWAS, reiterate the value of PCA for capturing the essential part of the complexity of high- dimensional systems. PCA is already standard for correcting for population substructure in GWAS; my results point to it’s broader applicability as a general strategy for dealing with the high dimensionality of genomic association data.
Regional geology, setting and sedimentology of Sibudu Cave

Sibudu Cave has rich, well preserved Middle Stone Age deposits with a centimetre-scale stratigraphy. The fine-grained, ashy sediments lack sedimentary structures and contain abundant cultural material (stone tools in particular); this implies that the deposits are of anthropogenic origin. The space available for occupation, and for accumulation of deposit, is controlled by the morphology of the floor. This is seen in the similarity between the dip angles of the wall and the layers of the deposit. The archaeological deposits are concentrated in the sheltered northern part of the shelter, where the most suitable space is available.
Movements of water, solutes, and stable isotopes in the unsaturated zones of two sand plains in the upper Midwest

Four month-long field experiments investigated movements of water and solutes through unsaturated sand plains near Princeton, Minnesota, and Oakes, North Dakota. Atrazine and bromide were applied to bare soils and soils planted with corn. The field plots were irrigated according to local farming practices. At the end of each experiment, unsaturated soils were analyzed for atrazine and bromide concentrations and oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of soil water. Most soil water was affected by evaporation but groundwater beneath the plots had no evaporative isotopic signature. Therefore most recharge consisted of water that was unaffected by evaporation. Sources of such water may have included snowmelt, prolonged or high-intensity rainfalls that were not interrupted by periods of drying, and water that moved through preferential flow paths. Preferential flow also was suggested by the detection of atrazine, deethylatrazine, and bromide in groundwater shortly after each application of irrigation water at Princeton and by isolated concentrations of atrazine and bromide in soil well below the main masses of chemicals at Oakes.
Bmc Family Practice Out-of-hours Demand for Gp Care and Emergency Services: Patients' Choices and Referrals by General Practitioners and Ambulance Services

Background: Over the last five years, Dutch provision of out-of-hours primary health care has shifted from practice-based services towards large-scale general practitioner (GP) cooperatives. Only few population-based studies have been performed to assess the out-of-hours demand for GP and emergency care, including the referral patterns to the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) by GPs and ambulance services.
A hindcast simulation of the Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice variability

A hindcast simulation of the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice variability during 1955-2001 has been performed with a global, coarse resolution ice-ocean model driven by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis daily surface air temperatures and winds. Both the mean state and variability of the ice packs over the satellite observing period are reasonably well reproduced by the model. Over the 47-year period, the simulated ice area (defined as the total ice-covered oceanic area) in each hemisphere experiences large decadal variability together with a decreasing trend of similar to1 % per decade. In the Southern Hemisphere, this trend is mostly caused by an abrupt retreat of the ice cover during the second half of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s. The modelled ice volume also exhibits pronounced decadal variability, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. Besides these fluctuations, we detected a downward trend in Arctic ice volume of 1.8 % per decade and an upward trend in Antarctic ice volume of 1.5 % per decade. However, caution must be exercised when interpreting these trends because of the shortness of the simulation and the strong decadal variations. Furthermore, sensitivity experiments have revealed that the trend in Antarctic ice volume is model-dependent.
Association of Sleep Disturbances With Brain Amyloid and Tau Burden, Cortical Atrophy, and Cognitive Dysfunction Across the AD Continuum

Background and Objectives Patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) frequently suffer from various sleep disturbances. However, how sleep disturbance is associated with AD and its progression remains poorly investigated. We investigated the association of total sleep time with brain amyloid and tau burden, cortical atrophy, cognitive dysfunction, and their longitudinal changes in the AD spectrum. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we enrolled participants on the AD spectrum who were positive on 18F-florbetaben (FBB) PET. All participants underwent the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, brain MRI, FBB PET, 18F-flortaucipir (FTP) PET, and detailed neuropsychological testing. In addition, a subset of participants completed follow-up assessments. We analyzed the association of total sleep time with the baseline and longitudinal FBB-standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR), FTP-SUVR, cortical thickness, and cognitive domain composite scores. Results We examined 138 participants on the AD spectrum (15 with preclinical AD, 62 with prodromal AD, and 61 with AD dementia; mean age 73.4 ± 8.0 years; female 58.7%). Total sleep time was longer in the AD dementia group (7.4 ± 1.6 hours) compared with the preclinical (6.5 ± 1.4 hours; p = 0.026) and prodromal groups (6.6 ± 1.4 hours; p = 0.001), whereas other sleep parameters did not differ between groups. Longer total sleep time was not associated with amyloid accumulation but rather with tau accumulation, especially in the amygdala, hippocampus, basal forebrain, insular, cingulate, occipital, inferior temporal cortices, and precuneus. Longer total sleep time predicted faster tau accumulation in Braak regions V-VI (β = 0.016, p = 0.007) and disease progression to mild cognitive impairment or dementia (hazard ratio = 1.554, p = 0.024). Longer total sleep time was also associated with memory deficit (β = −0.19, p = 0.008). Discussion Prolonged total sleep time was associated with tau accumulation in sleep-related cortical and subcortical areas as well as memory dysfunction. It also predicted faster disease progression with tau accumulation. Our study highlights the clinical importance of assessing total sleep time as a marker for disease severity and prognosis in the AD spectrum.
Valuing Western Australia’s Recreational Fisheries

Australia by using the data from the newly finished National Survey of Recreational Fishing (2000/2001)(NSRF). There are a number of findings. 1. Socio-economic characteristics of anglers didn’t affect their catch of high quality fish (prize fish, reef fish or key-sport fish) as much as their catch of low quality fish (table fish and butter fish). 2. For a given trip, anglers were willing to pay $1.63, $26.03, $1.03 and $0.53 for the first prize fish, reef fish, key-sport fish or butter fish caught, respectively. 3. The top four valuable fishing sites in the survey period were Geraldton, Esperance, Albany and Broome, with annual access values of $6.45 million, $4.52 million, $3.47 million and $2.47 million, respectively. 4. The per trip estimates are of similar magnitude with those of USA studies.