Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retrieval of CO from SCIAMACHY onboard ENVISAT : detection of strongly polluted areas and seasonal patterns in global CO abundances

Retrieval of CO from SCIAMACHY onboard ENVISAT: detection of strongly polluted areas and seasonal patterns in global CO abundances C. Frankenberg, U. Platt, and T. Wagner Institute of Environmental Physics, Heidelberg, Germany Received: 2 November 2004 – Accepted: 14 December 2004 – Published: 20 December 2004 Correspondence to: C. Frankenberg (cfranken@iup.uni-heidelberg.de) © 2004 Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Changes in the dynamics and thermal regime of the permafrost and active layer of the high arctic coastal area in north‐west spitsbergen, svalbard

Abstract In this paper changes in the active layer of the high arctic coastal area in north‐west pitsbergen, valbard are described. Analysis includes both the ground thawing depth and its near‐surface thermal structure. The study was conducted on the affiøyra lain (valbard) at several fixed sites, which represent places typical of the region: a sandy beach, a tundra plain and a moraine ridge. The results show that in recent years, at two measurement points a significantly deeper thawing was observed. In 1996–2012 on the beach and on the moraine the trend of active layer thickness change was +1.3 cm yr−1 and +2.5 cm yr−1, respectively. Generally, in the years 2008–2012 the mean thickness of the active layer in the affiøyra region increased by 3% to 6%. Even at the spatially close sites, within similar environments, there are significant differences in the thickness of the active layer. Measurements show that significant changes also occurred in the thawed ground temperature. Mean values of the observed near‐surface temperature in recent years (2007–2011) were higher by more than 1.0°C, in comparison to the mean in the late 1970s.
Bcl-2 supports survival and metabolic fitness of quiescent tissue-resident ILC3

Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) are potent effector cells with critical roles in enforcing immunity, barrier integrity and tissue homeostasis along the gastrointestinal tract. ILC3 are considered to be primarily tissue-resident cells, seeding the gastrointestinal tract during embryonic stages. However, the mechanisms through which ILC3 are maintained within these tissues are poorly understood. Here, we report that ILC3 are minimally replenished from bone marrow precursors in healthy adult mice, persist in the tissue for extended periods of time in the gut, and display a quiescent phenotype. Strikingly, despite robustly producing cytokines, LTi-like ILC3 remain non-proliferative during enteric bacterial infection. Survival of LTi-like ILC3 was found to be dependent upon the balance of the metabolic activity required to drive effector function and anti-apoptotic programs. Notably, the pro-survival protein Bcl-2 was required for the survival of LTi-like ILC3 but was rendered partially dispensable if mitochondrial respiration was inhibited. Together we demonstrate LTi-like ILC3 are a quiescent-like population that persists independently of haematopoietic replenishment to survive within the tissue microenvironment.
Comprehensive strontium isotope study of Quaternary volcanic rocks from the Izu-Ogasawara arc

In the Izu-Ogasawara arc, many Quaternary volcanoes are located in a line parallel to the Izu-Ogasawara Trench. 87Sr/86Sr ratios were determined for 65 samples of Quaternary volcanic rocks, 4 cognate inclusions and one sample of basement rock from 15 volcanic islands and 3 submarine volcanoes. In this arc, the 87Sr/86Sr ratios in several rocks from the same volcano agree with one another within 0.0002, regardless of the difference of the rock types and the eruptive stages. The ratios of the volcanoes along the volcanic front in the Izu-Ogasawara arc were constant over 1, 200 km and were all within the range between 0.7034 and 0.7039, which is significantly lower than those from the Northeast Japan arc (0.7038–0.7044) (NOTSU, 1983). In the northern region of the Izu-Ogasawara arc, across-arc 87Sr/86Sr ratio variation was found. The ratios decrease with increasing depth of the Wadati-Benioff zone. Even in the volcanic rocks distant from the volcanic front, the ratios (0.7033–0.7035) were slightly higher than those in normal-type MORB, so it is suggested that a small amount of oceanic sediment, altered basalt or sea water component that accompanies the subducting slab has been contributed to the source magma which originates from a partially melted, upper mantle wedge. This contribution becomes smaller with increasing distance from the volcanic front.
Equation of state for silicate melts: A comparison between static and shock compression

The density data of silicate melts reported by static and shock compression have been compared quantitatively at the pressure condition of the Earth's deep upper mantle. The equation of state based on the static compression data cannot explain the shock compression data, and the systematic differences between them have been revealed. The shock temperatures were estimated with different methods among papers, and the reported values differed considerably from one another. The shock temperatures estimated by assuming phase‐transition‐like structural changes in melts lie between the previous estimates. Many of them are well below the liquidus temperatures of each sample, suggesting that the sample state may have been altered during the shock compression. In addition, some of the shock compression data reanalyzed in the recent paper differ considerably from the original. These results suggest that silicate melts show phase‐transition‐like structural changes at high pressures, which are consistent with the static compression data.
AN EXAMPLE OF ANDOSOLIZATION AND PODZOLIZATION AS REVEALED BY SOIL SOLUTION STUDIES, SOUTHERN HAKKODA, NORTHEASTERN JAPAN

We examined soil-forming processes along a climobiotic transect in the southern Hakkoda Mountains of northeastern Japan. The soils have developed on the same volcanic ashes that were deposited approximately 1000 and 5000 B.P., In Japan, chemical and morphological criteria based on the solid phase fail, in some cases, to distinguish between Spodosols and Andisols formed in volcanic materials. This problem also occurred along the transect examined in this study; however, collection and analysis of ecosystem waterflows, which included soil solutions, canopy throughfall, and precipitation, have allowed documentation of current soil-forming processes. Podzolization was found to be active in the subalpine Abies mariesii-Sasa kurilensis ecosystem. Iron, Al, and dissolved organic carbon were mobilized from the A horizon and became arrested in the Bw horizon. In contrast, andosolization dominated soil formation in the Miscanthus sinensis grassland ecosystem. This process was characterized by an accumulation of Fe, Al, and dissolved organic carbon in the A horizon with little subsequent leaching of these components into the B horizon. Formation of B horizons under both soil-forming processes appears to be dominated by in situ weathering rather than illuviation.
L'influenza dei fattori socio economici sulle competenze degli studenti italiani. Un'analisi multilevel dei dati PISA 2006

The influence of social and economic factors on competencies of Italian students. A multilevel analysis of data PISA 2006 - This work aims to investigate the existence and the size of territorial differences in Italian students’ scientific competencies. The "Programme for International Student Assessment" (PISA) survey, carried out by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) three-yearly, is a rigorous and wide international comparative work on fifteen yearold students’ school performance. The survey makes use of very advanced methodologies and allows both to evaluate the students’performance and to gather data about their families and their socio-economic context which, together with several institutional factors, may influence the results of the educational process. Methods and Results The paper provides a multilevel analysis of the way that test scores are associated with individual and family background information and with characteristics of the school of the 15 year old respondents to the survey. Conclusions We find that school level context variables are very relevant and the economicsocial- cultural status plays a very important role to explain the low performance of Southern Italy students. JEL: C3, I21 Keywords: multilevel analysis, OECD-PISA, students assessment, socio-economic context, CIPP model, territorial differences Parole chiave: analisi multilivello, OECD PISA, valutazione degli studenti, contesto socioeconomico, CIPP model, divari territoriali
Seismic reflection investigations of the Mount Cayley bright spot: A midcrustal reflector beneath the Coast Mountains, British Columbia

An unusually high-amplitude, midcrustal reflector was discovered by a Lithoprobe seismic reflection survey crossing a predominantly plutonic region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The “bright spot” was observed adjacent to Mount Cayley, a large Quaternary volcanic center associated with the Cascadia subduction zone magmatic arc. Characterization of the bright spot may advance our understanding of either the midcrustal structure of magmatic supply systems or the presence and storage of saline fluids in the midcrust. The location and three-dimensional geometry of the reflector were determined using travel time inversion. The resulting suite of models consistently describe a northwest dipping reflector that lies 12.5 to 13 km beneath the Mount Cayley volcanic complex. The areal extent of the reflective surface is 3 km by 1 km and the structure is less than 1.6 km thick. The transition between the body and the country rock must be rapid (<200 m) and exhibit a large impedance contrast in order to generate reflections of such high frequencies (30 Hz) and relative amplitudes (8.0 dB). Our preferred interpretation for the reflector is a fossil sill complex associated with the volcanic development of Mount Cayley. However, the data do not rule out the possibility that the reflective structure represents melt lenses or saline fluid produced by the dewatering of the subducted slab. The Mount Cayley bright spot lies just below the brittle upper crust, as do the midcrustal reflectors detected beneath Japanese subduction arc volcanoes. This correlation suggests that thermal and rheological properties just below the brittle/ductile crustal transition may be favorable for reflector formation.
PML modulates epigenetic composition of chromatin to regulate expression of pro-metastatic genes in triple-negative breast cancer

Abstract The promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein organizes nuclear aggregates known as PML nuclear bodies (PML-NBs), where many transcription factors localize to be regulated. In addition, associations of PML and PML-NBs with chromatin are described in various cell types, further implicating PML in transcriptional regulation. However, a complete understanding of the functional consequences of PML association to DNA in cellular contexts where it promotes relevant phenotypes is still lacking. We examined PML chromatin association in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines, where it exerts important oncogenic functions. We find that PML associates discontinuously with large heterochromatic PML-associated domains (PADs) that contain discrete gene-rich euchromatic sub-domains locally depleted of PML. PML promotes heterochromatic organization in PADs and expression of pro-metastatic genes embedded in these sub-domains. Importantly, this occurs outside PML-NBs, suggesting that nucleoplasmic PML exerts a relevant gene regulatory function. We also find that PML plays indirect regulatory roles in TNBC cells by promoting the expression of pro-metastatic genes outside PADs. Our findings suggest that PML is an important transcriptional regulator of pro-oncogenic metagenes in TNBC cells, via transcriptional regulation and epigenetic organization of heterochromatin domains that embed regions of local transcriptional activity.
Neural sensitivity to facial identity and facial expression discrimination in adults with autism

The fluent processing of faces can be challenging for autistic individuals. Here, we assessed the neural sensitivity to rapid changes in subtle facial cues in 23 autistic men and 23 age and IQ matched non‐autistic (NA) controls using frequency‐tagging electroencephalography (EEG). In oddball paradigms examining the automatic and implicit discrimination of facial identity and facial expression, base rate images were presented at 6 Hz, periodically interleaved every fifth image with an oddball image (i.e. 1.2 Hz oddball frequency). These distinctive frequency tags for base rate and oddball stimuli allowed direct and objective quantification of the neural discrimination responses. We found no large differences in the neural sensitivity of participants in both groups, not for facial identity discrimination, nor for facial expression discrimination. Both groups also showed a clear face‐inversion effect, with reduced brain responses for inverted versus upright faces. Furthermore, sad faces generally elicited significantly lower neural amplitudes than angry, fearful and happy faces. The only minor group difference is the larger involvement of high‐level right‐hemisphere visual areas in NA men for facial expression processing. These findings are discussed from a developmental perspective, as they strikingly contrast with robust face processing deficits observed in autistic children using identical EEG paradigms.
Prescribing Pattern and Efficacy of Oral Antibiotics for Pediatric Urinary Tract Infections in Japan: A Descriptive Study Using a Nationwide Claims Database

Background: Pediatric urinary tract infections are often treated with third-generation cephalosporins; however, the increasing prevalence of Escherichia coli resistant to cephalosporins has reduced their effectiveness. Although resistance is prevalent in Asia, the prescribing patterns and clinical effectiveness of antibiotics have mostly been reported in the United States. This study aimed to describe the prescription patterns and effectiveness of oral antibiotics for treating pediatric urinary tract infections in Japan. Methods: This descriptive study used data from a nationwide Japanese claims database. We identified patients <6 years old with urinary tract infections who received oral antibiotics between January 2016 and December 2020. Descriptive analyses were performed to assess prescription patterns. Moreover, logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for treatment failure among the commonly prescribed antibiotics and patient characteristics. Treatment failure was defined as the prescription of different antibiotics within 7 days of the primary prescription. Results: Of the 4,127 patients, 2,766 (67.0%) were prescribed third-generation cephalosporins, and 347 (8.4%) were prescribed amoxicillin. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and amoxicillin-clavulanate were prescribed to 63 (1.5%) and 50 (1.2%) patients, respectively. Treatment failure was observed in 118 (2.9%) patients and more often in amoxicillin-treated patients than in cefcapene pivoxil-treated patients [OR, 2.18 (95% CI: 1.04–4.58)]. Conclusions: Third-generation cephalosporins are the most commonly prescribed antibiotics for the initial therapy of pediatric urinary tract infections in Japan. Third-generation cephalosporins are still effective in Japan, despite the high prevalence of resistance against cephalosporins.
Self-efficacy and breastfeeding outcomes in mothers of premature and term infants: a longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Purpose To analyze the breastfeeding self-efficacy in mothers of premature and full-term newborns, in the period of 180 days, and to know the social and obstetric factors that influence the practice of maintaining the exclusive breastfeeding in the period of exclusive recommendation. Methods Cohort with 44 mothers admitted to a public maternity hospital between January and October 2018. The mothers were divided into two groups: Premature and Full-term Groups. The Breastfeeding Self-efficacy Scale was applied in the immediate postpartum period, in addition to a questionnaire elaborated by the authors to collect sociodemographic and obstetric variables. The follow-up was done on the 30th, 120th and 180th days of the newborn’s life, by telephone. For the statistical analysis between the groups, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used. Results There was no difference in the self-efficacy score, nor in the obstetric and socioeconomic characteristics between the groups, except for family income (lower in the Premature Group - p = 0.031). The diet type was different on the 30th day after delivery (p = 0.023), with greater adherence to the exclusive breastfeeding in the Premature Group. No association was found between breastfeeding self-efficacy and exclusive breastfeeding practice in the 180-day period. Conclusion In this sample, the breastfeeding self-efficacy was not related to the exclusive breastfeeding practice in the period of 180 days, in both groups. The premature group showed lower family income and greater adherence to exclusive breastfeeding on the 30th day postpartum.
Searching for ULF signatures of the cusp: Observations from search coil magnetometers and auroral imagers in Svalbard

[1] Spacecraft traveling through the cusp at a variety of altitudes have consistently found the cusp to be filled with intense, often irregular power in the upper ULF frequency range. Some ground-based studies have observed narrowband waves in this same frequency range in the vicinity of the cusp foot point, but it has not been possible with magnetometers alone to either confirm or deny a cusp source for these waves. We report here on the first simultaneous, collocated observations of a set of induction magnetometers installed at three near-cusp sites on Svalbard and an all-sky auroral imager located at Longyearbyen. Data during northern winters of 2006–2007 and 2007–2008, when the cusp foot point was in darkness, showed occasional broadband noise when energetic particle precipitation occurred overhead, but on most days no broadband ULF power was observed above the noise level near noon when only soft cusp precipitation or poleward moving auroral forms occurred overhead. However, on 3 days, including 15 January 2007, several bursts of band-limited Pc 1-2 waves were observed in association with regions of intense soft precipitation that peaked near the poleward edge of the cusp. Their properties are consistent with an origin in the plasma mantle, as observed in a recent satellite-ground study by Engebretson et al. (2005). These observations confirm that even intense cusp precipitation is not effective in generating ion cyclotron waves that penetrate to the ground, if it is embedded within the central regions of the cusp, whereas regions of enhanced precipitation at the poleward edge of the cusp are associated with observed waves.
Characterization of magma from inclusions in zircon: Apatite and biotite work well, feldspar less so

Detrital zircon grains are employed to decipher sediment provenances and crustal evolution, and they provide unique evidence of Hadean crust-mantle differentiation processes. We demonstrate that mineral inclusions in zircon provide valuable information on the conditions under which zircon crystallized. Zircon grains from selected plutonic rocks from Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, contain inclusions of apatite, biotite, amphibole, and pyroxenes that accurately reflect the chemical compositions of the equivalent phases in the host-rock matrix, and the compositions of the whole rocks. High concentrations of Y and low concentrations of Sr in apatite inclusions in zircon are diagnostic of evolved, felsic granitoid host rocks. In contrast, the relative abundances and compositions of plagioclase and alkali feldspar inclusions in zircon are decoupled from the composition of the whole rock, and they are generally indicative of granitic melts regardless of the bulk rock. This is best explained by the late crystallization of zircon relative to the bulk of the feldspars. We conclude that inclusions of apatite and mafic phases in zircon constrain the potential source rocks of detrital zircon, whereas feldspar inclusions do not.
Removing ENSO-Related Variations from the Climate Record

Abstract An important question in assessing twentieth-century climate change is to what extent have ENSO-related variations contributed to the observed trends. Isolating such contributions is challenging for several reasons, including ambiguities arising from how ENSO itself is defined. In particular, defining ENSO in terms of a single index and ENSO-related variations in terms of regressions on that index, as done in many previous studies, can lead to wrong conclusions. This paper argues that ENSO is best viewed not as a number but as an evolving dynamical process for this purpose. Specifically, ENSO is identified with the four dynamical eigenvectors of tropical SST evolution that are most important in the observed evolution of ENSO events. This definition is used to isolate the ENSO-related component of global SST variations on a month-by-month basis in the 136-yr (1871–2006) Hadley Centre Sea Ice and Sea Surface Temperature dataset (HadISST). The analysis shows that previously identified multidecadal v.
The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars

Introduction Any readers of this website who also follow recent political developments in this election year will be aware that accusations of "junk science", "hoaxes" and "conspiracies" regarding climate science have not abated--indeed they have increased. So too have concerted attempts by various think tanks and foundations to discredit and harass climate scientists and to propagate disinformation and spread doubt about climate change science.
Decreasing trend of sediment transfer function of the Upper Yellow River, China, in response to human activity and climate change

Abstract An index (Fs) for sediment transfer function is introduced, based on the sediment budget at the channel scale. The purpose of this study is two-fold: to gain a deeper insight into how Fs is influenced by natural and human factors, and to provide some new knowledge for decision making in the management of the Upper Yellow River, China. Since 1960, the Fs of the Lanzhou to Toudaoguai reach of the Upper Yellow River shows a decreasing trend. At the drainage basin level, the decreased Fs can be explained by changes in precipitation and air temperature, as well as by a number of variables describing human activity, such as reservoir regulation, water diversion, and soil and water conservation. The higher temperature reduces the transfer function, while the larger runoff coefficient increases it. At the channel level, the decreased Fs can be explained by a number of variables of flow and sediment input. Three countermeasures for restoration of the Fs are suggested. Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz