Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The statistical treatment of flood flows

The estimation of return periods of floods is considered from the point of view of mathematical statistics. This requires, essentially, the estimation of the tail of a probability distribution from a sample of values which is usually not dense in this tail. The error in the estimation of a flood corresponding to a given probability arises from two sources: (1) the uncertainty as to the mathematical form of the distribution; (2) the uncertainty arising from the statistical errors of estimation of the parameters of the distribution which occur because of the finiteness of the length of record. These errors are illustrated on a numerical example by fitting a log-normal distribution and a type III distribution to fifty annual values of extreme monthly flow of the River Murray.
Impact of Converging Chute Walls for Roller Compacted Concrete Stepped Spillways

A study utilizing a three-dimensional, 1:22 scale, physical model was conducted to evaluate the flow characteristics in the spillway with varying training wall convergence angles. The wall height required to contain the flow for conditions tested varied from critical depth at a 15° convergence angle to three times the critical depth at a 52° convergence angle. The results of the study may be used to estimate minimum training wall height for conditions where bulking due to air entrainment may reasonably be neglected.
Adherence to a Mediterranean type of diet in the world: a geographical analysis based on a systematic review of 57 studies with 1,125,560 participants

Abstract This systematic review aimed to assess the level and time-trends of adherence to Mediterranean-type diets (MTD) among the general population, globally. According to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, a comprehensive literature search of the MEDLINE and Scopus databases was carried out, until 04/09/2023, based on specific criteria. Fifty-seven studies with 1,125,560 apparently healthy adults from Europe (n = 37), US (n = 8), Asia (n = 8), Australia (n = 4) and Africa (n = 1) were included. Adherence to an MTD was moderate with a significant decline observed in the last decade. European countries, mainly driven by Mediterranean countries, showed higher adherence than other regions. Geographical analysis revealed that adherence to an MTD is related to both geographic location and socioeconomic status throughout the world.
TRIP13 localizes to synapsed chromosomes and functions as a dosage-sensitive regulator of meiosis

Meiotic progression requires coordinated assembly and disassembly of protein complexes involved in chromosome synapsis and meiotic recombination. The AAA+ ATPase TRIP13 and its orthologue Pch2 are instrumental in remodeling HORMA domain proteins. Meiosis-specific HORMAD proteins are associated with unsynapsed chromosome axes but depleted from the synaptonemal complex (SC) of synapsed chromosome homologues. Here we report that TRIP13 localizes to the synapsed SC in early pachytene spermatocytes and to telomeres throughout meiotic prophase I. Loss of TRIP13 leads to meiotic arrest and thus sterility in both sexes. Trip13-null meiocytes exhibit abnormal persistence of HORMAD1 and HOMRAD2 on synapsed SC and chromosome asynapsis that preferentially affects XY and centromeric ends. These findings confirm the previously reported phenotypes of the Trip13 hypomorph alleles. Trip13 heterozygous (Trip13+/-) mice also exhibit meiotic defects that are less severe than the Trip13-null mice, showing that TRIP13 is a dosage-sensitive regulator of meiosis. Localization of TRIP13 to the synapsed SC is independent of SC axial element proteins such as REC8 and SYCP2/SYCP3. The N- or C-terminal FLAG-tagged TRIP13 proteins are functional and recapitulate the localization of native TRIP13 to SC and telomeres in knockin mice. Therefore, the evolutionarily conserved localization of TRIP13/Pch2 to the synapsed chromosomes provides an explanation for dissociation of HORMA domain proteins upon chromosome synapsis in diverse organisms.
The Role of Local Moisture Recycling Evaluated Using Stable Isotope Data from over the Middle of the Tibetan Plateau during the Monsoon Season

Abstract Both meteorological data and stable isotope data were used to investigate the role that local moisture recycling plays in maintaining moist land surface conditions over the middle of the Tibetan Plateau during the summer monsoon season. Past studies have shown that precipitation events of the summer monsoon season can be categorized according to synoptic conditions as east-migrating trough types, heat low types, and regional circulation types. Precipitation events during an intensive observation period from 13 to 27 August 2004 were therefore classified into these three types. The contributions of locally recycled moisture in each precipitation type were investigated using isotopic features. The isotope data include precipitation, near-surface atmospheric moisture, and evapotranspiration. First, using a simple Rayleigh distillation model, the isotopic content of the moisture source of the rainfall was estimated from observed precipitation isotope data. The contribution of lower-atmospheric moistu.
Recurrence and survival in dogs with excised colorectal polyps: A retrospective study of 58 cases

Abstract Background Compared to humans, colorectal polyps are relatively rare in dogs. Epidemiological and prognostic data remain accordingly sparse, although they could help veterinary clinicians in the management of these cases. Objectives To report the epidemiological data of dogs with colorectal polyps and identify factors associated with recurrence and survival. Animals Fifty‐eight client‐owned dogs with colorectal polyps admitted to 7 veterinary hospitals (53 dogs from France, 5 dogs from Spain, and 4 dogs from Portugal) were included. Methods Retrospective multicentric cohort study. Medical records and long‐term outcome of the dogs were reviewed. When available, histological samples were reassessed by 2 board‐certified pathologists according to the revised Vienna classification (RVC). Results The West Highland White Terrier (WHWT) breed was significantly associated with the presence of colorectal polyps (OR: 20; 95% CI: 7.5‐52; P < .001). The overall median time to recurrence was not reached after 2000 days. The overall estimated median survival time was 1640 days. WHWT breed and larger polyps were significantly associated with a shorter time of polyp recurrence after surgical removal (respectively, P = .05 and P = .01). Conclusions and Clinical Importance The probability of recurrence of colorectal polyps in dogs is low, but increased in WHWTs and larger polyps, which might benefit from routine screening after removal. No effective predictors of polyp recurrence and survival were identified using the RVC.
Nanofósiles Calcáreos y Bioestratigrafía del Cretácico del Sudeste de la Cuenca Austral, Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract CRETACEOUS CALCAREOUS NANNOFOSSILS AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF SOUTHEASTERN AUSTRAL BASIN, PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA. This study presents the results of a quantitative analysis of the calcareous nannofossils recovered in five localities in the southeastern sector of the Austral Basin. On the basis of the assemblages recovered and its comparison with previous biozonations for the Austral Atlantic Ocean, it was possible to identify Valanginian—early Hauterivian, early Albian—middle Albian, late Albian—Cenomanian, Coniacian/Santonian—Campanian and late Maastrichtian assemblages. Two discontinuities evidenced by biostratigraphical hiatuses for the Cretaceous sequence were deduced: one for the late Hauterivian—Barremian and the other for at least the Turonian. The Early Cretaceous assemblages are comparable to those of the Falkland Plateau and they would be developed on an external platform having cold surface waters and high availability of nutrients. The Late Cretaceous assemblages are similar to those found in the Neuquina and Colorado basins and they would be developed on an internal platform having cold to temperate surface waters.
MicroRNA-25/93 induction by Vpu as a mechanism for counteracting MARCH1-restriction on HIV-1 infectivity in macrophages

ABSTRACT The type 1 interferon-regulated E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH1 reduces surface expression of HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (Env) and their packaging into nascent virions, a condition that restricts viral infectivity. However, how HIV-1 counters this restriction, notably during infection of macrophages, remains unclear. Here, we show that the HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu increases the levels of microRNAs-25 and -93 to target MARCH1 mRNA. By recruiting β-TRCP, a component of the SCFβ-TRCP E3 ligase complex that targets phosphorylated β-catenin for degradation, Vpu increases β-catenin levels, which, in concert with TCF4/LEF, drives transcription of the MARCH1-targeting microRNAs. This potentiates HIV-1 infectivity as a result of increased Env incorporation into nascent virions. Pharmacological targeting of the β-catenin pathway inhibits Vpu-mediated upregulation of microRNAs-25 and -93 and restores MARCH1 restriction on HIV-1 infectivity. Overall, our findings highlight a novel mechanism by which HIV-1 counteracts MARCH1 by downregulating its expression via Vpu-mediated induction of microRNAs-25 and -93. IMPORTANCE In order to efficiently produce infectious viral particles, HIV must counter several restrictions exerted by host cell antiviral proteins. MARCH1 is a member of the MARCH protein family that restricts HIV infection by limiting the incorporation of viral envelope glycoproteins into nascent virions. Here, we identified two regulatory RNAs, microRNAs-25 and -93, induced by the HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu, that downregulate MARCH1 mRNA. We also show that Vpu induces these cellular microRNAs in macrophages by hijacking the cellular β-catenin pathway. The notion that HIV-1 has evolved a mechanism to counteract MARCH1 restriction on viral infectivity underlines the importance of MARCH1 in the host antiviral response. In order to efficiently produce infectious viral particles, HIV must counter several restrictions exerted by host cell antiviral proteins. MARCH1 is a member of the MARCH protein family that restricts HIV infection by limiting the incorporation of viral envelope glycoproteins into nascent virions. Here, we identified two regulatory RNAs, microRNAs-25 and -93, induced by the HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu, that downregulate MARCH1 mRNA. We also show that Vpu induces these cellular microRNAs in macrophages by hijacking the cellular β-catenin pathway. The notion that HIV-1 has evolved a mechanism to counteract MARCH1 restriction on viral infectivity underlines the importance of MARCH1 in the host antiviral response.
Quantitative analysis of seabed mixing and intertidal zone discharge in coastal aquifers

Contaminant loading from an inland source zone to the nearshore marine environment is examined using a saturated‐unsaturated simulation model which incorporates both the influence of the growth and the extinction of the seepage face in the intertidal zone and the inclusion of hydromechanical stress coupling due to tidal loading. The system analyzed represents a site where an unconfined aquifer extends offshore with a broad intertidal zone. The volumetric discharge of groundwater in the intertidal zone dominates the discharge occurring beyond the low‐tide line. For most of the cases examined, within the intertidal zone, the recirculated saline component of the discharge is greater than the freshwater component. The majority of the contaminant mass exits through the seepage face located above the instantaneous tide line. The peak contaminant loading rate occurs around the time of the falling midtide. At low tide, the contaminant loading rate is more than 2 orders of magnitude lower than the peak rates, even though groundwater discharge rates are highest as low tide is approached. Sensitivity studies indicate that the relative proportion of recirculated intertidal zone discharge to fresh intertidal zone discharge is most sensitive to the magnitude of the freshwater flux, the spatial variation of the outflow across the intertidal zone as influenced by anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity, and tidal pumping as influenced by specific storage. Dilution of contaminant concentrations due to mixing with seawater beneath the sediment‐water interface is represented in terms of a dilution factor, defined relative to the onshore source concentration. For our base case, the dilution factor for the contaminant concentration averaged over one tidal cycle at the high‐tide, midtide, and low‐tide lines was 1.3, 3.9, and 560, respectively. The key factors determining contaminant dilution at the sediment interface are location within the intertidal zone and the vertical extent of the contaminant plume as it enters the intertidal zone.
Dimensions of Remote Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Minority Language Schools (The Case of Austrian Carinthia)

Abstract Based on a survey conducted among teachers in three schools in Austrian Carinthia where the language of instruction is (also) Slovene, the article examines the impact of remote learning between March and June – i.e. during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic – on a possible deterioration of students’ language skills. The results also bring new data and insight into teachers’ language accommodation. The results confirm the predominance of reading and writing communication with a minimum use of audiovideo technology. The lower input of verbal communication mainly affected students with (strongly) unbalanced linguistic competence in both languages of instruction. Education is an important factor in reducing inequalities in society; thus, as long as remote learning increases inequality, this form of education should be pursued with some reservations.
Predictors of cardiovascular risk in familial hypercholesterolemia

Purpose of review Familial hypercholesterolemia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The current international guidelines of the main scientific societies consider that, all people with Familial Hypercholesterolemia have a high or very high cardiovascular risk. However, the occurrence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is very heterogeneous in this population. Stratifying risk within people with familial hypercholesterolemia is essential to identify individuals who require intensive cholesterol-lowering therapies. Recent findings In the last year, several studies have been published focusing on the contribution of diabetes to Familial Hypercholesterolemia, the role of stroke, as a manifestation of atherosclerotic disease, and the external validation of the SAFEHEART risk equation in the English population diagnosed with Familial Hypercholesterolemia. Summary It is necessary the development of a tool that allows us to identify, in a simple, reproducible, and universal way, patients who may have a high risk of suffering a cardiovascular event and who are susceptible to more intensive treatments to reduce cholesterol levels.
A twenty year perspective on melanoma therapy

Melanoma had long been considered to be particularly addressable with immunotherapy, but that reputation was built on modestly effective cytokine‐based immunotherapy. CTLA‐4 antibody therapy reinforced this legacy, but PD‐1 antibodies transformed the melanoma treatment landscape and lead the way for immunotherapy to become standard treatment for more than half of the advanced cancer population. BRAF mutations were discovered in 8% of all cancer and nearly 50% of melanomas. Successful development of BRAF inhibitors and BRAF/MEK combination therapy in melanoma preceded regulatory approval across all cancer types. No cancer type saw outcomes improved by the same margin as melanoma in the decade of the 2010s.
Antigenicity and receptor affinity of SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 spike

A severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron subvariant, BA.2. 86, was found to be no more resistant to human sera than the currently dominant XBB.1. 5 and EG.5. 1, but it had a remarkably higher receptor affinity. A severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron subvariant, BA.2. 86, has emerged and spread to numerous countries worldwide, raising alarm because its spike protein contains 34 additional mutations compared with its BA.2 predecessor^ 1 . We examined its antigenicity using human sera and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Reassuringly, BA.2. 86 was no more resistant to human sera than the currently dominant XBB.1. 5 and EG.5. 1, indicating that the new subvariant would not have a growth advantage in this regard. Importantly, sera from people who had XBB breakthrough infection exhibited robust neutralizing activity against all viruses tested, suggesting that upcoming XBB.1. 5 monovalent vaccines could confer added protection. Although BA.2. 86 showed greater resistance to mAbs to subdomain 1 (SD1) and receptor-binding domain (RBD) class 2 and 3 epitopes, it was more sensitive to mAbs to class 1 and 4/1 epitopes in the ‘inner face’ of the RBD that is exposed only when this domain is in the ‘up’ position. We also identified six new spike mutations that mediate antibody resistance, including E554K that threatens SD1 mAbs in clinical development. The BA.2. 86 spike also had a remarkably high receptor affinity. The ultimate trajectory of this new SARS-CoV-2 variant will soon be revealed by continuing surveillance, but its worldwide spread is worrisome.
Transcriptional profiling and genetic analysis of a cystic fibrosis airway-relevant model shows asymmetric responses to growth in a polymicrobial community

ABSTRACT Bacterial infections in the lungs of persons with cystic fibrosis are typically composed of multispecies biofilm-like communities, which modulate clinically relevant phenotypes that cannot be explained in the context of a single species culture. Most analyses to date provide a picture of the transcriptional responses of individual pathogens; however, there is relatively little data describing the transcriptional landscape of clinically relevant multispecies communities. Harnessing a previously described cystic fibrosis-relevant, polymicrobial community model consisting of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Prevotella melaninogenica, we performed an RNA-Seq analysis on the biofilm population to elucidate the transcriptional profiles of the community grown in artificial sputum medium (ASM) as compared to growth in monoculture, without mucin, and in fresh medium supplemented with tobramycin. We provide evidence that, although the transcriptional profile of P. aeruginosa is community agnostic, the transcriptomes of S. aureus and S. sanguinis are community aware. Furthermore, P. aeruginosa and P. melaninogenica are transcriptionally sensitive to the presence of mucin in ASM, whereas S. aureus and S. sanguinis largely do not alter their transcriptional profiles in the presence of mucin when grown in a community. Only P. aeruginosa shows a robust response to tobramycin. Genetic studies of mutants altered in community-specific growth provide complementary data regarding how these microbes adapt to a community context. IMPORTANCE Polymicrobial infections constitute the majority of infections in the cystic fibrosis (CF) airway, but their study has largely been neglected in a laboratory setting. Our lab previously reported a polymicrobial community that can help explain clinical outcomes in the lungs of persons with CF. Here, we obtained transcriptional profiles of the community versus monocultures to provide transcriptional information about how this model community responds to CF-related growth conditions and perturbations. Genetic studies provide complementary functional outputs to assess how the microbes adapt to life in a community. Polymicrobial infections constitute the majority of infections in the cystic fibrosis (CF) airway, but their study has largely been neglected in a laboratory setting. Our lab previously reported a polymicrobial community that can help explain clinical outcomes in the lungs of persons with CF. Here, we obtained transcriptional profiles of the community versus monocultures to provide transcriptional information about how this model community responds to CF-related growth conditions and perturbations. Genetic studies provide complementary functional outputs to assess how the microbes adapt to life in a community.
Toward ‘Computational-Rationality’ Approaches to Arbitrating Models of Cognition: A Case Study Using Perceptual Metacognition

Abstract Perceptual confidence results from a metacognitive process which evaluates how likely our percepts are to be correct. Many competing models of perceptual metacognition enjoy strong empirical support. Arbitrating these models traditionally proceeds via researchers conducting experiments and then fitting several models to the data collected. However, such a process often includes conditions or paradigms that may not best arbitrate competing models: Many models make similar predictions under typical experimental conditions. Consequently, many experiments are needed, collectively (sub-optimally) sampling the space of conditions to compare models. Here, instead, we introduce a variant of optimal experimental design which we call a computational-rationality approach to generative models of cognition, using perceptual metacognition as a case study. Instead of designing experiments and post-hoc specifying models, we began with comprehensive model comparison among four competing generative models for perceptual metacognition, drawn from literature. By simulating a simple experiment under each model, we identified conditions where these models made maximally diverging predictions for confidence. We then presented these conditions to human observers, and compared the models’ capacity to predict choices and confidence. Results revealed two surprising findings: (1) two models previously reported to differently predict confidence to different degrees, with one predicting better than the other, appeared to predict confidence in a direction opposite to previous findings; and (2) two other models previously reported to equivalently predict confidence showed stark differences in the conditions tested here. Although preliminary with regards to which model is actually ‘correct’ for perceptual metacognition, our findings reveal the promise of this computational-rationality approach to maximizing experimental utility in model arbitration while minimizing the number of experiments necessary to reveal the winning model, both for perceptual metacognition and in other domains.
The Synchrony-Prosociality Link Cannot Be Explained Away as Expectancy Effect: Response to Atwood et al. ()

Abstract Moving in time to others, as is often observed in dance, music, sports and much of children’s play cross-culturally, is thought to make people feel and act more prosocially towards each other. In a recent paper, Atwood et al. (2022) argued that the inferential validity of this link found between synchronous behaviour and prosociality might be mainly due to “expectancy effects generated by a combination of (1) experimenter expectancy, leading to experimenter bias; and (2) participant expectancy (i.e., placebo effects)”. Here, we counter these arguments with (1) examples of studies devoid of experimenter expectancy effects that nevertheless demonstrate a positive link between synchrony and prosociality, and (2) insights from the developmental literature that address participant expectancy by showing how expectations formed through lived experiences of synchronous interactions do not necessarily threaten inferential validity. In conclusion, there is already sufficient good-quality evidence showing the positive effects of synchronous behaviours on prosociality beyond what can be explained by experimenter or participant expectation effects.