Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of 2% Topical Lidocaine Gel on Discomfort from Electrical Stimulation During Nerve Conduction Studies- A Prospective Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study

Purpose Procedure discomfort can limit electrodiagnostic studies. Reducing discomfort can maximize the benefits of these diagnostic tools. This study targeted the discomfort associated with nerve conduction studies (NCS). Patients and Methods This was a prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study comparing the effect of topical lidocaine gel (2%) versus analgesic-free lubricant gel (K-Y gel) on pain perception during NCS. Sequential patients (n=130) referred for routine NCS participated in the study. We applied 1 mL of lidocaine gel to one palm, and 1 mL of K-Y gel to the other as a control. After 20–45 min of application, graded increments of electrical stimulation intensity were delivered to record the median and ulnar mixed palmar nerve responses. Patients were then asked to score the degree of pain felt from electrical stimulation over each palm using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale (WBFPS) and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), independent of baseline pain. Results Mean WBFPS and NRS scores for lidocaine-treated palms were significantly lower than those for controls using parametric paired t-test (3.79 vs 4.37 and 3.35 vs 3.78 respectively, all p-values<0.05). Subgroup analysis showed a significant decrease in mean scores in females, patients aged ≤50 years, patients without a history of previous NCS, and patients without comorbidities (all p-values<0.05). Median scores using nonparametric Wilcoxon ranked test also showed statistically significant differences (all p-values<0.05). Conclusion The results indicate that topical lidocaine 2% gel reduces discomfort associated with NCS. However, despite the statistical significance, clear clinical significance may be lacking. Clinical implementation may be considered for the subgroups that showed the greatest benefit. Further studies that incorporate more efficient drug delivery methods may yield better results.
Preliminary results from the Berkeley EUV Airglow Rocket Spectrometer: O I and N2 FUV/EUV Dayglow in the thermosphere and lower exosphere

The Berkeley extreme-ultraviolet airglow rocket spectrometer (BEARS) made spectroscopic measurements of far and extreme UV, atomic oxygen emissions from a Black Brant XII (12.041 WT) sounding rocket launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, on September 30, 1988. BEARS' primary instrument, a near-normal Rowland mount spectrometer, measured several atomic oxygen and molecular nitrogen dayglow features at high spectral resolution (1.5 A): O I (989, 1027, 1304, and 1356 A); and N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (4,0) and (3,0) bands at 1325 and 1354 A. The instrument collected over 800 s of data spanning altitudes of 150-963 km with look directions between 95° and 125° from zenith. We have analyzed the data using electron and radiative transport models in a forward modeling approach. The model and data are generally in good agreement. However, there are some discrepancies, which are discussed in terms of remote sensing capabilities and improvements to the models. In particular, the data indicate an optically thick cascade contribution of 40% to the O I (1304 A) emission. There is a significant contribution to the O I (1027 A) feature due to Lyman β resonant scattering and an inconsistency in the modeled and measured intensities in the lower thermosphere.
JULIA radar studies of equatorial spread F

This paper presents coherent scatter radar observations of plasma irregularities in the equatorial F region ionosphere made with the JULIA (Jicamarca unattended long-term studies of the ionosphere and atmosphere) radar and discusses model equations and simulations pertinent to their interpretation. The data set shows that bottom-type and bottomside scattering layers are prevalent throughout solar minimum equinox. Bottom-type layers are undifferentiated and relatively weak layers confined to a narrow range of altitudes falling within regions of the ionosphere driven by the E region dynamo. These layers are often precursors to large-scale radar plumes as well as to bottomside layers, which are broader, more structured, and more intense layers than the bottom-type variety. Bottomside layers are the source of intermediate-scale plasma depletions that can ascend and penetrate through to the topside. Fluid simulations of the collisional interchange instability suggest that dynamo theory explains why one kind of layer emerges at a given time and altitude.
A five years super‐slow aseismic precursor model for the 1994 M8.3 Hokkaido‐Toho‐Oki lithospheric earthquake based on tide gauge data

Here we present a super‐slow aseismic event model prior to the magnitude 8.3 Kurile Island (Hokkaido‐Toho‐Oki) earthquake on 4 October 1994 based on data recorded by two tide gauges, located 50–150 km from the earthquake epicenter. Both instruments recorded several cm of subsidence during a five‐year period prior to the earthquake. The observed signals are consistent with a precursory quasi‐stable slip on the western half of the Hokkaido‐Toho‐Oki fault plane. When recognized, such aseismic events can considerably improve our intermediate‐term (several years) prediction capability.
Uncertainty in air–sea CO2 flux due to transfer velocity

From TOPEX/Poseidon data, the significant uncertainty in global air–sea carbon dioxide (CO2) flux in 2000 is calculated from 21 wind-speed-dependent and 5 sea-state-dependent CO2 transfer velocities and the sea-to-air partial pressure difference proposed by Takahashi, Sutherland, and Kozyr (2010). The sea-state-dependent parameterizations are calculated based on the significant wave height (SWH) and the radar backscatter coefficient measured using the Ku-band altimeter. Uncertainty in air‒sea CO2 flux is compared using 26 various transfer velocity formulas. The maximum differences in global monthly mean and 4° zonal mean values for gas transfer velocity among these formulas are 33.20 and 108.20 cm hour‒1, respectively. The corresponding differences for sea-to-air CO2 flux are 6.41 and 0.58 Pg C year‒1, respectively. Monthly mean global maps of gas transfer velocity and flux are also presented. The average value of the global mean, transfer velocity obtained using the 26 formula is 27.33 ± 9.75 cm hour‒1, and the averaged total global net air-to-sea CO2 flux is 2.77 ± 1.02 Pg C year‒1 after area weighting and Schmidt number correction. The sea-state-dependent parameterizations are near these values, providing a successful method to estimate the air‒sea CO2 transfer velocity and flux.
patients with oesophageal cancer

Objectives This retrospective cohort study developed a prognostic model incorporating PET texture analysis in patients with oesophageal cancer (OC). Internal validation of the model was performed. Methods Consecutive OC patients (n = 403) were chronologically separated into development (n = 302, September 2010September 2014, median age = 67.0, males = 227, adenocarcinomas = 237) and validation cohorts (n = 101, September 2014-July 2015, median age = 69.0, males = 78, adenocarcinomas = 79). Texture metrics were obtained using a machinelearning algorithm for automatic PET segmentation. A Cox regression model including age, radiological stage, treatment and 16 texture metrics was developed. Patients were stratified into quartiles according to a prognostic score derived from the model. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Results Six variables were significantly and independently associated with OS: age [HR =1.02 (95% CI 1.01-1.04), p < 0.001], radiological stage [1.49 (1.20-1.84), p < 0.001], treatment [0.34 (0.24–0.47), p < 0.001], log(TLG) [5.74 (1.44–22.83), p = 0.013], log(Histogram Energy) [0.27 (0.10–0.74), p = 0.011] and Histogram Kurtosis [1.22 (1.04– 1.44), p = 0.017]. The prognostic score demonstrated significant differences in OS between quartiles in both the development (X 143.14, df 3, p < 0.001) and validation cohorts (X 20.621, df 3, p < 0.001). Conclusions This prognostic model can risk stratify patients and demonstrates the additional benefit of PET texture analysis in OC staging. Key points • PET texture analysis adds prognostic value to oesophageal cancer staging. • Texture metrics are independently and significantly associated with overall survival. • A prognostic model including texture analysis can help risk stratify patients.
Synoptic conditions of the occurrence of snow cover in central European lowlands

In the central European lowlands, snowiness increases meridionally from the south to the north and latitudinally from the west to the east. Taking into account the spatial variability in the occurrence of snow cover, four regions of snow cover were distinguished using the principal component analysis (PCA). Furthermore, circulation patterns responsible for intense snowfalls and persistence of snow in each region were analysed. Composite maps of the sea level pressure (SLP) and 500‐hPa geopotential height means and anomalies were constructed for the days on which snow depth increased by ≥ 5 cm and for days on which the snow cover lasted for at least 3 days. Contour maps show negative anomalies of SLP and 500‐hPa heights over central Europe, associated with organized low‐pressure systems. The lows may differ in the intensity and localization, depending on the region. In the south‐western part of central Europe, heavy snowfalls usually appear as a result of cold‐air fronts in the colder parts of Mediterranean cyclones, the centres of which are often situated over the Italian Peninsula. Another typical location of cyclones or troughs of low pressure causing heavy snowfalls is the Baltic Sea region, where meteorological fronts appear quite frequently. Such a location of cyclonic systems causes snowfalls particularly frequently in the most snowy north‐western part of central Europe. The cyclonic activity over the continent that brings snowfalls is simultaneous to the weakening of Icelandic Low and significant positive SLP anomalies over the north Atlantic. The persistence of snow cover in the central European lowlands is possible under the positive anomalies of SLP over most of the continent, except for its south‐western part where weak negative anomalies are observed. At the same time, positive anomalies of 500‐hPa geopotential heights appear over the northern Atlantic and Scandinavia. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Study of the L–I–H transition with a new dual gas puff imaging system in the EAST superconducting tokamak

The intermediate oscillatory phase during the L–H transition, termed the I-phase, is studied in the EAST superconducting tokamak using a newly developed dual gas puff imaging (GPI) system near the L–H transition power threshold. The experimental observations suggest that the oscillatory behaviour appearing at the L–H transition could be induced by the synergistic effect of the two components of the sheared m, n = 0 E × B flow, i.e. the turbulence-driven zonal flow (ZF) and the equilibrium flow. The latter arises from the equilibrium, and is, to leading order, balanced by the ion diamagnetic term in the radial force balance equation. A slow increase in the poloidal flow and its shear at the plasma edge are observed tens of milliseconds prior to the I-phase. During the I-phase, the turbulence recovery appears to originate from the vicinity of the separatrix with clear wave fronts propagating both outwards into the far scrape-off layer (SOL) and inwards into the core plasma. The turbulence Reynolds stress is directly measured using the GPI system during the I-phase, providing direct evidence of kinetic energy transfer from turbulence to ZFs at the plasma edge. The GPI observations strongly suggest that the SOL transport physics and the evolution of pressure gradient near the separatrix play an important role in the L–I–H transition dynamics. To highlight these new physics, the previous predator–prey model is extended to include a new equation for the SOL physics. The model successfully reproduces the L–I–H transition process with several features comparing favourably with GPI observations.
Cities for People

The transformation of Melbourne alongside cities like Copenhagen with examples of how other Australian and American cities are inspired by the successes is presented. The author opines that planning with human beings, understanding that cities must be designed to invite pedestrian traffic and city life and not the cars of transport system can create more sustainable cities, environmentally as well as economically.
Post-Miocene faults in Auckland: insights from borehole and topographic analysis

Abstract Although experiencing some seismicity, the Auckland region is generally considered to be one of New Zealand's most tectonically stable areas. There is a distinct lack of mapped faults in the central Auckland area, yet regional trends indicated by several mapped faults surrounding it suggest that these faults should continue through Auckland. The overprint of Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) deposits may mask any potential fault traces in the area. We carried out a detailed study of the topography of Auckland concealed beneath the AVF deposits, using borehole and geophysical data, and combined this with structural information gleaned from current topography and exposed geology to identify significant concealed fault offsets. The reliability of each potential fault displacement was determined using pre-defined attributes. The resulting block faulting model for Auckland supports the proposed connection between the position of the Junction Magnetic Anomaly and Auckland volcanism. The identification of several possible faults in the area covered by the AVF might indicate more structural control on volcanism than previously thought.
Self-compassion amongst clients with problematic alcohol use.

Self-compassion is a topic of growing research interest and is represented by six facets including Self-Kindness, Self-Judgement, Mindfulness, Over-identification, Common Humanity and Isolation. Recent research interest has begun to examine the use of self-focused compassion and mindfulness as a way of alleviating the distress associated with psychological disorders. Little research exists to examine the relationship between self-compassion, depression, anxiety and stress among individuals who are alcohol dependent. The present study aimed to address this gap by examining whether high levels of self-compassion will be associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety and alcohol use at entry to treatment. We also examined whether clients whose self-compassion improved over time also reported improvement in depression, anxiety and alcohol use at follow-up. Participants in this study were clients of a publicly-funded Drug and Alcohol Service, who completed a baseline and 15-week independent clinical assessment that corresponded with their entry into and exit from treatment with the Service. At baseline, study participants were significantly higher in depression, anxiety, stress, alcohol use, and lower in self-compassion than the general population. At 15-week follow-up, participants reported a significant increase in self-compassion, mindfulness, common humanity and self-kindness, and significant decreases in self-judgement, isolation and over-identification. This study provides important preliminary data on self-compassion among a group of people with alcohol dependence. compassion improves over treatment will also report improvement in depression, anxiety and alcohol use at follow-up. Study Design and Setting The study was conducted using current clients of the Central Coast Drug and Alcohol Clinical Service in New South Wales, Australia. The Drug and Alcohol Clinical Service (DACS) of the Central Coast forms part of the area’s general health service for a population of 306,257. DACS provides a range of clinical interventions to Central Coast residents with alcohol/other drug use problems across the spectrum of early intervention, brief and extended treatment programs. Services include community counselling, detoxification (hospital-based and outreach), needle and syringe programs, pharmacotherapy services, a diversional program for young people with AOD use problems and legal issues (MERIT), a cannabis clinic and general practitioner medical management programs. A central intake service acts as the point of initial contact for access to DACS, with subsequent referrals made to relevant services as appropriate.
Numerical modeling of seismic triggering, evolution, and deposition of rapid landslides: Application to Higashi–Takezawa (2004)

A mathematical model is developed for the dynamic analysis of earthquake‐triggered rapid landslides, considering two mechanically coupled systems: (a) the accelerating deformable body of the slide and (b) the rapidly deforming shear band at the base of the slide. The main body of the slide is considered as a one‐phase mixture of Newtonian incompressible fluids and Coulomb solids sliding on a plane of variable inclination. The evolution of the landslide is modeled via a depth‐integrated model of the Savage–Hutter type coupled with: (a) a cyclic hysteretic constitutive model of the Bouc–Wen type and (b) Voellmy's rheology for the deformation of the material within the shear band. The original shallow‐water equations that govern the landslide motion are appropriately reformulated to account for inertial forces due to seismic loading, and to allow for a smooth transition between the active and the passive state. The capability of the developed model is tested against the Higashi–Takezawa landslide. Triggered by the 2004 Niigata‐ken Chuetsu earthquake, the slide produced about 100m displacement of a large wedge from an originally rather mild slope. The mechanism of material softening inside the shear band responsible for the surprisingly large run‐out of the landslide is described by a set of equations for grain crushing‐induced pore‐water pressures. The back‐analysis reveals interesting patterns on the flow dynamics, and the numerical results compare well with field observations. It is shown that the mechanism of material softening is a crucial factor for the initiation and evolution of the landslide, while viscoplastic frictional resistance is a key requirement for successfully reproducing the field data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The hunting of the Greenland right whale in Svalbard, its interaction with climate and its impact on the marine ecosystem

During the 17th and 18th centuries, tens of thousands of Greenland right whales were killed as a result of extensive European whaling in the coastal waters of the Svalbard archipelago. The author reconstructed these whaling activities, examined how the changing climate affected whaling productivity, and considered the consequences of climate and whaling on the species and on the North Atlantic ecosystem. Annual catch records made it possible to calculate the original size of the whale population; its natural migration pattern in the Greenland Sea could be reconstructed using shipping logs and itineraries. Other written sources revealed that besides human hunting activities, climate change played an important role in the elimination of the Greenland right whale from the Arctic marine ecosystem. This elimination made millions of plankton available for other marine mammals, polar cod and planktonfeeding birds. This has caused a major shift in the food web. changing the marine ecosystem in Svalbard.
Constraints from 210Pb and 7Be on wet deposition and transport in a global three‐dimensional chemical tracer model driven by assimilated meteorological fields

The atmospheric distributions of the aerosol tracers 210Pb and 7Be are simulated with a global three-dimensional model driven by assimilated meteorological observations for 1991–1996 from the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS1). The combination of terrigenic 210Pb and cosmogenic 7Be provides a sensitive test of wet deposition and vertical transport in the model. Our simulation of moist transport and removal includes scavenging in wet convective updrafts (40% scavenging efficiency per kilometer of updraft), midlevel entrainment and detrainment, first-order rainout and washout from both convective anvils and large-scale precipitation, and cirrus precipitation. Observations from surface sites in specific years are compared to model results for the corresponding meteorological years, and observations from aircraft missions over the Pacific are compared to model results for the days of the flights. Initial simulation of 7Be showed that cross-tropopause transport in the GEOS1 meteorological fields is too fast by a factor of 3–4. We adjusted the stratospheric 7Be source to correct the tropospheric simulation. Including this correction, we find that the model gives a good simulation of observed 210Pb and 7Be concentrations and deposition fluxes at surface sites worldwide, with no significant global bias and with significant success in reproducing the observed latitudinal and seasonal distributions. We achieve several improvements over previous models; in particular, we reproduce the observed 7Be minimum in the tropics and show that its simulation is sensitive to rainout from convective anvils. Comparisons with aircraft observations up to 12-km altitude suggest that cirrus precipitation could be important for explaining the low concentrations in the middle and upper troposphere.
Physically Based Global Downscaling: Climate Change Projections for a Full Century

A global atmosphere/land model with an embedded subgrid orography scheme is used to simulate the period 1977-2100 using ocean surface conditions and radiative constituent concentrations for a climate change scenario. Climate variables simulated for multiple elevation classes are mapping according to a high-resolution elevation dataset in ten regions with complex terrain. Analysis of changes in the simulated climate leads to the following conclusions. Changes in precipitation vary widely, with precipitation increasing more with increasing altitude in some region, decreasing more with altitude in others, and changing little in still others. In some regions the sign of the precipitation change depends on surface elevation. Changes in surface air temperature are rather uniform, with at most a two-fold difference between the largest and smallest changes within a region; in most cases the warming increases with altitude. Changes in snow water are highly dependent on altitude. Absolute changes usually increase with altitude, while relative changes decrease. In places where snow accumulates, an artificial upper bound on snow water limits the sensitivity of snow water to climate change considerably. The simulated impact of climate change on regional mean snow water varies widely, with little impact in regions in which the upper bound on snow water is the dominant snow water sink, moderate impact in regions with a mixture of seasonal and permanent snow, and profound impacts on regions with little permanent snow.
Does Stommel's Mixed Layer “Demon” Work?

Abstract Stommel argued that the seasonal cycle leads to a bias in the coupling between the surface mixed layer and the main thermocline of the ocean. He suggested that a “demon” operated that effectively only allowed fluid at the end of winter to pass from the mixed layer into the main thermocline. In this study, Stommel's hypothesis is examined using diagnostics from a time-dependent coupled mixed layer-primitive equation model of the North Atlantic (CME). The influence of the seasonal cycle on the properties of the main thermocline is investigated using two methods. In the first, the rate and timing of subduction into the main thermocline is diagnosed using kinematic methods from the 1° resolution CME fields. In the second, tracer diagnostics of the CME and idealized experiments using a “date” tracer identifying the timing of subduction are performed. Over the subtropical gyre, both approaches generally support Stommel's hypothesis that fluid is only transferred from the mixed layer into the main therm.