Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tropical Cyclone-like Vortices in a Limited Area Model: Comparison with Observed Climatology

Abstract A climate simulation of a limited area model implemented over the Australian region is analyzed for the presence of low pressure systems that have some of the physical characteristics of tropical cyclones. The model is run at a horizontal resolution of 125 km and is nested within a GCM simulation of 10 Januarys. The model simulates those variables that are believed to be important for tropical cyclone formation reasonably well, as evaluated using Gray’s Seasonal Genesis Parameter. Objective criteria are used to detect tropical cyclone-like vortices (TCLVs) in the model. The composite structure of the simulated storms and the life cycle of a typical TCLV are described. Like tropical cyclones, the simulated TCLVs have warm cores, low-level wind maxima, and their tracks and regions of occurrence are similar to those observed for tropical cyclones. In general, the TCLVs simulated by the limited area model are weaker than observed, as determined by a measure of the area-averaged low-level tangential w.
Multiyear La Niña events and persistent drought in the contiguous United States

La Niña events typically bring dry conditions to the southwestern United States. Recent La Niñas rarely exceed 2 years duration, but a new record of ENSO from a central Pacific coral reveals much longer La Niña anomalies in the 1800s. A La Niña event between 1855–63 coincides with prolonged drought across the western U.S. The spatial pattern of this drought correlates with that expected from La Niña during most of the La Niña event; land‐surface feedbacks are implied by drought persistence and expansion. Earlier periods also show persistent La Niña‐like drought patterns, further implicating Pacific anomalies and surface feedbacks in driving prolonged drought. An extended index of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation suggests that extratropical influences would have reinforced drought in the 1860s and 1890s but weakened it during the La Niña of the 1880s.
Winter distribution and group composition of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) off northern Peru

From late July to the end of September 2009, the temporal and spatial distribution and group composition of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) were studied in order to provide new information about the species in northern Peru, the southern limit of the breeding area for the Southeast Pacific population. Daily surveys were made from a whale-watching boat from Los Organos (04°10'38.78"S, 81°8'04.40"W) and covering an area of approximately 74km 2 . Data about geographic position and group composition are presented. A total of 43 trips yielded a total of 124 sightings. Whales were observed throughout the study period with a peak in abundance in late August. Humpbacks were distributed mainly in shallow waters between 20 and 50m depth. Pairs and trios were the most common group type, whereas adults and mother/calf pairs were the principal sex/age classes. Our data confirms breeding and nursing activities in the southern limit of the wintering area for the Southeast Pacific stock. Frequent use of the shallow waters of the northern Peruvian coast by fishing operations may cause negative impacts on this sensitive phase in the humpback's life cycle. Thus, strengthening the current protection measures is encouraged.
IFITM3 Restricts Human Metapneumovirus Infection

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) utilizes a bifurcated cellular entry strategy, fusing either with the plasma membrane or, after endocytosis, with the endosome membrane. Whether cellular factors restrict or enhance either entry pathway is largely unknown. We found that the interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) inhibits hMPV infection to an extent similar to endocytosis-inhibiting drugs, and an IFITM3 variant that accumulates at the plasma membrane in addition to its endosome localization provided increased virus restriction. Mechanistically, IFITM3 blocks hMPV F protein-mediated membrane fusion, and inhibition of infection was reversed by the membrane destabilizing drug amphotericin B. Conversely, we found that infection by some hMPV strains is enhanced by the endosomal protein toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), and that IFITM3 retains the ability to restrict hMPV infection even in cells expressing TLR7. Overall, our results identify IFITM3 as an endosomal restriction factor that limits hMPV infection of cells.
AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INDEX FOR THE GREAT LAKES

: To facilitate communication on the environmental quality of lakes, particularly among policy makers and the general public, a new index for summarizing technical information is presented. The index is designed for the nearshore waters of the North American Great Lakes, but the concept is applicable to other temperate lakes with relatively good water quality. The index is based on nine physical (p), chemical (C), biological (B), and toxic substance (T) variables. Raw data are converted to subindex values by mathematically defined functions based on national or international objectives. Subindex values are multiplied by weighting factors and added to yield a final score ranging from 0, worst quality, to 100, highest quality. Letters with subscripts following the index score indicate the types and numbers of Variables whose values are equal to or worse than the objective — e.g., 70 C1P1 indicates that one chemical and one physical variable exceeded the objective. For 18 nearshore locations in the Great Lakes, index scores ranged from 98 at two stations in Lake Superior to 30 C2P1B2T1 off Point Mouillee in Lake Erie. If properly utilized, the index should be a useful tool to help managers evaluate the response of the Great Lakes to the multibillion dollar cleanup efforts conducted during the 1970's.
A multipoint case study of high‐latitude daytime ULF pulsations

We use a multipoint case study approach to delineate significant morphological differences between, and distinct sources for, two kinds of high-latitude dayside ULF wave activity in the Pc 3 to Pi 1 frequency range. Ground data obtained during April 26 and 27, 1986, from search coil magnetometers at South Pole Station (invariant latitude −74°) and McMurdo (invariant latitude −79°), located at nominal dayside auroral oval/polar cleft latitude and in the polar cap, respectively, are compared with interplanetary magnetic field data from IMP 8 in the upstream solar wind, magnetic field data from Active Magnetosphere Partice Tracer Explorers (AMPTE) CCE in the prenoon equatorial outer magnetosphere, and precipitating energetic particle data from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F7 satellite in the dayside ionosphere. Large-amplitude, broad-band Pi 1 activity (which was shown in an earlier study to be statistically dominant at South Pole) is usually weaker or not detectable at McMurdo or at AMPTE CCE. Its occurrence is shown to be related to precipitation of energetic plasma sheet electrons, as established earlier for auroral and subauroral Pi 1 activity. In the cases shown, cusp/cleft latitude Pi 1 activity appears in response to southward turnings of the IMF, with a time delay characteristic of substorm processes. On the other hand, narrow-band Pc 3 activity on the ground occurred at the same time it was observed at AMPTE CCE, and was controlled by the cone angle of the IMF. The intensity of Pc 3 activity decreased roughly with the distance of each ground station from the nominal dayside cleft position, but was clearly evident at McMurdo even in predawn local times. Observed amplitude and local time variations of Pc 3 activity at these very high latitude stations and at AMPTE CCE support recent suggestions of a cusp/cleft-related entry mechanism for these pulsations.
Constraints on Archean Trondhjemite Genesis from Hydrous Crystallization Experiments on Nûk Gneiss at 10-17 Kbar

We present crystallization experiments on Archean Nuk gneiss from West Greenland, and relate these to conditions for early continental crustal genesis. The studied composition is a trondhjemite from a voluminous felsic intrusive phase dated at 2,800-3,000 m.y. In a detailed set of experiments at 10 kbar, the liquidus mineralogy is observed to change with increasing water content from plagioclase above 1000°C and <3.5 wt % water, to clinopyroxene at 850-1000°C with 3.5-7 wt % water, to hornblende below 850°C with >7 wt % water. Water saturation of the melt occurs with 10.5 wt % water at 800°C. Mafic liquidus minerals at 15 kbar differ from those at 10 kbar in that garnet replaces pyroxene, and that epidote replaces hornblende below 690°C at >13 wt % water and at water saturation (15.5 wt %). Garnet crystallization is never observed at pressures below 13 kbar. Using additional experiments at 12.5, 13, and 17 kbar, the liquidus phase variation for trondhjemite with water is accurately defined between 8-18 kbars and 700-1200°C. Based on its liquidus mineralogy, this trondhjemite melt with 7-8 wt % water coexists with garnet, hornblende, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase at approximately 900°C at 14 kbar. At lower water contents than 7 wt % and higher temperatures than 900°C, plagioclase $$\pm$$ garnet crystallization is expected at pressures above 13 kbar and plagioclase $$\pm$$ pyroxene crystallization is expected at pressures below 13 kbar. REE patterns of Nûk gneiss prescribe a hornblende- or garnet-bearing residue from which the trondhjemite melts were extracted. For hornblende this requires high melt water contents (>8 wt %) and melting at temperatures below 900°C. For garnet, generally lower water contents and higher pressures and temperatures are needed. The experiments also indicate that trondhjemites are part of a narrow compositional interval in which water-bearing melts will form magmatic epidote at pressures of 8 kbar and higher. A near-solidus assemblage containing epidote + biotite + plagioclase ($$\approx 20-30\%An$$) + quartz should be expected in such rocks.
An artificial neural network based approach for urban growth zonation in Dehradun city, India

For regulating urban growth, it is imperative to produce urban growth zonation maps, in which future urbanizable areas along with their urban growth potential are delineated. As, these maps provide a rational and scientific basis for taking future decisions regarding the growth of the city. The conventional approach for generating urban growth zonation maps is subjective in nature. To reduce this subjectivity, an artificial neural network (ANN) approach has been proposed for generating urban growth zonation maps. The database required for ANN-based urban growth zonation has been compiled from remote sensing data and other existing maps. GIS is used for handling of this spatial data. A comparison of the ANN- and conventional approach-derived zonation maps was also done. The study demonstrated the potential of ANN for urban growth zonation of an area, which may provide a valuable input to the urban planning authorities for regulating urban growth
The coastal molluscan fauna of the northern Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean

A total of 358 species of molluscs (excluding pelagic species) is recorded here from coastal marine habitats around the northern Kermadec Islands. The fauna is dominated by species that are widely distributed in the tropical western and central Pacific Ocean. The majority of these are restricted to the tropics and subtropics, but some range south to temperate latitudes. Sixty‐eight species, comprising 19% of the fauna, are thought to be endemic to the Kermadec Islands. That group includes several species that have an in situ fossil record extending back to the Pleistocene. The fauna also includes a number of non‐endemic species that are restricted to subtropical or subtropical‐temperate latitudes in the southern Pacific Ocean. Some of these are restricted to the southwestern Pacific, others are shared with subtropical central and eastern Pacific islands. The Kermadec Islands’ coastal molluscan fauna is depauperate at the species/genus level in comparison with faunas in the tropical western and central Pac.
Evidence for a sill emplacement event on the upper flanks of the Ascraeus Mons shield volcano, Mars

Channels within the SSW rift zone of Ascraeus Mons, a large shield volcano forming part of the Tharsis volcanic province on Mars, have morphological features extremely similar to those of channels identified elsewhere on Mars as being due to fluvial action. The channel sources are too far from the caldera rim and have the wrong morphology for it to be plausible that the channels were eroded during pyroclastic flow eruptions, and the sinuosities are not consistent with scenarios involving lava flows. We propose that these channels were formed by meltwater generated and released, mainly by relatively slow seepage, when a sill was emplaced within or beneath an ice-rich permafrost layer. Smaller, fan-like channels coalescing into the amphitheater headwall of the wider ones are secondary features produced by further sapping of the undermined flank. The minimum dimensions required for the sill (∼13 by 13 km in lateral extent and ∼120 m thick) are calculated using the thermal exchanges between the sill and the permafrost implied by the volumes of the channel head craters. The corresponding minimum sill volume, ∼19 km3, is similar to that df many surface lava flows associated with the Tharsis shield volcanoes and is of the order expected for an intrusion resulting from an elastic inflation-deflation event in the summit magma reservoir.
Effect of the GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Lixisenatide on Counter-Regulatory Responses to Hypoglycemia in Subjects With Insulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Counter-regulatory responses are critical to prevent hypoglycemia in subjects with type 2 diabetes. This is particularly important in insulin-treated patients. This study explored the effect of the GLP-1 receptor agonist lixisenatide on the hormonal counter-regulatory responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia when added to basal insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The study was a single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study involving 18 subjects with type 2 diabetes (11 males) with mean age 55 yrs, diabetes duration 12 yrs, HbA1c 7.7%, fasting blood glucose 9.7 mmol/l and body mass index 33 kg/m 2 who were treated with basal insulin (mean duration 7 yrs and daily dose 39U/day) and metformin (mean daily dose 2.1g). Subjects received lixisenatide or placebo for six weeks in random order with four week washout in-between. After six weeks treatment, subjects underwent a two-step hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemic clamp at 3.5 mmol/l and 2.8 mmol/l. RESULTS: After six weeks treatment, HbA1c and FBG were lower after lixisenatide than after placebo. Glucagon and epinephrine levels at the hypoglycemic level of 3.5 mmol/l were significantly lower during lixisenatide than during placebo whereas glucagon and epinephrine levels at 2.8 mmol/l did not differ between the subjects, whereas cortisol, pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and norepinephrine levels did not differ significantly between the treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Glucagon and epinephrine levels are reduced by lixisenatide at 3.5 mmol/l but their counter-regulatory response to deep hypoglycemia at 2.8 mmol/l glucose are sustained during treatment with lixisenatide in combination with basal insulin.
Marchantia polymorpha model reveals conserved infection mechanisms in the 1 vascular wilt fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum 2 3

1 vascular wilt fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum 2 3 Amey Redkar1*, Selena Gimenez Ibanez2, Mugdha Sabale1, Bernd Zechmann3, Roberto 4 Solano2 and Antonio Di Pietro1* 5 6 1. Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain 7 2. Departamento de Genética Molecular de Plantas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología 8 CSIC. Campus Universidad Autónoma, 28049 Madrid, Spain 9 3. Baylor University, Center for Microscopy and Imaging, Waco, Texas 76798, USA 10 11 * Corresponding authors: 12 Amey Redkar, Email: ge2rerea@uco.es 13 Antonio Di Pietro, Email: ge2dipia@uco.es 14 15
Are there really twice as many bovid species as we thought?

Correspondence to be sent to: Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaloes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark;E-mail: rheller@bio.ku. dk, rathmuth@gmail.com. R. Heller and P. Frandsen contributed equally to this article.Received 3 December 2012; reviews returned 7 January 2013; accepted 18 January 2013Associate Editor: Frank (Andy) Anderson
Prediction of static and dynamic fluid pathways within and around dilational jogs

Abstract The distribution of stresses around a fault controls the development of second order fractures and influences fluid migration pathways. This paper demonstrates how the regions of enhanced fracture-induced permeability and fluid migration pathways, in both static and dynamic situations, can be predicted for dilational jogs subjected to simple shear. Mean stress is one of several key factors influencing the migration of fluids through a system. By combining mean stress data with second order fracture predictions obtained from experimentally determined stress trajectory and differential stress data around fault geometries, it is possible to derive predictions for the fluid pathways associated with a static (homogenous) system. Superimposing the mean stress states obtained for the same jog at different applied loads enables the changes in mean stress (and hence fluid migration) associated with the cyclical loading of a fault during stick-slip faulting to be studied. In addition, the mean stress patterns associated with successive stages in the jog’s evolution have been studied and the variations in these patterns, and therefore of the associated fluid migration pathways, mapped in order to track the change in these pathways that occurs as the overlap of the jog-defining faults increases.
Basalt generation at the Apollo 12 site. Part 2: Source heterogeneity, multiple melts, and crustal contamination

— The petrogenesis of Apollo 12 mare basalts has been examined with emphasis on trace-element ratios and abundances. Vitrophyric basalts were used as parental compositions for the modelling, and proportions of fractionating phases were determined using the MAGFOX program of Longhi (1991). Crystal fractionation processes within crustal and sub-crustal magma chambers are evaluated as a function of pressure. Knowledge of the fractionating phases allows trace-element variations to be considered as either source related or as a product of post-magma-generation processes. For the ilmenite and olivine basalts, trace-element variations are inherited from the source, but the pigeonite basalt data have been interpreted with open-system evolution processes through crustal assimilation. Three groups of basalts have been examined: (1) Pigeonite basalts — produced by the assimilation of lunar crustal material by a parental melt (up to 3% assimilation and 10% crystal fractionation, with an “r” value of 0.3). (2) Ilmenite basalts — produced by variable degrees of partial melting (4–8%) of a source of olivine, pigeonite, augite, and plagioclase, brought together by overturn of the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) cumulate pile. After generation, which did not exhaust any of the minerals in the source, these melts experienced closed-system crystal fractionation/accumulation. (3) Olivine basalts — produced by variable degrees of partial melting (5–10%) of a source of olivine, pigeonite, and augite. After generation, again without exhausting any of the minerals in the source, these melts evolved through crystal accumulation. The evolved liquid counterparts of these cumulates have not been sampled. The source compositions for the ilmenite and olivine basalts were calculated by assuming that the vitrophyric compositions were primary and the magmas were produced by non-modal batch melting. Although the magnitude is unclear, evaluation of these source regions indicates that both be composed of early- and late-stage Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) cumulates, requiring an overturn of the cumulate pile.
Bridging great earthquake doublets through silent slip: On‐ and off‐fault aftershocks of the 2006 Kuril Island subduction earthquake toggled by a slow slip on the outer rise normal fault of the 2007 great earthquake

[1] The November 2006 great thrust earthquake of moment magnitude (M w ) 8.3 on the plate boundary in the Kuril (Chishima) Islands triggered as many vigorous normal-faulting aftershocks in the outer rise region seaward of the trench as on-fault aftershocks. Here we show that the aftershocks for a 40 day period preceding the January 2007 M w = 8.1 event in the outer rise were less frequently observed than the rate expected by both the Omori- Utsu formula and the epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model while at the same time were more frequent along the plate boundary. We discuss whether such simultaneous quiescence and activation in the pervasive 2006 aftershocks might have been initiated by the onset of aseismic slip on the 2007 rupture plane. The stable fault sliding in an elastic half-space demonstrates progressive stress shadowing in the outer rise and stress loading along the plate boundary. Furthermore, the rate- and state-dependent friction of Dieterich quantitatively simulates temporal changes in seismic behavior. The same trends of the anomalous activities last in both zones after the 2007 rupture, which suggests that the slips continuously take place in the similar region on the fault throughout the period before and after the rupture. The Kuril case implies that temporal seismic quiescence in an aftershock sequence is useful in evaluating the possibility of the subsequent triggered event, thus suggesting itself as a potential earthquake-forecasting model together with pervasive earthquake-clustering models.
Soil moisture monitoring at the field scale using neutron probe

Measurement of the moisture variation in soils is required for geotechnical design and research because soil properties and behavior can vary as moisture content changes. The neutron probe, which was developed more than 40 years ago, is commonly used to monitor soil moisture variation in the field. This study reports a full-scale field monitoring of soil moisture using a neutron moisture probe for a period of more than 2 years in the Melbourne (Australia) region. On the basis of soil types available in the Melbourne region, 23 sites were chosen for moisture monitoring down to a depth of 1500 mm. The field calibration method was used to develop correlations relating the volumetric moisture content and neutron counts. Observed results showed that the deepest “wetting front” during the wet season was limited to the top 800 to 1000 mm of soil whilst the top soil layer down to about 550 mm responded almost immediately to the rainfall events. At greater depths (550 to 800 mm and below 800 mm), the moisture vari.