Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional Constitutive Model for Partially and Fully Saturated Soils

Constitutive models for partially saturated soils often assume linear relationships for the variation of shear strength with suction and the shape of the partially saturated isotropic compression lines. It has been established, however, that for some soils these relationships are nonlinear. The shape of the isotropic compression line for partially saturated conditions is of particular importance, as it is directly related to the amount of potential collapse that a soil will experience upon wetting. When boundary value problems are analyzed, ignoring this nonlinearity can lead to very inaccurate predictions, and such models are of limited applicability. None of the current models have been demonstrated to predict collapse behavior in a satisfactory manner, especially at high values of stress and suction. In this paper, an exponential expression for partially saturated isotropic compression lines is implemented in an existing elastoplastic framework for saturated and partially saturated soils. As a result, .
Imaging findings of head and neck and intracranial sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (Rosai–dorfman disease): A rare case report

This case report describes a multifocal involvement of Rosai–Dorfman disease (RDD), which is a benign lymphohistiocytosis, with emphasis on imaging findings in a 19 yrs old Ethiopian female patient who was sent to radiology department at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) for head and neck and brain imaging evaluations for an indication of bilateral painless neck swelling of 2 years duration. The head and neck computed tomography (CT) and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed numerous enlarged cervical lymph nodes and soft tissue infiltration of paranasal sinuses with associated lytic osseous changes as well as multiple intracranial extraaxial dural-based masses. Smears of fine needle aspiration biopsy from cervical lymph nodes confirmed the diagnosis of Rosai–Dorfman disease (RDD).
An Oil-Filled MEMS Resonant Pressure Sensor Based on Electrostatic Stiffness Modulation

This letter presents an oil-filled micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) resonant pressure sensor based on electrostatic stiffness modulations to mitigate the side effects of oil expansion during temperature changes. In this device, tunable bias voltages were employed to adjust the nonmonotonic property of the resonators for pressure sensing to maintain high performances within wide temperature range of −55° to 125°C. Microfabrication was conducted to manufacture the sensor chip. Compared with the sensor without electrostatic stiffness modulation, the developed sensor demonstrated a high pressure fitting accuracy of ±0.02%FS (full scale). Further tests revealed high performances of the developed device within full pressure (10kPa to 200kPa) and temperature ranges, including pressure accuracy of ±0.02% FS, repeatability of 0.01% FS, pressure hysteresis of 0.01% FS, nonlinearity of 0.01% FS, and temperature hysteresis of 0.02% FS. The method can also be suitable for non-oil-filled resonant pressure sensor to extend the working temperature range.
A theoretical analysis of interflow of water through surface soil horizons with implications for movement of chemicals in field runoff

Steady interflow of water in the near-surface saturated soil horizons, which are the important nonpoint sources of applied agricultural chemicals appearing in field runoff, is investigated theoretically. Analytical solutions are obtained for some relevant cases of interflow in a sloping layered soil having a subsoil of lower permeability. Analysis is made for the effect of the relative permeability of the subsoil and of the depth of the subsoil above an impermeable base varying from zero to infinity, in relation to different ratios of slope length to soil profile depth. Solutions and analyses are also extended to a case where flow through the topsoil is saturated and steady, but where the subsoil is still accepting a constant downward flux of water uniformly over all its area. The solutions are for a rectangularly bounded, tilted flow medium; but for long slopes the details of the flow medium boundaries at the top and bottom ends should have negligible effects on overall flow. The results show that the interflow through each horizon of a layered soil profile can be approximated by a one-dimensional Darcian flow parallel to the slope, if the ratio of slope length to soil profile depth is greater than about 6 to 10. This extends the finding reported earlier in the literature for a uniform soil. For an extreme case of a sloping soil with a semi-infinitely deep subsoil on an impermeable base, the interflow through the topsoil, if it is highly conductive compared to the subsoil, can still be treated as a one-dimensional flow. For such cases, the movement of soil chemicals with interflow can be described as a one-dimensional miscible displacement process. A uniformly constant downward flux of water into the subsoil decreases interflow through the topsoil. The extent of the decrease depends upon the land slope and the relative conductivity of the subsoil. Of even greater significance for chemical transport is the finding that the cross section of the topsoil through which the interflow traverses and picks up its chemical load is drastically reduced by downward leakage, even when the subsoil conductivity is two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the topsoil. A simplified prediction of this region of interflow is deduced from the results. By representing this wedge-shaped area by an equivalent rectangle, the chemical movement, for a first-order estimation in field application, may still be approximated as a one-dimensional displacement.
Profile and Outcomes of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients during the Prevalence of the Omicron Variant According to the Brazilian Regions: A Retrospective Cohort Study from 2022

We investigated the clinical–epidemiological profile and outcomes of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in 2022, during the Omicron variant/subvariant prevalence, in different Brazilian regions to identify the most vulnerable subgroups requiring special attention. Data from COVID-19 patients were extracted from the national Information System for Epidemiological Surveillance of Influenza (SIVEP-Gripe database), and analyses stratified by region and age group were conducted. The constructed dataset encompassed clinical–epidemiological information, intensive care unit admission, invasive and non-invasive ventilation requirements, vaccination status, and evolution (cure or death). It was observed that there were significant differences in the vaccination rates between regions, in the occurrence of unfavorable outcomes, and in the pattern of comorbidities in young patients. The north region had higher rates of unvaccinated patients and a lower percentage of those vaccinated with three doses in all age groups compared to other regions. The northeast region had the highest rates of patients admitted to the ICU for all age groups, while the north and northeast were the most affected by IMV requirements and in-hospital death in all age groups. This study showed that extended vaccination coverage, especially booster doses, can protect different population segments from developing severe disease since lower vaccination coverage was observed in regions with higher fatality rates.
Objective Methods of Assessing Fluid Status to Optimize Volume Management in Kidney Disease and Hypertension: The Importance of Ultrasound

Fluid overload, a prevalent complication in patients with renal disease and hypertension, significantly impacts patient morbidity and mortality. The daily clinical challenges that clinicians face include how to identify fluid overload early enough in the course of the disease to prevent adverse outcomes and to guide and potentially reduce the intensity of the diuresis. Traditional methods for evaluating fluid status, such as pitting edema, pulmonary crackles, or chest radiography primarily assess extracellular fluid and do not accurately reflect intravascular volume status or venous congestion. This review explores the rationale, mechanism, and evidence behind more recent methods used to assess volume status, namely, lung ultrasound, inferior vena cava (IVC) ultrasound, venous excess ultrasound score, and basic and advanced cardiac echocardiographic techniques. These methods offer a more accurate and objective assessment of fluid status, providing real-time, non-invasive measures of intravascular volume and venous congestion. The methods we discuss are primarily used in inpatient settings, but, given the increased pervasiveness of ultrasound technology, some could soon expand to the outpatient setting.
Relative contribution of ionospheric conductivity and electric field to the auroral electrojets

Data from continuous scans of the Chatanika radar beam along the magnetic meridian plane are used to determine the latitudinal profile of height-integrated ionospheric conductivities and horizontal electric fields, from which the latitudinal distribution of ionospheric currents is deduced. The observations cover invariant latitudes between 62° and 68°, where the IMS Alaska meridian chain of magnetometers was also in operation. Although the conductivities and the electric fields are interrelated, the relative importance of the two in driving the eastward and westward auroral electrojet currents can be assessed. It is found that for moderate and large current densities (i.e., ≳0.2 A/m), the northward electric field strength increases as the magnitude of the eastward electrojet in the evening sector increases. The height-integrated Hall conductivity stays generally at the level of 10 mhos even when the current density becomes as large as 1 A/m. However, when the eastward electrojet is small, substantial electric fields of 10–20 mV/m may still exist as if the magnetosphere has a persistent voltage source. There appear to be two distinct components to the westward electrojet. In the midnight and early morning sestors ( 0300 MLT) is dominated by a strong southward electric field.
“Let the tournament for the woke begin!”: Euro 2020 and the reproduction of Cultural Marxist conspiracies in online criticisms of the “take the knee” protest

Exploring online criticisms of the ‘take the knee’ protest during ‘Euro 2020’, this article examines how alt-and far-right conspiracies were both constructed and communicated via the social media platform, Twitter. By providing a novel exploration of alt-right conspiracies during an international football tournament, a qualitative thematic analysis of 1,388 original tweets relating to Euro 2020 was undertaken. The findings reveal how, in criticisms levelled at both ‘wokeism’ and the Black Lives Matter movement, anti-white criticisms of the ‘take the knee’ protest were embroiled in alt-right conspiracies that exposed an assumed Cultural Marxist, ‘woke agenda’ in the tournament’s organization and mainstream media coverage. In conclusion, it is argued that conspiratorial discourses, associated with the alt-right, provided a framework through which the protest could be understood. This emphasises how the significance of conspiracy functions to promote the wider dissemination of alt-right ideology across popular cultural contexts, such as sport.
Towards accurate numerical calibration of the Late Triassic: High- precision U-Pb geochronology constraints on the duration of the Rhaetian

Numerical calibration of the Late Triassic stages is arguably the most controversial issue in Mesozoic stratigraphy, despite its importance for assessing mechanisms of environmental perturbations and associated biologic consequences preceding the end-Triassic mass extinction. Here we report new chemical abrasion–isotope dilution– thermal ionization mass spectrometry zircon U-Pb dates for volcanic ash beds within the Aramachay Formation of the Pucara Group in northern Peru that place precise constraints on the age of the Norian- Rhaetian boundary (NRB) and the duration of the Rhaetian. The sampled ash bed–bearing interval is located just above the last occurrence of the bivalve Monotis subcircularis, placing this stratigraphic sequence in the uppermost Norian, perhaps ranging into the earliest Rhaetian. Zircon U-Pb dates of ash beds constrain the deposition age of this interval to be between 205.70 ± 0.15 Ma and 205.30 ± 0.14 Ma, providing precise constraints on the age of the NRB. Combined with previously published zircon U-Pb dates for ash beds bracketing the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, we estimate a duration of 4.14 ± 0.39 m.y. for the Rhaetian. This ends a prolonged controversy about the duration of this stage and has fundamental implications for the rates of paleoenvironmental deterioration that culminated in the end-Triassic mass extinction.
40Ar/39Ar Thermochronology on Central China Orogen: Cooling, uplift and implications for orogeny dynamics

Abstract 40Ar/39Ar geochronology was carried out on the non-deformed synorogenic granitoid plutons from the Qinling–Dabie Orogen. The new model cooling history (MCH) method is applied to K-feldspar to obtain information about its cooling history. MCH is a quicker and easier method of calculating cooling histories compared with the multi-domain diffusion (MDD) model. Cooling histories indicate that Qinling–Dabie suffered differential uplift and denudation processes since the collision in the Late Triassic. East Qinling uplifted and denuded rapidly from c. 181–187 to c. 150 Ma at a rate of c. 20 °C Ma−1, three times as fast as west Qinling which was exhumed at a rate of c. 6.6 °C Ma−1 from c. 195–190 to c. 100 Ma. Although west and east Qinling started uplift and denudation at the same time, east Qinling reached the 150 °C geothermal line (c. 7.5 km deep) at c. 150 Ma, earlier than west Qinling by c. 50 myr, suggesting that earliest collision and strongest compression occurred in east Qinling. Dabie is characterized with a polyphased process of uplift and denudation, implying that the subduction of south China block in this region was multi-staged. The emplacement of the granitoids and uplift pattern along Qinling–Dabie may be due to delamination of the root of the mountains or the slab break-off. Cooling histories suggest that more mass had been removed from the root of east Qinling than west Qinling and Dabie; the final delamination occurred in Dabie at c. 100 Ma but affected the whole Qinling–Dabie orogen.
Stratospheric influence on tropospheric climate change in the Northern Hemisphere

[1] The role of the stratosphere in tropospheric climate response to increased concentrations of the greenhouse gases during Northern Hemisphere winter is addressed by performing and analyzing a set of simulations with the atmosphere general circulation model ECHAM5. Attention is paid to the difference in the response to doubled CO2 concentration and associated sea surface temperature and sea ice concentration anomaly between a low-top and a stratosphere-resolving model version. We find a larger decrease of the Arctic sea level pressure in late winter in the low-top model when compared to the stratosphere-resolving one. Such dependence of the response on the representation of the stratosphere is consistent with previous multimodel results, indicating that the difference is likely robust across different models. The different response of the tropospheric circulation may have important climatic consequences; for example, we demonstrate a different precipitation response over Europe in these experiments. The different tropospheric response is shown to originate from different response in the polar stratosphere which is attributable to a stronger Brewer-Dobson circulation response in the stratosphere-resolving model. A decomposition of the Brewer-Dobson circulation response to contributions from resolved and parameterized processes show that both contribute toward the stronger downwelling response in the polar stratosphere in the stratosphere-resolving model. Additional sensitivity experiments reveal that the magnitude of the Arctic sea level pressure response, but not the difference between the stratosphere-resolving and low-top model responses, depends on the magnitude of SST anomaly in the tropical Pacific.
Seasonal variability of N2O emissions and CH4 uptake by tropical rainforest soils of Queensland, Australia

Over 1 year we followed the seasonal variations of N2O and CH4 fluxes at a tropical rain forest site in Australia. In addition, meteorological parameters, litter fall and decomposition, plant species composition, and concentrations of NH4+/NO3− in the soil and N2O and CH4 in the soil atmosphere were measured. N2O emissions showed a pronounced seasonal pattern with highest rates in the wet season (108.6 μg N m−2 h−1) and significantly lower rates during dry season (mostly <10 μg N2O‐N m−2 h−1). N2O emissions were positively correlated to N2O‐concentrations in the soil profile and to moisture, but not to concentrations of NH4+ and NO3−. The annual emission of N2O (N = 6015) was 0.97 kg N ha−1 yr−1, and, thus, approximately 7 times lower than a previous estimate for the year 2000. The marked differences in N2O emissions between different years indicate that the interannual variability of N2O emissions from rain forest soils cannot be neglected. With regard to CH4 the soil functioned throughout the entire year as a significant sink. Rates of CH4 uptake during the dry period (35–68 μg CH4 m−2 h−1) were higher as compared to the wet period (4–45 μg CH4 m−2 h−1). A close linear correlation between soil moisture and magnitude of CH4 uptake was found. The calculated annual CH4 uptake (N = 6090) is 3.2 kg CH4 ha−1 yr−1. This implies that tropical rain forest soils function as significant sinks for atmospheric CH4 on a global scale.
Links between the onset of modern Walker circulation and the mid-Pleistocene climate transition

Sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) reconstructed from Ocean Drilling Program Sites 806 and 849 in the western and eastern equatorial Pacific provide a history of the strength of the Walker circulation between 1.5 and 0.5 Ma. A progressive cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific is paralleled by intensification of the equatorial zonal SST gradient that began 1.17 Ma, prior to the expansion of global ice volume associated with the mid-Pleistocene climate transition. The SSTs in the eastern equatorial Pacific and the zonal gradient reached modern values by 0.9 Ma. We propose that this onset and intensification of the modern Walker circulation reduced heat flux, but increased moisture transport to high latitudes, leading to the development of more extensive ice sheets and the shift toward the 100 ka world.
Plasmatic Levels and Response to Variable Doses of Monthly Aripiprazole and Three-Month Paliperidone in Patients with Severe Schizophrenia. Treatment Adherence, Effectiveness, Tolerability, and Safety

Introduction There is a need when optimizing antipsychotic treatment to know the plasmatic levels (PLs) achieved with the different doses and their relationship with effectiveness and toxicity, especially in patients with poor clinical progress. This study investigates the dose-PL-response relationship of monthly aripiprazole (AOM) and three-month paliperidone (PP3M). Methods Observational, 52-week prospective study of patients with severe schizophrenia (CGI-S ≥ 5) treated with PP3M or AOM for at least one year before their inclusion in the study (N=68). Dose-PL relationship was determined. Subjects were included in standard-dose and high-dose (above labeled) and standard/therapeutic range-PLs and high-PLs (above range) groups. Treatment adherence, effectiveness (hospitalizations, severity), tolerability and safety were assessed. PLs and clinical response were evaluated. Results No clear linear relationship was found between doses and PLs. In a considerable number of cases, standard doses achieved PLs above the therapeutic range. A significant clinical improvement was related to high PLs, without less safety, tolerability, or treatment compliance being involved. Clinical severity decreased more frequently in patients who received high doses and reached high PLs. Hospital admissions decreased significantly in those patients with high PLs. Conclusion Taking into account the absence of a linear relationship between doses and PLs, the effectiveness in people with severe schizophrenia of AOM and PP3M depends on reaching high PLs, achieved with high doses, but also with standard doses in some cases, without leading to worse treatment tolerability, safety, or adherence.
Application of a Custom Device to Measure Isometric Knee Strength: Possible Injury Correlation in Professional Soccer (Football) Players

Injury in sports is an occurrence that prevents athletes from participating in training and competitions and has an incidence of 8.1 injuries/1000 h of practice. This translates into a cost and also into danger, especially if the event is repeated, for the health of the athlete; the injury certainly has a multifactorial causality. On the other hand, having instruments that can represent an alarm could be helpful for those involved in sports science. We used a specifically designed instrument, presented in a previous work, which shows excellent reliability and repeatability in measuring the strength of the knee flexors and extensors to test 107 players belonging to three different teams playing in the Italian Serie A. We took three measurements, beginning of the season, mid-season, and close to the end of the season. This retrospective study on 107 professional soccer players demonstrates that isometric force-related parameters of the knee extensors and flexors are associated with the risk of injury to lower limbs. Logistic regression evidenced a significant correlation between the parameter indicating the imbalance of the force between the flexors of the two limbs (p≤0.05, OR = 1.089) and the occurrence of injuries. Survival analyses (p≤0.001) evidenced a correlation between the population survival time and the injury incidence. We demonstrated that the analysis of the strength imbalance is correlated with injury occurrence, but it is well known that sports injuries are a multifactorial event; so, they cannot be predicted by only one parameter. However, the method proposed in this paper could represent a useful tool for sport scientists.
Lidar ratio of Saharan dust over Cape Verde Islands: Assessment and error calculation

[1] Lidar ratios Sp of Saharan dust were determined at the Cape Verde Islands in the framework of the second phase of the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment to investigate possible changes during the first few days of transport from the source regions. Lidar ratios were retrieved from vertical profiles of particle extinction coefficients and backscatter coefficients measured simultaneously at 355 and 532 nm with the two Raman lidar systems MULIS and POLIS of the Meteorological Institute of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat. As previous studies are lacking, one of the main foci of this paper is the elaboration of an extensive error analysis of the Sp retrieval. Only the determination of systematic errors, resulting from the uncertainties of the input parameters of the retrieval, and statistical errors of Sp due to signal noise allows one to compare measurements at different sites and to gain insight into the changes of the dust lidar ratio with time. Suitable conditions for the assessment of Sp and the error analysis were met during a strong Saharan dust outbreak from 28 to 30 January 2008, where particle extinction coefficients of the dust layer as high as 0.2–0.4 km−1 in the UV and visible spectral region were observed. We found an average lidar ratio of dust over Cape Verde Islands of 63 ± 6 sr at 355 and 532 nm.