Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geoscientific Model Development Attribution of ozone changes to dynamical and chemical processes in CCMs and CTMs

Chemistry-climate models (CCMs) are commonly used to simulate the past and future development of Earth’s ozone layer. The fully coupled chemistry schemes calculate the chemical production and destruction of ozone interactively and ozone is transported by the simulated atmospheric flow. Due to the complexity of the processes acting on ozone it is not straightforward to disentangle the influence of individual processes on the temporal development of ozone concentrations. A method is introduced here that quantifies the influence of chemistry and transport on ozone concentration changes and that is easily implemented in CCMs and chemistry-transport models (CTMs). In this method, ozone tendencies (i.e. the time rate of change of ozone) are partitioned into a contribution from ozone production and destruction (chemistry) and a contribution from transport of ozone (dynamics). The influence of transport on ozone in a specific region is further divided into export of ozone out of that region and import of ozone from elsewhere into that region. For this purpose, a diagnostic is used that disaggregates the ozone mixing ratio field into 9 separate fields according to in which of 9 predefined regions of the atmosphere the ozone originated. With this diagnostic the ozone mass fluxes between these regions are obtained. Furthermore, this method is used here to attribute long-term changes in ozone to chemistry and transport. The relative change in ozone from one period to another that is due to changes in production or destruction rates, or due to changes in import or export of ozone, are quantified. As such, the diagnostics introduced here can be used to attribute changes in ozone on monthly, interannual and long-term time-scales to the responsible mechanisms. Results from a CCM simulation are shown here as examples, with the main focus of the paper being on introducing the method. Correspondence to: H. Garny (hella.garny@dlr.de)
Monetary Policy Indeterminacy and Identi(cid:133)cation Failures in the U.S.: Results from a Robust Test

We propose a novel identi(cid:133)cation-robust test for the null hypothesis that an estimated new-Keynesian model has a reduced form consistent with the unique stable solution against the alternative of sunspot-driven multiple equilibria. Our strategy is designed to handle identi(cid:133)cation failures as well as the misspeci(cid:133)cation of the relevant propagation mechanisms. We invert a likelihood ratio test for the cross-equation restrictions (CER) that the new-Keynesian system places on its reduced form solution under determinacy. If the CER are not rejected, sunspot-driven expectations can be ruled out from the model equilibrium and we accept the structural model. Otherwise, we move to a second-step and invert an Anderson and Rubin-type test for the orthogonality restrictions (OR) implied by the system of structural Euler equations. The hypothesis of indeterminacy and the structural model are accepted if the OR are not rejected. We investigate the (cid:133)nite sample performance of the suggested identi(cid:133)cation-robuts two-steps testing strategy by some Monte Carlo experiments and then apply it to a new-Keynesian AD/AS model estimated with actual U.S. data. In spite of some evidence of weak identi(cid:133)cation as for the (cid:145)Great Moderation(cid:146)period, our results o⁄er formal support to the hypothesis of a switch from indeterminacy to a scenario consistent with uniqueness occurred in the late 1970s. Our identi(cid:133)cation-robust full-information con(cid:133)dence set for the structural parameters computed on the (cid:145)Great Moderation(cid:146) regime turn out to be more precise than the intervals previously reported in the literature through (cid:145)limited-information(cid:146)methods.
Recent Changes in British Wage Inequality: Evidence from Large Firms and Occupations

Using a dataset covering a large sample of employees and their mostly very large employers, we study the dynamics of British wage inequality over the past two decades. Contrary to other studies, we find little evidence that recent increases in inequality have been driven by differences in the average wages paid by firms. Instead greater dispersion within firms can account for the majority of changes to the wage distribution. After controlling for the changing occupational content of employee wages, the role of average firm residual differences is approximately zero; the modestly increasing trend in between-firm wage inequality is explained by a combination of changes in between-occupation inequality and the occupational specialisation of firms. It is possible that previous studies, which assign some of the importance of changes in the between-firm component to industry, have misrepresented a significant role for occupations. These results are robust across measures of hourly, weekly and annual wages.
A DDRESSING THE EFFECTS OF DISTRACTORS ON A BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE

This thesis investigated the effects of transient, visual task-irrelevant distractors on a brain-computer interface (BCI). In the first study, a motor imagery BCI was developed using electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain signals. The performance of this system was validated in both an offline and online setting. The second study examined the effect of distractors on motor imagery-related brain patterns and on the classification accuracy of the developed BCI system. While distractors appeared to attenuate motor imagery-specific brain activity, BCI performance did not differ significantly amid distractors, indicating that the BCI system was fairly robust to distractor effects. In the third study, distractors were found to significantly increase a physiological index of cognitive load. This thesis demonstrated that it is important to address the effects of distractors in BCIs, particularly on cognitive load, to allow for the eventual translation of BCIs from the lab to the home.
Bias in streamflow projections due to climate‐induced shifts in catchment response

Demand for quantitative assessments of likely climate change impact on runoff is increasing and conceptual rainfall‐runoff models are essential tools for this task. However, the capacity of these models to extrapolate under changing climatic conditions is questionable. A number of studies have found that model predictive skill decreases with changed climatic conditions, especially when predicting drier climates. We found that model skill only declines under certain circumstances, in particular, when a catchment's rainfall‐runoff processes change due to changed climatic drivers. In catchments where the rainfall‐runoff relationship changed significantly in response to prolonged dry conditions, runoff was consistently overestimated. In contrast, modeled runoff was unbiased in catchments where the rainfall‐runoff relationship remained unchanged during the dry period. These conclusions were not model dependent. Our results suggest that current projections of runoff under climate change may provide overly optimistic assessments of future water availability in some regions expecting rainfall reductions.
T Cells + and CD 8 + of CD 4 Differential Kinetics of Antigen Dependency

Ag recognition via the TCR is necessary for the expansion of specific T cells that then contribute to adaptive immunity as effector and memory cells. Because CD4 + and CD8 + T cells differ in terms of their priming APCs and MHC ligands we compared their requirements of Ag persistence during their expansion phase side by side. Proliferation and effector differentiation of TCR transgenic and polyclonal mouse T cells were thus analyzed after transient and continuous TCR signals. Following equally strong stimulation, CD4 + T cell proliferation depended on prolonged Ag presence, whereas CD8 + T cells were able to divide and differentiate into effector cells despite discontinued Ag presentation. CD4 + T cell proliferation was neither affected by Th lineage or memory differentiation nor blocked by coinhibitory signals or missing inflammatory stimuli. Continued CD8 + T cell proliferation was truly independent of self-peptide/MHC-derived signals. The subset divergence was also illustrated by surprisingly broad transcriptional differences supporting a stronger propensity of CD8 + T cells to programmed expansion. These T cell data indicate an intrinsic difference between CD4 + and CD8 + T cells regarding the processing of TCR signals for proliferation. We also found that the presentation of a MHC class II–restricted peptide is more efficiently prolonged by dendritic cell activation in vivo than a class I bound one. In summary, our data demonstrate that CD4 + T cells require continuous stimulation for clonal expansion, whereas CD8 + T cells can divide following a much shorter TCR signal. T cell receptor–mediated recognition of antigenic peptides presented by MHC class I and II molecules is necessary for clonal expansion and effector cell differentiation of CD8 + and CD4 + T cells, respectively. Initial TCR signals, integrated by microclusters and synaptic structures, arrest the T cells in contact with the APC allowing for sustained signals initiating blasting and massive de novo gene transcription. One to 2 d later, the cells regain motility and divide every 4–6 h, if not faster (1), for several d to expand the 15–1500 clonal precursors per mouse up to 100,000-fold. This expansion and differentiation of rare pathogen-specific T cell precursors to effector clones is crucial for adaptive immunity and survival (2, 3). On the relevance of Ag recognition following the initial divisions, however, a consensus has not been reached. For CD8 + T cells, it has been shown that antigenic signals beyond an initial period are …
IDENTIFYING THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF THE ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUG LEVETIRACETAM IN SYNAPTIC VESICLE RELEASE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR EPILEPSY

Acknowledgements I thank my advisor, Dr. Steven Rothman, for all the knowledge and guidance he has shown me in the four years I have been in the lab. As a reviewer of my scientific methods and my writings, Steve has given me feedback and suggestions that I know I will keep in mind for years to come. I also thank Dr. Xiaofeng Yang who instructed me in the setup and practice of many of my complicated experiments. In our small, but friendly lab, we three shared many intelligent and engaging discussions on levetiracetam. There is a long list of individuals in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and other programs at the University of Minnesota that would like to thank. I thank members of my thesis committee: Dr. Netoff. The challenging questions they set before me at our meetings provided me with much motivation. I thank Dr. Dubinsky for use of her lab space, microscope, and imaging equipment and I thank Dr. Thayer and his lab for the donation of cultured neurons. I thank the NEI Vision Core Facility for use of the 2-photon microscope and Terry Wu for his technical assistance. I thank Dr. LiLian Yuan and members of her lab for allowing me to use her lab space, microscope, and rig. I thank Brian McAdams for staining our tissues for SV2A and I thank the members of the Netoff lab who invited us to their weekly lab meetings and provided me with feedback on my presentations. I also thank our Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Virginia Seybold, for her kind advice and invitations to TA the summer neurobiology lab at Lake Itasca. I thank my funding sources including the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and grants from UCB Pharma, as well as NIH 5T90-DK070106 and NIH P30-EY11374. Finally, I thank my family, my mom, dad, and sisters for their encouragement of my education and I thank my husband Shawn for his always loving support. Abstract In the United States alone, over 3 million people have been diagnosed with epilepsy, a dynamic disease characterized by recurring and unpredictable seizures. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and other therapies have helped to combat this widespread phenomenon, yet for one-third of epilepsy patients, there is still no effective treatment. A better understanding of the mechanisms of AEDs has been called for. Levetiracetam (LEV) is one AED on the market that does not work by the typical …
University of Birmingham 15-keto-prostaglandin E2 activates host peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) to promote Cryptococcus neoformans growth during infection

Cryptococcus neoformans is one of the leading causes of invasive fungal infection in humans worldwide. C . neoformans uses macrophages as a proliferative niche to increase infective burden and avoid immune surveillance. However, the specific mechanisms by which C . neoformans manipulates host immunity to promote its growth during infection remain ill-defined. Here we demonstrate that eicosanoid lipid mediators manipulated and/or produced by C . neoformans play a key role in regulating pathogenesis. C . neoformans is known to secrete several eicosanoids that are highly similar to those found in vertebrate hosts. Using eicosanoid deficient cryptococcal mutants Δ plb1 and Δ lac1 , we demonstrate that prostaglandin E 2 is required by C . neoformans for proliferation within macrophages and in vivo during infection. Genetic and pharmacological disruption of host PGE 2 synthesis is not required for promotion of cryptococcal growth by eicosanoid production. We find that PGE 2 must be dehydrogenated into 15-keto-PGE 2 to promote fungal growth, a finding that implicated the host nuclear receptor PPAR-γ . C . neoformans infection of macrophages activates host PPAR-γ and its inhibition is sufficient to abrogate the effect of 15-keto-PGE 2 in promoting fungal growth during infection. Thus, we describe the first mechanism of reliance on pathogen-derived eicosanoids in fungal pathogenesis and the specific role of 15-keto-PGE 2 and host PPAR-γ in cryptococcosis
as developmental measures

: Patterns of functional connectivity are unique at the individual level, enabling test-retest matching algorithms to identify a subject from among a group using only their functional connectome. Recent findings show that accuracies of these algorithms in children increase with age. Relatedly, the persistence of functional connectivity (FC) patterns across tasks and rest also increases with age. This study investigated the hypothesis that within-subject stability and between-subject similarity of the whole-brain pediatric connectome are developmentally relevant outcomes. Using data from 210 help-seeking children and adolescents, ages 6-21 years (Healthy Brain Network Biobank), we computed whole-brain FC matrices for each participant during two different movies (MovieDM and MovieTP) and two runs of task-free rest (all from a single scan session) and fed these matrices to a test-retest matching algorithm. We replicated the finding that matching accuracies for children and youth (ages 6-21 years) are low (18-44%), and that cross-state and cross-movie accuracies were the lowest. Results also showed that parcellation resolution and the number of volumes used in each matrix affect fingerprinting accuracies. Next, we calculated three measures of whole-connectome stability for each subject: cross-rest (Rest1-Rest2), cross-state (MovieDM-Rest1), and cross-movie (MovieDM-MovieTP), and three measures of within-state between-subject connectome similarity for Rest1, MovieDM, and MovieTP. We show that stability and similarity were correlated, but that these measures were not related to age. A principal component analysis of these measures yielded two components that we used to test for brain-behavior correlations with IQ, general psychopathology, and social skills measures (n=119). The first component was significantly correlated with the social skills measure (r=-0.26, p=0.005). Post hoc correlations showed that the social skills measure correlated with both cross-rest stability (r=-0.29, p=0.001) and with connectome similarity during MovieDM (r=-0.28, p=0.002). These findings suggest that the stability and similarity of the whole-brain connectome relate to overall brain development, and in particular, to those regions that support social skills. We infer that the development of the functional connectome simultaneously achieves patterns of FC that are distinct at the individual subject level, that are shared across individuals, and that are persistent across states and across runs—features which presumably combine to optimize neural processing during development. Future longitudinal work could reveal the developmental trajectories of stability and similarity of the connectome.
Business Cycle Fluctuations and International Financial Integration

Theoretical research on the determinants of business-cycle fluctuations implies that the degree of international financial integration can have important implications for the propagation of, e.g., macroeconomic policy shocks in an open economy. An important assumption underlying this research is that the degree of financial integration can be taken as exogenously given. Because recent empirical research has demonstrated that financial integration may change over time, we use data for the G7 countries to test how well this assumption fits to the data. We find that one can maintain, as a rule, the assumption that the degree of financial integration is invariant to the determinants of the business-cycle fluctuations. We find, however, a few exceptions from this rule, and we also find that shocks tend to have a highly persistent effect on financial integration.
UVicSPACE: Research & Learning Repository

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a disease of aging with indirect but detectable and cumulative neurological implications. We systematically tested whether neurocognitive speed (mean rate) or inconsistency (intraindividual variability) was the more sensitive clinical marker of T2D. Three of four research questions used a cross-sectional wave of the Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS) divided into T2D (age 55-81 years) and control (age = 53-91 years) groups. The fourth question addressed relative two-wave longitudinal changes. Each of four speeded tasks produced intraindividual mean rate (IM) and intraindividual standard deviation (ISD) scores. First, the T2D group performed more slowly than the controls. Second, this deficit extended to inconsistency, but less uniformly. Third, based on logistic regression analyses, IM was the more effective predictor of T2D status. Fourth, we observed similar longitudinal change patterns for IM and ISD. Results are linked to the theoretical location of T2D on an adjusted neural vulnerability continuum.
Assessment of unterraced and terraced farming system on livestock development in mid-hills of Nepal.

The unterraced farming (Pata) system which is being practiced in few districts of mid hills of Nepal was assessed in terms of livestock holding and livestock feed availability against the terraced farming system. Field study and household survey was conducted in Arghakhanchi (representing unterraced/Pata) and Tanahun (representing terraced) farming system by selecting 90 households (HHs) from each districts randomly. The study showed that there was only 1.89 Livestock Unit (LU)/HH in Arghakhanchi as compared to 2.64 LU/HH in Tanahun (p<0.01). Dry matter (DM) output per hectare rainfed upland in Tanahun was 6.09 Metric Ton (MT) whereas it was only 3.82 MT in Arghakhanchi (p<0.01). The farming system of Arghakhanchi has created livestock feed shortage, consequently has compelled farmers to raise least number of animals. Hence unterraced farming system of Arghakhanchi needs correction for better livelihood of people as well as improvement in environmental condition.
Spatio-temporal variation of vegetation phenology in the Northern Tibetan Plateau as detected by MODIS remote sensing

Aim Estimating regional variation in vegetation phenology from time-series remote sensing data is important in global climate change studies. However,there are few studies on vegetation phenology for the Qinghai-Tibet Pla-teau and most are based on field records of stations. Methods We utilized the dynamic threshold method to explore vegetation phenological metrics (greenup date,length of season and senescence date) of typical grassland in the Northern Tibetan Plateau. We used time-series TERRA/MODIS EVI data for 2001-2010 reconstructed by the asymmetric Gaussian function fitting method to analyze spatial pattern and differentiation of vegetation phenology and its inter-annual variation and to examine the relationship between phenological variation and climate changes. Important findings The spatial pattern of date of vegetation greenup was embodied by transition from southeast to northwest and vertical zonation in the mountainous topography of the southeast. The vegetation greenup date in approximately sixty percent of the northern Tibetan Plateau had advanced, especially in high mountains. Inter-annual variation of vegetation senescence date was not obvious, and most of the region had natural inter-annual fluctuations.The variation of growing season length is influenced by greenup and senescence dates, but was chiefly affected by advanced greenup date lengthening the growing season. Among the four different climatic zones in the study area, the mountain and valley Nagqu sub-arctic and sub-humid zone and the southern Qinghai sub-arctic and semi-arid zone had the most apparent advanced greenup date and prolonged growing season.Based on measured data from weather stations, increased temperature appears to be a critical factor contributing to earlier greenup and prolonged growing season;however,the relationship between precipitation fluctuations and phenological variation was unclear.
Seasonal Evolution of the Evapotranspiration Regime and Carbon Assimilation Over a Eucalyptus globulus Plantation

Seasonal patterns of carbon assimilation and evapotranspiration of 2004 in Eucalyptus globulus plantation of the CarboEurope-IP Portuguese site of Herdade da Espirra are discussed. The atmospheric fluxes were obtained by the eddy covariance method. A separation of atmospheric carbon flux, or net ecosystem exchange (NEE), in gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Reco), was made and analysed the variation of atmospheric fluxes with some micrometeorological variables. The plantation acted as a strong carbon sink, with a NEE of 7.9tonC. ha-1.yr-1. The diurnal NEE was mainly a function of global solar radiation, with which it is perfectly in phase all year around, except for the period between July and September. In these months, stomatal closure, strongly dependent on the water vapour pressure deficit in the atmosphere (WVD) high values and low water availability, was the main factor controlling carbon assimilation, a tendency already noticed in 2002 and 2003. The evapotranspiration is clearly controlled by water vapour deficit with decoupling factors ( Ω ) varying from 0.1 to 0.4, typical data for forest canopies. In the period from July to September evapotranspiration dependency on WVD increases as a consequence of the stomatal closure.