Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying the Added Value of Snow Cover Area Observations in Passive Microwave Snow Depth Data Assimilation

AbstractAccurate determination of snow conditions is important for several water management applications, partly because of the significant influence of snowmelt on seasonal streamflow prediction. This article examines an approach using snow cover area (SCA) observations as snow detection constraints during the assimilation of snow depth retrievals from passive microwave sensors. Two different SCA products [the Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)] are employed jointly with the snow depth retrievals from a variety of sensors for data assimilation in the Noah land surface model. The results indicate that the use of MODIS data is effective in obtaining added improvements (up to 6% improvement in aggregate RMSE) in snow depth fields compared to assimilating passive microwave data alone, whereas the impact of IMS data is small. The improvements in snow depth fields are also found to translate to small yet systematic improvement.
Systematic and standardized comparison of reported amyloid- (cid:2) receptors for sufficiency, affinity, and Alzheimer’s disease relevance

Oligomeric assemblies of amyloid- (cid:2) (A (cid:2) ) peptide (A (cid:2) o) in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are toxic to neuronal synapses. More than a dozen A (cid:2) receptor candidates have been suggested to be responsible for various aspects of the molecular pathology and memory impairment in mouse models of AD. A lack of consistent experimental design among previous studies of different receptor candidates limits evalua-tion of the relative roles of these candidates, producing some controversy within the field. Here, using cell-based assays with several A (cid:2) species, including A (cid:2) o from AD brains obtained by autopsy, we directly compared the A (cid:2) -binding capacity of multiple receptor candidates while accounting for variation in expression and confirming cell surface expression. In a survey of 15 reported A (cid:2) receptors, only cellular prion protein (PrP C ), Nogo receptor 1 (NgR1), and leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor subfamily B member 2 (LilrB2) exhibited direct binding to synaptotoxic assemblies of synthetic A (cid:2) . Both PrP C and NgR1 preferentially bound synaptotoxic oligomers rather than nontoxic monomers, and the method of oligomer preparation did not significantly alter our binding results. Hippocampal of A the with revealed and no detectable for These findings clarify the relative contributions of (cid:2) under and highlight the prominence of C as
The Role of Nitrate in the Acidification of Streams in the Catskill Mountains of New York

Research on the effects of acidic deposition in the United States has focused largely on the role of sulfur deposition in the acidification of surface waters. Results from both long-term (up to 70 years) and recent monitoring of stream chemistry in the Catskill Mountains of New York indicate, however, that nitric acid has a significant and increasing role in surface water acidification that, during high-flow periods, rivals the role of sulfuric acid. Nitrate increases with increased stream flow throughout the year except during the late summer, when biological activity and its attendant nitrogen uptake are greatest; peak concentrations as high as 128 micrograms/l have been recorded during spring snowmelt. In contrast, sulfate concentrations decrease with increased flow.
Effects of grain‐scale mass transfer on the transport of volatile organics through sediments: 1. Model development

In the first paper of this two‐paper series, we present a new model that attributes nonequilibrium sorption of moderately hydrophobia, volatile organic compounds to intragranular diffusion. The model differs from those of previous researchers in that for the first time, it combines the following elements: (1) We account for two distinct intragranular rate‐limiting diffusion processes, occurring in series and at widely different timescales; (2) we describe the slower of the two processes with a gamma distribution of diffusion rates; and (3) we use the disparity of timescales of the two processes to approximate a boundary condition for the distributed diffusion equation, allowing it to be solved analytically. The slower diffusion process is attributed to activated diffusion through very small pores, called micropores. In paper 2 [Werth et al., this issue] we evaluate the capabilities of the model and use it to interpret experimental results.
Using GIS and moving window method in the urban land use spatial pattern analyzing

Urbanization is a major trend in recent years all around the word. Changes of land use due to urbanization is the main cause of urban natural recourses loss or fragmentation and consequently brings the worsening conditions of urban environment, as well as increase urban ecological problems. In this paper, the land use, especially the built-up land spatial pattern and changes, were monitored and quantified in the study periods 1989-2004 with GIS and moving window method. The application of moving window method could examine the land use change process and link pattern and process easily in the local area. The study shows a rapid increase in built-up land but mostly at the expense of green spaces and agriculture land. The changes of urban built-up land were not distributed evenly. In a general, the urban development of Jinan City is an irregular monocentric pattern. The orientation of urban development policy and the special topography were considered the major reasons. Besides, the attraction of green space amenity is also an important factor that can not be neglected. The results will be contributed to guide the urban land use planning and management, especially the urban natural resources conservation.
Evaluation of Plaque Index, Gingival Index and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Obese Patiens

Obesity is a chronic disease that may be related to caries, periodontitis, xerostomia, and dental erosion, as well as increasing morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the plaque index (Silness & Löe, 1964), the gingival index (Löe & Silness, 1963), and the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in obese patients. The study included 45 extremely obese, 45 obese, and 45 normal-weight individuals between the ages of 18 and 58. The plaque index and gingival index of the individuals were determined by clinical examination by probing. In addition, the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire was used for the OHRQoL. The IBM SPSS Statistic 22.0 software program was used for the statistical evaluation of the study data. The plaque index and gingival index values were statistically higher in obese compared to normal weight individuals (p<0.05). Both plaque index and gingival index values were not statistically significant between the extremely obese and control groups (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the OHIP-14 total scores of the groups (p>0.05). Increased apparent plaque index and gingival index values in obese patients may adversely affect periodontal health.
Transport of SO2 by explosive volcanism on Venus

Observations by the Pioneer Venus orbiter and many different types of analyses have suggested the possibility of contemporary explosive volcanism on Venus. The rise of volcanic eruption plumes on Venus is reexamined using recent improvements in buoyant plume modeling. The first-order model applied to Venus by previous authors features nonphysical discontinuous solutions for all of the model parameters and lacks internal consistency in the formulation of the governing equations. This makes it difficult to assess the validity of the Venus applications and conclusions derived from these models. The model used here contains several improvements including two corrections to the formulation and a change in the criterion for the transition of the plume from the jet region to the buoyancy-driven region. The model used in earlier works assumed a discontinuous transition between these two regions, resulting in an overestimate of the transition height as well as the maximum plume height. The effect of the transition criterion is magnified on Venus, where the continuous solution appears to have very little dependence on initial vent size. In contrast, the discontinuous solution shows a very strong dependence on initial vent size. The continuous solution used here indicates that plumes on Venus become dominated by buoyancy effects almost immediately above the vent. Use of the discontinuous solution, however, suggests that jets up to 10 km above the vent are possible for the boundary conditions considered. The combined effect of using the older model for conditions on Venus is a 5–8% overestimate of the maximum plume height for vent radii ranging from 20 to 250 m. The influence of latitude and elevation are also explored. For large eruptions on Venus, plumes rising in the Northern Highlands would rise much higher than plumes with identical boundary conditions erupted in the equatorial Lowlands. This is due to the greater stability of the upper atmosphere at higher latitudes and the sharp decrease in atmospheric pressure as a function of altitude. To examine the net effect of all the model assumptions and ambient influences, eruptions are simulated for a range of conditions at Maat Mons and compared with results in the literature. These simulations indicate that for small mass fluxes, the new model predicts smaller plumes than the older model. For larger mass fluxes, however, the new model predicts larger plumes than the older model. Because the Maat Mons summit elevation is already more than 9 km above the mean planetary radius, the reduced atmospheric pressure results in a plume with enough buoyancy to more than compensate for all of the model effects. These results continue to support the possibility that explosive eruptions on Venus may be capable of producing plumes that rise buoyantly to heights detected by the Pioneer Venus orbiter.
The E3 ligase MARCH5 is a PPARγ target gene that 1 regulates mitochondria and metabolism in adipocytes 2

31 Mitochondrial dynamics refers to the constant remodelling of mitochondrial populations 32 by multiple cellular pathways which help maintain mitochondrial health and function. 33 Disruptions to mitochondrial dynamics often leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, which is 34 frequently associated with disease in rodents and humans. Consistent with this, obesity is associated with reduced mitochondrial function in white adipose tissue, partly via 36 alterations in mitochondrial dynamics. Several proteins are known to regulate 37 mitochondrial dynamics including the E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH5; however, the role of 38 these proteins in adipocytes has been poorly studied. Here, we show that MARCH5 is 39 regulated by PPAR  during adipogenesis and is correlated with fat mass across a panel 40 of genetically diverse mouse strains, in ob/ob mice, and in humans. Furthermore, 41 manipulation of MARCH5 expression both in vitro and in vivo alters mitochondrial 42 function, affects cellular metabolism and leads to differential regulation of several 43 metabolic genes. Thus, our data demonstrate a link between mitochondrial dynamics 44 and metabolism which defines MARCH5 as a critical link between these interconnected 45 pathways.
Catecholaminergic modulation of the avoidance of cognitive control

The catecholamines have long been associated with cognitive control and value-based decision-making. More recently, we proposed that the catecholamines might modulate value-based decision-making about whether or not to engage in cognitive control. We test this hypothesis by assessing effects of a catecholamine challenge in a large sample of young, healthy adults (n = 100) on the avoidance of a cognitively demanding control process: task switching. Prolonging catecholamine transmission by blocking reuptake with methylphenidate altered the avoidance, but not the execution of cognitive control. Crucially, these effects could be isolated by taking into account individual differences in trait impulsivity, so that participants with higher trait impulsivity became more avoidant of cognitive control, despite faster task performance. One implication of these findings is that performance-enhancing effects of methylphenidate may be accompanied by an undermining effect on the willingness to exert cognitive control. Taken together, these findings integrate hitherto segregated literatures on catecholamines’ roles in value-based learning/choice and cognitive control.
NIELSENITE, PdCu3, A NEW PLATINUM-GROUP INTERMETALLIC MINERAL SPECIES FROM THE SKAERGAARD INTRUSION, GREENLAND

Nielsenite, PdCu 3 , a new mineral species discovered in the Skaergaard intrusion, Kangerdlugssuaq area, East Greenland, occurs in a tholeiitic gabbro associated with plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, ilmenite, titanian magnetite, fayalite and accessory chlorite-group minerals, ferrosaponite, a member of the annite–phlogopite series, hornblende, actinolite, epidote-group minerals, calcite, ankerite, apatite and baddeleyite. The mineral is found in composite microglobules principally composed of bornite–chalcocite, chalcocite, along with rare digenite, chalcopyrite, cobaltpentlandite, Co-rich pentlandite, and sphalerite. Associated platinum-group minerals include skaergaardite, keithconnite, vasilite, zvyagintsevite, (Cu,Pd,Au), (Pd,Cu,Sn) and (Pt,Fe,Cu,Pd) alloys and unnamed Au 3 Cu and PdAuCu. Nielsenite occurs as discrete grains or in sulfide-bearing, droplet-shaped to irregular grains that are 5–50 μm (ave: 16 μm) in size. The mineral is steel-grey in color with a metallic luster, a black streak and a sectile tenacity. No discernible forms or faces were observed. Neither cleavage nor fracture was observed, and no micro-indentation measurements were made. The mineral is non-pleochroic and exhibits neither discernible internal reflections nor evidence for twinning. It appears bright creamy white under reflected light. Reflectance values (in %) in air (in oil) are: 57.6 (47.5) at 470 nm, 60.85 (50.8) at 546 nm, 62.8 (53.0) at 589 nm and 66.7 (57.5) at 650 nm. The average result of 11 analyses is (in wt.%): Pd 29.86, Pt 3.08, Au 3.70, Cu 61.96, Fe 0.59, Pb 0.17, total 99.36%. The empirical formula (normalized to 4 apfu ) is: (Pd 0.862 Au 0.058 Pt 0.049 Fe 0.028 Pb 0.003 )(Cu 2.996 Fe 0.004 ) ∑3 or, ideally, PdCu 3 . The mineral is tetragonal, space group P 4 mm , with a 3.7125(8), c 25.62(1) A, V 353.2(1) A 3 for Z = 4. The strongest six lines on the X-ray powder-diffraction pattern [ d in A( I )( hkl )] are: 2.137(100)(117), 1.8596(70)(200), 1.8337(40)(0014), 1.3126(60)(220), 1.1188(55)(317), and 1.0663 (30)(2214). Nielsenite is considered to be isostructural with synthetic tetragonal PdCu 3 ( P 4 mm ). The mineral is commonly associated with skaergaardite (PdCu), which is considered to form at ~600°C under conditions of fairly high f (S 2 ) (>7 log units). Synthetic PdCu 3 forms at or below 508°C and is characterized by a relatively high degree of Pd–Cu disorder, consistent with observations made for nielsenite. The name honors Troels F.D. Nielsen, geologist with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.
altered functional connectivity of primary visual cortex in late blindness

Background: Previous studies demonstrated that early blindness is associated with abnormal intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) between the primary visual cortex (V1) and other sensory areas. However, the V1 pattern of spontaneous neural activity occurring in late blindness (LB) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the intrinsic FC patterns of V1 in LB. Materials and methods: Thirty LB individuals (18 males and 12 females; mean age: 38.76 ± 14.43 years) and 30 sighted controls (SCs) individuals (18 males and 12 females; mean age: 38.67 ± 13.85 years) closely matched for age, sex, and education, underwent resting-state magnetic resonance imaging scans. Region of interest analysis was performed to extract the correlation coefficient matrix among each pair of Brodmann area (BA) 17 and FC between V1 and vision-related subcortical nuclei. Results: Compared with SCs, LB individuals showed a decreased FC between the left V1 and the bilateral cuneus (CUN)/lingual gyrus (LGG)/calcarine (CAL) (BA 18/19/30) and left precentral gyrus (PreCG) and the postcentral gyrus (PostCG) (BA 2/3/4). Also, LB individuals showed a decreased FC between the right V1 and the bilateral CUN/LGG/CAL (BA 18/19/30) and the left PreCG and PostCG (BA 2/3/4/6) (voxel-level: P , 0.01, cluster-level: P , 0.05). Meanwhile, LB individuals showed a decreased FC between the left V1 and the right V1 and increased FC between the left V1 and the right superior colliculus, the right V1, and the left hippocampus ( P , 0.05). Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between the onset age of blindness and FC values in V1 to CUN/LGG/CAL in LB. Conclusion: Our results highlighted that LB induces a decreased FC between V1 and higher visual areas, motor cortices, and somatosensory cortices at rest. This might indicate that LB humans could present with impaired top-down modulations, visual imagery, and vision-motor function.
Biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships change in sign and magnitude across the Hill diversity spectrum

Summary Motivated by accelerating anthropogenic extinctions, decades of biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF) experiments show that ecosystem function declines with species loss from local communities. Yet, at the local scale, changes in species’ total and relative abundances are more common than species loss. The consensus best biodiversity measures are Hill numbers, which use a scaling parameter, ℓ, to emphasize rarer versus more common species. Shifting that emphasis captures distinct, function-relevant biodiversity gradients beyond species richness. Here, we hypothesized that Hill numbers that emphasize rare species more than richness does may distinguish large, complex, and presumably higher-functioning assemblages from smaller and simpler ones. In this study, we tested which values of ℓ produce the strongest BEF relationships in community datasets of ecosystem functions provided by wild, free-living organisms. We found that ℓ values that emphasized rare species more than richness does most often correlated most strongly with ecosystem functions. As emphasis shifted to more common species, BEF correlations were often weak and/or negative. We argue that unconventional Hill diversities that shift emphasis towards rarer species may be useful for describing biodiversity change, and that employing a wide spectrum of Hill numbers can clarify mechanisms underlying BEF relationships.
Distribution of hydrated minerals in the north polar region of Mars

[1] The previous discovery of extensive deposits of hydrated minerals in Olympia Planum in the north polar region of Mars by the Mars Express OMEGA instrument raises important questions about the origin and subsequent redistribution of these hydrated minerals. Here we present a new map of the distribution of hydrated minerals within the north polar region of Mars by applying both standard and new spectral analysis techniques to near-infrared spectral data from OMEGA. Our results are in agreement with the previous OMEGA observations but also show more extensive detections of hydrated minerals throughout the circumpolar plains, as well as new detections of hydrated minerals on the surface of Planum Boreum and within the polar troughs. We find that while the circumpolar plains hydration signatures appear to be correlated with the dark dunes of the north polar erg, hydration signatures in Planum Boreum instead appear to be correlated with the north polar veneers and their sources within the polar layered deposits. By applying laboratory-derived empirical models of the dependence of gypsum spectra on grain size and abundance, we provide approximate abundance estimates for the hydrated minerals we have identified in Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activite (OMEGA) and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer (CRISM) data. We find that the presence of hydrated minerals throughout the north polar region suggests (1) a complex cycle of sediment exchange between the Olympia Planum dunes and the other polar units; (2) an earlier origin for the hydrated minerals than originally postulated; and (3) the occurrence of significant water activity in this region during the Amazonian.
Reference-free Association Mapping from Sequencing Reads Using k-mers

[Abstract] Association mapping is the process of linking phenotypes with genotypes. In genome wide association studies (GWAS), individuals are first genotyped using microarrays or by aligning sequenced reads to reference genomes. However, both these approaches rely on reference genomes which limits their application to organisms with no or incomplete reference genomes. To address this, reference free association mapping methods have been developed. Here we present the protocol of an alignment free method for association studies which is based on counting k-mers in sequenced reads, testing for associations between k-mers and the phenotype of interest
Ecological models of the Mississippi deltaic plain region: data collection and presentation

This technical report consists of quantified ecosystem models with input-output matrices of the biology, hydrology, geology, and socioeconomics of the major habitats of the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region. The quantitative framework characterizes the region and provides a data base for future ecological models. The habitats modeled are aggregated from those previously identified. Detailed descriptions of the biological, physical, and socioeconomic interconnections within this coastal ecosystem allow coastal managers and decision makers to better assess the impacts of human activity on the region's natural resources. It is hoped that future modeling attempts based on the data collected in this report will help predict human impacts on coastal ecosystems and aid in the arduous task of assessing tradeoffs between nonrenewable resource development and renewable resource preservation.
Spatial structure and mobility patterns: towards a taxonomy of the Italian urban systems

Spatial structure and mobility patterns: towards a taxonomy of the Italian urban systems - Urban spatial organization has become a wide field of research in the last years, since it is thought to be an important determinant of the city’s performance from many points of view. Nevertheless, Italian urban spatial organization has not been studied in depth and a general description of the Italian urban territory is lacking. The aim of this work is to build a taxonomy of the Italian cities where the latter are conceptualised as agglomeration of contiguous municipalities on the basis of their patterns of spatial organization and commuting-to-work mobility. For this purpose, three preliminary steps had to be carried out. First of all, the major Italian urban systems have been identified, following a functional approach that is based on the principle of maximum self-containment of commuters’ flows. Secondly, original indicators have been built to gain a better understanding of cities’ spatial organization and of their patterns of mobility. Thirdly, the relation between these two dimensions has been investigated through a multivariate statistical analysis. The results of the analysis show that variables of spatial organization especially urban dispersion and of mobility patterns are closely related and that cities might be aggregated in five groups, ranging from the most compact and transitoriented cities to the most dispersed and car-oriented ones.