Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns of variability in the satellite microwave sounding unit temperature record: comparison with surface and reanalysis data

Principal component analysis is applied to global temperature records to study the differences in the patterns of variability between surface and troposphere. Surface, Microwave Sounding Unit (lower troposphere, channel 2 and channel 4) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis thickness data are studied in the common period 1979–2000. The patterns of variability are classified into geographical regions and compared. The series of their time coefficients are correlated to assess the existence of common and significant climate‐change signals in the form of climatic trends. The objective is to identify the physical processes determining the records' variations and the differences between the surface and the satellite records that might be related to the discrepancy in their globally averaged trend. Major differences were found in the Tropics, where the surface warming is not paralleled in any other record. The surface record has two major patterns over the Tropics, one of which is connected to El Niño–southern oscillation. Satellite variability is instead described by only one pattern, most probably deriving from the merging of the two distinct patterns found for the near‐surface records. In the eastern Antarctic a higher troposphere and lower stratosphere negative trend is found connected to ozone depletion. This signal prevails in the satellite record, despite evidence that it is confined only above 500 hPa. A pattern over Siberia is linked to the ‘Euro‐Siberian oscillation’, i.e. the change in the pressure field determining the tracks of the Atlantic storms over the area Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society
The "4 plus 2" rituximab protocol makes maintenance treatment unneeded in patients with refractory ANCA-associated vasculitis: A 10 year observation study.

BACKGROUND ANCA associated vasculitides (AAV) often present with a chronic relapsing course. Relapse leads to increased immunosuppressive exposure and consequent toxicity. While two randomized controlled trials have shown rituximab (RTX) to be the most effective induction treatment in patients with relapsing disease, the optimal treatment duration and RTX dose remain debated. Whether to administer a maintenance dose to every patient, at a fixed time interval or on the basis of B cell count and ANCA titre or only when disease manifestations do occur is still debated as well. METHODS 11 patients (5 with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, 4 with microscopic polyangiitis-MPA-, and 2 with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis -EGPA-) intolerant or refractory to conventional therapies including cyclophosphamide were enrolled. All patients received the so called "improved 4+2" RTX scheme as a rescue therapy. Following RTX administration, immunosuppressive drugs were rapidly tapered and no immunosuppressive maintenance therapy had been given. RESULTS After a mean follow-up of 85 months since the "4+2" RTX protocol: four out of 11 patients (37%, 1 EGPA and 3 MPA, all MPO-positive) remained in remission after one cycle of "4+2" RTX infusion protocol with no relapse for a median 66 months [60-108]). Seven relapsing patients were re-treated once with RTX (again as monotherapy with the same protocol) after a median of 54 months (24-96). Following re-treatment, they again showed complete remission over a median of 32 months (12-96) of observation. CONCLUSION In one of the longest-term observation (85 months) studies, sustained clinical remission without immunosuppressive maintenance therapy (and a negligible dose of prednisone since the 5thmonth) was obtained by the "4 + 2" RTX infusion protocol in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis intolerant or refractory to conventional therapy.
Kinetics of proglottid formation, maturation and shedding during development of Hymenolepis nana

SUMMARY Growth of Hymenolepis nana in mice is analysed by identifying designated stages of proglottid maturation in the strobila, and by determining the numbers of proglottids between them and the posterior terminus of the worm, as a function of time after cysticercoid infection. The proglottid maturation rate was fairly constant between stage A (onset of the somatic primordium formation) and stage B (first appearance of sperms in the seminal vesicle), but gradually fell after stage B, during pre-patent development of the worm. The actual rate of proglottization during this period coincided well with that estimated from the number of proglottids between stages A and B on an assumption of a certain maturation rate. This procedure is extended to estimate the rates of proglottid formation and shedding during later development. It is deduced that the absolute rate of proglottization increases until day 12, gradually decreasing afterwards, and that from 2300 to 2800 proglottids are shed by day 20, until which from 4000 to 4500 proglottids have passed stage A. It is shown that the proportionate increase of the gravid region in older worms depends not only on a decrease in the rate of proglottization, but also on the prolonged period during which proglottids stay in the strobila.
Adsorption of atrazine, simazine, and glyphosate in soils of the Gnangara Mound, Western Australia

Sandy soils were sampled from second rotation sites of Pinus pinaster Ait. on the Gnangara Mound in Western Australia. Adsorption isotherms were measured for atrazine [6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine], simazine [6-chloro-N,N'-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine], and glyphosate [N-phosphonomethyl-aminoaceticacid]. Adsorption isotherms were also measured for degradation products of atrazine: hydroxyatrazine [6-hydroxy-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] (HA), desethylatrazine [6-chloro-N-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] (DEA); and of glyphosate: aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). The adsorption of the 2 triazines was proportional to soil organic carbon content and was not affected significantly by other soil parameters. The affinity for soil organic carbon was in the order atrazine = simazine = DEA > HA. Affinity of atrazine for the type of organic matter in the Gnangara Mound soils (expressed as Koc) was significantly greater than is commonly reported for other soils. The adsorption of glyphosate and AMPA increased strongly with iron and aluminium content of soils and decreased with increasing soil organic carbon content. This would indicate that glyphosate and AMPA are mainly adsorbed by clay minerals, while soil organic matter competes for adsorption sites and inhibits adsorption. Contrary to what is usually reported for batch adsorption of pesticides in soils, significant increases in adsorption of the triazines and glyphosate were measured after 1 day of equilibration.
Applicability of the comet assay in evaluation of DNA damage in healthcare providers’ working with antineoplastic drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Unintended occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs (ANDs) may occur in medical personnel. Some ANDs are known human carcinogens and exposure can be monitored by genotoxic biomarkers. Objective: To evaluate the obstacles to obtaining conclusive results from a comet assay test to determine DNA damage among AND exposed healthcare workers. Methods: We systematically reviewed studies that used alkaline comet assay to determine the magnitude and significance of DNA damage among health care workers with potential AND exposure. Fifteen studies were eligible for review and 14 studies were used in the meta-analysis. Results: Under random effect assumption, the estimated standardized mean difference (SMD) in the DNA damage of health care workers was 1.93 (95% CI: 1.15–2.71, p < 0.0001). The resulting SMD was reduced to 1.756 (95% CI: 0.992–2.52, p < 0.0001) when the analysis only included nurses. In subgroup analyses based on gender and smoking, heterogeneity was observed. Only for studies reporting comet moment, I2 test results, as a measure of heterogeneity, dropped to zero. Heterogeneity analysis showed that date of study publication was a possible source of heterogeneity (B = −0.14; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: A mixture of personal parameters, comet assay methodological variables, and exposure characteristics may be responsible for heterogenic data from comet assay studies and interfere with obtaining conclusive results. Lack of quantitative environmental exposure measures and variation in comet assay protocols across studies are important obstacles in generalization of results.
Correlation between seismic diffractions extracted from vertical seismic profiling data and borehole logging in a carbonate environment

AbstractSeismic diffractions may play an important role in seismic interpretation because they characterize geologic objects that might not be visible for conventional seismic attribute analysis. Diffractivity may be caused by, and consequently may define, tectonic dislocations (faults and fractures), lithologic variations, and fluid saturation within rocks. We have tied seismic diffractions extracted from vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data and borehole logging, from which we recognized the reasons that were responsible for diffractivity of the strata. First, we processed a multisource multicomponent VSP data set to extract seismic diffractions and constructed diffraction images of the strata for all three of the VSP data components. Then, we performed joint analysis of well logs and diffractions to obtain petrophysical attributes associated with diffraction images. We divided the rock succession into several units, which have different diffraction properties. We identified compacted rock, alternating .
Mathematical Ability of 10-Year-Old Boys and Girls

The genetic and environmental etiologies of 3 aspects of low mathematical performance (math disability) and the full range of variability (math ability) were compared for boys and girls in a sample of 5,348 children age 10 years (members of 2,674 pairs of same-sex and opposite-sex twins) from the United Kingdom (UK). The measures, which we developed for Web-based testing, included problems from 3 domains of mathematics taught as part of the UK National Curriculum. Using quantitative genetic model-fitting analyses, similar results were found for math disabilities and abilities for all 3 measures: Moderate genetic influence and environmental influence were mainly due to nonshared environmental factors that were unique to the individual, with little influence from shared environment. No sex differences were found in the etiologies of math abilities and disabilities. We conclude that low mathematical performance is the quantitative extreme of the same genetic and environmental factors responsible for variation throughout the distribution.
A constant-factor approximation for the k-MST problem in the plane

We present an algorithm that gives a constant factor approximation for the following problem. Given a set of n points in the plane with a Euclidean distance metric and an integer k < n, find the tree of least weight that spans k points. If desired, one may also specify in the problem a “root vertex” that must be in the tree. Our result improves on the previous best bound of O(log k) of Garg and Hochbaum [5], which in turn improved a previous 0(kl/4) bound of Ravi et al [9].
Membrane‐to‐cytosol redistribution of ECF sigma factor AlgU and conversion to mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients

The conversion to mucoid phenotype in Pseudomonas aeruginosa during chronic infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) is due to mutations in the algU mucABCD gene cluster. This cluster encodes an extreme stress response system conserved in Gram‐negative bacteria. The system includes an ECF sigma factor, AlgU (σE), an inner membrane protein, MucA, which inhibits AlgU activity, and MucB, a periplasmic protein that negatively controls AlgU. In this work, we investigated whether and how these factor interact to transduce signals between different cellular compartments. The mutation mucAΔG440, which renders a large fraction of P. aeruginosa CF isolates mucoid, did not abrogate AlgU–MucA interactions, although it eliminated MucA–MucB interactions in the yeast two‐hybrid system. The mucAΔG440 truncation of the periplasmic C‐terminal tail of MucA destabilized the molecule resulting in low or undetectable steady‐state levels in P. aeruginosa. Somewhat reduced levels of MucA were also seen in cells with inactivated mucB or with the mucACF53 allele carrying the missense P184S mutation, which mildly affected interactions with MucB. The events downstream from MucA destabilization were also investigated. AlgU was found to associate with inner membranes in mucA+ cells. In mutants destabilizing MucA, a limited redistribution of AlgU from the membrane to the cytosol was observed. The redistribution was spontaneous in mucAΔG440 cells, while in mucB and mucACF53 mutants it required additional signals. Despite a large reduction in MucA levels in mucAΔG440 cells, only a small fraction of AlgU was redistributed to the cytosol and a significant portion of this σ factor remained membrane bound and behaved as a peripheral inner membrane protein. The fraction of AlgU that depended on MucA for association with the membrane also brought RNA polymerase into this compartment. These results are consistent with a model in which MucB–MucA–AlgU–RNA polymerase interactions at the membrane allow transduction of potentially lethal stress signals with both rapid reaction times of the preassembled complexes and efficient resupply at the membrane from the prebound components.
Maternally Contributed Folate Receptor 1 Is Expressed in Ovarian Follicles and Contributes to Preimplantation Development

Folates have been shown to play a crucial role for proper development of the embryo as folate deficiency has been associated with reduced developmental capacity such as increased risk of fetal neural tube defects and spontanous abortion. Transcripts encoding the reduced folate carrier RFC1 (SLC19A1 protein) and the high-affinity folate receptor FOLR1 are expressed in oocytes and preimplantation embryos, respectively. In this study, we observed maternally contributed FOLR1 protein during mouse and human ovarian follicle development, and 2-cell mouse embryos. In mice, FOLR1 was highly enriched in oocytes from primary, secondary and tertiary follicles, and in the surrounding granulosa cells. Interestingly, during human follicle development, we noted a high and specific presence of FOLR1 in oocytes from primary and intermediate follicles, but not in the granulosa cells. The distribution of FOLR1 in follicles was noted as membrane-enriched but also seen in the cytoplasm in oocytes and granulosa cells. In 2-cell embryos, FOLR1-eGFP fusion protein was detected as cytoplasmic and membrane-associated dense structures, resembling the distribution pattern observed in ovarian follicle development. Knock-down of Folr1 mRNA function was accomplished by microinjection of short interference (si)RNA targeting Folr1, into mouse pronuclear zygotes. This revealed a reduced capacity of Folr1 siRNA-treated embryos to develop to blastocyst compared to the siRNA-scrambled control group, indicating that maternally contributed protein and zygotic transcripts sustain embryonic development combined. In summary, maternally contributed FOLR1 protein appears to maintain ovarian functions, and contribute to preimplantation development combined with embryonically synthesized FOLR1.
Response of tide‐dominated mangrove shorelines in Northern Australia to anticipated sea‐level rise

The exact response of mangrove shorelines to anticipated sea-level rise will depend upon the balance between sedimentation and sea-level change. Within the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia there are extensive, relatively unmodified, tide-dominated mangrove forests, where tidal processes redistribute sediment. Harbours, such as Darwin Harbour, and tidal rivers, such as the South Alligator River with its associated coastal and estuarine plains, represent opposite extremes in terms of Holocene sedimentary infill, and will respond differently to sea-level rise. In Darwin Harbour, mangrove assemblages can be recognized in geomorphologically defined habitats. Similar topography within and between creeks implies morphodynamic equilibrium with tidal processes. Tidal reworking of sediment may maintain an equilibrial profile under gradually rising sea level, with resuspension of lower intertidal and subtidal muds and their redeposition within upper intertidal mangrove habitats. In contrast, the plains along the coast and tidal rivers draining into van Diemen Gulf developed during the post-glacial marine transgression, and since sea level stabilized, around 6000 years ago, coastal plains have prograded. These broad plains are presently not extensively influenced by salt water, but are often at elevations close to, or even below, modern high-tide levels. They may, therefore, revert to saline conditions particularly rapidly if the sea rises. The pattern of change may not be directly analogous to marine incursion experienced in the early Holocene, because broad plains have been able to prograde during the last 6000 years of relatively stable sea level.
Auger decay of degenerate and Bose-condensed excitons in Cu2O.

We study the nonradiative Auger decay of excitons in ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}$O, in which two excitons scatter to an excited electron and hole. The exciton decay rate for the direct and the phonon-assisted processes is calculated from first principles; incorporating the band structure of the material leads to a relatively shorter lifetime of the triplet-state ortho excitons. We compare our results with the Auger decay rate extracted from data on highly degenerate triplet excitons and Bose-condensed singlet excitons in ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}$O. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Effect of Nitrous Oxide on Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission in Hippocampal Cultures

Nitrous oxide (N2O; laughing gas) has been a widely used anesthetic/analgesic since the 19th century, although its cellular mechanism of action is not understood. Here we characterize the effects of N2O on excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in microcultures of rat hippocampal neurons, a preparation in which anesthetic effects on monosynaptic communication can be examined in a setting free of polysynaptic network variables. Eighty percent N2O occludes peak NMDA receptor-mediated (NMDAR) excitatory autaptic currents (EACs) with no effect on the NMDAR EAC decay time course. N2O also mildly depresses AMPA receptor-mediated (AMPAR) EACs. We find that N2O inhibits both NMDA and non-NMDA receptor-mediated responses to exogenous agonist. The postsynaptic blockade of NMDA receptors exhibits slight apparent voltage dependence, whereas the blockade of AMPA receptors is not voltage dependent. Although the degree of ketamine and Mg2+ blockade of NMDA-induced responses is dependent on permeant ion concentration, the degree of N2O blockade is not. We also observe a slight and variable prolongation of GABAA receptor-mediated (GABAR) postsynaptic currents likely caused by previously reported effects of N2O on GABAA receptors. Despite the effects of N2O on both NMDA and non-NMDA ionotropic receptors, glial glutamate transporter currents and metabotropic glutamate receptor-mediated synaptic depression are not affected. Paired-pulse depression, the frequency of spontaneous miniature excitatory synaptic currents, and high-voltage–activated calcium currents are not affected by N2O. Our results suggest that the effects of N2O on synaptic transmission are confined to postsynaptic targets.
Evaporation into the atmosphere : theory, history, and applications

1. Introduction. - 2. History of the Theories of Evaporation - A Chronological Sketch. - 3. The Lower Atmosphere. - 4. Mean Profiles and Similarity in a Stationary and Horizontally Uniform ABL. - 5. The Surface Roughness Parameterization. - 6. Energy Fluxes at the Earth's Surface. - 7. Advection Effects Near Changes in Surface Conditions. - 8. Methods Based on Turbulence Measurements. - 9. Methods Based on Measurements of Mean Profiles. - 10. Energy Budget and Related Methods. - 11. Mass Budget Methods. - Historical References (Prior to 1900). - References.
National survey of drug-resistant tuberculosis in China.

BACKGROUND The available information on the epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis in China is based on local or regional surveys. In 2007, we carried out a national survey of drug-resistant tuberculosis in China. METHODS We estimated the proportion of tuberculosis cases in China that were resistant to drugs by means of cluster-randomized sampling of tuberculosis cases in the public health system and testing for resistance to the first-line antituberculosis drugs isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and streptomycin and the second-line drugs ofloxacin and kanamycin. We used the results from this survey and published estimates of the incidence of tuberculosis to estimate the incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Information from patient interviews was used to identify factors linked to drug resistance. RESULTS Among 3037 patients with new cases of tuberculosis and 892 with previously treated cases, 5.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.5 to 7.0) and 25.6% (95% CI, 21.5 to 29.8), respectively, had multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (defined as disease that was resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin). Among all patients with tuberculosis, approximately 1 of 4 had disease that was resistant to isoniazid, rifampin, or both, and 1 of 10 had MDR tuberculosis. Approximately 8% of the patients with MDR tuberculosis had extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (defined as disease that was resistant to at least isoniazid, rifampin, ofloxacin, and kanamycin). In 2007, there were 110,000 incident cases (95% CI, 97,000 to 130,000) of MDR tuberculosis and 8200 incident cases (95% CI, 7200 to 9700) of XDR tuberculosis. Most cases of MDR and XDR tuberculosis resulted from primary transmission. Patients with multiple previous treatments who had received their last treatment in a tuberculosis hospital had the highest risk of MDR tuberculosis (adjusted odds ratio, 13.3; 95% CI, 3.9 to 46.0). Among 226 previously treated patients with MDR tuberculosis, 43.8% had not completed their last treatment; most had been treated in the hospital system. Among those who had completed treatment, tuberculosis developed again in most of the patients after their treatment in the public health system. CONCLUSIONS China has a serious epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis. MDR tuberculosis is linked to inadequate treatment in both the public health system and the hospital system, especially tuberculosis hospitals; however, primary transmission accounts for most cases. (Funded by the Chinese Ministry of Health.).
Current Account Deficits in the Euro Area: The End of the Feldstein-Horioka Puzzle?

Both Portugal and Greece have been running large current account deficits, and these are expected to continue in the future. Yet, financial markets do not appear to be worried. Starting from this observation, we document that Portugal and Greece are in fact representative of a broader evolution: Increasing goods and financial market integration is leading to an increasing decoupling of saving and investment within the European Union, and even more so within the Euro area. In particular, it is allowing poorer countries to invest more, save less, and run larger current account deficits. The converse holds for the richer countries.