Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SubsetsPolar Opposites: Erk Direction of CD4 T Cell

Effective immune responses depend upon appropriate T cell differentiation in accord with the nature of an infectious agent, and the contingency of differentiation depends minimally on TCR, coreceptor, and cytokine signals. In this reverse genetic study, we show that the MAPK Erk2 is not essential for T cell proliferation in the presence of optimum costimulation. Instead, it has opposite effects on T-bet and Gata3 expression and, hence, on Th1 and Th2 differentiation. Alternatively, in the presence of TGF- b , the Erk pathway suppresses a large program of gene expression, effectively limiting the differentiation of Foxp3 + regulatory T cells. In the latter case, the mechanisms involved include suppression of Gata3 and Foxp3 , induction of Tbx21 , phosphorylation of Smad2,3, and possibly suppression of Socs2, a positive inducer of Stat5 signaling. Consequently, loss of Erk2 severely impeded Th1 differentiation while enhancing the development of Foxp3 + -induced T regulatory cells. Selected proﬁles of gene expression under multiple conditions of T cell activation illustrate the opposing consequences of Erk pathway signaling. The Journal of Immunology , 2012, 189: 000–000.
Evaluation: A Systematic Approach

Programs, Policies and Evaluation Tailoring Evaluations Identifying Issues and Formulating Questions Assessing the Need for a Program Expressing and Assessing Program Theory Monitoring Program Process and Performance Strategies for Impact Assessment Randomized Designs for Impact Assessment Quasi-Experimental Impact Assessments Assessment of Full-Coverage Programs Measuring Efficiency The Social Context of Evaluation
Advances in remote sensing of the atmosphere

The past four years have witnessed a growing awareness of the need for adequate global data to extend the useful range of numerical weather forecasts. This arises, at least in part, from the experience of the Global Weather Experiment: that the tropics greatly influence mid-latitude weather and climate. Furthermore, in terms of climate analysis and forecasting, it is essential that the vast oceans of the tropics and Southern Hemisphere be well observed. These requirements make the use of satellite-based remote sensing essential.
Risk factors associated with medial tibial stress syndrome in runners: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) affects 5%–35% of runners. Research over the last 40 years investigating a range of interventions has not established any clearly effective management for MTSS that is better than prolonged rest. At the present time, understanding of the risk factors and potential causative factors for MTSS is inconclusive. The purpose of this review is to evaluate studies that have investigated various risk factors and their association with the development of MTSS in runners. Methods: Medical research databases were searched for relevant literature, using the terms “MTSS AND prevention OR risk OR prediction OR incidence”. Results: A systematic review of the literature identified ten papers suitable for inclusion in a meta-analysis. Measures with sufficient data for meta-analysis included dichotomous and continuous variables of body mass index (BMI), ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, navicular drop, orthotic use, foot type, previous history of MTSS, female gender, hip range of motion, and years of running experience. The following factors were found to have a statistically significant association with MTSS: increased hip external rotation in males (standard mean difference [SMD] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29–1.04, P , 0.001); prior use of orthotics (risk ratio [RR] 2.31, 95% CI 1.56–3.43, P , 0.001); fewer years of running experience (SMD − 0.74, 95% CI − 1.26 to − 0.23, P = 0.005); female gender (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.15–2.54, P = 0.008); previous history of MTSS (RR 3.74, 95% CI 1.17–11.91, P = 0.03); increased body mass index (SMD 0.24, 95% CI 0.08–0.41, P = 0.003); navicular drop (SMD 0.26, 95% CI 0.02–0.50, P = 0.03); and navicular drop . 10 mm (RR 1.99, 95% CI 1.00–3.96, P = 0.05). Conclusion: Female gender, previous history of MTSS, fewer years of running experience, orthotic use, increased body mass index, increased navicular drop, and increased external rotation hip range of motion in males are all significantly associated with an increased risk of developing MTSS. Future studies should analyze males and females separately because risk factors vary by gender. A continuum model of the development of MTSS that links the identified risk factors and known processes is proposed. These data can inform both screening and countermeasures for the prevention of MTSS in runners.
Full‐Inversion Tillage and Organic Carbon Distribution in Soil Profiles: A Meta‐Analysis

While the adoption of no-till (NT) usually leads to the accumulation of soil organic C (SOC) in the surface soil layers, a number of studies have shown that this effect is sometimes partly or completely offset by greater SOC content near the bottom of the plow layer under full-inversion tillage (FIT). Our purpose was to review the literature in which SOC profiles have been measured under paired NT and FIT situations. Only replicated and randomized studies directly comparing NT and FIT for >5 yr were considered. Profiles of SOC had to be measured to at least 30 cm. As expected, in most studies SOC content was significantly greater (P < 0.05) under NT than FIT in the surface soil layers. At the 21- to 25-cm soil depth, however, which corresponds to the mean plowing depth for the data set (23 cm), the average SOC content was significantly greater under FIT than NT. Moreover, under FIT, greater SOC content was observed just below the average depth of plowing (26-35 cm). On average, there was 4.9 Mg ha -1 more SOC under NT than FIT (P = 0.03). Overall, this difference in favor of NT increased significantly but weakly with the duration of the experiment (R 2 = 0.15, P = 0.05). The relative accumulation of SOC at depth under FIT could not be related to soil or climatic variables. Furthermore, the organic matter accumulating at depth under FIT appeared to be present in relatively stable form, but this hypothesis and the mechanisms involved require further investigation.
Summer Hydrographic Features of the East Sea Analyzed by the Optimum Multiparameter Method

CREAHS II carried out an intensive hydrographic survey covering almost entire East Sea in 1999. Hydrographic data from total 203 stations were released to public on the internee. This paper summarized the results of water mass analysis by OHP (Optimum Multiparameter) method that utilizes temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, silicate, nitrate, phosphate and location data as an input data-matrix. A total of eight source water types are identified in the East Sea: four in surface waters(North Korea Surface Water, Tatar Surface Cold Water, East Korean Coastal Water, Modified Tsushima Surface Water), two intermediate water types (Tsushima Middle Water, Liman Cold Water), two deep water types (East Sea Intermediate Water, East Sea Proper Water). Of these NKSW, MTSW and TSCW are the newly reported as the source water type. Distribution of each water types reveals several few interesting hydrographic features. A few noteworthy are summarized as follows: The Tsushima Warm Current enter the East Sea as three branches; East Korea Coastal Water propagates north along the coast around then turns to northeastward to and moves eastward. Cold waters of northern origin move southward along the coast at the subsurface, which existence the existence of a circulation cell at the intermediate depth of the East Sea. The estimated volume of each water types inferred from the OMP results show that the deep waters (ESIW + ESPW) fill up ca. 90% of the East Sea basins. Consequently the formation and circulation of deep waters are the key factors controlling environmental condition of the East Sea.
Persistent scatterer selection using maximum likelihood estimation

We present here a new InSAR persistent scatterer selection method using maximum likelihood estimation to identify persistent scattering pixels, which results in a denser network of reliable phase measurements than do existing methods. We analyze the phase of each pixel in a series of interferograms and estimate the relative strength of any slowly fluctuating component of the radar echo from a dominant scatterer to the background scattering within a pixel. We find a fairly dense network of scatterers with stable phase characteristics in areas where conventional InSAR fails due to decorrelation. We examined data over two vegetated regions in the San Francisco Bay Area. The average phases of these pixels clearly show the slip along the Hayward fault, and set upper bounds on any slip along the Bay Area segment of the San Andreas fault.
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

Incentive measures within the framework of the CBD are typically employed to ‘internalize’ the public-good value of biodiversity into the decision-making of relevant actors. When full internalization is not possible due to economic and social circumstances incentive measures seek to at least bridge the profitability gap between unsustainable activities and sustainable alternatives, thus inducing these actors to conserve biological diversity or to use its components in a sustainable manner. As such, incentives do not rely on an outright prescription or prohibition of specific activities.
Quantitative determination of long-term erosion rates of weathered granitic soil surfaces in western Abukuma, Japan using cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al depth profile.

We present erosion rates of granitic soil surfaces in the western Abukuma upland, Japan using depth profiles of in-situ produced cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al based on physical parameters for both neutron and muon interactions. Samples were obtained below the severely weathered zone, from 30 to 190 cm depth below surface (bs). We confirmed that, in this environment, deeper layers from at least 80 cm bs must be analyzed to achieve highly accurate measurement of erosion rate because near-surface layers are potentially influenced by pedogenic processes. The depth profiles obtained suggest a surface-lowering rate of 49–74 m/Myr for a mountain ridge composed of granitic soil. This newly obtained erosion rate is much higher than previously reported granitic or metamorphic bedrock, as well as quartz vein, erosion rates from several climatic environments including humid regions, suggesting that granitic soil surface is more susceptible to erosion.
An energy balance climate model with hydrological cycle: 1. Model description and sensitivity to internal parameters

A thermodynamical model designed to illustrate the effect of a hydrological cycle on climate sensitivity is presented. The model contains three climatic variables: two temperatures referring to an idealized atmosphere and ocean, respectively, and atmospheric humidity. The independent variables are time and latitude. Atmosphere and ocean are coupled by radiation and convection at their interface. Some structure of the atmospheric circulation is retained by differentiating between the dynamics of a low latitude zone (0° - ϕH) and that of a high latitude zone (ϕH-90°), where ϕH ≈ 30° is the intersection of meridional temperature gradient and critical gradient for baroclinic instability. The atmospheric transport is split into an advective and a diffusive part, while the oceanic transport is approximated by pure diffusion. The coefficients associated with horizontal and vertical motion are modelled in terms of temperature gradients. The predicted water vapor gives rise to precipitation and clouds and influences (via cloud cover and greenhouse effect) the radiation balance of the system. The model is integrated for annual mean conditions until an asymptotic equilibrium is reached. The free (internal) parameters of the system are determined by optimization methods so that simulated temperature, heat flux and hydrological cycle are in close agreement with observations. The sensitivity of the model is governed by radiation parameters. Of these, the cloud albedo is the most sensitive quantity. By contrast, the model is relatively little affected by parameters associated with horizontal and vertical transport of heat.
Field-aligned current distribution in the transition current system

[1] The interactions of coronal mass ejections with the Earth's magnetosphere are interesting because they often lead to extreme forcing of magnetospheric convection. Here we consider the initial interaction of a CME with the magnetosphere for the specific case in which there is a sharp increase in the dynamic pressure (interplanetary shock) that is associated with a simultaneous northward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The magnetospheric response to such conditions has been observed to be atypical to that expected for the compression of the magnetosphere. The sudden magnetic field increase observed at low-latitude ground stations in response to such an event is asymmetric, with the largest field enhancement observed on the nightside and little or no field increase observed near local noon. We explain this response in terms of a temporary transition current system that is generated in the high-latitude magnetosphere in response to the northward turning of the IMF. In this paper we consider the dependence of the distribution of field-aligned currents in the transition current system to the radial and azimuthal components of the IMF. Model results are compared with the onground magnetometer data during 31 March 2001 storm sudden commencement (SSC).
Land use/cover changes using Landsat TM/ETM images in a tropical and biodiverse mountainous area of central‐eastern Mexico

Land use/cover (LUC) and changes between 1990 and 2003 in a tropical mountainous watershed were analysed with Landsat TM images using a GIS‐RS approach. The La Antigua River upper catchment is a 1325 km2, biodiverse hydrological region in central Veracruz, Mexico. A large set of training pixels was used to optimize the representation of environmental heterogeneity. Classification accuracy was assessed with spectral and field‐checked error matrices. Overall classification accuracy for the 1990 (78.2%) and 2003 (79.7%) images was satisfactory. Ancillary data (DEM) was incorporated to improve discrimination between LUC categories. The Landsat TM sensor proved sensitive enough to separate the different spectral patterns related to the LUC classes in this complex landscape. The time interval and scale selected are suitable for strategic planning purposes. Depletion of tropical montane cloud forest, and its conversion to pasture and agriculture, was by far the most important LUC change over the period of study.
Direct and semi‐direct aerosol effects in the NASA GEOS‐5 AGCM: aerosol‐climate interactions due to prognostic versus prescribed aerosols

The present‐day climate response to aerosol direct and semi‐direct effects is investigated using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS‐5) atmospheric general circulation model. We focus our investigation on aerosol‐climate interactions by using either prognostic aerosols from an online aerosol module or aerosols from a climatology based on the prognostic aerosols. As found in previous studies, forcing from all aerosols cools the land surface, warms the troposphere, and impacts global mean circulation, affecting both the strength of the Hadley cell and the zonal mean wind. Less absorbing natural aerosol alone tends to have weaker impacts on global climate. We find that removing the feedback of meteorology on aerosol distributions can significantly impact the climate response depending on the parameter, region, and season considered. Much of the differing climate response to prognostic and prescribed aerosols occurs in regions remote from direct aerosol forcing, such as in the stratosphere and the northern and southern high latitudes. This suggests that aerosol‐climate interactions may induce remote dynamical responses to aerosol forcing in global models. The largest effect of removing coupling is to enhance the aerosol optical depth globally over the oceans. This enhancement is due to the removal of the co‐variability between aerosol mass and relative humidity on sub‐monthly timescales in the high humidity oceanic environment.
Stochastic‐Convective Transport with Nonlinear Reaction: Mathematical Framework

A stochastic-convective reactive (SCR) transport method is developed for one-dimensional steady transport in physically heterogeneous media with nonlinear degradation. The method is free of perturbation amplitude limitations and circumvents the difficulty of scale dependence of phenomenological parameters by avoiding volume-averaged specifications of diffusive/dispersive fluxes. The transport system is conceptualized as an ensemble of independent convective-reactive streamlines, each characterized by a randomized convective velocity (or travel time). Dispersive effects are treated as a component of the randomness in the streamline velocity ensemble, so no explicit expression for hydrodynamic dispersive flux is written in the streamline transport equation. The expected value of the transport over the stream tube ensemble is obtained as an average of solutions to the reactive convection equation according to the stream tube (travel time) probability distribution function. In this way, transport with reaction can be expressed in terms of global-scale random variables, such as solute travel time and travel distance, which are integrals of the stochastic variables such as velocity. Derivations support the hypothesis that via the SCR the decay process can be factored out of the mechanical transport behavior (as reflected by movement of a passive tracer) and scaled independently. Solution strategies are presented for general linear and nonlinear kinetic reactions. Demonstration simulations show that for Fickian transport with nonlinear reactions the SCR and convection dispersion equation can give different results. Ginn et al. (this issue) extend the SCR solution to coupled nonlinear equations, to accommodate Michaelis-Menten biodegradation of solute with an accounting of microbial growth.
Behavior of tropopause height and atmospheric temperature in models, reanalyses, and observations: Decadal changes

[1] We examine changes in tropopause height, a variable that has hitherto been neglected in climate change detection and attribution studies. The pressure of the lapse rate tropopause, pLRT, is diagnosed from reanalyses and from integrations performed with coupled and uncoupled climate models. In the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis, global-mean pLRT decreases by 2.16 hPa/decade over 1979–2000, indicating an increase in the height of the tropopause. The shorter European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis has a global-mean pLRT trend of −1.13 hPa/decade over 1979–1993. Simulated pLRT trends over the past several decades are consistent with reanalysis results. Superimposed on the overall increase in tropopause height in models and reanalyses are pronounced height decreases following the eruptions of El Chichon and Pinatubo. Interpreting these pLRT results requires knowledge of both T(z), the initial atmospheric temperature profile, and ΔT(z), the change in this profile in response to external forcing. T(z) has a strong latitudinal dependence, as does ΔT(z) for forcing by well-mixed greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone depletion. These dependencies help explain why overall tropopause height increases in reanalyses and observations are amplified toward the poles. The pronounced increases in tropopause height in the climate change integrations considered here indicate that even AGCMs with coarse vertical resolution can resolve relatively small externally forced changes in tropopause height. The simulated decadal-scale changes in pLRT are primarily thermally driven and are an integrated measure of the anthropogenically forced warming of the troposphere and cooling of the stratosphere. Our algorithm for estimating pLRT (based on a thermal definition of tropopause height) is sufficiently sensitive to resolve these large-scale changes in atmospheric thermal structure. Our results indicate that the simulated increase in tropopause height over 1979–1997 is a robust, zero-order response of the climate system to forcing by well-mixed greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone depletion. At the global-mean level, we find agreement between the simulated decadal-scale pLRT changes and those estimated from reanalyses. While the agreement between simulated pLRT changes and those in NCEP is partly fortuitous (due to excessive stratospheric cooling in NCEP), it is also driven by real pattern similarities. Our work illustrates that changes in tropopause height may be a useful “fingerprint” of human effects on climate and are deserving of further attention.
A modeling approach to evaluate the impact of conservation practices on water and sediment yield in Sasumua Watershed, Kenya

Degradation of agricultural watersheds often reduces their capacity to provide ecosystem services such as sediment retention, flow regulation, and water quality improvement. Soil and water conservation practices can be used to enhance the capacity of watersheds to produce these services. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of agricultural conservation practices on water and sediment yield using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The study area was Sasumua Watershed (107 km2 [43 mi2]), where land degradation has affected watershed's capacity to regulate flow and maintain water quality. The model was calibrated and validated for streamflow at the watershed outlet. Data on annual average erosion rates for the area was used to constrain soil erodibility factor (KUSLE) and practice erodibility factor (PUSLE) parameters during sediment calibration while measured three month sediment concentration data was used for validation. Model performance was assessed using the coefficient of determination (r2), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (ENS) and percent bias (PBIAS). Results gave monthly streamflow r2 values of 0.80 and 0.85, ENS values of 0.74 and 0.81, and PBIAS values of ±5% and ±6% during the calibration and validation. The model also satisfactorily simulated daily sediment concentrations with an r2 value of 0.54. However, ENS and PBIAS values were low, which was attributed to the short duration of measurement. The validated model was used to simulate sediment yield for the period 1970 to 2010. Mean annual watershed sediment yield was 40,934 t y−1 (90,243,096 lb yr−1). The impacts of filter strips, contour farming, parallel terraces, grassed waterways, and their combinations on water and sediment yield were simulated by adjusting relevant model parameters. The effectiveness of filter strips increased nonlinearly with width being optimum at 30 m (98.4 ft). A combination of 30 m (98.4 ft) wide filter strips and grassed waterways reduced sediment yield by 80%; parallel terraces, 10 m (32.8 ft) filter strips, and grassed waterways reduced sediment yield by 75%; 10 m (32.8 ft) filter strips and grassed waterways reduced yield by 73%; contour farming and grassed waterways reduced yield by 66%; and grassed waterways reduced yield by only 54%. Parallel terraces reduced surface runoff by 20% and increased base flow by 12%, while contour farming reduced surface runoff by 12% and increased base flow by 6.5%. Implementation of conservation practices can reduce sediment yield and increase water yield marginally. The results give an insight into the implications of the present land use management practices and can be used to devise ecologically sound watershed management and development plans.