Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Present state of global wetland extent and wetland methane modelling: methodology of a model inter-comparison project (WETCHIMP)

The Wetland and Wetland CH4 Intercomparison of Models Project (WETCHIMP) was created to evaluate our present ability to simulate large-scale wetland characteristics and corresponding methane (CH4) emissions. A multi-model comparison is essential to evaluate the key uncertainties in the mechanisms and parameters leading to methane emissions. Ten modelling groups joined WETCHIMP to run eight global and two regional models with a common experimental protocol using the same climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) forcing datasets. We reported the main conclusions from the intercomparison effort in a companion paper (Melton et al., 2013). Here we provide technical details for the six experiments, which included an equilibrium, a transient, and an optimized run plus three sensitivity experiments (temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO2 concentration). The diversity of approaches used by the models is summarized through a series of conceptual figures, and is used to evaluate the wide range of wetland extent and CH4 fluxes predicted by the models in the equilibrium run. We discuss relationships among the various approaches and patterns in consistencies of these model predictions. Within this group of models, there are three broad classes of methods used to estimate wetland extent: prescribed based on wetland distribution maps, prognostic relationships between hydrological states based on satellite observations, and explicit hydrological mass balances. A larger variety of approaches was used to estimate the net CH4 fluxes from wetland systems. Even though modelling of wetland extent and CH4 emissions has progressed significantly over recent decades, large uncertainties still exist when estimating CH4 emissions: there is little consensus on model structure or complexity due to knowledge gaps, different aims of the models, and the range of temporal and spatial resolutions of the models.
A 31.25/125MSps continuous-time ΔΣ ADC with 64/59db SNDR in 130nm CMOS

A 2nd order 3-bit continuous-time (CT) ΔΣ ADC is presented in this paper. The design equations starting from a discrete-time reference modulator to the circuit implementation are given. The non-return to zero (NRZ) DAC pulses have a half clock cycle loopdelay which is corrected by the feedforward (also known as PI) loop delay compensation, and nonlinearities in the DACs are suppressed by data-weighted averaging. The fabricated 130nm design operates at 31.25/125MHz at a power consumption of 6.04/6.32mA from a 1.2V supply, and achieves an SNDR of 64/59dB at an OSR of 32, resulting in an FOM of 5.73/2.67pJ/cony. step.
Sleep apnea as an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality: the Busselton Health Study.

BACKGROUND Previously published cohort studies in clinical populations have suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for mortality associated with cardiovascular disease. However, it is unknown whether sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in a community-based sample free from clinical referral bias. METHODS Residents of the Western Australian town of Busselton underwent investigation with a home sleep apnea monitoring device (MESAM IV). OSA was quantified via the respiratory disturbance index (RDI). Mortality status was determined in 397/400 participants (99.3%) after up to 14 years (mean follow-up 13.4 years) by data matching with the Australian National Death Index and the Western Australian Death Register. Univariate analyses and multivariate Cox proportional hazards modelling were used to ascertain the association between sleep apnea and mortality after adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, mean arterial pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diabetes, and medically diagnosed angina in those free from heart attack or stroke at baseline (n = 380). RESULTS Among the 380 participants, 18 had moderate-severe OSA (RDI > or = 15/hr, 6 deaths) and 77 had mild OSA(RDI 5 to < 15/hr, 5 deaths). Moderate-to-severe OSA was independently associated with greater risk of all-cause mortality (fully adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 6.24, 95% CL 2.01, 19.39) than non-OSA (n = 285, 22 deaths). Mild OSA (RDI 5 to < 15/hr) was not an independent risk factor for higher mortality (HR = 0.47, 95% CL 0.17, 1.29). CONCLUSIONS Moderate-to-severe sleep apnea is independently associated with a large increased risk of all-cause mortality in this community-based sample.
Osmotic water permeability diversification in primary trophoblast cultures from aquaporin 1‐deficient pregnant mice

Aquaporins (AQP) are water channel proteins, and some play an important role in maternal–fetal fluid exchange. The present study aimed to measure the osmotic water permeability in primary cultures of trophoblast cells from AQP1‐deficient (AQP1–/–) pregnant mice and to define the quantitative role of AQP1 in water transport across the trophoblast plasma membrane.
Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Lesion Growth during Cardiac Radiofrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is currently used in clinic as a cure for several cardiac arrhythmia, like Wolff-Parkinson-White and Atrial Fibrillation. These arrhythmia are caused by a disturbance of the healthy conduction pattern of the heart. RFA treatment aims for electrical isolation of the locations that cause the disturbed conduction. Due to the application of an alternating current to the tissue, the tissue becomes hyperthermic. This induces structural changes in the tissue that block the electrical conductance. Transmurality of the lesions is an important factor for successful treatment. To prevent damage to surrounding tissues however, the lesion formation should be controlled. In this study the development of lesion depth is studied. In literature, many determinants of lesion depth are discussed. The most pronounced ones are electrode design, the power that is dissipated in the tissue, and the duration of the ablation. Furthermore, uncontrollable determinants like wall thickness and convection are described. Experiments were done on porcine cardiac tissue, to investigate the influence of power settings, ablation duration and wall thickness. Lesions were created with a power of 10, 15 and 20 Watt for durations up to 180 seconds. The lesions were bisected and stained using a histologic staining (NTB) and lesion depth was measured. Lesion depth was defined as the maximum transmural damage perpendicular to the ablated surface. A finite element model was created for further investigation of the influence of these variables. This model was based on equations for ohmic heating, heat conduction and convection, and fluid flow. Simulations were designed to mimic the experiments. A transient and a steady state analysis were done. The lesion border was defined by the 50◦C isotherm. In this model the same determinants were studied as in the experiments. Furthermore, the model gave insight in the influence of other factors, like natural convection. The results of the experiments and the model were compared for similar ablation powers and durations. The experiments and the finite element model provides insight in the development of lesion depth during RFA. An exponential growth in time was found for lesion depth. Steady state was approached after one minute of ablation. The final lesion depth was strongly dependent on the power used during ablation in the model. This final lesion depth was limited when the ablated tissue was thin, due to cooling of the tissue by surrounding fluid. In the experiments, no significant difference was found between lesion depth in tissue of different thickness. No transmural lesions were achieved in both the experiments and the model.
Unusual presentation of the immotile cilia syndrome in two children

The immotile cilia syndrome (primary ciliary dyskinesia) (1) is characterized by autosomal recessive transmission (2, 3) and variable clinical features (3-8). Some affected individuals experience severe distress in the neonatal period; others have only moderate symptoms. We report two unusual presentations of immotile cilia syndrome. In the first case, the syndrome was identified in the neonatal period and was associated with hydrocephalus. In the second case, pneumonia was complicated by mediastinal lymphadenopathy and superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome.
Genetic variation in carbon isotope discrimination and its relationship to growth under field conditions in full-sib families of Picea mariana

Measurements of the stable carbon isotope composition of leaf tissue were made on Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P trees from four full-sib families grown on three different field sites at the Petawawa National Forestry Institute, Ontario, Canada. The four families chosen exhibited genetic variation for growth characteristics. Genetic variation was also observed for carbon isotopic discrimination (Δ) among the families of P. mariana. In addition, a strong correlation occurred between Δ values measured on trees in 1991 and 1992, two years that had very different precipitation and temperature conditions during the growing season, indicating that the ranking of individual trees remained almost constant between years. A strong, negative correlation was observed between average carbon isotope discrimination and average tree height for the four families on the driest, least productive site, as was expected based on leaf photosynthetic characteristics. There was no significant correlation, however, between Δ values an.
Experimental Validation of an Underactuated Two-Wheeled Mobile Robot

Reported in this paper are the implementation and testing of the real-time control of a two-wheeled mobile robot. The robot is underactuated, its mobility and control inputs being three and two, respectively. The control challenge faced here is to reduce the oscillations of the intermediate body while following a desired path. A controller, introduced elsewhere, is implemented using a real-time operating system on a novel control architecture. The control algorithm was tested using three different test motions: translational, rotational, and uphill.
Early identification of refractory epilepsy.

BACKGROUND More than 30 percent of patients with epilepsy have inadequate control of seizures with drug therapy, but why this happens and whether it can be predicted are unknown. We studied the response to antiepileptic drugs in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy to identify factors associated with subsequent poor control of seizures. METHODS We prospectively studied 525 patients (age, 9 to 93 years) who were given a diagnosis, treated, and followed up at a single center between 1984 and 1997. Epilepsy was classified as idiopathic (with a presumed genetic basis), symptomatic (resulting from a structural abnormality), or cryptogenic (resulting from an unknown underlying cause). Patients were considered to be seizure-free if they had not had any seizures for at least one year. RESULTS Among the 525 patients, 333 (63 percent) remained seizure-free during antiepileptic-drug treatment or after treatment was stopped. The prevalence of persistent seizures was higher in patients with symptomatic or cryptogenic epilepsy than in those with idiopathic epilepsy (40 percent vs. 26 percent, P=0.004) and in patients who had had more than 20 seizures before starting treatment than in those who had had fewer (51 percent vs. 29 percent, P<0.001). The seizure-free rate was similar in patients who were treated with a single established drug (67 percent) and patients who were treated with a single new drug (69 percent). Among 470 previously untreated patients, 222 (47 percent) became seizure-free during treatment with their first antiepileptic drug and 67 (14 percent) became seizure-free during treatment with a second or third drug. In 12 patients (3 percent) epilepsy was controlled by treatment with two drugs. Among patients who had no response to the first drug, the percentage who subsequently became seizure-free was smaller (11 percent) when treatment failure was due to lack of efficacy than when it was due to intolerable side effects (41 percent) or an idiosyncratic reaction (55 percent). CONCLUSIONS Patients who have many seizures before therapy or who have an inadequate response to initial treatment with antiepileptic drugs are likely to have refractory epilepsy.
From stripe to checkerboard ordering of charge-density waves on the square lattice in the presence of quenched disorder

We discuss the effects of quenched disorder on a model of charge density wave (CDW) ordering on the square lattice. Our model may be applicable to the cuprate superconductors, where a random electrostatic potential exists in the CuO2 planes as a result of the presence of charged dopants. We argue that the presence of a random potential can affect the unidirectionality of the CDW order, characterized by an Ising order parameter. Coupling to a unidirectional CDW, the random potential can lead to the formation of domains with 90 degree relative orientation, thus tending to restore the rotational symmetry of the underlying lattice. We find that the correlation length of the Ising order can be significantly larger than the CDW correlation length. For a checkerboard CDW on the other hand, disorder generates spatial anisotropies on short length scales and thus some degree of unidirectionality. We quantify these disorder effects and suggest new techniques for analyzing the local density of states (LDOS) data measured in scanning tunneling microscopy experiments.
The role of SON in splicing, development, and disease

SON is a nuclear protein involved in multiple cellular processes including transcription, pre‐messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing, and cell cycle regulation. Although SON was discovered 25 years ago, the importance of SON's function was only realized recently when its roles in nuclear organization and pre‐mRNA splicing as well as the influence of these activities in maintaining cellular health were unveiled. Furthermore, SON was implicated to have a key role in stem cells as well as during the onset of various diseases such as cancer, influenza, and hepatitis. Here we review the progress that has been made in studying this multifunctional protein and discuss questions that remain to be answered about SON. WIREs RNA 2014, 5:637–646. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1235
Evaluation of sticky ovitraps for the surveillance of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) and the screening of oviposition attractants from organic infusions

Abstract The performance of sticky ovitraps for investigation of a container-breeding mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has been assessed for the first time, in the field, in Wuhan, China. Almost all (90.0%) of the mosquitoes collected in the ovitraps were Ae. albopictus and, in 2006, the seasonal abundance of this species as measured using the sticky ovitraps was significantly correlated with that measured using standard red ovitraps. The baiting with a Bermuda-grass (Cynodon dactylon) infusion of oviposition cups in the laboratory or standard red ovitraps in the field increased the numbers of Ae. albopictus eggs collected (compared with the numbers seen with a tap-water control). In an adult-counting assay, however, the use of such an infusion significantly increased the numbers of female Ae. albopictus coming to sticky oviposition cups only in the laboratory, not in the field. Under field conditions, when the sticky ovitraps were used, female Ae. albopictus showed no oviposition 'preference' for infusions made from the leaves of the camphorwood tree, box, green bristle grass, Bermuda grass, lotus magnolia or bamboo. In terms of the attractancy of the sticky ovitraps to female Ae. albopictus in the field, the red colour of the ovitraps appeared to contribute more than a Bermuda-grass infusion. It appears that sticky ovitraps could be used to monitor Ae. albopictus in the field effectively. Since mosquitoes that are attracted to organic infusions but lay no eggs cannot be detected using a standard ovitrap but can be collected and counted in sticky ovitraps, the latter may be a better choice when screening for mosquito attractants (rather than oviposition stimulants) in such infusions.
Proteomic Analysis of Native Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-4α (HNF4α) Isoforms, Phosphorylation Status, and Interactive Cofactors*

Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF4α, NR2A1) is a nuclear receptor that has a critical role in hepatocyte differentiation and the maintenance of homeostasis in the adult liver. However, a detailed understanding of native HNF4α in the steady-state remains to be elucidated. Here we report the native HNF4α isoform, phosphorylation status, and complexes in the steady-state, as shown by shotgun proteomics in HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells. Shotgun proteomic analysis revealed the complexity of native HNF4α, including multiple phosphorylation sites and inter-isoform heterodimerization. The associating complexes identified by label-free semiquantitative proteomic analysis include the following: the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit, histone acetyltransferase complexes, mRNA splicing complex, other nuclear receptor coactivator complexes, the chromatin remodeling complex, and the nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylation complex. Among the associating proteins, GRB10 interacting GYF protein 2 (GIGYF2, PERQ2) is a new candidate cofactor in metabolic regulation. Moreover, an unexpected heterodimerization of HNF4α and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4γ was found. A biochemical and genomewide analysis of transcriptional regulation showed that this heterodimerization activates gene transcription. The genes thus transcribed include the cell death-inducing DEF45-like effector b (CIDEB) gene, which is an important regulator of lipid metabolism in the liver. This suggests that the analysis of the distinctive stoichiometric balance of native HNF4α and its cofactor complexes described here are important for an accurate understanding of transcriptional regulation.
Supra-Canonical 26Al/27Al and the Residence Time of CAIs in the Solar Protoplanetary Disk

The canonical initial 26Al/27Al ratio of 4.5 × 10-5 has been a fiducial marker for the beginning of the solar system. Laser ablation and whole-rock multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma-source mass spectrometry magnesium isotope analyses of calcium- and aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) from CV3 meteorites demonstrate that some CAIs had initial 26Al/27Al values at least 25% greater than canonical and that the canonical initial 26Al/27Al cannot mark the beginning of solar system formation. Using rates of Mg diffusion in minerals, we find that the canonical initial 26Al/27Al is instead the culmination of thousands of brief high-temperature events incurred by CAIs during a 105-year residence time in the solar protoplanetary disk.
Blood conservation in cardiac surgery

This article aims at reviewing the currently available evidence about blood conservation strategies in cardiac surgery. Pre‐operative anaemia and perioperative allogeneic blood transfusions are associated with worse outcomes after surgery. In addition, transfusions are a scarce and costly resource. As cardiac surgery accounts for a significant proportion of all blood products transfused, efforts should be made to decrease the risk of perioperative transfusion. Pre‐operative strategies focus on the detection and treatment of anaemia. The management of haematological abnormalities, most frequently functional iron deficiency, is a matter for debate. However, iron supplementation therapy is increasingly commonly administered. Intra‐operatively, antifibrinolytics should be routinely used, whereas the cardiopulmonary bypass strategy should be adapted to minimise haemodilution secondary to circuit priming. There is less evidence to recommend minimally invasive surgery. Cell salvage and point‐of‐care tests should also be a part of the routine care. Post‐operatively, any unnecessary iatrogenic blood loss should be avoided.
Role of the second‐trimester ‘genetic sonogram’ for Down syndrome screen in the era of first‐trimester screening and noninvasive prenatal testing

Ultrasonography for the screening of Down syndrome was first introduced about 25 years ago. Different combinations of markers detectable at second‐trimester ultrasonography have been proposed under the banner of ‘genetic sonogram’. In recent years, several developments in first‐trimester screening and the recent introduction of noninvasive prenatal testing for aneuploidy screening have had important implications for the prevalence of these conditions in the second‐trimester and the screening performance of a genetic sonogram. Several second‐trimester sonographic markers for Down syndrome have been reported; meta‐analysis has shown that the most powerful predictors are mild ventriculomegaly, increased nuchal fold, hyperechoic bowel, and absent or hypoplastic nasal bone. Whereas use of individual markers should be discouraged and scoring systems of multiple markers are now obsolete, use of combined likelihood ratio and logistic regression analysis formulae provides better accuracy. However, there is significant heterogeneity in results among studies. Despite such limitations, the genetic sonogram will continue to have a place in prenatal screening, particularly in twin and higher‐order multiple pregnancies, in countries with limited access to the most recent genetic screening tests, in cases with borderline results at maternal serum screening tests, and as noninvasive supplementary test for high‐risk women reluctant to undergo invasive diagnostic testing. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vergence Adaptation Maintains Heterophoria in Normal Binocular Vision

ABSTRACT This investigation sought to determine whether vergence adaptation serves to maintain orthophoria or heterophoria in normal binocular vision. While wearing prisms which neutralized their nearpoint (40 cm) heterophorias, 27 of 30 nonstrabismic subjects adapted from their prismatically created orthophoria toward their habitual heterophoria. Three subjects showed no adaptive response. A symptom questionnaire distributed to these subjects determined that the maintenance of heterophoria by vergence adaptation is: (1) characteristic of normal and comfortable binocular vision, and (2) neither an entirely necessary nor sufficient condition for normal and comfortable binocular vision.
The GAIA sensor: an early DDoS detection tool

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are a major network security threat. Most recent host-based DDoS detection mechanisms are dedicated to a particular set of attacks, focusing either on the recent dynamic of the traffic, or on its long range dependence. We propose a DDoS early detection component based on anomaly detection which combines static and dynamic behavior analysis, including experimental results.
Paradoxical effects of sphingosine-1-phosphate.

When an enzyme is mentioned in the White House, even if only in the world of the popular television drama West Wing, it is clear that this enzyme has earned a wide reputation. So the statement of a female doctor attending the First Lady's dinner party indicating that sphingosine kinase controls "all signal pathways to cancer growth" suggests that this enzyme, and its product sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), have gained prominence in the scientific community. Why have sphingosine kinase and S1P entered the popular media? In other words, what is the evidence of their importance?