Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Women and COPD: do we need more evidence?

The increasingly female face of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevalence among women has equalled that of men since 2008, due in part to increased tobacco use among women worldwide and exposure to biomass fuels. This finding is supported by a number of characteristics. There is evidence of susceptibility to smoking and other airborne contaminants, along with epidemiological and phenotypic manifestations. COPD has thus become the leading cause of death in women in the USA. The clinical presentation is characterised by increasingly pronounced dyspnoea with a marked tendency towards anxiety and depression, undernutrition, nonsmall cell lung cancer (especially adenocarcinoma) and osteoporosis. Quality of life is also more significantly impacted. The theories advanced to explain these differences involve the role played by oestrogens, impaired gas exchange in the lungs and smoking habits. While these differences require appropriate therapeutic responses (smoking cessation, pulmonary rehabilitation, long-term oxygen therapy), barriers to the treatment of women with COPD include greater under-diagnosis than in men, fewer spirometry tests and medical consultations. Faced with this serious public health problem, we need to update and adapt our knowledge to the epidemiological changes. The face of COPD is increasingly female. We need more evidence and a change in how the disease is managed. http://ow.ly/zueL30mWqlS
Geotechnical materials and the critical state

Comparison is made between the triaxial compres-sion behaviour of soil, soft rock and hard rock. On the basis of the evidence, it is argued that the brittle and ductile fields of rock behaviour can be interpreted with reference to the critical state framework originally developed for soils. Within this framework, the brittle—ductile transition in rock is the equivalent to the change in overconsolidated to normally consolidated behaviour found in soils. The critical states for soils and soft rocks represent the frictional plasticity of porous materials, whereas the equivalent critical state for hard rocks is heavily influenced by the cohesive plasticity present in mineral solids. A view of geotechnical materials emerges to emphasize the simiarity of soil and rock behaviour. This suggests that the critical state concept has application to all geotechnical materials. L'article etablit une comparaison entre le comportement en compression triaxiale d'un sol, d'une roche tendre et d'une roche duve. Au vu des re.
Effects of eddies on Bay of Bengal cyclone intensity

Predicting cyclone intensities in the Indian Ocean has been a challenging problem. Because of the highly varying bathymetry of the Indian coast, even a slight error in the prediction of landfall point and intensity can lead to a totally different storm surge height. Though capabilities of cyclone track prediction have significantly improved during recent years, cyclone intensity forecasts still need improvement. Various dynamical and statistical models have different rates of success for cyclone intensity prediction. In addition to atmospheric parameters and sea surface temperature (SST), another important parameter that enhances the understanding of the intensification of the cyclones is the upper ocean heat storage that is generally reflected in the oceanic eddies and dynamic topography. Sea surface height anomalies (SSHAs) from radar altimeters can provide information on this parameter. The relationship between the SSHAs and the associated hydrographic structure, particularly of eddies, is discussed by Ali et al. [1998], Gopalan et al. [2000], Babu et al. [2003], and Gopalakrishna et al. [2003]. Because of these changes in hydrographic features caused by SSHAs, warm (cold) core oceanic eddies have more (less) heat content compared with their surroundings.
Using multi–temporal Landsat ETM+ data to monitor the plague of oriental migratory locust

This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of using Landsat ETM+ data to identify the extent and severity of locust damage. Two cloud‐free Landsat ETM+ images of the study area, taken before and after peak locust plague, were compared to determine the extent and severity of the 2002 locust plague according to the decrease of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from the two images. The results showed that the locust plague could be classified into heavy, moderate and light damage degrees based on the NDVI value decrease calculated by each pixel, which further evaluated its accuracy by extensive ground survey data. Locust plague can be identified with 98% and 92% accuracy for determining geographic extent and severity respectively using Landsat ETM+ data.
A simple buildup analysis method to determine well drainage area and drawdown pressure for a stabilized well

This paper presents a new method that applies to wells that are shut in after having reached pseudosteady-state flow conditions. Based on the complete Miller-Dyes-Hutchinson (MDH) equation, a corrected pressure is defined that allows extension of the semilog straight line by about two log cycles for symmetric systems and one-half log cycle for others. The drainage area is directly computed. If the final recorded shut-in pressures depart from the straight line, it is also possible to compute the shape factor and the average pressure independently of the initial pressure.
DETERMINACION DE UN METODO DE CALCULO DE DOSIS GLANDULAR PROMEDIO EN EXAMENES DE MAMOGRAFIA CONVENCIONAL

Abstract: We present the application of a numerical model to estimate the mean glandular dose for ma-mmography. A General Electric mammography system, tube voltaje of 20-35 kV with increments of 1 kV, tube current of 10-250 mAs, anode/filter combinations molybdenum/molybdenum was used. Over a period of two months, data from 162 scans with craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique projections in both breasts were recorded. The thickness of the compressed breast ranged from 2.5 to 6.5 cm. The mean glandular dose for each craniocaudal projection ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 mGy for a thickness of 2.5 cm and 1.9 to 2.8 mGy for a thickness of 6.5 cm. All average values of mean glandular dose estimated by cranio-caudal projection were found to be below the international reference dose value of 3 mGy recommended by the American College of Radiology.Keywords: Mammography, mean glandular dose, dose estimation, reference dose. Resumen: Presentamos la aplicacion de un modelo numerico para estimar la dosis glandular promedio en mamografia. Hemos utilizado un mamografo General Electric, tension del tubo: 20-35 kV con incrementos de 1 kV; carga del tubo: 10-250 mAs; combinacion anodo-filtro de Molibdeno-Molibdeno. Durante dos meses datos de 162 exploraciones con proyecciones craneo-caudal y medio lateral oblicua en ambas mamas. El espesor de mama comprimida se encuentra en el rango de 2,5 a 6,5 cm. Los rangos de dosis glandular promedio, por cada proyeccion craneo-caudal, se encuentran de 0,4 a 0,7 mGy para un espesor de 2,5 cm y de 1,9 a 2,8 mGy para un espesor de 6,5 cm. Los valores medios de dosis glandular promedio esti-mados por proyeccion craneo-caudal, en su totalidad resultan por debajo del valor de referencia dado por el Colegio Americano de Radiologia (3 mGy). Palabras clave: Mamografia, Dosis Glandular Promedio, Estimacion de Dosis, Dosis de Referencia.
Long-term stream chemistry trends in the southern Georgia Little River Experimental Watershed

Long-term stream water quality data may provide opportunities to study the effectiveness of conservation practices. The first three decades of data for the Little River in southwestern Georgia were analyzed for trends as part of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project. Concentrations and loads for chloride, ammonium-N, nitrate plus nitrite-N, total Kjeldahl N, total P, and dissolved molybdate reactive phosphorus were determined from 1974 through 2003 for eight nested subwatersheds in the Little River Experimental Watershed. There was a statistically significant downward trend for annual mean total phosphorus concentration in five subwatersheds and an upward trend for chloride in three subwatersheds. The decrease in total phosphorus concentration occurred primarily in winter. Trends in phosphorus and chloride concentrations did not appear to be related to land use. There were no statistical differences in annual streamflow or nutrient loads expressed on a per area basis among the nested subwatersheds. Annual and seasonal flow-weighted mean concentrations were different among the subwatersheds for nitrate-N and chloride. The larger subwatersheds had significantly higher nitrate-N in winter and spring. The nutrient loads and concentrations from these subwatersheds were an order of magnitude less compared to other agricultural watersheds. Conservation practices were implemented on 11% of the watershed area from 1980 to 2003; however, the affects of the practices on watershed water quality was not clear. Earlier short-term studies attributed the low levels of nutrient transport to the presence of extensive riparian forests and the general prevalence of forest in these mixed land use watersheds.
Wave-current interaction near the Gulf Stream during the surface wave dynamics experiment

This paper presents a case study on the wave-current interaction near the local curvature of a Gulf Stream meander. The wave data were obtained from in situ measurements by a pitch-roll discus buoy during the Surface Wave Dynamics Experiment (SWADE) conducted off Wallops Island, Virginia, from October 1990 to March 1991. Owing to the advection of the Gulf Stream by the semidiurnal tide, the discus buoy was alternately located outside and inside the Gulf Stream. The directional wave measurements from the buoy show the changes in wave direction, wave energy, and directional spreading when waves encountered the current in the Gulf Stream meanders. A wave refraction model, using the ray-tracing method with an estimated Gulf Stream velocity field and meandering condition, was used to simulate wave refraction patterns and to estimate wave parameters at relative locations corresponding to buoy measurements. The numerical simulation shows that a focusing zone of wave rays was formed near the boundary and behind the crest of a simulated Gulf Stream meander. The focusing of wave rays causes changes in wave direction, increases in wave energy, and decreases in wave directional spreading, which are in good agreement with the results from the buoy measurements.
Priming for Performance: Valence of Emotional Primes Interact with Dissociable Prototype Learning Systems

Arousal Biased Competition theory suggests that arousal enhances competitive attentional processes, but makes no strong claims about valence effects. Research suggests that the scope of enhanced attention depends on valence with negative arousal narrowing and positive arousal broadening attention. Attentional scope likely affects declarative-memory-mediated and perceptual-representation-mediated learning systems differently, with declarative-memory-mediated learning depending on narrow attention to develop targeted verbalizable rules, and perceptual-representation-mediated learning depending on broad attention to develop a perceptual representation. We hypothesize that negative arousal accentuates declarative-memory-mediated learning and attenuates perceptual-representation-mediated learning, while positive arousal reverses this pattern. Prototype learning provides an ideal test bed as dissociable declarative-memory and perceptual-representation systems mediate two-prototype (AB) and one-prototype (AN) prototype learning, respectively, and computational models are available that provide powerful insights on cognitive processing. As predicted, we found that negative arousal narrows attentional focus facilitating AB learning and impairing AN learning, while positive arousal broadens attentional focus facilitating AN learning and impairing AB learning.
The exponential eigenmodes of the carbon-climate system, and their implications for ratios of responses to forcings

Abstract. Several basic ratios of responses to forcings in the carbon-climate system are observed to be relatively steady. Examples include the CO2 airborne fraction (the fraction of the total anthropogenic CO2 emission flux that accumulates in the atmosphere) and the ratio T/QE of warming (T) to cumulative total CO2 emissions (QE). This paper explores the reason for such near-constancy in the past, and its likely limitations in future. The contemporary carbon-climate system is often approximated as a set of first-order linear systems, for example in response-function descriptions. All such linear systems have exponential eigenfunctions in time (an eigenfunction being one that, if applied to the system as a forcing, produces a response of the same shape). This implies that, if the carbon-climate system is idealised as a linear system (Lin) forced by exponentially growing CO2 emissions (Exp), then all ratios of responses to forcings are constant. Important cases are the CO2 airborne fraction (AF), the cumulative airborne fraction (CAF), other CO2 partition fractions and cumulative partition fractions into land and ocean stores, the CO2 sink uptake rate (kS, the combined land and ocean CO2 sink flux per unit excess atmospheric CO2), and the ratio T/QE. Further, the AF and the CAF are equal. Since the Lin and Exp idealisations apply approximately to the carbon-climate system over the past two centuries, the theory explains the observed near-constancy of the AF, CAF and T/QE in this period. A nonlinear carbon-climate model is used to explore how future breakdown of both the Lin and Exp idealisations will cause the AF, CAF and kS to depart significantly from constancy, in ways that depend on CO2 emissions scenarios. However, T/QE remains approximately constant in typical scenarios, because of compensating interactions between CO2 emissions trajectories, carbon-climate nonlinearities (in land–air and ocean–air carbon exchanges and CO2 radiative forcing), and emissions trajectories for non-CO2 gases. This theory establishes a basis for the widely assumed proportionality between T and QE, and identifies the limits of this relationship.
Mitochondrial fusion supports increased oxidative phosphorylation during cell proliferation

Proliferating cells often have increased glucose consumption and lactate excretion relative to the same cells in the quiescent state, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. Despite an increase in glycolysis, however, here we show that non-transformed mouse fibroblasts also increase oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) by nearly two-fold and mitochondrial coupling efficiency by ~30% during proliferation. Both increases are supported by mitochondrial fusion. Impairing mitochondrial fusion by knocking down mitofusion-2 (Mfn2) was sufficient to attenuate proliferation, while overexpressing Mfn2 increased proliferation. Interestingly, impairing mitochondrial fusion decreased OXPHOS but did not deplete ATP levels. Instead, inhibition caused cells to transition from excreting aspartate to consuming it. Transforming fibroblasts with the Ras oncogene induced mitochondrial biogenesis, which further elevated OXPHOS. Notably, transformed fibroblasts continued to have elongated mitochondria and their proliferation remained sensitive to inhibition of Mfn2. Our results suggest that cell proliferation requires increased OXPHOS as supported by mitochondrial fusion.
Seasonal variation of cross‐equatorial flow in the Somali Current

Moored current measurements in the Somali Current on the equator of approximately 1-year duration reveal a seasonal cycle of the vertical current structure which is substantially different during part of the year from that previously perceived from measurements in the boundary current away from the equator. In particular, during the winter monsoon the southwestward flow at the surface reaches down only to little more than 100 m, while a northward countercurrent exists below down to 400 m. Observed current structure is quite well reproduced by a numerical model with high vertical and reasonable horizontal resolutions. Overall conclusions are that the equatorial and off-equatorial circulation of the Somali Current are separate systems during most of the year and that remote forcing from the east along the equator appears to be a minor effect in the seasonal variability of near-surface flow in the equatorial Somali Current.
Sound Asleep: Processing and Retention of Slow Oscillation Phase-Targeted Stimuli

The sleeping brain retains some residual information processing capacity. Although direct evidence is scarce, a substantial literature suggests the phase of slow oscillations during deep sleep to be an important determinant for stimulus processing. Here, we introduce an algorithm for predicting slow oscillations in real-time. Using this approach to present stimuli directed at both oscillatory up and down states, we show neural stimulus processing depends importantly on the slow oscillation phase. During ensuing wakefulness, however, we did not observe differential brain or behavioral responses to these stimulus categories, suggesting no enduring memories were formed. We speculate that while simpler forms of learning may occur during sleep, neocortically based memories are not readily established during deep sleep.
Structural Insights into the Globular Tails of the Human Type V Myosins Myo5a, Myo5b, and Myo5c

Vertebrate type V myosins (MyoV) Myo5a, Myo5b, and Myo5c mediate transport of several different cargoes. All MyoV paralogs bind to cargo complexes mainly by their C-terminal globular domains. In absence of cargo, the globular domain of Myo5a inhibits its motor domain. Here, we report low-resolution SAXS models for the globular domains from human Myo5a, Myo5b, and Myo5c, which suggest very similar overall shapes of all three paralogs. We determined the crystal structures of globular domains from Myo5a and Myo5b, and provide a homology model for human Myo5c. When we docked the Myo5a crystal structure into a previously published electron microscopy density of the autoinhibited full-length Myo5a, only one domain orientation resulted in a good fit. This structural arrangement suggests the participation of additional region of the globular domain in autoinhibition. Quantification of the interaction of the Myo5a globular domain with its motor complex revealed a tight binding with dissociation half-life in the order of minutes, suggesting a rather slow transition between the active and inactive states.
A Decade of Global mRNA and miRNA Profiling of HPV-Positive Cell Lines and Clinical Specimens

For more than a decade, global gene expression profiling has been extensively used to elucidate the biology of human papillomaviruses (HPV) and their role in cervical- and head-and-neck cancers. Since 2008, the expression profiling of miRNAs has been reported in multiple HPV studies. Two major strategies have been employed in the gene and miRNA profiling studies: In the first approach, HPV positive tumors were compared to normal tissues or to HPV negative tumors. The second strategy relied on analysis of cell cultures transfected with single HPV oncogenes or with HPV genomes compared to untransfected cells considered as models for the development of premalignant and malignant transformations. In this review, we summarize what we have learned from a decade of global expression profiling studies. We performed comprehensive analysis of the overlap of the lists of differentially expressed genes and microRNAs, in both tissue samples and cell culture based studies. The review focuses mainly on HPV16, however reports from other HPV species are used as references. We discuss the low degree of consensus among different studies and the limitation of differential expression analysis as well as the fragmented miRNA-mRNA target correlation evidence. Furthermore, we propose an approach for future research to include more comprehensive miRNA-mRNA target correlation analysis and to apply systems biology/gene networks methodology.
Mesoscale Associations Between Midwest Land Surface Properties and Convective Cloud Development in the Warm Season

The study of land surface-atmosphere interactions is vital to understanding climatic variations in the Earth's planetary boundary layer, particularly given continual land cover modifications by humans on local to regional scales. An agriculturally important region ideal for the study of land surface-atmosphere interactions is the Midwest United States "Corn Belt. " To evaluate the mesoscale relationships between Corn Belt land surface properties and a key indicator of the surface-atmosphere feedback in humid climates—warm-season convective cloud development—conventional meteorological data, digital maps of land surface properties, and satellite data were examined in a GIS framework for the May-September periods of 1991 through 1999. The results indicate associations between the surface and atmospheric moisture content and the formation of convective clouds: cumulus clouds initiate first and persist longer over a dry (moist) surface with an initially dry (moist) atmosphere. These relationships are evident when forcing from the free atmosphere is either extremely weak (i.e., when fronts and other disturbances are absent and 500 mb winds are <7 ms-1), weak (same as extremely weak, except 500 mb winds are 7-13 ms-1), or strong (same as extremely weak, except 500 mb winds >18 ms-1). However, the association between convective cloud development and other land surface properties (e.g., land use-land cover [LULC], soil order, elevation, and slope) is not consistent spatially. We find that a surface moisture-convective cloud relationship dominates Corn Belt land surface-atmosphere interactions across a range of barotropic synoptic conditions under different atmospheric moisture contents. The study results can help lead to improved prediction of convective cloud formation, and more realistic modeling of land surface-atmospheric interactions for weather and climate forecasting.
Effect of contamination and mixed objects on snow reflectance using spectroradiometer in Beas Basin, India

Field observations were carried out using Spectroradiometer (350-2500nm) to understand effect of contamination on the snow reflectance and mix of snow, vegetation and soil by different proportions on its reflectance. The experiments were carried out in Beas Basin, India during the winter 2004-05 and 2005-06. The investigation has shown that as contamination increases, snow reflectance decreases in all wavelengths, however highest decrease was observed in visible region. In addition, peak of reflectance shifted to high wavelengths, as amount contamination increases. For snow cover and soil cover mix, as proportion of soil cover increases reflectance increases in SWIR region and decreases in visible region. In snow and vegetation mix, as proportion of vegetation increases, curve pattern of vegetation was observed. This means reflectance and absorption due to vegetation presence in visible and NIR region can be observed. If proportion of vegetation area is equal to snow, then reflectance pattern is similar to vegetation. However, if vegetation proportion is lower, then reflectance curve moves to higher reflectance range in visible and NIR region and beyond that reflectance slightly reduces. This study suggests, if hyperspectral data is available then proportion of snow in mixed pixel can be estimated. This study will help in improving existing Normalized Difference Snow Index based algorithms for snow cover monitoring and developing new algorithm, if hyperspectral data is available.