Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optoα1AR activation in astrocytes modulates basal hippocampal synaptic excitation and inhibition in a stimulation‐specific manner

Astrocytes play active roles at synapses and can monitor, respond, and adapt to local synaptic activity. While there is abundant evidence that astrocytes modulate excitatory transmission in the hippocampus, evidence for astrocytic modulation of hippocampal synaptic inhibition remains more limited. Furthermore, to better investigate roles for astrocytes in modulating synaptic transmission, more tools that can selectively activate native G protein signaling pathways in astrocytes with both spatial and temporal precision are needed. Here, we utilized AAV8‐GFAP‐Optoα1AR‐eYFP (Optoα1AR), a viral vector that enables activation of Gq signaling in astrocytes via light‐sensitive α1‐adrenergic receptors. To determine if stimulating astrocytic Optoα1AR modulates hippocampal synaptic transmission, recordings were made in CA1 pyramidal cells with surrounding astrocytes expressing Optoα1AR, channelrhodopsin (ChR2), or GFP. Both high‐frequency (20 Hz, 45‐ms light pulses, 5 mW, 5 min) and low‐frequency (0.5 Hz, 1‐s pulses at increasing 1, 5, and 10 mW intensities, 90 s per intensity) blue light stimulation were tested. 20 Hz Optoα1AR stimulation increased both inhibitory and excitatory postsynaptic current (IPSC and EPSC) frequency, and the effect on miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) was largely reversible within 20 min. However, low‐frequency stimulation of Optoα1AR did not modulate either IPSCs or EPSCs, suggesting that astrocytic Gq‐dependent modulation of basal synaptic transmission in the hippocampus is stimulation‐dependent. By contrast, low‐frequency stimulation of astrocytic ChR2 was effective in increasing both synaptic excitation and inhibition. Together, these data demonstrate that Optoα1AR activation in astrocytes changes basal GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission, but only following high‐frequency stimulation, highlighting the importance of temporal dynamics when using optical tools to manipulate astrocyte function.
The Vertical and Seasonal Distribution of Chlorophyll and Main Nutrients in a Mesotrophic Freshwater Reservoir

The mesotrophic Ikizcetepeler Reservoir was sampled monthly from February 2007 to June 2008 at three stations. Thermal stratification occurred in the reservoir from May to September. The results revealed high bands of chlorophyll in the epilimnion and metalimnion of the reservoir during summer and winter. Results suggest that high chlorophyll accumulation was a result of the increase in available light levels in spring and deep mixing, providing phytoplankton with the nutrients needed for grow in summer. Correlation analyses were used to determine the relationships between chlorophyll (μg/L), water temperature (C), total nitrogen (mg/L), total phosphorus (mg/L) and Secchi disk depth (m). Differences in chlorophyll, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and in Secchi disk transparency were not significant among sampling stations (p>0.01), but they were significant among seasons (p<0.01). Successful control of eutrophication requires an understanding of how nutrients, physical conditions and biological processes interact to affect algal growth and since the utility of chlorophyll in estimating algal biomass world-wide, this study was conducted to determine how variations in water temperature, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and water transparency affected the the vertical and seasonal distribution of chlorophyll in Ikizcetepeler Reservoir. KeywordsIkizcetepeler Reservoir; phytoplankton biomass; total nitrogen; total phosphorus; water transparency
Otimização de propriedades mecânicas de misturas ternárias de polipropileno (PP)/borracha de etileno-propileno-dieno (EPDM)/pó de pneus (SRT) sob tração e impacto usando a metodologia da superfície de resposta (MSR)

The response surface methodology (RSM) is a collection of statistical and mathematical techniques for developing, improving and optimizing processes. In this study, RSM technique was applied to the investigation of the mechanical behavior of different PP/EPDM/SRT ternary mixtures. After appropriate processing in a co-rotating twin extruder and injection molding, the mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and impact strength, were determined and used as response variables. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for investigating the morphology of the different blends and to interpret the results. With specific statistical tools, a minimum number of experiments allowed the response surface model to be developed and the concentrations of the components to be optimized according to the mechanical performance. High values of impact strength were reached (>80 J.m-1) when the PP/EPDM/SRT mixture had a EPDM/SRT ratio of around 25%.
Annular variations in moisture transport mechanisms and the abundance of δ18O in Antarctic snow

[1] Water isotopes are commonly used as indicators of climate state even though many biases and variations in processes affecting the polar signal have not been quantified. Results from the Melbourne University General Circulation Model suggest the annual cycle explains half of the monthly δ18O variance, and a semiannual variation contributes more than 15 in places. Eddy moisture convergence drives gross accumulation, while stationary flux allows sublimation of 25–30% of the precipitation. Part of the monthly anomaly variance is associated with a dominant annular disturbance in the circulation. This oscillatory mode alters the character of the transport processes through changes to the preferred location and strength of baroclinic cyclones. A Rayleigh model indicates that a third of the continental δ18O anomaly can be explained by temperature-dependent fractionation, while changes to the condensation give 3 times too much depletion. The residual is explained by the migration of the zone from which midlatitude air is entrained into the polar environment by cyclonic storms. The positive phase of the annular mode is associated with an increased contribution from the near-coastal region, which enriches the continental precipitation. Such vacillation introduces bias in reconstruction using modern analogues because the spatial temperature-isotope slope is modified.
Conscious expectancy rather than associative strength elicits brain activity during single-cue fear conditioning

Abstract The neurocognitive processes underlying Pavlovian conditioning in humans are still largely debated. The conventional view is that conditioned responses (CRs) emerge automatically as a function of the contingencies between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US). As such, the associative strength model asserts that the frequency or amplitude of CRs reflects the strength of the CS–US associations. Alternatively, the expectation model asserts that the presentation of the CS triggers conscious expectancy of the US, which is responsible for the production of CRs. The present study tested the hypothesis that there are dissociable brain networks related to the expectancy and associative strength theories using a single-cue fear conditioning paradigm with a pseudo-random intermittent reinforcement schedule during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants’ (n = 21) trial-by-trial expectations of receiving shock displayed a significant linear effect consistent with the expectation model. We also found a positive linear relationship between the expectancy model and activity in frontoparietal brain areas including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsomedial PFC. While an exploratory analysis found a linear relationship consistent with the associated strength model in the insula and early visual cortex, our primary results are consistent with the view that conscious expectancy contributes to CRs.
Global deep-sea extinctions during the Pleistocene ice ages

The dark, near-freezing environment of the deep oceans is regarded as one of the most stable habitats on Earth, and this stability is generally reflected in the slow turnover rates (extinctions and appearances) of the organisms that live there. By far the best fossil record of deep-sea organisms is provided by the shells of benthic foraminifera (Protista). A little-known global extinction of deep-sea benthic foraminifera occurred during the Pleistocene ice ages. In the southwest Pacific, it caused the disappearance of at least two families, 15 genera, and 48 species (∼15%–25% of the fauna) of dominantly uniserial, elongate foraminifera with distinctive apertural modifications. These forms progressively died back and became extinct during glacial periods in the late Pliocene to middle Pleistocene (ca. 2.5–0.6 Ma); most extinctions occurred between 1.0 and 0.6 Ma, at the time of the middle Pleistocene climatic revolution. This first high-resolution study of this extinction event indicates that it was far more significant for deep-sea diversity loss than previously reported (10 species). The middle Pleistocene extinction was the most dramatic last phase of a worldwide decline in the abundance of these elongate forms, a phase that began during cooling near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary and continued during the middle Miocene. Clearly these taxa declined when the world cooled, but the reason is yet to be resolved.
Seismicity and shape of the subducted Nazca Plate

An updated compilation of earthquake locations and focal mechanism solutions from the International Seismological Centre and Preliminary Determination of Earthquakes is the basis of a comprehensive study of the geometry of the Wadati-Benioff zone beneath western South America. The new data support previous mapping of a sharp flexure rather than a tear in the subducted Nazca plate beneath southern Peru and provide evidence for a similar flexure in the southward transition from nearly horizontal subduction to a slab with ∼30° dip at latitude 33°S. In contrast, the transition from 30° slab dip beneath Bolivia to a nearly horizontal dip in the region between 28°S–32°S is more gradual, occurring over several hundred kilometers of along-strike distance between 20°S and 32°S. This southward flattening corresponds to a broadening of a horizontal, benchlike part of the subducted plate formed between 100 and 125 km depth. The transition in continental tectonic style near 27°S–28°S, from a wide, volcanically active plateau to a narrow, nonvolcanic cordillera, appears not to be associated with the main slab flattening, which begins to the north of these latitudes, but with a more abrupt change in curvature of the subducted slab, from convex upward to concave upward, immediately below the plate boundary interface. The concept of Gaussian curvature is applied to slab bending to explain how subduction geometry is affected by the shape of the South American plate. We hypothesize that the polarity of vertical curvature in the subducting slab is governed by the orientation of lateral curvature of the plate margin. Focal mechanism solutions for intermediate and deep earthquakes are grouped by geographic region and inverted for the orientation and relative magnitudes of the principal stresses. Results of the inversion indicate that downdip extension dominates in the slab above 350 km while downdip compression dominates at greater depths.
Vegetation spatial variability and its effect on vegetation indices

Abstract Landsat MSS data were used to simulate low resolution satellite data, such as NOAA AVHRR, to quantify the fractional vegetation cover within a pixel and relate the fractional cover to the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the simple ratio (SR). The MSS data were converted to radiances from which the NDVI and SR values for the simulated pixels were determined. Each simulated pixel was divided into clusters using an unsupervised classification programme. Spatial and spectral analysis provided a means of combining clusters representing similar surface characteristics into vegetated and non-vegetated areas. Analysis showed an average error of 12·7 per cent in determining these areas. NDVI values less than 0·3 represented fractional vegetated areas of 5 per cent or less, while a value of 0·7 or higher represented fractional vegetated areas greater than 80 per cent. Regression analysis showed a strong linear relation between fractional vegetation area and the NDVI and SR values; correla.
Striations, giant grooves, and superposed drag folds, Interlake area, Manitoba

Cross-cutting relationships of glacial striations on carbonate bedrock, in the Steep Rock - Gypsumville district, Manitoba, suggest movement of glacier ice generally to the southeast followed by movement generally to the west or southwest. These two major sets of striations have orientations similar to those of linear topographic depressions and ridaes of low relief. which are cons~icuous on airphotos. Although in glacial drift, the surface grooves overlic~ooves in bedrock which apparently are the result of glacial erosion. The topographic grooves and intervening ridges resemble features described from other parts of the Lake Agassiz Plain, and have been assigned a variety oTorigins. Thc surface grooves cannot be correlated in trend to joints in bedrock. Two major sets of superposed folds are exposed in gypsum at Gypsumville and in carbonates at Spearhill. The similarities between the folds, in the gypsum and the carbonates, suggest that they have a common origin. The trends of the axial planes of the two sets of folds are approximatcly perpendicular to the two maior trends of elacial striations and surface. grooves. Glacial drag is the most probable cause of folding in both gypsumwand limestone.
Relationships between total alkalinity in surface water and sea surface dynamic height in the Pacific Ocean

Improved spatial and temporal representation of total alkalinity (TA) is expected to be an important component in monitoring changes in the oceanic carbon cycle and acidification over the coming decades. For this reason, previous authors have sought to develop and apply empirical methods to characterize TA in the surface ocean. However, there are regions such as the North Pacific that have proven difficult to successfully represent through empirical relationships based on temperature and salinity with linear regression. Here we propose a new empirical approach for reconstructing TA for the Pacific basin using sea surface salinity and sea surface dynamic height (SSDH). We propose five zones of the Pacific basin where the empirical relationships are applied separately. The root-mean-square error of the fittings of these equations to the measured TA is 7.8 μmol kg−1. The SSDH-based empirical equation helps especially to represent the TA in the North Pacific subtropical-subarctic frontal zone where salinity-normalized TA as well as other oceanographic variables exhibits a large meridional gradient and sizeable formation of Central Mode Water and Subtropical Mode Water occurs.
Interdecadal change in sea surface temperature anomalies associated with winter rainfall over South China

[1] The present study investigates the interdecadal change in winter (January-February-March, or JFM) rainfall over South China and in the South China JFM rainfall–sea surface temperature (SST) relationship by using station observations for the period of 1958–2002, the Met Office Hadley Centre's SST data for the period of 1900–2008, and the ERA-40 reanalysis for the period of 1958–2002. It is found that the relationship between South China JFM rainfall and SST experienced an obvious interdecadal change around the year 1978. The analyses show that the JFM rainfall anomalies during 1960–1977 and 1978–2002 were closely associated with the South China Sea (SCS) SST and El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), respectively. Moreover, southwesterly anomalies at 700 hPa dominate over the SCS for positive SCS SST anomaly years during 1960–1977 and for El Nino years during 1978–2002, respectively. These wind anomalies, which are associated with the enhancement of the western Pacific subtropical high, transport more moisture into South China, favoring increases in rainfall.
Selective multimodal bladder-sparing therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: the present and the future

ABSTRACT Introduction Despite the lack of level 1 evidence, selective bladder-sparing therapy using trimodal therapy is currently recommended by guidelines as a standard of care in patients with non-metastatic, muscle-invasive bladder cancer who are eligible for the treatment. Areas covered This article reviews major studies of selective, bladder-sparing therapy utilizing multiple modalities for muscle-invasive bladder cancer and those comparing the oncological outcomes between bladder-sparing therapy and radical cystectomy. Also discussed are predictive biomarkers potentially capable of guiding treatment decisions by patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer and a novel strategy for boosting the antitumor immune response in bladder-sparing therapy. PubMed databases were searched for records of 30 June 2023 or earlier. Expert opinion Selective, bladder-sparing therapy appears to be underutilized at present. To promote its use, measures should be taken to facilitate the referral of eligible patients to specialist centers and broaden the number of facilities providing the therapy. Recent studies have suggested a prognostic benefit of radiotherapy for the primary lesion in patients with metastatic bladder cancer. Given that irradiation can induce the abscopal effect, particularly in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, demand for bladder-sparing therapies may increase in the context of treatments for metastases.
Litoquímica dos granitóides da estrutura em flor de São Sebastião, São Paulo

The aim of this paper is to present lithochemical data from the granitoids found between Guaruja and Sao Sebastiao in a segment of the Costeiro Complex in Sao Paulo, State, Brazil. This part of the Ribeira Folded Belt is composed of para-derived rocks on the eastern side, and ortho-derived rocks on the western side of the belt, organized in a ductile shear zone forming a positive flower structure, whose axis runs ENE-WSW. Large boudins of amphibolite occur within predominant kinzigitic gneisses along this axis. The intrusive basic protoliths of the amphibolites have a 580 Ma (U-Pb SHRIMP) crystallization age. SiO2 contents of the granitoids vary between 68 and 74%, corresponding to monzogranites and granodiorites. Some outcrops display mafic enclaves of quartz-monzodiorites. The granitoids show calc-alkaline affinity while their mafic enclaves tend towards an alkaline affinity. The lower content in SiO2 coupled with coherent differences on some trace element concentrations (e.g. Zr-Hf) contribute to clearly distinguish the enclaves from their country rocks and to suggest intense chemical interaction among the materials during crystallization. The REE pattern, the depletion in Sr, P-Ti, Ta-Nb, and the distribution of the samples on the R1-R2 diagram suggest a syn-collision island arc environment for generation of these rocks.
Glacial to postglacial drop in productivity in the western equatorial Pacific: Mixing rate vs. nutrient concentrations

Primary productivity in the western equatorial Pacific was distinctly higher during the last glacial period than today, judging from the abundance patterns of benthic foraminifers in box cores from the Ontong Java Plateau. The export of organic matter dropped by a factor of ∼1.7 during the last glacial to interglacial transition, on the basis of global calibration of estimated export against accumulation rates of benthic foraminifers. Using detailed information on δ 13 C stratigraphy of planktic and benthic foraminifers for the past 20 ka together with a simple two-box ocean model, we calculate that upward mixing and diffusion of subsurface waters decreased by a factor of 1.4, while nutrient content decreased by a factor of 1.2, over this time span.
Magnetic interpretation using the 3-D analytic signal

A new method for magnetic interpretation has been developed based on the generalization of the analytic signal concept to three dimensions. The absolute value of the analytic signal is defined as the square root of the squared sum of the vertical and the two horizontal derivatives of the magnetic field. This signal exhibits maxima over magnetization contrasts, independent of the ambient magnetic field and source magnetization directions. Locations of these maxima thus determine the outlines of magnetic sources. Under the assumption that the anomalies are caused by vertical contacts, the analytic signal is used to estimate depth using a simple amplitude half-width rule. Two examples are shown of the application of the method. In the first example, the analytic signal highlights a circular feature beneath Lake Huron that has been identified as a possible impact crater. The second example illustrates the continuation of terranes across the Cabot Strait between Cape Breton and Newfoundland in eastern Canada.
Detection of volcanic influence on global precipitation

Observations of terrestrial precipitation from the latter half of the 20th century are compared with precipitation simulated by the Parallel Climate Model to determine which external forcings have had a detectable influence on precipitation. Consistent with a previous study using another model, we found that the global mean response to all forcings combined was significantly correlated with that observed. A detection and attribution analysis applied to the simulated and observed precipitation indicated that the volcanic signal is detectable both on its own and in a multiple regression with other forcings. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that shortwave forcings exert a larger influence on precipitation than longwave forcings.
The morphology of metallic ions in the upper atmosphere

The metallic ion data from a day-night pair of rockets, from Ogo 6, and from the elliptic phases of AE-C and AE-D have been examined for their morphological implications. The high altitude (>400 km) nighttime data from Ogo 6 show Fe+ ions only at low (<30°) magnetic latitudes. The detection probability of Fe+ decreases with altitude, is maximum over the Atlantic and minimum over India, and appears to be influenced by zonal winds. The rocket data show ions in the E region during the day and on the bottom of the F layer at night, as might be expected from the influence of global winds. Metal ions are observed below 250 km at all latitudes and local times by the Atmosphere Explorer satellites. There is a high spatial correlation in the appearance of the different metallic ions. Mg+ and Fe+ are the dominant ions, but Al+, Na+, Si+, and Ca+ are very often detectable. The Atmosphere Explorer data also reveal the presence of these ions in the topside ionosphere near the daytime equator and at midlatitudes during summer mornings. At high latitudes metal ions show a preference for afternoon over morning that is probably caused by global winds and large scale ion convection. There appears to be a strong positive correlation between solar activity and the metallic ion detection probability at low latitudes and high altitudes at night.