Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mercury concentrations and foliage/atmosphere fluxes in a maple forest ecosystem in Québec, Canada

[1] This paper presents mercury (Hg) concentrations and foliage/atmosphere fluxes in a maple forest ecosystem in southern Quebec, Canada. The average total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentration measured at an open field site was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that measured at an adjacent maple forest site, some 300 m away (1.40 ng m−3 versus 1.03 ng m−3, respectively). Foliage/atmosphere flux of TGM, measured with a dynamic flux bag device, indicated an average deposition flux of 0.39 ± 0.38 ng m−2 h−1 in the maple tree foliage. Although, bi-directional Hg fluxes were observed, the compensation point in the maple forest was low (∼0.6 ng m−3) explaining a net Hg deposition process at TGM background levels. Foliage mercury concentrations increased from 8.7 ± 1.5 ng g−1 to 30.8 ± 3.0 ng g−1 during the leaf-growing season. The average Hg deposition flux was in a similar range to the Hg accumulation rate in the maple tree foliage assuming a foliage productivity rate of 220 g m−2 a−1 (i.e., 0.39 versus 0.55 ng m−2 h−1). Although significant Hg accumulated in foliage, its transport to non-organic surface topsoil was not significant. When the uptake of mercury measured in this experiment was extrapolated to include all of the maple forest in North America (12.5 million ha), it amounted potentially to more than 600 kg of mercury per year. This represents approximately 0.5% of mercury emissions in Canada and the United States (approximately 120 metric tons).
Detection of putative loci affecting milk, health, and type traits in a US Holstein population using 70 microsatellite markers in a genome scan.

Quantitative trait loci affecting milk yield, health, and type traits were studied for seven large U.S. Holstein grandsire families using the granddaughter design. Seventy microsatellite markers located throughout the genome were selected for the quantitative trait loci scan. Effects of marker alleles were analyzed for 30 traits (21 type traits, 5 milk traits, 2 calving ease triats, and somatic cell score and productive life) and 16 canonical traits derived from type and production traits. Previously we reported results from 36 of these markers but have re-evaluated those results using a more robust analysis method. We report results from all 70 markers using permutation tests to calculate experiment-wise significance values, replacing the less stringent comparison-wise values previously reported. With this new methodology we detected 9 putative quantitative trait loci within specific families. Four markers were associated with effects on type traits on chromosomes 4, 5, 14, and 23. Two markers were associated with effects on protein percentage on chromosomes 6 and 14, and 3 markers were associated with effects on productive life on chromosomes 2, 21, and 23. Although these initial 70 microsatellite markers have been completed in the 7 Holstein families, additional markers will need to be added to allow interval analysis of areas where putative QTL have been identified and to increase marker density where needed.
Relationship between Upper Body Obesity and Periodontitis

Upper body obesity, related to visceral fat accumulation, is known to increase the risk of various adult diseases, especially type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study was conducted to clarify the relationship between upper body obesity and periodontitis. We studied 643 apparently healthy, dentulous Japanese adults who attended programs at Fukuoka Health Promotion Center. Waist-hip ratio, body-mass index (BMI), and body fat were significant risk indicators for periodontitis after adjustment for known risk factors (p < 0.002). Subjects were divided into four BMI (or body fat) categories. In only the subjects with high waist-hip ratio, higher categories of BMI (or body fat) significantly increased the adjusted risk of periodontitis, compared with subjects with low waist-hip ratios and the lowest category of BMI (or body fat). The reported relationship between cardiovascular disease and periodontitis should be reconsidered, since abdominal adiposity or visceral fat can be related to both diseases.
Multi-Cloud Provisioning and Load Distribution for Three-Tier Applications

Cloud data centers are becoming the preferred deployment environment for a wide range of business applications because they provide many benefits compared to private in-house infrastructure. However, the traditional approach of using a single cloud has several limitations in terms of availability, avoiding vendor lock-in, and providing legislation-compliant services with suitable Quality of Experience (QoE) to users worldwide. One way for cloud clients to mitigate these issues is to use multiple clouds (i.e., a Multi-Cloud). In this article, we introduce an approach for deploying three-tier applications across multiple clouds in order to satisfy their key nonfunctional requirements. We propose adaptive, dynamic, and reactive resource provisioning and load distribution algorithms that heuristically optimize overall cost and response delays without violating essential legislative and regulatory requirements. Our simulation with realistic workload, network, and cloud characteristics shows that our method improves the state of the art in terms of availability, regulatory compliance, and QoE with acceptable sacrifice in cost and latency.
Does it matter which weather data you use in energy simulations

Users of energy simulation programs often have a variety of weather data from which to choose--from locally recorded, measured weather data to preselected typical years--a bewildering range of options. In the last two years, several organizations have developed several new typical weather data sets including WYEC2, TMY2, CWEC, and CTZ2. Unfortunately, neither how these new data influence energy simulation results nor how they compare to existing typical data sets or actual weather data is well documented. In this paper, the authors present results from the DOE-2.1E hourly energy simulation program for a prototype office building as influenced by local measured weather data for multiple years and several weather data sets for a set of North American locations. They compare the influence of the various weather data sets on simulated annual energy use and energy costs. Statistics for temperature, solar radiation, and heating and cooling degree days for the different locations and data sets are also presented. Where possible, they explain the variation relative to the different designs used in developing each data set. They also show the variation inherent in actual weather data and how it influences simulation results. Finally, based on these results, they answer the question--does it really matter which weather data you use?
Osteoporosis and fracture risk in people with schizophrenia

Purpose of review Excessive bone mineral density (BMD) loss has been associated with schizophrenia, but its mechanisms and clinical implications are less clear. The aim of this review was to summarize the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures in schizophrenia patients. Moreover, we aimed to examine the impact of antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia on bone metabolism. Recent findings Fifteen of 16 studies (93.8%) reported lower BMD or higher prevalence of osteoporosis in at least one region, or in at least one subgroup of schizophrenia patients compared with controls, but results were inconsistent across measured areas. Higher fracture risk was associated with schizophrenia in 2/2 studies (independently: n = 1), and 3/4 studies with antipsychotics. Reasons for this difference include insufficient exercise, poor nutrition, smoking, alcohol use, and low vitamin D levels. Altogether, 9/15 (60.0%) studies examining the relationship between antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia and BMD loss found some effects of hyperprolactinemia. However, results were mixed, samples and effects were small, and only two studies were prospective. Summary Schizophrenia is associated with reduced BMD and fracture risk. Prevention, early detection, and intervention are required. The relative contributions of antipsychotic-related hyperprolactinemia and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors remain unclear, needing to be assessed in well designed, prospective studies, including bone turnover markers as intermediary endpoints.
Observations on internal stability of cohesionless soils

INTRODUCTION Internal stability refers to the ability of the coarser fraction of a soil to prevent migration of its finer fraction as a result of seepage flow. Skempton & Brogan (1994) report findings from piping tests on four well-graded to gap-graded sandy gravels. Flow was imposed in an upward direction, without surcharge loading and without vibration. An abrupt transition was noted from stable to unstable states, defined by the ratio D9 15=d9 85 1⁄4 4 as postulated by Kezdi (1979) and attributed to work published in 1969. The latter concept was conceived independently by de Mello (1975), advocated by Sherard (1979) for a ratio 4 to 5, and recommended by Lowe (1988) for a ratio of 5. It involves splitting the gradation at arbitrary points along the curve, to yield D9 15 of the coarse fraction and d9 85 of the fine fraction, as illustrated in Fig. 1 for gradation G3-C*. In this study we further evaluate the Kezdi (1979) criterion, through laboratory permeameter testing of five soils (Fig. 1 and Table 1), and compare the results with a dataset of 34 gradations extracted from Kenney & Lau (1985, 1986) and Honjo et al. (1996).
Body Mass Index and Stroke Mortality by Smoking and Age at Menopause Among Korean Postmenopausal Women

Background and Purpose— The association between body mass index and mortality caused by subtypes of stroke among postmenopausal women in terms of smoking status and age at menopause remains controversial. Methods— The data were derived from a cohort study of 3321 with 17.8 years of follow-up (1985 to 2002). Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for strokes as related to body mass index were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for age, hypertension, smoking, drinking, occupation, education, self-reported health, and age at menopause. A stratified analysis was conducted by age at menopause and smoking status. Results— The obese group (body mass index ≥27.5 kg/m2) had higher risks of total stroke mortality (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.42) and hemorrhagic stroke mortality (HR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.37 to 6.19) than the normal weight group (18.5≤ body mass index <23.0). Among ever smokers, the obese group showed significantly increased risks of total stroke mortality (HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.00 to 5.43) and ischemic stroke mortality (HR, 7.21; 95% CI, 1.18 to 44.3). Obesity had more effect on stroke mortality among women who experienced menopause at age <50 than women with age ≥50. For the obese group of the former, the HR of total stroke was 2.04 (95% CI, 1.25 to 3.34) and that of hemorrhagic stroke 6.46 (95% CI, 2.42 to 17.25). Conclusions— In this prospective study, obesity raised the risks of total stroke mortality and hemorrhagic stroke mortality among Korean menopausal women. It was more evident with women who experienced menopause at age <50. The obese group of ever smokers was at an increased risk of ischemic stroke mortality.
Castor oil for induction of labour: a retrospective study

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of castor oil to induce labour. Materials and methods: A retrospective observational case control study was conducted over five years. Castor oil was proposed to women referred to the Birth Centre (Castor Oil group (COG)). They were compared to women who chose to be followed by the traditional doctor-led unit (control group (CG)). Castor oil was administered in a 60 ml single dose in 200 ml of warm water. Inclusion criteria were gestational age between 40 and 41 weeks plus premature rupture of membranes between 12 and 18 hours or amniotic fluid index ≤4 or Bishop Score of ≤4 or absence of spontaneous labour over 41 + 4 weeks. Results: Pharmacological induction of labour was required for 18 women in the COG (45%) and 36 in the CG (90%) (p < .001). The mode of delivery differed significantly between groups: women assuming castor oil showed a higher incidence of vaginal delivery, whereas the incidence of caesarean section was lower in the COG, but no statistical significance was reached. Conclusions: The use of castor oil is related to a higher probability of labour initiation within 24 hours. Castor oil can be considered a safe non-pharmacological method for labour induction.
Efficient resource allocation for device-to-device communication underlaying LTE network

Device-to-device (D2D) communication as an underlaying cellular network empowers user-driven rich multimedia applications and also has proven to be network efficient offloading eNodeB traffic. However, D2D transmitters may cause significant amount of interference to the primary cellular network when radio resources are shared between them. During the downlink (DL) phase, primary cell UE (user equipment) may suffer from interference by the D2D transmitter. On the other hand, the immobile eNodeB is the victim of interference by the D2D transmitter during the uplink (UL) phase when radio resources are allocated randomly. Such interference can be avoided otherwise diminish if radio resource allocated intelligently with the coordination from the eNodeB. In this paper, we formulate the problem of radio resource allocation to the D2D communications as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP). Such an optimization problem is notoriously hard to solve within fast scheduling period of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. We therefore propose an alternative greedy heuristic algorithm that can lessen interference to the primary cellular network utilizing channel gain information. We also perform extensive simulation to prove the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Context and Control: Behavioural Ecology Experiments in the Laboratory

Behavioural ecology is the study of the ecological and evolutionary bases for variation in animal behaviour, answering proximate and ultimate questions of why animals behave the way they do. The laboratory setting enables the isolation and control of specific variables, the removal or randomisation of confounding factors and simplifies the tracking of an individual's behaviour. Laboratory experiments, in parallel and in comparison with field studies, are valuable for answering specific questions and certainly most ecological investigations can benefit from a combined experimental approach. Here we focus on four model areas of behavioural ecological research: mate selection, nepotism, foraging and dominance. Using both vertebrate and invertebrate examples we consider the advantages and disadvantages of laboratory experiments and the unique information they can provide, including a comparison of three laboratory research contexts; neutral, natural and contrived. We conclude by discribing how laboratory studies can help us to understand the contexts in which behavioural variation occurs in the natural environment.
Bound states in coupled guides

Bound states that can occur in coupled quantum wires are investigated. We consider a two-dimensional configuration in which two parallel waveguides (of different widths) are coupled laterally through a finite length window and construct modes which exist local to the window connecting the two guides. We study both modes above and below the first cut-off for energy propagation down the coupled guide. The main tool used in the analysis is the so-called residue calculus technique in which complex variable theory is used to solve a system of equations which is derived from a mode-matching approach. For bound states below the first cut-off a single existence condition is derived, but for modes above this cut-off (but below the second cut-off), two conditions must be satisfied simultaneously. A number of results have been presented which show how the bound-state energies vary with the other parameters in the problem. Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU, UK (c.m.linton@lboro.ac.uk).
Natural Variation in Abiotic Stress Responsive Gene Expression and Local Adaptation to Climate in Arabidopsis thaliana

Gene expression varies widely in natural populations, yet the proximate and ultimate causes of this variation are poorly known. Understanding how variation in gene expression affects abiotic stress tolerance, fitness, and adaptation is central to the field of evolutionary genetics. We tested the hypothesis that genes with natural genetic variation in their expression responses to abiotic stress are likely to be involved in local adaptation to climate in Arabidopsis thaliana. Specifically, we compared genes with consistent expression responses to environmental stress (expression stress responsive, “eSR”) to genes with genetically variable responses to abiotic stress (expression genotype-by-environment interaction, “eGEI”). We found that on average genes that exhibited eGEI in response to drought or cold had greater polymorphism in promoter regions and stronger associations with climate than those of eSR genes or genomic controls. We also found that transcription factor binding sites known to respond to environmental stressors, especially abscisic acid responsive elements, showed significantly higher polymorphism in drought eGEI genes in comparison to eSR genes. By contrast, eSR genes tended to exhibit relatively greater pairwise haplotype sharing, lower promoter diversity, and fewer nonsynonymous polymorphisms, suggesting purifying selection or selective sweeps. Our results indicate that cis-regulatory evolution and genetic variation in stress responsive gene expression may be important mechanisms of local adaptation to climatic selective gradients.
Pharmacological Inhibition of Histone Deacetylases by Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid Specifically Alters Gene Expression and Reduces Ischemic Injury in the Mouse Brain

Pharmacological manipulation of gene expression is considered a promising avenue to reduce postischemic brain damage. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a central role in epigenetic regulation of transcription, and inhibitors of HDACs are emerging as neuroprotective agents. In this study, we investigated the effect of the HDAC inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) on histone acetylation in control and ischemic mouse brain. We report that brain histone H3 acetylation was constitutively present at specific lysine residues in neurons and astrocytes. It is noteworthy that in the ischemic brain tissue subjected to6hof middle cerebral artery occlusion, histone H3 acetylation levels drastically decreased, without evidence for a concomitant change of histone acetyl-transferase or deacetylase activities. Treatment with SAHA (50 mg/kg i.p.) increased histone H3 acetylation within the normal brain (of approximately 8-fold after 6 h) and prevented histone deacetylation in the ischemic brain. These effects were accompanied by increased expression of the neuroprotective proteins Hsp70 and Bcl-2 in both control and ischemic brain tissue 24 h after the insult. It is noteworthy that at the same time point, mice injected with SAHA at 25 and 50 mg/kg had smaller infarct volumes compared with vehicle-receiving animals (28.5% and 29.8% reduction, p < 0.05 versus vehicle, Student's t test). At higher doses, SAHA was less efficient in increasing Bcl-2 and Hsp70 expression and did not afford significant ischemic neuroprotection (13.9% infarct reduction). Data demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of HDACs promotes expression of neuroprotective proteins within the ischemic brain and underscores the therapeutic potential of molecules inhibiting HDACs for stroke therapy.
Bayesian imaging of the 2000 Western Tottori (Japan) earthquake through fitting of strong motion and GPS data

SUMMARY We image the rupture process of the 2000 Western Tottori earthquake (M w = 6.6) through fitting of strong motion and GPS data. We consider an observational network consisting of 18 strong motion and 16 GPS stations, located within three fault lengths from the epicentre. We assume a planar fault and compute Green’s functions for a 1-D velocity model. The earthquake rupture is described as a shear dislocation parameterized in terms of peak slip velocity, rake angle, rupture time and rise time, defined on a regular grid of nodes on the fault surface and derived at inner points through bilinear interpolation. Our inversion procedure is based on a Bayesian approach. The solution of the inverse problem is stated in terms of a posterior probability density function (pdf), representing the conjunction of prior information with information contained in the data and in the physical law relating model parameters with data. Inferences on model parameters are thus expressed in terms of posterior marginal pdfs. Due to the non-linearity of the problem, we use a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, based on the Metropolis algorithm, to compute posterior marginals. Except for a few cases posterior marginals do not show a Gaussian-like distribution. This prevents us from providing a mean model and from characterizing uncertainties in terms of standard deviations only. Resolution on each single parameter is analysed by looking at the difference between prior and posterior marginal pdfs. Posterior marginals indicate that the best resolved feature is a major slip patch (peak value of 311 ± 140 cm), located between the hypocentre and the top edge of the fault, centered at a depth of 4.5 km. This shallow slip patch is triggered about 3 s after the earthquake nucleated and required about 4 s to reach its final slip value. The presence of this shallow slip patch is common to all previous studies. In contrast to some previous studies, we do not identify any significant slip (>1 m) at the bottom of the fault. We also compare inferences from both strong motion and GPS data with inferences derived from strong motion data only. In both cases the shallow slip patch is identified. At other locations, the main effect of the GPS data is in reducing the probability associated with high values of slip. GPS data reduce the presence of spurious fault slip and therefore strongly influence the resulting final seismic moment.