Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Land use intensity, rather than plant species richness, affects the leaching risk of multiple nutrients from permanent grasslands

The intensification of land use constitutes one of the main drivers of global change and alters nutrient fluxes on all spatial scales, causing landscape‐level eutrophication and contamination of natural resources. Changes in soil nutrient concentrations are thus indicative for crucial environmental issues associated with intensive land use. We measured concentrations of NO3–N, NH4–N, P, K, Mg, and Ca using 1,326 ion‐exchange resin bags buried in 20 cm depth beneath the main root zone in 150 temperate grasslands. Nutrient concentrations were related to land use intensity, that is, fertilization, mowing, grazing intensities, and plant diversity by structural equation modeling. Furthermore, we assessed the response of soil nutrients to mechanical sward disturbance and subsequent reseeding, a common practice for grassland renewal. Land use intensity, especially fertilization, significantly increased the concentrations of NO3–N, NH4–N, K, P, and also Mg. Besides fertilization (and tightly correlated mowing) intensity, grazing strongly increased NO3–N and K concentrations. Plant species richness decreased P and NO3–N concentrations in soil when grassland productivity of the actual year was statistically taken into account, but not when long‐term averages of productivity were used. Thus, we assume that, in the actual study year, a distinct drought period might have caused the observed decoupling of productivity from fertilization and soil nutrients. Breaking up the grassland sward drastically increased NO3–N concentrations (+146%) but reduced NH4–N, P, and K concentrations, unbalancing soil nutrient stoichiometry and boosting the risk of N leaching. Reseeding the sward after disturbance did not have a short‐term effect on nutrient concentrations. We conclude that renewal of permanent grassland should be avoided as far as possible and future grassland management has to strongly rise the effectiveness of fertilization. Additionally, grassland management might have to increasingly taking care of periods of drought, in which nutrient additions might not increase plant growth but potentially only facilitate leaching.
The Impact of Electrographic Seizures on Developing Hippocampal Dendrites Is Calcineurin Dependent

Abstract Neurobehavioral abnormalities are commonly associated with intractable childhood epilepsy. Studies from numerous labs have demonstrated cognitive and socialization deficits in rats and mice that have experienced early-life seizures. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown. Previously, experiments have shown that recurrent seizures in infancy suppress the growth of hippocampal dendrites at the same time they impair learning and memory. Experiments in slice cultures have also demonstrated dendrite growth suppression. Here, we crossed calcineurin B1 (CaNB1) floxed and Thy1GFP-M mice to produce mice that were homozygous for the both the floxed CaNB1 and the Thy1GFP-M transgene. Littermates that were homozygous for wild-type CaNB1 and Thy1GFP-M served as controls. Hippocampal slice cultures from these mice were transfected with an AAV/hSyn-mCherry-Cre virus to eliminate CaNB1 from neurons. Immunohistochemical results showed that CaNB1 was eliminated from at least 90% of the transfected CA1 pyramidal cells. Moreover, the CaN-dependent nuclear translocation of the CREB transcription coactivator, CREB-regulated transcriptional coactivator 1 (CRTC1), was blocked in transfected neurons. Cell attach patch recordings combined with live multiphoton imaging demonstrated that the loss of CaNB1 did not prevent neurons from fully participating in electrographic seizure activity. Finally, dendrite reconstruction showed that the elimination of CaNB1 prevented seizure-induced decreases in both dendrite length and branch number. Results suggest that CaN plays a key role in seizure-induced dendrite growth suppression and may contribute to the neurobehavioral comorbidities of childhood epilepsy.
The carotid chemoreceptor contributes to the elevated arterial stiffness and vasoconstrictor outflow in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The reason(s) for the increased central arterial stiffness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not well understood. In this study, we inhibited the carotid chemoreceptor with both low‐dose dopamine and hyperoxia, and observed a decrease in central arterial stiffness and muscle sympathetic nervous activity in COPD patients, while no change was observed in age‐ and risk‐matched controls. Carotid chemoreceptor inhibition increased vascular conductance, secondary to reduced arterial blood pressure in COPD patients. Findings from the current study suggest that elevated carotid chemoreceptor activity may contribute to the increased arterial stiffness typically observed in COPD patients.
Microstructural and property assessment of creep aged 12cr steel after welding

The electricity public utility of Eskom (South Africa) has an ageing fleet of power generation equipment and due to shortage of capacity there is limited time for maintenance and replacements. Complete main steam pipework replacements are not practical and in many instances selective welding must be done on creep aged and sometimes creep damaged material. The question arises whether these repair welds damage the components to an unacceptable degree or not, and a complete replacement can be avoided. This work aims at studying the effect of the welding process on the damage state of the material on the example of the widely used X20 steel and advising Eskom on the weldability limits of this steel. Real welds consisting of new and creep aged steel were prepared and characterised. Furthermore, the heat input was simulated in additional samples using Gleeble thermomechanical equipment. The evolution of microstructure during welding was characterised using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Hardness testing, tensile testing and creep rupture tests (cross-weld) were conducted to study the evolution of mechanical properties after the welding process. The base material (BM), fine-grained heat-affected zone (FGHAZ), coarse-grained HAZ (CGHAZ) and the weld metal (WM) were analysed using the techniques mentioned above to determine change in microstructure and mechanical properties. Finer grained microstructure and coarse distribution of M23C6 precipitates was generally evident in the FGHAZ of the weldments and simulated HAZ samples relative to other regions of the weldment. Cross-weld creep rupture test specimens ruptured in the FGHAZ of the weldments with creep aged BM. The reason for the decrease in creep strength can be explained by the higher interparticle spacing and finer grain structure. Increased precipitate spacing leads to fewer obstacles for dislocation movement and thus faster plastic deformation. Additionally, the finer grain structure in the FGHAZ leads to higher effective diffusion rates of vacancies and thus explain the higher observed creep rate. Both effects weaken the FGHAZ and therefore explain the decrease in the measured mechanical properties (hardness, hot strength and creep). Welding on X20 steel BM with life exhaustion of 54% (accumulated 210kh in service) and 44% (accumulated 130kh in service) is possible. Creep damage models coupled with creep master curves gave good predictions of the weldment creep life when the predictions are carried out using the average creep damage measured on the BM of service exposed X20 Steels.
Enhancing Table of Contents Extraction by System Aggregation

The OCR-ed books usually lack logical structure information, such as chapters, sections. To enrich the navigation experience of users, several approaches have been proposed to extract table of contents (ToC) from digitised books. In this paper, we introduce an aggregation-based method to enhance ToC extraction using system submissions from the ICDAR Book structure extraction competitions (2009, 2011, and 2013). Our experimental results show that the union of two best approaches outperforms the existing approaches using both the title-based and link-based evaluation measures on a dataset of more than 2000 books. By efficiently combining the results of existing systems in an unsupervised way, we consistently beat the state-of-the-art in book structure extraction, with performance improvements that are statistically significant.
An agent-based evaluation of impacts of transport developments on the modal shift in Tehran, Iran

Changes in travel modes used by people, particularly reduction of the private car use, is an important determinant of effectiveness of transportation plans. Because of dependencies between the choices of residential location and travel mode, integrated modelling of these choices has been proposed by some researchers. In this paper, an agent-based microsimulation model has been developed to evaluate impacts of different transport development plans on choices of residential location and commuting mode of tenant households in Tehran, the capital of Iran. In the proposed model, households are considered as agents who select their desired residential location using a constrained NSGA-II algorithm and in a competition with other households. In addition, they choose their commuting mode by applying a multicriteria decision-making method. Afterwards, effects of development of a new highway, subway and bus rapid transit (BRT) line on their residential location and commuting mode choices are evaluated. Results show that despite the residential self-selection effects, these plans result in considerable changes in the commuting mode of different socio-economic categories of households. Development of the new subway line shows promising results by reducing the private car use among the all socio-economic categories of households. But the new highway development unsatisfactorily results in increase in the private car use. In addition, development of the new BRT line does not show significant effects on the commuting mode change, particularly on decrease in the private car use.
Maternal residential pesticide use during pregnancy and risk of malignant childhood brain tumors: A pooled analysis of the ESCALE and ESTELLE studies (SFCE)

Some previous epidemiological studies have suggested that pesticide exposure during pregnancy may have a possible role in the development of childhood brain tumors (CBT). We pooled data from two French national population‐based, case–control studies to investigate the association between maternal residential use of pesticides during pregnancy and the risk of CBT. The mothers of 437 CBT cases and 3,102 controls aged under 15 years who resided in France at diagnosis/interview, frequency‐matched by age and gender, answered a structured telephone interview conducted by trained interviewers. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). CBT was significantly associated with the maternal home use of pesticides during pregnancy (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2–1.8) and, more specifically, with insecticide (OR 1.4, 1.2–1.8). We could not draw any conclusions about herbicides and/or fungicides because few women used them during pregnancy and most of these mothers also used insecticides. Although potential recall bias cannot be excluded, our findings of this pooled analysis support the hypothesis that residential maternal use of pesticides during pregnancy and particularly insecticides may increase the risk of CBT. Future investigations to verify these findings and to explore for CBT subtypes and dose–response are necessary to have a better understanding of the possible role of pesticides in etiology of CBT.
Barriers and opportunities for hepatitis B testing and contact tracing in a UK Somali population: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection frequently causes liver disease, and early identification can improve outcome. The burden of chronic HBV infection in many economically developed nations lies in migrant populations. Targeted HBV testing of migrants, and contact tracing for those diagnosed, are public health objectives but uptake has been fragmentary. This qualitative study aimed to investigate understanding of hepatitis B and response to testing and contact tracing amongst people of Somali ethnicity living in Bristol, UK. METHODS The views of 30 people of Somali ethnicity living in Bristol were explored through focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Transcripts of audio-recorded interviews and focus groups were imported into NVivo10 and inductive thematic analysis undertaken. RESULTS Most participants lacked awareness of hepatitis B, and often co-identified hepatitis B with 'jaundice'. There were frequent misconceptions regarding transmission, natural history and diagnosis, with hepatitis B commonly viewed as a relatively trivial, short lived, symptomatic disease. Hepatitis B was generally not stigmatised. Lack of understanding of the disease was cited as the major barrier to targeted testing and contact tracing. CONCLUSION These findings suggest public health initiatives to promote hepatitis B testing and contact tracing within migrant Somali populations should focus on improving hepatitis B understanding, particularly its natural history and diagnosis, and avoid translation of 'hepatitis B' into terms meaning 'jaundice' to address misperception of low susceptibility and low severity.
Entirely plasmid-based reverse genetics system for rotaviruses

Significance Rotaviruses (RVs) are a group of viruses that cause severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children. Until now, no strategy has been developed to generate infectious RVs entirely from cloned cDNAs. The absence of a reliable reverse genetics platform has been a major roadblock in the RV field, precluding numerous studies of RV replication and pathogenesis and hampering efforts to develop the next generation of RV vaccines. Here, we developed a plasmid-based reverse genetics system that is free from helper viruses and independent of any selection for RV. This technology will accelerate studies of RV pathobiology, allow rational design of RV vaccines, and yield RVs suitable for screening small molecules as potential antivirals. Rotaviruses (RVs) are highly important pathogens that cause severe diarrhea among infants and young children worldwide. The understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying RV replication and pathogenesis has been hampered by the lack of an entirely plasmid-based reverse genetics system. In this study, we describe the recovery of recombinant RVs entirely from cloned cDNAs. The strategy requires coexpression of a small transmembrane protein that accelerates cell-to-cell fusion and vaccinia virus capping enzyme. We used this system to obtain insights into the process by which RV nonstructural protein NSP1 subverts host innate immune responses. By insertion into the NSP1 gene segment, we recovered recombinant viruses that encode split-green fluorescent protein–tagged NSP1 and NanoLuc luciferase. This technology will provide opportunities for studying RV biology and foster development of RV vaccines and therapeutics.
Latency-Driven Cooperative Task Computing in Multi-user Fog-Radio Access Networks

Fog computing is emerging as one promising solution to meet the increasing demand for ultra-low latency services in wireless networks. Taking a forward-looking perspective, we propose a Fog-Radio Access Network (F-RAN) model, which utilizes the existing infrastructure, e.g., small cells and macro base stations, to achieve the ultra-low latency by joint computing across multiple F-RAN nodes and near-range communications at the edge. We treat the low latency design as an optimization problem, which characterizes the tradeoff between communication and computing across multiple F-RAN nodes. Since this problem is NP-hard, we propose a latency-driven cooperative task computing algorithm with one-for-all concept for simultaneous selection of the F-RAN nodes to serve with proper heterogeneous resource allocation for multi-user services. Considering the limited heterogeneous resources shared among all users, we advocate the one-for-all strategy for every user taking other's situation into consideration and seek for a "win-win" solution. The numerical results show that the low latency services can be achieved by F-RAN via latency-driven cooperative task computing.
Corexit 9500 Enhances Oil Biodegradation and Changes Active Bacterial Community Structure of Oil-Enriched Microcosms

ABSTRACT To better understand the impacts of Corexit 9500 on the structure and activity levels of hydrocarbon-degrading microbial communities, we analyzed next-generation 16S rRNA gene sequencing libraries of hydrocarbon enrichments grown at 5 and 25°C using both DNA and RNA extracts as the sequencing templates. Oil biodegradation patterns in both 5 and 25°C enrichments were consistent with those reported in the literature (i.e., aliphatics were degraded faster than aromatics). Slight increases in biodegradation were observed in the presence of Corexit at both temperatures. Differences in community structure were observed between treatment conditions in the DNA-based libraries. The 25°C consortia were dominated by Vibrio, Idiomarina, Marinobacter, Alcanivorax, and Thalassospira species, while the 5°C consortia were dominated by several species of the genera Flavobacterium, Alcanivorax, and Oleispira. Most of these genera have been linked to hydrocarbon degradation and have been observed after oil spills. Colwellia and Cycloclasticus, known aromatic degraders, were also found in these enrichments. The addition of Corexit did not have an effect on the active bacterial community structure of the 5°C consortia, while at 25°C, a decrease in the relative abundance of Marinobacter was observed. At 25°C, Thalassospira, Marinobacter, and Idiomarina were present at higher relative abundances in the RNA than DNA libraries, suggesting that they were active in degradation. Similarly, Oleispira was greatly stimulated by the addition of oil at 5°C. IMPORTANCE While dispersants such as Corexit 9500 can be used to treat oil spills, there is still debate on the effectiveness on enhancing oil biodegradation and its potential toxic effect on oil-degrading microbial communities. The results of this study provide some insights on the microbial dynamics of hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial populations in the presence of Corexit 9500. Operational taxonomic unit (OTU) analyses indicated that several OTUs were inhibited by the addition of Corexit. Conversely, a number of OTUs were stimulated by the addition of the dispersant, many of which were identified as known hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. The results highlight the value of using RNA-based methods to further understand the impact of dispersant on the overall activity of different hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial groups.
Expression of miRNA‐26b‐5p and its target TRPS1 is associated with radiation exposure in post‐Chernobyl breast cancer

Ionizing radiation is a well‐recognized risk factor for the development of breast cancer. However, it is unknown whether radiation‐specific molecular oncogenic mechanisms exist. We investigated post‐Chernobyl breast cancers from radiation‐exposed female clean‐up workers and nonexposed controls for molecular changes. Radiation‐associated alterations identified in the discovery cohort (n = 38) were subsequently validated in a second cohort (n = 39). Increased expression of hsa‐miR‐26b‐5p was associated with radiation exposure in both of the cohorts. Moreover, downregulation of the TRPS1 protein, which is a transcriptional target of hsa‐miR‐26b‐5p, was associated with radiation exposure. As TRPS1 overexpression is common in sporadic breast cancer, its observed downregulation in radiation‐associated breast cancer warrants clarification of the specific functional role of TRPS1 in the radiation context. For this purpose, the impact of TRPS1 on the transcriptome was characterized in two radiation‐transformed breast cell culture models after siRNA‐knockdown. Deregulated genes upon TRPS1 knockdown were associated with DNA‐repair, cell cycle, mitosis, cell migration, angiogenesis and EMT pathways. Furthermore, we identified the interaction partners of TRPS1 from the transcriptomic correlation networks derived from gene expression data on radiation‐transformed breast cell culture models and sporadic breast cancer tissues provided by the TCGA database. The genes correlating with TRPS1 in the radiation‐transformed breast cell lines were primarily linked to DNA damage response and chromosome segregation, while the transcriptional interaction partners in the sporadic breast cancers were mostly associated with apoptosis. Thus, upregulation of hsa‐miR‐26b‐5p and downregulation of TRPS1 in radiation‐associated breast cancer tissue samples suggests these molecules representing radiation markers in breast cancer.
Factors Associated with Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Shedding by Dairy and Beef Cattle

ABSTRACT Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Cattle are the primary reservoir for STEC, and food or water contaminated with cattle feces is the most common source of infections in humans. Consequently, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,096 cattle in six dairy herds (n = 718 animals) and five beef herds (n = 378 animals) in the summers of 2011 and 2012 to identify epidemiological factors associated with shedding. Fecal samples were obtained from each animal and cultured for STEC. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with STEC positivity. The prevalence of STEC was higher in beef cattle (21%) than dairy cattle (13%) (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25, 2.47), with considerable variation occurring across herds (range, 6% to 54%). Dairy cattle were significantly more likely to shed STEC when the average temperature was >28.9°C 1 to 5 days prior to sampling (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.25, 4.91), during their first lactation (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1, 2.8), and when they were <30 days in milk (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 2.1, 7.2). These data suggest that the stress or the negative energy balance associated with lactation may result in increased STEC shedding frequencies in Michigan during the warm summer months. Future prevention strategies aimed at reducing stress during lactation or isolating high-risk animals could be implemented to reduce herd-level shedding levels and avoid transmission of STEC to susceptible animals and people. IMPORTANCE STEC shedding frequencies vary considerably across cattle herds in Michigan, and the shedding frequency of strains belonging to non-O157 serotypes far exceeds the shedding frequency of O157 strains, which is congruent with human infections in the state. Dairy cattle sampled at higher temperatures, in their first lactation, and early in the milk production stage were significantly more likely to shed STEC, which could be due to stress or a negative energy balance. Future studies should focus on the isolation of high-risk animals to decrease herd shedding levels and the potential for contamination of the food supply.