Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of partial root-zone irrigation on hydraulic conductivity in the soil–root system of maize plants

Effects of partial root-zone irrigation (PRI) on the hydraulic conductivity in the soil–root system (Lsr) in different root zones were investigated using a pot experiment. Maize plants were raised in split-root containers and irrigated on both halves of the container (conventional irrigation, CI), on one side only (fixed PRI, FPRI), or alternately on one of two sides (alternate PRI, APRI). Results show that crop water consumption was significantly correlated with Lsr in both the whole and irrigated root zones for all three irrigation methods but not with Lsr in the non-irrigated root zone of FPRI. The total Lsr in the irrigated root zone of two PRIs was increased by 49.0–92.0% compared with that in a half root zone of CI, suggesting that PRI has a significant compensatory effect of root water uptake. For CI, the contribution of Lsr in a half root zone to Lsr in the whole root zone was ∼50%. For FPRI, the Lsr in the irrigated root zone was close to that of the whole root zone. As for APRI, the Lsr in the irrigated root zone was greater than that of the non-irrigated root zone. In comparison, the Lsr in the non-irrigated root zone of APRI was much higher than that in the dried zone of FPRI. The Lsr in both the whole and irrigated root zones was linearly correlated with soil moisture in the irrigated root zone for all three irrigation methods. For the two PRI treatments, total water uptake by plants was largely determined by the soil water in the irrigated root zone. Nevertheless, the non-irrigated root zone under APRI also contributed to part of the total crop water uptake, but the continuously non-irrigated root zone under FPRI gradually ceased to contribute to crop water uptake, suggesting that it is the APRI that can make use of all the root system for water uptake, resulting in higher water use efficiency.
Identification of G1-Regulated Genes in Normally Cycling Human Cells

Obtaining synchronous cell populations is essential for studies of the cell cycle. Methods such as serum withdrawal or use of drugs which block cells at specific points in the cell cycle almost certainly alter cellular events upon re‐entry into the cell cycle. Here we use a robotic mitotic shake‐off apparatus to select cells in late telophase of mitosis. Using two separate microarray experiments we examined gene activity in early G1: one isolated RNA hourly and the second isolated RNA every 15 minutes. We have also included data obtained by a variety of experimental methods to verify synchrony of these cell populations, including BrdU uptake, FACS, and microarray analyses of histone gene activity as well as activity of stress response genes. Our approach enabled us to identify a unique set of genes whose functions are currently unknown, in cells progressing normally through the cell division cycle. This group of genes may contain future targets for drug development and treatment of human disease.
HAVE SEED INDUSTRY CHANGES AFFECTED RESEARCH EFFORT

Early in the 20th century, agricultural productivity growth came primarily from innovations in mechanical inputs that replaced farm labor. Starting in the 1930s, increases in land productivity were driven largely by high-yielding crop varieties in concert with fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Average U.S. corn yields rose sevenfold from 20 bushels per acre in 1930 to 140 bushels by the mid-1990s, while wheat, soybean, and cotton yields increased 2-4 times. This unprecedented growth in U.S. agricultural productivity owes much to a series of biological innovations embodied in major crop seeds—in particular corn, cotton, soybeans, and wheat. Such innovations resulted from investments in crop variety research and development (R&D), including plant breeding. However, the seed sector has changed substantially in recent years, raising questions about whether the intensity of research effort on improved seeds and the contribution to productivity growth are being sustained.
Fast Numerical Analysis of Finite Arrays of Antennas in Finite Dielectric Volumes

This paper presents a formulation for the fast analysis of finite arrays of antennas embedded in finite dielectric volumes. The Method of Moments system of equations is reduced with the help of a Macro Basis Functions approach; this reduction is accelerated with the help of a multipole formulation. Fast pattern evalulation is carried out with the help of a FFT-based approach. Comparisons with full-wave solutions are shown for broadband dipoles embedded in dielectric spheres.
A method for spatial freshwater conservation prioritization

SUMMARY 1. Freshwater ecosystems are amongst the most threatened and poorly protected globally. They continue to be degraded through habitat loss, pollution and invading species and conservation measures are urgently needed to halt declining trends in their biodiversity and integrity. 2. During the past decade a suite of decision support tools and computational approaches have been developed for efficient and targeted conservation action in terrestrial or marine ecosystems. These methods may be poorly suited for planning in freshwater systems because connectivity in terrestrial and marine systems is typically modelled in a way unsuitable for rivers, where connectivity has a strong directional component. 3. We modify the conservation prioritization method and software, ZONATION , to account for connectivity in a manner better suited to freshwater ecosystems. Prioritization was performed using subcatchment/catchment-based planning units and connectivity was modified to have directional upstream and downstream components consistent with the ecology of our target species. 4. We demonstrate this modified method for rivers and streams in the southern North Island of New Zealand. Data included predicted occupancy from boosted regression tree models of species distributions for 18 fish species. The study area covered 2.1 million hectares and included 394 first- to fourth order catchment or subcatchment planning units. 5. Realistic modelling of connectivity had a major influence on the areas proposed for conservation. If connectivity was ignored, recommended conservation areas were very fragmented. By contrast, when connectivity was modelled, high priority conservation targets consisted of entire river basins or headwater subcatchments. 6. The proposed method serves as a starting point for the implementation of reserve selection methods in river ecosystems.
Globalization and the Race for Resources

Globalization and the Race for Resources explores how five nations-Portugal, the Netherlands, Britain, the United States, and Japan-achieved trade dominance by devising technologies, social and financial institutions, and markets to enhance their access to raw materials. Through ecological and economic explanation of resource extraction and production, Stephen G. Bunker and Paul S. Ciccantell reveal globalization as the result of the progressive extension of systematically integrated material processes across cumulatively greater space. Drawing from extensive historical research into how economic and environmental dynamics interacted in the extraction of different materials in the Amazon, especially in the development of the iron mine of Carajas, the authors also illustrate the profound connection between global dominance and control of natural resources.
Wheat Yield Forecasting for Punjab Province from Vegetation Index Time Series and Historic Crop Statistics

Policy makers, government planners and agricultural market participants in Pakistan require accurate and timely information about wheat yield and production. Punjab Province is by far the most important wheat producing region in the country. The manual collection of field data and data processing for crop forecasting by the provincial government requires significant amounts of time before official reports can be released. Several studies have shown that wheat yield can be effectively forecast using satellite remote sensing data. In this study, we developed a methodology for estimating wheat yield and area for Punjab Province from freely available Landsat and MODIS satellite imagery approximately six weeks before harvest. Wheat yield was derived by regressing reported yield values against time series of four different peak-season MODIS-derived vegetation indices. We also tested deriving wheat area from the same MODIS time series using a regression-tree approach. Among the four evaluated indices, WDRVI provided more consistent and accurate yield forecasts compared to NDVI, EVI2 and saturation-adjusted normalized difference vegetation index (SANDVI). The lowest RMSE values at the district level for forecast versus reported yield were found when using six or more years of training data. Forecast yield for the 2007/2008 to 2012/2013 growing seasons were within 0.2% and 11.5% of final reported values. Absolute deviations of wheat area and production forecasts from reported values were slightly greater compared to using the previous year's or the three- or six-year moving average values, implying that 250-m MODIS data does not provide sufficient spatial resolution for providing improved wheat area and production forecasts.
Continuous renal replacement therapy for haemodynamic collapse and rhabdomyolysis induced by pheochromocytoma crisis

Pheochromocytoma associated with pregnancy is not common. Caesarean section may induce pheochromocytoma crisis, resulting in a lethal condition. The clinical picture of pheochromocytoma crisis is extremely variable. In this report, we describe a case of severe pheochromocytoma crisis induced by caesarean section presenting with hyperpyrexia, haemodynamic collapse, muscle weakness, heart failure, and acute kidney injury. Furthermore, we report that the muscle weakness was a manifestation of rhabdomyolysis, resulting from the pheochromocytoma crisis. Standard medical therapy failed to halt the patient's rapidly deteriorating condition. Continuous renal replacement therapy removed catecholamines from the circulation, resulting in improvement of haemodynamics and abrogation of rhabdomyolysis.
Short‐Term Forecasting Analysis for Municipal Water Demand

Short‐term water demand forecasts inform decisions regarding budgeting, rate design, water supply system operations, and effective implementation of conservation policies. This study develops a linear transfer function (LTF) forecasting model for El Paso, Tex. , a growing city located in the desert Southwest region of the United States. The model was used to generate monthly frequency out‐of‐sample simulations of water demand for periods when actual demand was known. To measure the accuracy of the LTF projections against viable alternatives, a set of benchmark forecasts was also developed. Both descriptive accuracy metrics and formal statistical tests were used to analyze predictive performance. The LTF model outperformed the alternatives in predicting demand per customer but fell a little short in projecting growth in the customer base. Changes in climatic and economic conditions were found to affect consumption per customer more rapidly than did changes in water rates.
Threatening communication: a critical re-analysis and a revised meta-analytic test of fear appeal theory

Abstract Despite decades of research, consensus regarding the dynamics of fear appeals remains elusive. A meta-analysis was conducted that was designed to resolve this controversy. Publications that were included in previous meta-analyses were re-analysed, and a number of additional publications were located. The inclusion criteria were full factorial orthogonal manipulations of threat and efficacy, and measurement of behaviour as an outcome. Fixed and random effects models were used to compute mean effect size estimates. Meta-analysis of the six studies that satisfied the inclusion criteria clearly showed a significant interaction between threat and efficacy, such that threat only had an effect under high efficacy (d=0.31), and efficacy only had an effect under high threat (d=0.71). Inconsistency in results regarding the effectiveness of threatening communication can likely be attributed to flawed methodology. Proper tests of fear appeal theory yielded the theoretically hypothesised interaction effect. Threatening communication should exclusively be used when pilot studies indicate that an intervention successfully enhances efficacy.
A Critical Review: Coupling and Synchronization Analysis Methods of EEG Signal with Mild Cognitive Impairment

At present, the clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients becomes the important approach of evaluating early Alzheimer’s disease. The methods of EEG signal coupling and synchronization act as a key role in evaluating and diagnosing MCI patients. Recently, these coupling and synchronization methods were used to analyze the EEG signals of MCI patients according to different angles, and many important discoveries have been achieved. However, considering that every method is single-faceted in solving problems, these methods have various deficiencies when analyzing EEG signals of MCI patients. This paper reviewed in detail the coupling and synchronization analysis methods, analyzed their advantages and disadvantages, and proposed a few research questions needed to solve in the future. Also, the principles and best performances of these methods were described. It is expected that the performance analysis of these methods can provide the theoretical basis for the method selection of analyzing EEG signals of MCI patients and the future research directions.
Risk Factors of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after Wenchuan Earthquake: A Case Control Study

Background Few clues were found in the literature about the independent risk factors for PTSD among earthquake survivors in Sichuan province three years after the 2008 earthquake. Ours was the first case-control study with matching factors of age and distance from the epicenter among survivors age 16 years or older, three years after the catastrophe. Objectives To identify independent risk factors for PTSD among earthquake survivors. Methods We performed a population-based matched case-control study. The cases were drawn from earthquake areas three years after the Wenchuan earthquake, including 113 cases who met positive criteria for PTSD symptoms according to the PCL-C (PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version) score and 452 controls who did not meet the criteria. Cases and controls were matched individually by birth year (+ three years) and the town they lived in when the earthquake occurred. Results Independent risk factors for PTSD symptoms included two-week disease prevalence (odds ratio [OR],1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.18–3.13), witnessing someone being killed in the earthquake (OR, 2.04;95%CI, 1.17–3.58), having no regular income after the earthquake (OR, 0.52; 95%CI, 0.28–0.98), receiving mental health support only one time after the earthquake (OR, 2.43; 95%CI, 1.09–5.42) and lower social support (lower PSSS score) (OR, 0.95; 95%CI, 0.93–0.97). Conclusion Earthquake experience, suffering from physical illnesses, lack of stable income, and lower social support were associated with PTSD symptoms.
Corporate income tax and the taxation of income from capital:Some evidence from the past reforms and the present debate on corporate income taxation in Belgium.

Any assessment of the effects of a tax reform has to be based on indicators of effective taxation. Various indicators have been developed to measure the effective taxation of income from capital. This paper briefly reviews their properties, before turning to an evaluation of the effects of the corporate income tax reform in Belgium in the nineties. Our analysis concludes that the tax reform had some success in raising more revenue in a more neutral way by repealing tax expenditures provisions so that the gap between the nominal and effective corporate tax rate narrowed. On the methodological side, our analysis concludes that there is no ideal effective tax rate: implicit tax rates based on macro-economic data and marginal and average effective tax rates are complementary indicators and should be used jointly to assess the effects of tax reforms.
Toward a Principled Methodology for Neural Network Design and Performance Evaluation in QSAR. Application to the Prediction of LogP

The prediction of properties of molecules from their structure (QSAR) is basically a nonlinear regression problem. Neural networks are proven to be parsimonious universal approximators of nonlinear functions; therefore, they are excellent candidates for performing the nonlinear regression tasks involved in QSAR. However, their full potential can be exploited only in the framework of a rigorous approach. In the present paper, we describe a principled methodology for designing neural networks for QSAR and estimating their performances, and we apply this approach to the prediction of logP. We compare our results to those obtained on the same molecules by other methods.
Temperature and Emission-Measure Profiles along Long-lived Solar Coronal Loops Observed with the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer

We report an initial study of temperature and emission-measure distributions along four steady loops observed with the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer at the limb of the Sun. The temperature diagnostic is the filter ratio of the extreme-ultraviolet 171 and 195 Å passbands. The emission-measure diagnostic is the count rate in the 171 Å passband. We find essentially no temperature variation along the loops. We compare the observed loop structure with theoretical isothermal and nonisothermal static loop structure.
Oral health-related quality of life in a birth cohort of 32-year olds.

OBJECTIVES To describe oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among New Zealand adults and assess the relationship between clinical measures of oral health status and a well-established OHRQoL measure, controlling for sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and use of dental services. METHODS A birth cohort of 924 dentate adults (participants in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study) was systematically examined for dental caries, tooth loss, and periodontal attachment loss (CAL) at age 32 years. OHRQoL was measured using the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14). The questionnaire also collected data on each study member's occupation, self-rated oral health and reasons for seeing a dental care provider. SES was determined from each individual's occupation at age 32 years. RESULTS The mean total OHIP-14 score was 8.0 (SD 8.1); 23.4% of the cohort reported one or more OHIP problems 'fairly often' or 'very often'. When the prevalence of impacts 'fairly/very often' was modeled using logistic regression, having untreated caries, two or more sites with CAL of 4+ mm and 1 or more teeth missing by age 32 years remained significantly associated with OHRQoL, after adjusting for sex and 'episodic' dental care. Multivariate analysis using Poisson regression determined that being in the low SES group was also associated with the mean number of impacts (extent) and the rated severity of impacts. CONCLUSIONS OHIP-14 scores were significantly associated with clinical oral health status indicators, independently of sex and socioeconomic inequalities in oral health. The prevalence of impacts (23.4%) in the cohort was significantly greater than age- and sex-standardized estimates from Australia (18.2%) and the UK (15.9%).
Telencephalic enkephalinergic systems in the rat brain

The comparative distribution of Leu-enkephalin and an enkephalin precursor fragment, BAM-22P, was studied in the rat telencephalon using immunocytochemical procedures. Although the enkephalins have previously been localized to telencephalic neurons, the use of high doses of colchicine in the present study has permitted the visualization of widespread enkephalin-containing systems in cortical-limbic regions. Rats were treated intraventricularly with colchicine (300 to 400 micrograms) to enhance the visualization of neuronal perikarya. Leu- enkephalin immunoreactivity was noted in perikarya as well as processes of neurons in many telencephalic regions including the olfactory bulb, parolfactory areas, olfactory tubercle, basal ganglia, nucleus accumbens, septal nuclei, amygdala, hippocampal formation, and several paleocortical regions such as the piriform, entorhinal, and cingulate cortex, as well as regions of the frontal, parietal, and occipital neocortex. In the majority of regions investigated, analysis of sections adjacent to those processed for Leu-enkephalin histochemistry showed BAM-22P immunoreactivity to be localized to perikarya and processes in the same region. These results suggest that brain enkephalin-positive neurons may possess mechanisms for enkephalin biosynthesis similar to those found in adrenal medullary enkephalin cells.
Contributions of the input signal and prior activation history to the discharge behaviour of rat motoneurones

The principal computational operation of neurones is the transformation of synaptic inputs into spike train outputs. The probability of spike occurrence in neurones is determined by the time course and magnitude of the total current reaching the spike initiation zone. The features of this current that are most effective in evoking spikes can be determined by injecting a Gaussian current waveform into a neurone and using spike‐triggered reverse correlation to calculate the average current trajectory (ACT) preceding spikes. The time course of this ACT (and the related first‐order Wiener kernel) provides a general description of a neurone's response to dynamic stimuli. In many different neurones, the ACT is characterized by a shallow hyperpolarizing trough followed by a more rapid depolarizing peak immediately preceding the spike. The hyperpolarizing phase is thought to reflect an enhancement of excitability by partial removal of sodium inactivation. Alternatively, this feature could simply reflect the fact that interspike intervals that are longer than average can only occur when the current is lower than average toward the end of the interspike interval. Thus, the ACT calculated for the entire spike train displays an attenuated version of the hyperpolarizing trough associated with the long interspike intervals. This alternative explanation for the characteristic shape of the ACT implies that it depends upon the time since the previous spike, i.e. the ACT reflects both previous stimulus history and previous discharge history. The present study presents results based on recordings of noise‐driven discharge in rat hypoglossal motoneurones that support this alternative explanation. First, we show that the hyperpolarizing trough is larger in ACTs calculated from spikes preceded by long interspike intervals, and minimal or absent in those based on short interspike intervals. Second, we show that the trough is present for ACTs calculated from the discharge of a threshold‐crossing neurone model with a postspike afterhyperpolarization (AHP), but absent from those calculated from the discharge of a model without an AHP. We show that it is possible to represent noise‐driven discharge using a two‐component linear model that predicts discharge probability based on the sum of a feedback kernel and a stimulus kernel. The feedback kernel reflects the influence of prior discharge mediated by the AHP, and it increases in amplitude when AHP amplitude is increased by pharmacological manipulations. Finally, we show that the predictions of this model are virtually identical to those based on the first‐order Wiener kernel. This suggests that the Wiener kernels derived from standard white‐noise analysis of noise‐driven discharge in neurones actually reflect the effects of both stimulus and discharge history.