Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global and time-resolved monitoring of crop photosynthesis with chlorophyll fluorescence

Significance Global food and biofuel production and their vulnerability in a changing climate are of paramount societal importance. However, current global model predictions of crop photosynthesis are highly uncertain. Here we demonstrate that new space-based observations of chlorophyll fluorescence, an emission intrinsically linked to plant biochemistry, enable an accurate, global, and time-resolved measurement of crop photosynthesis, which is not possible from any other remote vegetation measurement. Our results show that chlorophyll fluorescence data can be used as a unique benchmark to improve our global models, thus providing more reliable projections of agricultural productivity and climate impact on crop yields. The enormous increase of the observational capabilities for fluorescence in the very near future strengthens the relevance of this study. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants harvest sunlight to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water. It is the primary source of energy for all life on Earth; hence it is important to understand how this process responds to climate change and human impact. However, model-based estimates of gross primary production (GPP, output from photosynthesis) are highly uncertain, in particular over heavily managed agricultural areas. Recent advances in spectroscopy enable the space-based monitoring of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) from terrestrial plants. Here we demonstrate that spaceborne SIF retrievals provide a direct measure of the GPP of cropland and grassland ecosystems. Such a strong link with crop photosynthesis is not evident for traditional remotely sensed vegetation indices, nor for more complex carbon cycle models. We use SIF observations to provide a global perspective on agricultural productivity. Our SIF-based crop GPP estimates are 50–75% higher than results from state-of-the-art carbon cycle models over, for example, the US Corn Belt and the Indo-Gangetic Plain, implying that current models severely underestimate the role of management. Our results indicate that SIF data can help us improve our global models for more accurate projections of agricultural productivity and climate impact on crop yields. Extension of our approach to other ecosystems, along with increased observational capabilities for SIF in the near future, holds the prospect of reducing uncertainties in the modeling of the current and future carbon cycle.
Factors Affecting Suicide Method Lethality Among Suicide Attempters in the Korea National Suicide Survey

Abstract This is the first national survey study in South Korea investigating the relationship between suicide lethality and the clinical information of suicide attempters. An interview questionnaire was used to assess their sociodemographic factors, medical and psychiatric information, and two suicide scales, the Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale and the Suicide Intent Scale. Suicide methods were categorized as low and high lethality; low lethality covered drug overdose or self-cutting behavior, and high lethality covered all other methods. High and low lethality suicide method groups were significantly different in demographic, medical, and psychiatric factors. The two scale score distributions differed significantly across two groups, and the difference was also valid for the subcategory analyses of the Suicide Intent Scale. Multiple factors such as older age, male sex, no previous psychiatric history, and previous suicide attempt, as well as high suicide intent by means of suicide scale, affect selection of suicide method of high lethality.
Punching of Reinforced Concrete Flat Slabs with Double- Headed Shear Reinforcement

Twelve slabs, 11 of which contained double-headed studs as shear reinforcement, were tested supported by central column and loaded concentrically. Their behavior is described in terms of deflections, rotations, strains of the concrete close to the column, strains of the flexural reinforcement across the slab width, and strains of the studs. All failures were by punching, in most cases within the shear reinforced region. The treatments of punching resistance in ACI 318, Eurocode 2 (EC2), and the critical shear crack theory (CSCT) are described, and their predictions are compared with the results of the present tests and 39 others from the literature. The accuracy of predictions improves from ACI 318 to EC2 to CSCT—that is, with increasing complexity. However, the CSCT assumptions about behavior are not well supported by the experimental observations.
Policy Iteration Algorithm for Online Design of Robust Control for a Class of Continuous-Time Nonlinear Systems

In this paper, a novel strategy is established to design the robust controller for a class of continuous-time nonlinear systems with uncertainties based on the online policy iteration algorithm. The robust control problem is transformed into the optimal control problem by properly choosing a cost function that reflects the uncertainties, regulation, and control. An online policy iteration algorithm is presented to solve the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation by constructing a critic neural network. The approximate expression of the optimal control policy can be derived directly. The closed-loop system is proved to possess the uniform ultimate boundedness. The equivalence of the neural-network-based HJB solution of the optimal control problem and the solution of the robust control problem is established as well. Two simulation examples are provided to verify the effectiveness of the present robust control scheme.
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) A novel training approach to activate alternative behaviors for smoking in depressed smokers

The current research developed and tested a novel training strategy to alter the implicit associations between alternative behaviors to smoking and negative affect, and explored its effects on depressive symptoms and on smoking behavior as part of a quit attempt. Using a joystick, participants identified as smokers with depressive symptoms were trained to approach alternative behaviors to smoking in the context of negative affect. Specifically, in the experimental condition, participants were trained to avoid smoking-related targets and to approach alternative activities. In the control condition, participants pushed and pulled an equal amount of smoking and alternative activity-related targets. Compared with the participants in the control condition, those in the experimental condition showed an increase in the accessibility of the alternative activity relative to smoking and a decrease in depressive symptoms. Smoking outcomes did not differ significantly across the 2 conditions. Taken together these results indicate that the value of alternative behaviors to smoking can be modified in the lab without participants’ conscious intentions with implications for depressive symptomatology. Future research is required to explore the impact of such training on smoking outcomes.
Enhanced water flux through ultrafiltration polysulfone membrane via addition-removal of silica nano-particles: Synthesis and characterization

In the present paper, hierarchically structured ultrafiltration polysulfone (PSf) membrane was prepared to explore the effect of addition and subsequent removal of SiO2 nano-particles on the membrane morphology, hydrophilicity, and separation properties. The PSf based membranes namely PSf, PSf/SiO2 and PSf/WSiO2 (i.e. SiO2 nano-particles was acid-washed and removed from PSf/SiO2), were synthesized and characterized by different characterization methods. Pure water flux through the membranes was determined using a filtration unit operating at a continuous dead-end flow mode. The modification enhanced the morphology, hydrophobicity, porosity and transport properties of the modified membranes, although the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of the membranes was not changed considerably. In comparison, PSf/WSiO2 membrane exhibited excellent pure water flux (about 4.5 times the flux of PSf, and 17 times the flux of PSf/SiO2), although antifouling property of PSf/SiO2 in separation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was better than that of PSf and PSf/WSiO2 membranes. The results suggested that the addition/removal of sacrificial solid fillers within/from a membrane matrix may provide a promising strategy to enhance PSf membrane transport property. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43556.
Assessment of the Efficiency of Tobacco Cessation Counseling in Primary Care

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence advocate for using counseling targeted at tobacco users’ motivation to quit during each office visit. We evaluate tobacco use screening and counseling interventions delivered during routine periodic health examinations by 44 adult primary care physicians practicing in 22 clinics of a large health system in southeast Michigan. 484 office visits were audio-recorded and transcribed. For this study, current tobacco users (N = 91) were identified using pre-visit surveys and audio-recordings. Transcripts were coded for the delivery of tobacco-related counseling interventions. The extent to which counseling interventions were used and/or targeted to the patients’ readiness to quit was the main outcome measure. The majority of tobacco users (n = 77) had their tobacco use status assessed, and most received some sort of tobacco-related counseling (n = 74). However, only 15% received the recommended counseling targeted to their readiness to quit. On the other hand, 19% received less counseling than recommended given their readiness to quit, 7% received only nonindicated counseling, and 59% received nonindicated counseling in addition to indicated counseling. Results illustrate physicians’ commitment to cessation counseling and also identify potential opportunities to improve the efficiency of tobacco-related counseling in primary care.
Probing the densi fi cation mechanisms during fl ash sintering of ZnO

Using ZnO as a model system, the densification mechanisms of flash sintering are investigated. Controlled experiments via limiting the maximum current or the effective ramp rate suggest that both the maximum specimen temperature and the high heating rate (on the order of 200 C/s) are essential for the rapid densification during the flash sintering. Moreover, benchmarking rapid thermal annealing (RTA) experiments, which were conducted to mimic the heating profiles in the flash sintering, achieved similar densification and grain growth rates with comparable heating profiles, attesting that the ultrafast densification is mainly enabled/determined by the T(t) profile. The combination of these experiments suggest that, at least for ZnO, the rapid heating profile is a key factor for the observed rapid densification in flash sintering, while various electric field/current effects could also exist. A clear and consistent correlation between the grain sizes and relative densities is also evident for specimens made by both flash sintering and RTA with different conditions, suggesting the same conventional grain growth mechanism in both cases under the current experimental conditions. © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Endothelial Cell-Specific Molecule-1 in Critically Ill Patients With Hematologic Malignancy

Objectives: To assess whether serum concentration of endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 (Endocan) at ICU admission is associated with the use of ICU resources and outcomes in critically ill hematology patients. Design: Prospective multicenter cohort study. Setting: Seventeen ICUs in France and Belgium. Patients: Seven hundred forty-four consecutive critically ill hematology patients; 72 critically ill septic patients without hematologic malignancy; 276 healthy subjects. Intervention: None. Measurements and Main Results: Median total endocan concentrations were 4.46 (2.7–7.8) ng/mL. Endocan concentrations were higher in patients who had received chemotherapy before ICU admission (4.7 [2.8–8.1] ng/mL vs. 3.7 [2.5–6.3] ng/mL [p = 0.002]). In patients with acute respiratory failure, endocan levels were increased in patients with drug-induced pulmonary toxicity compared with other etiologies (p = 0.038). Total endocan levels higher than 4.46 ng/mL were associated with a higher cumulative probability of renal replacement therapy requirement (p = 0.006), a higher requirement of mechanical ventilation (p = 0.01) and a higher requirement of vasopressors throughout ICU stay (p < 0.0001). By multivariate analysis, total endocan levels at admission were independently associated with ICU mortality (odds ratios, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.06–1.83; p = 0.018). The predictive value of endocan peptide fragments of 14 kDa in terms of mortality and life-sustaining therapies requirement was inferior to that of total endocan. Endocan levels were higher in critically ill hematology patients compared with healthy subjects (p < 0.0001) but lower than endocan values in critically ill septic patients without hematologic malignancy (p = 0.005) Conclusions: Serum concentrations of endocan at admission are associated with the use of ICU resources and mortality in critically ill hematology patients. Studies to risk-stratify patients in the emergency department or in the hematology wards based on endocan concentrations to identify those likely to benefit from early ICU management are warranted.
Meta-analysis of the correlation between selenium and incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common cancer type. There is a correlation between selenium (Se) deficiency and the incidence of HCC. To clarify the effects of Se level on the risk of HCC patients, a meta-analysis was performed. A total of 9 articles published between 1994 and 2016 worldwide were selected through searching PubMed, EMBASE, web of science, Cochrane Library, Springer Link, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Chinese Biology Medicine (CBM), and the information were analyzed using a meta-analysis method. Heterogeneity was assessed by using the I2 index. Publication bias was evaluated by Begg's Test analysis. Pooled analysis indicated that patients with HCC had lower Se levels than the healthy controls [standardized mean difference (SMD)= −1.08, 95% confidence intercal (CI) = (−0.136, −0.08), P < 0.001]. Further subgroup analysis showed this effect to be independent of the study design, race or sample collection. In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggested an inverse correlation between Se level and the risk of HCC in humans patients.
Super enhancers – new analyses and perspectives on the low hanging fruit

ABSTRACT Significant attention has recently been given to a class of enhancers termed “super enhancers”, while implying that “typical enhancers” are less important. In this report, we examine criteria for identification of super enhancers and address the need to evaluate the differences between BRD4-occupied “typical” and “super” enhancers.
Combined dextran and ficoll separation yields pure populations of chicken peripheral blood mononuclear cells - short communication

The ficoll density gradient method, the most widely used method for isolating avian peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), results in significant contamination with nucleated thrombocytes. This thrombocyte contamination can affect both immunophenotyping and functional assays of T cells. We used full blood samples from ten vaccinated male layer hybrid chickens for isolating PBMCs, and have developed a low cost, combined dextran and ficoll density gradient separation method which, in comparison to the standard ficoll density gradient separation, markedly reduces thrombocyte contamination of the isolated PBMCs. An ex vivo T cell proliferation assay showed an overall reduced background proliferation in unstimulated and stimulated samples after combined dextran and ficoll separation of PBMCs, resulting in a statistically significant difference upon in vitro NDV challenge.
Tissue Damage Caused by Myeloablative, but Not Non-Myeloablative, Conditioning before Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation Results in Dermal Macrophage Recruitment without Active T-Cell Interaction

Introduction Conditioning regimens preceding allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) can cause tissue damage and acceleration of the development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). T-cell-depleted alloSCT with postponed donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) may reduce GVHD, because tissue injury can be restored at the time of DLI. In this study, we investigated the presence of tissue injury and inflammation in skin during the period of hematologic recovery and immune reconstitution after alloSCT. Methods Skin biopsies were immunohistochemically stained for HLA class II, CD1a, CD11c, CD40, CD54, CD68, CD86, CD206, CD3, and CD8. HLA class II-expressing cells were characterized as activated T-cells, antigen-presenting cells (APCs), or tissue repairing macrophages. In sex-mismatched patient and donor couples, origin of cells was determined by multiplex analysis combining XY-FISH and fluorescent immunohistochemistry. Results No inflammatory environment due to pretransplant conditioning was detected at the time of alloSCT, irrespective of the conditioning regimen. An increase in HLA class II-positive macrophages and CD3 T-cells was observed 12–24 weeks after myeloablative alloSCT, but these macrophages did not show signs of interaction with the co-localized T-cells. In contrast, during GVHD, an increase in HLA class II-expressing cells coinciding with T-cell interaction was observed, resulting in an overt inflammatory reaction with the presence of activated APC, activated donor T-cells, and localized upregulation of HLA class II expression on epidermal cells. In the absence of GVHD, patient derived macrophages were gradually replaced by donor-derived macrophages although patient-derived macrophages were detectable even 24 weeks after alloSCT. Conclusion Conditioning regimens cause tissue damage in the skin, but this does not result in a local increase of activated APC. In contrast to the inflamed situation in GVHD, when interaction takes place between activated APC and donor T-cells, the tissue damage caused by myeloablative alloSCT results in dermal recruitment of HLA class II-positive tissue repairing macrophages co-existing with increased numbers of patient- and donor-derived T-cells, but without signs of specific interaction and initiation of an immune response. Thus, the local skin damage caused by the conditioning regimen appears to be insufficient as single factor to provoke GVHD induction.
Multi‐gene panel testing improves diagnosis and management of patients with hereditary anemias

Mutations in more than 70 genes cause hereditary anemias (HA), a highly heterogeneous group of rare/low frequency disorders in which we included: hyporegenerative anemias, as congenital dyserythropoietic anemia (CDA) and Diamond‐Blackfan anemia; hemolytic anemias due to erythrocyte membrane defects, as hereditary spherocytosis and stomatocytosis; hemolytic anemias due to enzymatic defects. The study describes the diagnostic workflow for HA, based on the development of two consecutive versions of a targeted‐NGS panel, including 34 and 71 genes, respectively. Seventy‐four probands from 62 unrelated families were investigated. Our study includes the most comprehensive gene set for these anemias and the largest cohort of patients described so far. We obtained an overall diagnostic yield of 64.9%. Despite 54.2% of cases showed conclusive diagnosis fitting well to the clinical suspicion, the multi‐gene analysis modified the original clinical diagnosis in 45.8% of patients (nonmatched phenotype‐genotype). Of note, 81.8% of nonmatched patients were clinically suspected to suffer from CDA. Particularly, 45.5% of the probands originally classified as CDA exhibited a conclusive diagnosis of chronic anemia due to enzymatic defects, mainly due to mutations in PKLR gene. Interestingly, we also identified a syndromic CDA patient with mild anemia and epilepsy, showing a homozygous mutation in CAD gene, recently associated to early infantile epileptic encephalopathy‐50 and CDA‐like anemia. Finally, we described a patient showing marked iron overload due to the coinheritance of PIEZO1 and SEC23B mutations, demonstrating that the multi‐gene approach is valuable not only for achieving a correct and definitive diagnosis, but also for guiding treatment.
A Unified Risk-Benefit Analysis Framework for Investigating Mobile Payment Adoption

The paper proposes a unified risk-benefit analysis framework for investigating consumers’ adoption of mobile payment technology. Based on perceived risk theory and risk-benefit analysis literature, the proposed framework integrates three variables—perceived risk, perceived benefit and perceived value, to predict consumers’ intention to use mobile payment. All the proposed hypotheses are well supported based on an empirical validation of 336 useful survey samples. The results show that consumers consider both the beneficial and risky aspects of using mobile payment to evaluate the overall desirability (perceived value) of adoption decision. Further, perceived value, together with perceived risk and benefit directly affects consumers’ intention to adopt the technology. Financial risk is found to be the key resource of the risks of using mobile payment. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Energy Balance During A Self-sufficient, Multistage Ultramarathon: a Case Study

Endurance athletes are recommended to maintain energy balance and ensure adequate energy availability (EA) so that endurance performance is not compromised. Purpose: Describe and evaluate the energy balance of an athlete competing in a self-sufficient,multistage ultramarathon (MSU). Methods: A male endurance athlete (age 35 years; height 183.0 cm; body mass 78.4 kg; VO2max 66 ml/kg/min) volunteered to take part in this observational case study prior to competing in the Marathon des Sables (MdS) 2016. The subject self-reported energy intake (EI) by reviewing his dietary plan following each stage. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) was estimated prior to the MdS based on fat-free mass. Distance and moving speed were recorded using a GPS device throughout the race. Exercise energy expenditure (EEE) was calculated using the GPS device algorithm. Total energy expenditure (TEE) was calculated by adding the athlete’s BMR to the recorded EEE. Energy balance was calculated by subtracting EI from TEE. Results: Mean daily EI was 2946 i 358 kcal and daily EEE was 3006 i 1030 kcal. This resulted in a total energy deficit of 9609 kcal with a daily energy deficit of 1922 i 952 kcal/day. The athlete did not report any subjective feelings of hunger at any point during the event. Conclusions: The athlete did not consume enough calories to meet estimated energy requirements, resulting in a negative energy balance and low EA throughout the event. Relying on subjective perception of hunger to modulate energy intake is an ineffective strategy during a MSU.