Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen chemistry and speciation in low-temperature geothermal waters, Iceland

Nitrogen in geothermal systems occurs mostly as N2, ΣNH4, NO3, NO2 and organic nitrogen. Based on isotope studies, geothermal fluids in Iceland are considered to be derived from meteoric water, seawater and/or magma. N2 predominates in hightemperature waters whereas NH4, NO3, NO2 have been observed in low-temperature geothermal waters. Limited data are, however, on all the nitrogen oxidation states in a given water, i.e. N2, NH4, NO3, NO2 and organic nitrogen, and the source of individual oxidation states has not been systematically studied. In this study, all the nitrogen species were determined in low-temperature waters in Iceland, and from those data the reactions and possible sources of various oxidation states were assessed. Altogether, 34 samples of springs, wells and streams were collected and major elemental and various nitrogen species concentrations determined, including N2, NH4, NO2, NO3 and organic nitrogen. The sampled waters had temperatures of 2-125°C, pH of 2.48-9.72 and total dissolved solids between 801 and 31645 μmol/L. Dissolved N2 was the most abundant species with concentrations of 44-634 μmol/L and counting for up to 100% of nitrogen in the samples. Other nitrogen concentrations were ammonium, ranging from <0.1-95 μmol/L, nitrite and nitrate concentrations were <0.1-0.66 μmol/L and <0.1-8.51 μmol/L respectively and organic nitrogen concentrations varied from 0-9.44 μmol/L. Various reactions between the oxidation states were studied by calculations of redox potentials for given redox pairs. For all water types, a redox disequilibrium prevails between various nitrogen containing reactions. Possible nitrogen-redox reactions within the system may be summarized into four groups: (1) nitrogen fixation, (2) nitrification, (3) denitrification and (4) organic matter decomposition. Based on the reaction order and affinity calculations, several possible N-containing reactions were observed, including nitrogen fixation and nitrification. The source of N2 may be considered to be atmospheric and denitrification, assuming limited deep mantle N2 source. As observed, most waters are undersaturated with respect to atmospheric N2, suggesting a possible reduction of N2 to NH4 . The source of NO3 and NO2 may also be the source water, i.e. it does not produce upon reactions within the system. The origin of Nresidual is considered to be from dissolved organic matter.
Economic Evaluation of Hydrological Ecosystem Services in Mediterranean River Basins Applied to a Case Study in Southern Italy

Land use affects eco-hydrological processes with consequences for floods and droughts. Changes in land use affect ecosystems and hydrological services. The objective of this study is the analysis of hydrological services through the quantification of water resources, pollutant loads, land retention capacity and soil erosion. On the basis of a quantitative evaluation, the economic values of the ecosystem services are estimated. By assigning an economic value to the natural resources and to the hydraulic system, the hydrological services can be computed at the scale of catchment ecosystem. The proposed methodology was applied to the basin “Bonis” (Calabria Region, Italy). The study analyses four land use scenarios: (i) forest cover with good vegetative status (baseline scenario); (ii) modification of the forest canopy; (iii) variation in forest and cultivated surfaces; (iv) insertion of impermeable areas. The simulations prove that the variations of the state of forest areas has considerable influence on the water balance, and then on the provided economic value. Small economic changes derive from reducing the impermeable areas. Increasing the agricultural area to 50% of the total, and reducing the forest surface, affects soil erosion, reduces the storage capacity of the water, and consequently the water harvesting. The suggested methodology can be considered a suitable tool for land planning.
Genetically Closely Related but Phenotypically Divergent Trichoderma Species Cause Green Mold Disease in Oyster Mushroom Farms Worldwide

ABSTRACT The worldwide commercial production of the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus is currently threatened by massive attacks of green mold disease. Using an integrated approach to species recognition comprising analyses of morphological and physiological characters and application of the genealogical concordance of multiple phylogenetic markers (internal transcribed spacer 1 [ITS1] and ITS2 sequences; partial sequences of tef1 and chi18-5), we determined that the causal agents of this disease were two genetically closely related, but phenotypically strongly different, species of Trichoderma, which have been recently described as Trichoderma pleurotum and Trichoderma pleuroticola. They belong to the Harzianum clade of Hypocrea/Trichoderma which also includes Trichoderma aggressivum, the causative agent of green mold disease of Agaricus. Both species have been found on cultivated Pleurotus and its substratum in Europe, Iran, and South Korea, but T. pleuroticola has also been isolated from soil and wood in Canada, the United States, Europe, Iran, and New Zealand. T. pleuroticola displays pachybasium-like morphological characteristics typical of its neighbors in the Harzianum clade, whereas T. pleurotum is characterized by a gliocladium-like conidiophore morphology which is uncharacteristic of the Harzianum clade. Phenotype MicroArrays revealed the generally impaired growth of T. pleurotum on numerous carbon sources readily assimilated by T. pleuroticola and T. aggressivum. In contrast, the Phenotype MicroArray profile of T. pleuroticola is very similar to that of T. aggressivum, which is suggestive of a close genetic relationship. In vitro confrontation reactions with Agaricus bisporus revealed that the antagonistic potential of the two new species against this mushroom is perhaps equal to T. aggressivum. The P. ostreatus confrontation assays showed that T. pleuroticola has the highest affinity to overgrow mushroom mycelium among the green mold species. We conclude that the evolutionary pathway of T. pleuroticola could be in parallel to other saprotrophic and mycoparasitic species from the Harzianum clade and that this species poses the highest infection risk for mushroom farms, whereas T. pleurotum could be specialized for an ecological niche connected to components of Pleurotus substrata in cultivation. A DNA BarCode for identification of these species based on ITS1 and ITS2 sequences has been provided and integrated in the main database for Hypocrea/Trichoderma (www.ISTH.info ).
A model of sediment resuspension and transport dynamics in southern Lake Michigan

A quasi-three-dimensional suspended sediment transport model was developed and generalized to include combined wave-current effects to study bottom sediment resuspension and transport in southern Lake Michigan. The results from a three-dimensional circulation model and a wind wave model were used as input to the sediment transport model. Two effects of nonlinear wave-current interactions were considered in the sediment transport model: the changes in turbulence intensity due to waves and the enhancement of induced bottom shear stresses. Empirical formulations of sediment entrainment and resuspension processes were established and parameterized by laboratory data and field studies in the lake. In this preliminary application of the model to Lake Michigan, only a single grain size is used to characterize the sedimentary material, and the bottom of the lake is treated as an unlimited sediment source. The model results were compared with measured suspended sediment concentrations at two stations and several municipal water intake turbidity measurements in southern Lake Michigan during November–December 1994. The model was able to reproduce the general patterns of high-turbidity events in the lake. A model simulation for the entire 1994–1995 two-year period gave a reasonable description of sediment erosion/deposition in the lake, and the modeled settling mass fluxes were consistent with sediment trap data. The mechanisms of sediment resuspension and transport in southern Lake Michigan are discussed. To improve the model, sediment classifications, spatial bottom sediment distribution, sediment source function, and tributary sediment discharge should be considered.
Platelet-Rich Plasma: The Choice of Activation Method Affects the Release of Bioactive Molecules

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a low-cost procedure to deliver high concentrations of autologous growth factors (GFs). Platelet activation is a crucial step that might influence the availability of bioactive molecules and therefore tissue healing. Activation of PRP from ten voluntary healthy males was performed by adding 10% of CaCl2, 10% of autologous thrombin, 10% of a mixture of CaCl2 + thrombin, and 10% of collagen type I. Blood derivatives were incubated for 15 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, and 24 hours and samples were evaluated for the release of VEGF, TGF-β1, PDGF-AB, IL-1β, and TNF-α. PRP activated with CaCl2, thrombin, and CaCl2/thrombin formed clots detected from the 15-minute evaluation, whereas in collagen-type-I-activated samples no clot formation was noticed. Collagen type I produced an overall lower GF release. Thrombin, CaCl2/thrombin, and collagen type I activated PRPs showed an immediate release of PDGF and TGF-β 1 that remained stable over time, whereas VEGF showed an increasing trend from 15 minutes up to 24 hours. CaCl2 induced a progressive release of GFs from 15 minutes and increasing up to 24 hours. The method chosen to activate PRP influences both its physical form and the releasate in terms of GF amount and release kinetic.
Iterative Equalization with Soft Feedback with a Subsequent Stage Utilizing Hopfield Networks for Error Search and Correction

In this paper, a second stage for algorithms applying iterat ive soft decision interference cancellation (ISDIC) [1], [2], [3], [4] for channel equalization is proposed performi ng error search and correction. Analysis by simulations shows that a matched filter (MF) ISDIC with subsequent second stage can outperform a more complex minimum mean–squared error (MMSE) ISDIC. Furthermore, the latter c an be improved by the proposed second stage by up to 2 dB. It is shown that the ISDIC scheme with following second st age can reach the matched filter bound up to a fraction of a dB for all analyzed channels and 4QAM transm is ion and up to1 dB for 16QAM transmission. In [1] it has been reported that the MF ISDIC performs very wel l for highly dispersive channels, e.g. with 60 symbol–spaced paths, but for channels of moderate dispersi on an error floor occurs. Utilizing performance bounds for delayed decision–feedback sequence estimation (DDFSE ) we show that now already for channels of moderate length, e.g.20 symbol–spaced taps, even the low–complexity MF ISDIC with t he proposed subsequent second stage outperforms a DDFSE approach with about 10 states.
In situ trap parameter studies in CCDs for space applications

Charge-Coupled Devices are the detector of choice for the focal planes of many optical and X-ray space telescopes. In recent years, EM-CCDs, SCDs and CMOS sensors have been used, or baselined, for missions in which the detection of X-ray and visible photons are key to the science goals of the mission. When placed in orbit, silicon-based detectors will suffer radiation damage as a consequence of the harsh space radiation environment, creating traps in the silicon. The radiation-induced traps will capture and release signal electrons, effectively “smearing” the image. Without correction, this smearing of the image would have major consequences on the science goals of the missions. Fitting to observed results, through careful planning of observation strategies while the radiation dose received remains low in the early stages of the mission, has previously been used to correct against the radiation damage effects. As the science goals becoming increasingly demanding, however, the correction algorithms require greater accuracy and a more physical approach is required, removing the effects of the radiation damage by modelling the trap capture and release mechanisms to a high level of detail. The drive for increasingly accurate trap parameters has led to the development of new methods of characterisation of traps in the silicon, measuring the trap properties and their effects to the single-trap level in situ. Here, we summarise the latest developments in trap characterisation techniques for n-channel and p-channel devices.
A Taxonomy for Generating Explanations in Recommender Systems

In recommender systems, explanations serve as an additional type of information that can help users to better understand the system's output and promote objectives such as trust, confidence in decision making or utility. This article proposes a taxonomy to categorize and review the research in the area of explanations. It provides a unified view on the different recommendation paradigms, allowing similarities and differences to be clearly identified. Finally, the authors present their view on open research issues and opportunities for future work on this topic.
Simulation of photonic band gaps in metal rod lattices for microwave applications

We have derived the global band gaps for general two-dimensional (2D) photonic band gap (PBG) structures formed by square or triangular arrays of metal posts. Such PBG structures have many promising applications in active and passive devices at microwave, millimeter wave, and higher frequencies. A coordinate-space, finite-difference code, called the photonic band gap structure simulator (PBGSS), was developed to calculate complete dispersion curves for lattices for a series of values of the ratio of the post radius (r) to the post spacing (a). The fundamental and higher frequency global photonic band gaps were determined numerically. These universal curves should prove useful in PBG cavity design. In addition, for very long wavelengths, where the numerical methods of the PBGSS code are difficult, dispersion curves were derived for the transverse-magnetic (TM) mode by an approximate, quasi-static approach. Results of this approach agree well with the PBGSS code for r/a<0.1. The present results are compared.
On M-estimators and normal quantiles

This paper explores a class of robust estimators of normal quantiles filling the gap between maximum likelihood estimators and empirical quantiles. Our estimators are linear combinations of M-estimators. Their asymptotic variances can be arbitrarily close to variances of the maximum likelihood estimators. Compared with empirical quantiles, the new estimators offer considerable reduction of variance at near normal probability distributions.
Heritability of Biomarkers of Oxidized Lipoproteins: Twin Pair Study

Objective— To determine whether biomarkers of oxidized lipoproteins are genetically determined. Lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) is a heritable risk factor and carrier of oxidized phospholipids (OxPL). Approach and Results— We measured oxidized phospholipids on apolipoprotein B–containing lipoproteins (OxPL-apoB), Lp(a), IgG, and IgM autoantibodies to malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein, copper oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and apoB-immune complexes in 386 monozygotic and dizygotic twins to estimate trait heritability (h 2) and determine specific genetic effects among traits. A genome-wide linkage study followed by genetic association was performed. The h 2 (scale: 0–1) for Lp(a) was 0.91±0.01 and for OxPL-apoB 0.87±0.02, which were higher than physiological, inflammatory, or lipid traits. h 2 of IgM malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein, copper oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and apoB-immune complexes were 0.69±0.04, 0.67±0.05, and 0.80±0.03, respectively, and for IgG malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein, copper oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and apoB-immune complexes 0.62±0.05, 0.52±0.06, and 0.53±0.06, respectively. There was an inverse correlation between the major apo(a) isoform and OxPL-apoB (R=−0.49; P<0.001) and Lp(a) (R=−0.48; P<0.001) and OxPL-apoB was modestly correlated with Lp(a) (&rgr;=0.57; P<0.0001). The correlation in major apo(a) isoform size was concordant (R=1.0; P<0.001) among monozygotic twins but not dizygotic twins (R=0.40; P=0.055). Lp(a) and OxPL-apoB shared genetic codetermination (genetic covariance, &rgr;G=0.774±0.032; P=1.09×10−38), although not environmental determination (environmental covariance, &rgr;E=0.081±0.15; P=0.15). In contrast, Lp(a) shared environmental but not genetic codetermination with autoantibodies to malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein and copper oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and apoB-immune complexes. Sib-pair genetic linkage of the Lp(a) trait revealed that single nucleotide polymorphism rs10455872 was significantly associated with OxPL-apoB after adjusting for Lp(a). Conclusions— OxPL-apoB and other biomarkers of oxidized lipoproteins are highly heritable cardiovascular risk factors that suggest novel genetic origins of atherothrombosis.
The Spiral Aftereffect Technique (SAT) Can Differentiate between Depressive and Somatoform Disorder Patients

This study examined how differences in visuo-perceptual patterns are related to psychopathology. Fifty-six patients (37 women, 19 men; M age = 43.8 yr., SD = 13.4) with a main diagnosis of unipolar depression and 42 patients (22 women, 20 men; M age = 42.0 yr., SD = 11.1) with a main diagnosis of somatoform disorder were compared. The duration and trend of a visual motion aftereffect were measured with the Spiral Aftereffect Technique (SAT). The results indicated that successively increasing aftereffect durations characterized the depressive patients, whereas patterns of very short or short final aftereffect preceded by successively decreasing aftereffect durations characterized the patients with a somatoform disorder. The SAT is thus a valuable tool for linking objectively measured perceptual-personality characteristics with some mental disorders.
Effectiveness of interventions designed to increase mammography use: a meta-analysis of provider-targeted strategies.

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of interventions targeted at providers to enhance the use of mammography. We performed a meta-analysis and included United States studies that used a randomized or nonrandomized concurrent control design, had defined outcomes, and presented data that could be abstracted for reanalysis. Interventions were classified as behavioral, cognitive, or sociological and further categorized by the type of control group (active versus usual care). Data were combined using DerSimonian and Laird random effects models to yield summary effect sizes. Thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. All types of interventions targeted at providers were effective in increasing mammography rates. Behavioral interventions increased screening by 13.2% [95% confidence interval (CI), 7.8-18.4] as compared with usual care and by 6.8% (95% CI, 4.8-8.7) as compared with active controls. Cognitive intervention strategies improved mammography rates by 18.6% (95% CI, 12.8-24.4). Sociological interventions also had a similar magnitude of effect on screening rates (13.1% increase; 95% CI, 6.8-19.3). Interventions targeting both patients and providers were not significantly better at increasing screening than those targeting providers alone, and multiple approaches (e.g., behavioral and cognitive) were generally not more effective than a single approach. All interventions targeted at physicians were effective in increasing screening rates. Decisions to use a particular approach will depend on resources, expertise, feasibility, and cost effectiveness.
Assessment of a Model-Based, Iterative Reconstruction Algorithm (MBIR) Regarding Image Quality and Dose Reduction in Liver Computed Tomography

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to assess the image quality of half-dose (HD) liver computed tomography (CT) using a model-based iterative reconstruction algorithm (MBIR) compared with reference dose (RD) using filtered back projection (FBP) and the HD CT images using FBP and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). Materials and MethodsA total of 103 patients suspected of having liver metastases underwent liver CT including HD portal venous phase imaging. Among these patients, 73 had undergone RD liver CT reconstructed using FBP, and the HD portal phase CT scans were separately reconstructed using FBP and MBIR. For the other 30 patients, the HD CT images were reconstructed using FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. The CT attenuation coefficients and the mean image noise of various sites, including the liver, the aorta, the main portal vein (MPV), and the subcutaneous fat, were measured, and the contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of the metastatic lesion to the liver and the MPV to the liver were calculated. Two radiologists reviewed each image set with regard to image noise, image quality, lesion conspicuity, and diagnostic acceptability. ResultsCompared with RD CT, there was a 46.1% decrease in CT dose index volume with HD CT. Image noise was significantly lower in the HD images reconstructed with MBIR than in both the HD FBP images and the RD FBP images (P < 0.001). Compared with the RD FBP and HD FBP images, the CNRs of the metastatic lesion to the liver and the MPV to the liver were higher in the HD MBIR images (P < 0.001). Despite the presence of the unique whirling artifacts of the MBIR images, the HD MBIR images were of good to excellent quality and were not inferior to RD FBP images regarding the lesion conspicuity, the image quality, and the diagnostic acceptability (P > 0.05). Half-dose MBIR also showed less image noise, higher CNRs, and superior image quality compared with HD ASIR (P < 0.001). ConclusionsThe HD MBIR images showed less noise, higher CNR, and better image quality than the HD ASIR and HD FBP images did; they also provided less image noise, higher CNR, and similar image quality compared with those of RD FBP images.
Brain, Heart and Kidney Correlate for the Control of Blood Pressure and Water Balance: Role of Angiotensinases

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a major role in the control of blood pressure (BP) and water balance by coordinating brain, heart and kidney functions, connected with each other by hormonal and neural mechanisms through the autonomic nervous system (ANS). RAS function may be monitored by the study of the enzymes (angiotensinases) involved in the metabolism of its active peptides. In order to study the relationship between the brain-heart-kidney axis and the control of BP and water balance, we analyzed the correlation of angiotensinase activities, assayed as arylamidase activities, between hypothalamus, left ventricle, renal cortex and renal medulla, collected from Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats, treated or not treated with L-NAME [N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester]. This compound not only inhibits the formation of nitric oxide but also disrupts the normal function of the ANS activating the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) to increase BP. In addition, to assess the influence of the SNS, we studied the effect of its blockade by treatment of both strains with propranolol. The present results support the notion that RAS function of the brain-heart-kidney axis, as reflected by the activities of angiotensinases, is reciprocally connected by afferent and efferent mechanisms between these locations, presumably through the ANS. These results reveal new aspects of neuroendocrine regulation possibly involving the ANS.