Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing Impacts of Land Use Change on Soil Quality Indicators in a Loessial Soil in Golestan Province, Iran

A study was conducted to determine suitable soil properties as soil quality indicators, using factor analysis in order to evaluate the effects of land use change on loessial hillslope soils of the Shastkola District in Golestan Province, northern Iran. To this end, forty surface soil (0-30 cm) samples were collected from four adjacent sites with the following land uses systems: (1) natural forest, (2) cultivated land, (3) land reforested with olive, and (4) land reforested with Cupressus. Fourteen soil chemical, physical, and biological properties were measured. Factor analysis (FA) revealed that mean weight diameter (MWD), water stable aggregates (WSA), soil organic matter (SOM), and total nitrogen (TN) were suitable for assessing the soil quality in the given ecosystem for monitoring the land use change effects. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and mean comparison showed that there were significant (P< 0.01) differences among the four treatments with regard to SOM, MWD, and sand content. Clearing of the hardwood forest and tillage practices during 40 years led to a decrease in SOM by 71.5%. Cultivation of the deforested land decreased MWD by 52% and increased sand by 252%. The reforestation of degraded land with olive and Cupressus increased SOM by about 49% and 72%, respectively, compared to the cultivated control soil. Reforestation with olive increased MWD by 81% and reforestation with Cupressus increased MWD by 83.6%. The study showed that forest clearing followed by cultivation of the loessial hilly slopes resulted in the decline of the soil quality attributes, while reforestation improved them in the study area.
POINCARÉ-BIRKHOFF FIXED POINT THEOREM AND PERIODIC SOLUTIONS OF ASYMPTOTICALLY LINEAR PLANAR HAMILTONIAN SYSTEMS

This work, which has a self contained expository character, is devoted to the Poincaré-Birkhoff (PB) theorem and to its ap plications to the search of periodic solutions of nonautonomous periodic planar Hamiltonian systems. After some historical remarks, we recall th e classical proof of the PB theorem as exposed by Brown and Neumann. Then, a variant of the PB theorem is considered, which enables, toge ther with the classical version, to obtain multiplicity results for asym ptotically linear planar hamiltonian systems in terms of the gap between the Ma slov indices of the linearizations at zero and at infinity. 1. The Poincaŕe-Birkhoff theorem in the literature In his paper [28], Poincaré conjectured, and proved in some special cases, that an areapreserving homeomorphism from an annulus onto itself admit s (a least) two fixed points when some “twist” condition is satisfied. Roughly spe aking, the twist condition consists in rotating the two boundary circles in opposite an gular directions. This concept will be made precise in what follows. Subsequently, in 1913, Birkhoff [4] published a complete pr oof of the existence of at least one fixed point but he made a mistake in deducing the exis tence of a second one from a remark of Poincaré in [28]. Such a remark guarantees t hat the sum of the indices of fixed points is zero. In particular, it implies the existen c of a second fixed point in the case that the first one has a nonzero index. In 1925 Birkhoff not only corrected his error, but he also wea kened the hypothesis about the invariance of the annulus under the homeomorphism T . In fact Birkhoff himself already searched a version of the theorem more convenie nt for the applications. He also generalized the area-preserving condition. Before going on with the history of the theorem we give a preci s statement of the classical version of Poincaré-Birkhoff fixed point theore m and make some remarks. In the following we denote byA the annulusA := {(x, y) ∈ R2 : r 2 1 ≤ x2 + y2 ≤ r 2 2 , 0< r1 < r2} and byC1 andC2 its inner and outer boundaries, respectively. ∗The second author wishes to thank Professor Anna Capietto an d the University of Turin for the invitation and the kind hospitality during the Third Turin Fortnight on Nonlinear Analysis.
Ego networks in Twitter: An experimental analysis

Online Social Networks are amongst the most important platforms for maintaining social relationships online, supporting content generation and exchange between users. They are therefore natural candidate to be the basis of future humancentric networks and data exchange systems, in addition to novel forms of Internet services exploiting the properties of human social relationships. Understanding the structural properties of OSN and how they are influenced by human behaviour is thus fundamental to design such human-centred systems. In this paper we analyse a real Twitter data set to investigate whether well known structures of human social networks identified in “offline” environments can also be identified in the social networks maintained by users on Twitter. According to the well known model proposed by Dunbar, offline social networks are formed of circles of relationships having different social characteristics (e.g., intimacy, contact frequency and size). These circles can be directly ascribed to cognitive constraints of human brain, that impose limits on the number of social relationships maintainable at different levels of emotional closeness. Our results indicate that a similar structure can also be found in the Twitter users' social networks. This suggests that the structure of social networks also in online environments are controlled by the same cognitive properties of human brain that operate offline.
The significance of early recurrent wheeze for asthma outcomes in late childhood

Recurrent early life wheeze is not always asthma, and up to 50% of children are reported to remit. With reports of adult asthma symptom relapse, we assessed the prognosis of recurrent bronchial obstruction (rBO) through adolescence in the Environment and Childhood Asthma (ECA) prospective birth cohort study. The present study is based on data from investigations at ages 2, 10 and 16 years of 550 young people (52% males) attending at 16 years of age. Based on the presence of rBO from 0–2 years, defined as recurrent (at least two episodes) doctor-diagnosed wheeze, and asthma from 2–10 years and 10–16 years, defined as at least two episodes of doctor-diagnosed asthma, symptoms and medication use, prognosis of rBO was assessed. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) was diagnosed by a metacholine provocation dose ≤8 &mgr;mol that caused 20% reduction in the forced expiratory volume in 1 s. At 10–16 years, 34% of the 143 rBO children had asthma. All children with rBO had reduced lung function compared with the never asthmatics. Of the rBO children in remission, 48.4% had asthma symptoms, medication use and/or BHR compared with 26.7% with never asthma (p<0.001). Only 34.3% of rBO children were without asthma symptoms, medication use or BHR by 16 years, possibly indicating future asthma risk.
Modulable Nanometer-Scale Surface Architecture Using Spin-Coating on an Adsorbed Collagen Layer

A strategy was developed to create a modulable polymer surface architecture (topography, chemical composition) at the nanometer scale. Therefore, collagen was first adsorbed on a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrate and dried at high or low rate to produce continuous or discontinuous layers, respectively. Solutions of PMMA in chlorobenzene were then spin-coated on top of these collagen layers. The obtained surfaces were investigated using atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Spin-coating with pure chlorobenzene on the continuous collagen layer produced pits in the PMMA substrate through the collagen layer; spin-coating with PMMA solutions of increasing concentrations progressively led to the formation of a surface covered by particles made of PMMA and collagen, resulting from a combination of dissolution of PMMA from the substrate and deposition of PMMA from the solution. Spin-coating with pure chlorobenzene on the discontinuous collagen layer led to dissolution of PMMA and to its redeposition on the collagen pattern, which served as a template. This provided a surface entirely composed of PMMA, with cavities in the range of 0.1-1 mum diameter and 50-250 nm depth. In this case, the surface relief was independent of the PMMA concentration of the spin-coated solution, the substrate PMMA dissolution and redeposition being the dominant processes.
Correlation of endothelial function in large and small arteries in human essential hypertension.

Objectives The structure and function of blood vessels varies along the vascular tree, and alterations found in hypertension are also different. The aim of this study was to determine whether non-invasive measurement of endothelial function in conduit arteries reflects that of subcutaneous resistance arteries measured in vitro. Methods and Results Sixteen essential hypertensive patients (aged 50 ± 2 years) were studied. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) during reactive hyperemia (endothelium-dependent) and sublingual nitroglycerin (NTG)-induced dilatation (endothelium-independent) were assessed in brachial arteries by ultrasound. Structure, and acetylcholine (10−9 to 10−4 mol/l) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 10−8 to 10−3 mol/l)-induced vasorelaxation of resistance arteries dissected from gluteal subcutaneous biopsies were measured in vitro using a pressurized myograph. Brachial artery FMD and NTG-induced dilatation were 8.4 ± 1.0 and 18.1 ± 1.4%, respectively. Resistance arteries of hypertensive patients showed greater media : lumen ratio (8.6 ± 0.4 versus 5.9 ± 0.3% in normotensive subjects, P < 0.01), and maximal acetylcholine responses was diminished to 75 ± 6% compared to normotensive subjects (97 ± 2%, P < 0.01). FMD correlated with maximal acetylcholine responses (r2 = 0.57, P < 0.001). FMD did not correlate significantly with the media : lumen ratio of resistance arteries (r2 =− 0.22, P = 0.07). By multivariate analysis, FMD predicted resistance artery endothelial function independently of age, sex, body mass index, blood lipid status and lumen diameter of brachial artery (β = 0.81, P < 0.001). Conclusions Endothelial dilatory responses are similar in large and small arteries in hypertensive patients. Abnormal FMD in the brachial artery predicts the presence of endothelial dysfunction in human resistance arteries, suggesting that impairment of endothelial function is a generalized alteration in hypertension. Ultrasound measurement of endothelial dysfunction in the brachial artery appears to be less sensitive than in-vitro measurement in resistance arteries.
Religiosity as a Protective Factor Against the Use of Drugs

Although many studies have suggested that risk and protective factors are related to the use of drugs, their role has not been given due importance. More attention to protective factors could make them a fundamental tool in prevention programs. Since low socioeconomic level and adolescence are known as risk factors, the aim of this study was to identify which factors would prevent Brazilian adolescents from low-income families from using drugs. A qualitative method and an intentional sample selected by criteria were adopted for this investigation. During 2003, sixty-two youngsters, ages 16 to 24 years old, 30 drug users, and 32 nonusers were administered a semistructured interview. The subjects perceived family and religiosity as important protective factors in their lives. With regard to religiosity, 81% of nonusers believed in and practiced a religion, whereas only 13% of users considered themselves as being religious. The belief in and practice of a religion were also more evident among family members of nonusers (74%) than those of users (33%). These results indicated that religion may be a relevant protective factor for the sample studied, helping the family unit in keeping youth away from drugs. The study's limitations were noted.
Relationships Between Vertical Jump and Full Squat Power Outputs With Sprint Times in U21 Soccer Players

Relationships Between Vertical Jump and Full Squat Power Outputs With Sprint Times in U21 Soccer Players The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between power variables in the vertical jump and full squat with the sprint performance in soccer players. Fourteen under-21 soccer players were evaluated in two testing sessions separated by 7 days. In the first testing session, vertical jump height in countermovement was assessed, and power output for both loaded countermovement jump (CMJL) and full squat (FS) exercises in two progressive load tests. The second testing session included sprinting at 10, 20, and 30m (T10, T20, T30, T10-20, T10-30, T20-30). Power variables obtained in the loaded vertical jump with 20kg and full squat exercise with 70kg showed significant relationships with all split times (r=-0.56/-0.79; p≤ 0.01/0.01). The results suggest that power produced either with vertical jump or full squat exercises is an important factor to explain short sprint performance in soccer players. These findings might suggest that certain levels of neuromuscular activation are more related with sprint performance reflecting the greater suitability of loads against others for the improvement of short sprint ability in under-21 soccer players.
Closed-form Formulas for Adhesion Energy of Blister Tests Under Pressure and Point Load

Based on the nonlinear finite element analysis results and the known theoretical equations for the two extreme regimes of bending plate and stretching membrane, we propose two new closed-form formulas for determining the adhesion energy or interfacial energy release rate for pressurized and point-loaded blister tests. A comparison with existing experimental data shows that the present formulas can predict energy release rate well in the full range of all parameters, covering all three regimes of bending plate, transition from plate to membrane, and stretching membrane, for both pressurized and point-loaded blister tests.
SECRETION AND ENDOCYTOSIS IN INSULIN-STIMULATED RAT ADRENAL MEDULLA CELLS

Insulin was used to deplete the adrenalin stores of rat adrenal medulla cells. Release of secretion was observed to occur by exocytosis. In addition, during the stages of massive release of secretory granules, the insulin-treated preparations showed greatly enhanced endocytic uptake of horseradish peroxidase. The tracer was taken up within vesicles, tubules, multivesicular bodies, and dense bodies. From acid phosphatase studies and from previous work it appears that many of the structures in which peroxidase accumulates are lysosomes or are destined to fuse with lysosomes. Subsequent to the period of intense exocytosis and endocytosis, there is a transient accumulation of lipid droplets in the adrenalin cells. The cells then regranulate, with new granules forming near the Golgi region. These results suggest that under the conditions used, much of the membrane that initially surrounds secretory granules is degraded after release of the granules.
Fluids during diagenesis and sulfate vein formation in sediments at Gale crater, Mars

We model the fluids involved in the alteration processes recorded in the Sheepbed Member mudstones of Yellowknife Bay (YKB), Gale crater, Mars, as revealed by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover investigations. We compare the Gale crater waters with fluids modeled for shergottites, nakhlites, and the ancient meteorite ALH 84001, as well as rocks analyzed by the Mars Exploration rovers, and with terrestrial ground and surface waters. The aqueous solution present during sediment alteration associated with phyllosilicate formation at Gale was high in Na, K, and Si; had low Mg, Fe, and Al concentrations—relative to terrestrial groundwaters such as the Deccan Traps and other modeled Mars fluids; and had near neutral to alkaline pH. Ca and S species were present in the 10−3 to 10−2 concentration range. A fluid local to Gale crater strata produced the alteration products observed by Curiosity and subsequent evaporation of this groundwater‐type fluid formed impure sulfate‐ and silica‐rich deposits—veins or horizons. In a second, separate stage of alteration, partial dissolution of this sulfate‐rich layer in Yellowknife Bay, or beyond, led to the pure sulfate veins observed in YKB. This scenario is analogous to similar processes identified at a terrestrial site in Triassic sediments with gypsum veins of the Mercia Mudstone Group in Watchet Bay, UK.
Remembering the stars?: effect of time on preference retrieval from memory

Many recommendation systems rely on explicit ratings provided by their users. Often these ratings are provided long after consuming the item, relying heavily on people's representation of the quality of the item in memory. This paper investigates a psychological process, the "positivity effect", that influences the retrieval of quality judgments from our memory by which pleasant items are being processed and recalled from memory more effectively than unpleasant items. In an offline study on the MovieLens data we used the time between release date and rating date as a proxy for the time between consumption and rating. Ratings for movies tend to increase over time, consistent with the positivity effect. A subsequent online user study used a direct measure of time between rating and consumption, by asking users to rate movies (recently aired on television) and to explicitly report how long ago they watched these movies. In contrast to the offline study we find that ratings tend to decline over time showing reduced accuracy in ratings for items experienced long ago. We discuss the impact these rating dynamics might have on recommender algorithms, especially in cases where a new user has to submit his preferences to a system.
Effect of the Hand-Omitted Tool Motion on mu Rhythm Suppression

In the present study, we investigated the effect of the image of hands on mu rhythm suppression invoked by the observation of a series of tool-based actions in a goal-directed activity. The participants were 11 university students. As a source of visual stimuli to be used in the test, a video animation of the porcelain making process for museums was used. In order to elucidate the effect of hand imagery, the image of hands was omitted from the original (“hand image included”) version of the animation to prepare another (“hand image omitted”) version. The present study has demonstrated that, an individual watching an instructive animation on the porcelain making process, the image of the porcelain maker’s hands can activate the mirror neuron system (MNS). In observations of “tool included” clips, even the “hand image omitted” clip induced significant mu rhythm suppression in the right central area. These results suggest that the visual observation of a tool-based action may be able to activate the MNS even in the absence of hand imagery.
Impact of the six nucleotides downstream of the stop codon on translation termination

The efficiency of translation termination is influenced by local contexts surrounding stop codons. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, upstream and downstream sequences act synergistically to influence the translation termination efficiency. By analysing derivatives of a leaky stop codon context, we initially demonstrated that at least six nucleotides after the stop codon are a key determinant of readthrough efficiency in S. cerevisiae. We then developed a combinatorial‐based strategy to identify poor 3′ termination contexts. By screening a degenerate oligonucleotide library, we identified a consensus sequence –CA(A/G)N(U/C/G)A–, which promotes >5% readthrough efficiency when located downstream of a UAG stop codon. Potential base pairing between this stimulatory motif and regions close to helix 18 and 44 of the 18S rRNA provides a model for the effect of the 3′ stop codon context on translation termination.
Fabrication of Ultra-Sensitive Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Sensors (CNTFES) for Biomedical Applications

In this paper we propose a novel method for the realization of carbon nanotube field-effect sensors (CNTFESs) which will most likely have a strong impact on the next-generation of sensors. CNTFESs are ideally suitable for biomedical sensor applications due to their excellent inherent properties such as ultra small size, high specific surface area and extremely high sensitivity. CNTFESs are based on carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) which are optimized for sensor applications. We have succeeded to develop a simple, reproducible fabrication process to grow individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and SWNT-networks directly within the specified device area. No tedious manual manipulation and alignment of the SWNTs is necessary. Electrical results of the fabricated fully functional CNTFETs are presented and the use of these devices as SWNT-based field-effect controlled sensors for virus detection is discussed.
Knowledge and implicature: Modeling language understanding as social cognition

Is language understanding a special case of social cognition? To help evaluate this view, we can formalize it as the rational speech-act theory: Listeners assume that speakers choose their utterances approximately optimally, and listeners interpret an utterance by using Bayesian inference to "invert" this model of the speaker. We apply this framework to model scalar implicature ("some" implies "not all," and "N" implies "not more than N"). This model predicts an interaction between the speaker's knowledge state and the listener's interpretation. We test these predictions in two experiments and find good fit between model predictions and human judgments.
Bioavailability of dissolved organic phosphorus in the euphotic zone at Station ALOHA, North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

The biologically available phosphorus (BAP) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations and phosphorus (P) uptake rates within the euphotic zone (0–175 m) were measured on eight cruises between October 2000 and November 2001 to Sta. ALOHA (22.75°N, 158°W) in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The SRP concentrations in the upper 100 m ranged from 7 to 84 nmol P L−1, with a mean concentration of 41 nmol P L−1 (SE = 4,n = 40). The BAP pool consistently exceeded the SRP pool by factors of 1.4–2.8 in the upper 100 m, the additional P amounting to 7–15% of the dissolved organic P (DOP) pool, assuming that the measured SRP pool is fully bioavailable. Mean P uptake rates, based on SRP concentrations, ranged from 0.8 to 4.0 nmol P L−1 d−1, with the highest rates in the surface waters decreasing with increasing depth. Mean P uptake rates that are based on BAP concentrations ranged from 0.6 to 8.0 nmol P L−1 d−1, with a maximum at ~45 m, the depth corresponding to the highest adenosine‐5′‐triphosphate concentrations and highest DOP: SRP ratios. In the 125–175‐m depth interval, SRP concentrations increased from 74 to 200 nmol P L−1 and DOP declined by an average of 70 nmol P L−1. Because of the lower DOP concentrations at these depths, the contribution to BAP from the DOP pool increased to ~25%. These results indicate that the microbial community utilizes combined P compounds for their P nutrition simultaneously and, on average, uses them to the same extent as SRP in the upper water column. These results have important implications for P biogeochemistry in low‐inorganic nutrient environments.
Feedback control stabilization of the no-motion state of a fluid confined in a horizontal porous layer heated from below

We consider a horizontal three-dimensional saturated porous layer, confined in an upright cubic box, heated from below and cooled from above. In the absence of a controller, the fluid maintains a no-motion state for subcritical Rayleigh numbers R < Rc, where Rc depends on the box's aspect ratio. Once this critical number is exceeded, fluid motion ensues. We demonstrate that, with the use of feedback control strategies which suppress flow instabilities, one can maintain a stable no-motion state for Rayleigh numbers far exceeding the classical critical one for the onset of convection. To preserve the equilibrium no-motion state of the classical problem, the controller alters the system's dynamics so as to stabilize an otherwise non-stable state.