Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrical injection Ga(AsBi)/(AlGa)As single quantum well laser

The Ga(AsBi) material system opens opportunities in the field of high efficiency infrared laser diodes. We report on the growth, structural investigations, and lasing properties of dilute bismide Ga(AsBi)/(AlGa)As single quantum well lasers with 2.2% Bi grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates. Electrically injected laser operation at room temperature is achieved with a threshold current density of 1.56 kA/cm2 at an emission wavelength of ∼947 nm. These results from broad area devices show great promise for developing efficient IR laser diodes based on this emerging materials system.
A Specific Role of the Yeast Mitochondrial Carriers Mrs3/4p in Mitochondrial Iron Acquisition under Iron-limiting Conditions*

The yeast genes MRS3 and MRS4 encode two members of the mitochondrial carrier family with high sequence similarity. To elucidate their function we utilized genome-wide expression profiling and found that both deletion and overexpression of MRS3/4 lead to up-regulation of several genes of the “iron regulon. ” We therefore analyzed the two major iron-utilizing processes, heme formation and Fe/S protein biosynthesis in vivo, in organello (intact mitochondria), and in vitro (mitochondrial extracts). Radiolabeling of yeast cells with 55Fe revealed a clear correlation between MRS3/4 expression levels and the efficiency of these biosynthetic reactions indicating a role of the carriers in utilization and/or transport of iron in vivo. Similar effects on both heme formation and Fe/S protein biosynthesis were seen in organello using mitochondria isolated from cells grown under iron-limiting conditions. The correlation between MRS3/4 expression levels and the efficiency of the two iron-utilizing processes was lost upon detergent lysis of mitochondria. As no significant changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential were observed upon overexpression or deletion of MRS3/4, our results suggest that Mrs3/4p carriers are directly involved in mitochondrial iron uptake. Mrs3/4p function in mitochondrial iron transport becomes evident under iron-limiting conditions only, indicating that the two carriers do not represent the sole system for mitochondrial iron acquisition.
Assessing changes in composition of intestinal microbiota in neonatal BALB/c mice through cluster analysis of molecular markers

The present study introduced a molecular biological approach to demonstrate changes in the composition of intestinal microbiota in neonatal mice. Female BALB/c mice were fed either a control diet or a diet supplemented with fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) at 50 g/kg diet, and then mated to male mice. A cultivation-independent approach, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene, was performed to characterise changes in intestinal microbial populations in pups at 0, 7, 14 and 21 d old and their dams. Comparisons of DGGE profiles were performed using the Dice similarity coefficient and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) cluster analysis based on numbers, positions and intensities of bands. DGGE profiles differed between dams fed control and FOS-supplemented diets. Although profiles in pups on the day of birth showed a high similarity with dams, profiles in 7-d-old pups differed from dams and showed high similarity to littermates. In 14- and 21-d-old pups, profiles again showed high similarity with dams. DGGE profiles in pups were divided into two large clusters of control and FOS-supplemented diet groups in the range of 0- to 21-d-old, suggesting modulation of intestinal microbiota in infants by manipulation of microbiota in dams. The present study shows a useful technique for demonstrating changes in intestinal microbiota and provides a mouse model for modulation of intestinal microbiota in neonatal life.
An 11 000‐year record of vegetation and environment from Lago di Martignano, Latium, Italy

A pollen diagram from Lago di Martignano, a maar lake in central Italy, provides an 11000-year record of vegetation and environment change. The earliest pollen spectra are dominated by Artemisia and Gramineae, representing late glacial steppe vegetation typical of the Mediterranean region. Broad-leaved forests were established by ca. 11 000 yr BP. Although Quercus initially dominated their canopy, a wide range of other mesophyllous trees were also present. Pollen values for sclerophyllous tree and shrub taxa characteristic of Mediterranean woodlands and scrub are initially low ( 40% of total land pollen at ca. 6700 yr BP, with Olea europaea the single most abundant taxon. Human influence upon the vegetation only becomes significant somewhat after this peak, with progressive clearance of woodland and expansion of herbaceous communities. Castanea sativa and luglans regia pollen is recorded consistently from the beginning of the rise in pollen values for taxa characteristic of Mediterranean scrub communities. Pollen values for arable crops increase progressively after ca. 5500 yr BP, following the peak pollen values for taxa characteristic of Mediterranean scrub vegetation. Late glacial and Holocene climate changes have been complex in this region, with the present character of the climate developing only during the last millennium. Rates of change of pollen spectra peak during this period.
Impact of satellite rainfall assimilation on Weather Research and Forecasting model predictions over the Indian region

Rainfall is probably the most important parameter that is predicted by numerical weather prediction models, though the skill of rainfall prediction is the poorest compared to other parameters, e.g., temperature and humidity. In this study, the impact of rainfall assimilation on mesoscale model forecasts is evaluated during Indian summer monsoon 2011. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and its four‐dimensional variational data assimilation system are used to assimilate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission 3B42 and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation retrieved rainfall. A total of five experiments are performed daily with and without assimilation of rainfall data during the entire month of July 2011. Separate assimilation experiments are performed to assess the sensitivity of WRF model forecast with strict and less strict quality control. Assimilation of rainfall improves the forecast of temperature, specific humidity, and wind speed. Domain average improvement parameter of rainfall forecast is also improved over the Indian landmass when compared with NOAA Climate Prediction Center Morphing technique and Indian Meteorological Department gridded rainfall.
The Effects of Repetition on Children's True and False Reports

As children are often called upon to provide testimony in court proceedings, determining the veracity of their statements is an important issue. In the course of investigation by police and social workers, children are often repeatedly interviewed about their experiences, though the impact of this repetition on children's true and false statements remains largely unexamined. The current study analysed semantic differences in children's truthful and fabricated statements about an event they had or had not participated in. Results revealed that children's truthful and fabricated reports differed in linguistic content, and that their language also varied with repetition. Discriminant analyses revealed that with repetition, children's true and false reports became increasingly difficult to differentiate using linguistic markers, though true reports were consistently classified correctly at higher rates than false reports. The implications of these findings for legal procedures concerning child witnesses are discussed.
Snowfall over central‐eastern China and Asian atmospheric cold source in January

In January 2008, a severe snowstorm disaster occurred in central‐eastern China. Using the monthly means from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction‐National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP‐NCAR) reanalysis data set and the observations from surface stations of China for the period 1953–2008, we statistically investigate the relationship between the January snowstorm weather over central‐eastern China and the synchronous atmospheric thermal condition over the Asian continent. The results show that the extreme snowfall weather over central‐eastern China is closely associated with the Asian atmospheric cold source (AACS) in January. When AACS is weak (corresponding to a higher AACS value), the heavy snowfall weather appears in central‐eastern China. The values of both AACS and snowfall over central‐eastern China in 2008 are most anomalous during the recent 30 years. This link may be explained by the atmospheric circulation well. Under a weak AACS (with a higher AACS value), a 500‐mb anomalous low covers the mid‐low latitudes of Asia, accompanying an anomalous high over the eastern coasts of East Asia. Accordingly, the southerly wind anomalies between the anomalous low and high prevail in the lower troposphere over central‐eastern China, with the northerly wind anomalies prevail over this region at the surface, which also strengthen upward motion over central‐eastern China. The southerly wind anomalies transport more water vapour into central‐eastern China from both the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal. These anomalies in the atmospheric circulation are responsible for the formation of the heavy snowfall weather in central‐eastern China. Compared to both the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation and Arctic Oscillation during winter, the thermal condition over the Asian continent has a closer relationship with the occurrence of the heavy snowfall weather over central‐eastern China. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
Seismic imaging of the laterally varying D″ region beneath the Cocos Plate

SUMMARY We use an axisymmetric, spherical Earth finite difference algorithm to model SH-wave propagation through cross-sections of laterally varying lower mantle models beneath the Cocos Plate derived from recent data analyses. Synthetic seismograms with dominant periods as short as 4 s are computed for several models: (1) a D �� reflector 264 km above the core‐mantle boundary with laterally varying S-wave velocity increases of 0.9‐2.6 per cent, based on localized structures from a 1-D double-array stacking method; (2) an undulating D �� reflector with large topography and uniform velocity increase obtained using a 3-D migration method and (3) cross-sections through the 3-D mantle S-wave velocity tomography model TXBW. We apply double-array stacking to assess model predictions of data. Of the models explored, the S-wave tomography model TXBW displays the best overall agreement with data. The undulating reflector produces a double Scd arrival that may be useful in future studies for distinguishing between D �� volumetric heterogeneity and D �� discontinuity topography. Synthetics for the laterally varying models show waveform variability not observed in 1-D model predictions. It is challenging to predict 3-D structure based on localized 1-D models when lateral structural variations are on the order of a few wavelengths of the energy used, particularly for the grazing geometry of our data. Iterative approaches of computing synthetic seismograms and adjusting model characteristics by considering path integral effects are necessary to accurately model fine-scale D �� structure.
Regional Quantitative Retrieval of Aerosol Optical Depth using Terra and Aqua MODIS Data

With the launches of the MODIS sensors on the Terra and Aqua spacecrafts, new data sets of the Earth surface are obtained, and a aerosol retrieval model by exploiting the synergy of Terra and Aqua MODIS data was promoted. Thereafter, its aerosol optical depth products have been continuously evaluated and validated. Most of these validation studies have shown that although MODIS generally derived aerosol optical depth to within the expected error, MODIS tended to poor quality when there is a visible difference in aerosol size distributions between the two pass observations time. To solve this problem, the model was improved, one visible channel was import, and the model was reconstructed. In order to validate what were mentioned above, a case study over Beijing was provided, and preliminary validations have been carried out by comparing with AERONET measured data. This algorithm has been tested. Compared with co-located AERONET site, the new MODIS algorithm retrieves aerosol optical depth more accurately than the previous. MODIS/AERONET tau regression has an equation of y = 1.0496x - 0.0106, R2 = 0.9931.
Stress is in the eye of the beholder

Despite a long history and a large volume of affective research, measuring affective states is still a non-trivial task that is complicated by numerous conceptual and methodological decisions that the researcher has to make. We suggest that inconsistent results reported in some areas of research can be partially explained by the choice of measurements that capture different manifestations of affective phenomena, or focus on different elements of affective processes. In the present study we examine one of such topics - a relationship between stress and individual's work role. In a 2-week, multi-method in situ study we collected affective information from 40 subjects. All participants provided continuous physiological (cardiovascular) data for the entire duration of the study, submitted multiple daily self-reports of momentary affect, and filled out a onetime assessment of the global perceived stress. We found that individuals' job role (specifically, decision-making workload) was not related to the cumulative measures of momentary affect, but was negatively correlated with the overall level of perceived stress. We further found that this negative relationship was partially mediated by individuals' coping behaviors. Our results emphasize the important difference between fleeting and global (appraised) affective states, and remind about intervening variables that can significantly modify affective processes. We suggest directions for future research and discuss practical applications for stress management.
Effect of pH on the production of the antitumor antibiotic retamycin by Streptomyces olindensis

The effect of pH on cell growth and retamycin production in batch bioreactor cultures of Streptomyces olindensis ICB20 was investigated. In fermentations pH‐controlled over the range 6.0–8.0, the highest retamycin production was achieved at pH 7.0, and the maximum concentration of retamycin, about 1.36 A (absorbance) units, was about 43, 58 and 232% higher than the values obtained at pH 7.5, 6.0 and 8.0 respectively.
A Case of Bardet Biedl Syndrome

SUMMARY Bardet Biedl syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive condition with a wide spectrum of clinical features. The accepted major criteria for diagnosis include retinal dystrophy, obesity, polydactyl, male hypogonadism, mental retardation and renal dysfunction. We presented an 11 years old boy patient exhibiting characteristic features of this syndrome. In the light of this case, the literature about Bardet Biedl syndrome was reviewed.
Adverse Events in HIV-Infected Persons Receiving Antiretroviral Drug Regimens in a Large Urban Slum in Nairobi, Kenya, 2003-2005

Objective : This article describes toxicities to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-infected patients receiving care at a clinic in a large urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: Patients were treated with nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based ART and followed at scheduled intervals. Frequencies and cumulative probabilities of toxicities were calculated. Results: Among 283 patients starting ART, any and severe clinical toxicity were recorded as 65% and 6%, respectively. Cumulative probabilities for remaining free of any and severe clinical toxicities at 6, 12, and 18 months, were 0.47, 0.26, and 0.17, respectively and 0.98, 0.95, and 0.89, respectively. The probability of remaining free from elevated and grade 3 or 4 serum aminotransferase (AST) at 6, 12, and 18 months were 0.62, 0.42, and 0.21, respectively, and 0.99 at 6, 12, and 18 months. Conclusions: ART toxicities were frequent, but severe toxicities were less common. In resource-limited settings, ART toxicity should not represent a barrier to care.
Fast LBP Face Detection on Low-Power SIMD Architectures

This paper presents an embedded implementation of a face detection method based on boosted LBP features for Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) architectures. The implementation exploits parallelism and data reuse in the detection algorithm and is integrated into CogniVue's Gen-1 APEX platform, which uses a SIMD design and is extremely energy efficient. The proposed embedded face detection system runs at 5 VGA frames per second, while providing similar accuracy to the PC version of the LBP face detection algorithm included in the OpenCV library.
Increased MIBG uptake after transfer of the human norepinephrine transporter gene in rat hepatoma.

UNLABELLED The transport of MIBG by the human norepinephrine transporter (hNET) seems to be the critical step in the treatment of MIBG-concentrating tumors. Therefore, we investigated whether the accumulation of MIBG may be induced by retroviral transfection of the hNET gene in Morris hepatoma cells. METHODS A bicistronic retroviral vector for the transfer of the hNET coding sequence and the hygromycin resistance gene was generated. Morris hepatoma cells (MH3924A) were infected with the respective retroviral particles, and hNET-expressing cell lines MHhNEThyg1 to MHhNEThyg9 were obtained through hygromycin selection. The uptake of (3)H-norepinephrine or (131)I-MIBG and the efflux of (131)I-MIBG were determined in transfected and wild-type cells. In addition, the (131)I-MIBG distribution was monitored in nude mice and rats bearing wild-type and hNET-expressing hepatomas. RESULTS hNET-expressing hepatoma cell lines accumulated up to 36 times more norepinephrine than did wild-type cells and 8 times more than did hNET-expressing neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH. The addition of nisoxetine, a selective inhibitor of noradrenaline uptake, inhibited norepinephrine uptake. Maximal (131)I-MIBG accumulation was observed 2 h after incubation and was followed by 43% efflux within 4 h after the (131)I-MIBG-containing medium had been removed. In vivo experiments performed with nude mice bearing both hNET-expressing and wild-type tumors showed a 10-fold-higher accumulation of (131)I-MIBG in transfected tumors than in wild-type tumors. The ex vivo calculations revealed doses of 605 and 75 mGy in hNET-expressing and wild-type tumor tissues, respectively. CONCLUSION Transduction of the hNET gene enables Morris hepatoma cells to accumulate norepinephrine and MIBG. However, the retention of MIBG is brief; therefore, the absorbed dose of radiation in vivo is not expected to be therapeutically effective.
Trophic controls delaying foraging by termites: reasons for the ground being brown?

Abstract Why is the ground brown, when detritivores and decomposers have the numbers and ability to speed up the turnover of dark-coloured soil organic carbon? We consider this soil analogue to the ‘green world’ hypothesis measuring in the field how fast termites occupied cellulosic baits of varying quantity and quality and how predation risks by ants affect such encounters. Single baits with ants were occupied by termites later than triple baits without ants, implying that termites may spend longer searching for suitable food than feeding on it, thereby delaying decomposition rates of both chosen and neglected items. Because termites' feeding speeds up dissimilation of polymers by decomposers, such results may imply that bottom-up and top-down forces, ultimately, impair carbon processing and release from soil. We argue that the ground is brown partly because of delays imposed upon termites' use of resources by bottom-up and top-down forces.
Performance of WASMOD and SWAT on hydrological simulation in Yingluoxia watershed in northwest of China

Two hydrological models with different structures and spatial capabilities are selected to simulate the runoff and actual evapotranspiration (AET) in Yingluoxia watershed, the upper reaches of Heihe River basin in northwest of China, to validate their performances in simulating hydrological processes. They are calibrated against the observed runoff at the watershed outlet (Yingluoxia station) for the period from 1990 to 1996 and validated for the period from 1997 to 2000. Results show that in terms of the simulated hydrograph against observations and the two selected objective functions, the conceptual, lumped Water And Snow balance MODeling system (WASMOD) with simple model structure could give the same, even better results than the semi‐distributed Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with complex structure. Compared with other model applications to the watershed, simulation for monthly runoff made in this study seems better. With regard to AET, results calculated from both models are comparable as well. Both WASMOD and SWAT are proved to be suitable and satisfactory tools in simulating hydrological processes in the study area, although both of them have strengths and limitations in applications. WASMOD model may be one of the promising alternatives in hydrological modelling. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new health check of the ozone layer at global and regional scales

In this study, we provide a new perspective on the current state of the ozone layer using a comprehensive long‐term total ozone data record which has been recently released within the framework of the European Space Agency's Climate Change Initiative. Based on a multivariate regression analysis, we disentangle various aspects of ozone change and variability on global and regional scales, thus enabling the monitoring of the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol. Given dominant natural variability the expected midlatitude onset of ozone recovery is still not significant and would need additional 5 years of observations to be unequivocally detectable. A regional increase in the tropics is a likely manifestation of a long‐term change in El Niño–Southern Oscillation intensity over the last two decades induced by strong El Niño in 1997/1998 and strong La Niña in 2010/2011.
Dependence of bare soil albedo on soil moisture on the moraine of the Zongo glacier (Bolivia): Implications for land surface modeling

Although the dependence of bare soil albedo on soil moisture is a familiar observation, it is not commonly represented in climate modeling. We investigate the impact of this dependence in a land surface model (LSM) using meteorological data collected on the moraine of a Bolivian glacier. The relationship which is implemented to simulate albedo variations with soil moisture is deduced from a previous ﬁeld study. The model is set up at the scale of the meteorological station plot to have the most accurate control on the model calibration and validation. A snow parameter is modiﬁed to account for the fact that the model was designed for larger cell sizes. Water content measurements are used to calibrate the parameter controlling the vertical water ﬂuxes within the soil surface layer. This allows us to enhance the model's ability to capture the fast changes in surface soil moisture. The comparison of simulated ground heat ﬂux and outgoing longwave radiations with observations shows that the model performs well despite the fact that all other parameters are set a priori based on local properties of the surface. The results show that the dependence of bare soil albedo on soil moisture, which causes an increase in the net radiation, importantly inﬂuences the turbulent ﬂuxes at the annual and monthly timescales. The mean annual evaporation is increased by 12%. As a consequence, this parameterization modiﬁes the computed runoﬀ, which is reduced by more than 5% during the rainy season.