Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intra‐storm evaporation as a component of canopy interception loss in dryland shrubs: observations from Fowlers Gap, Australia

Interception losses from the canopies of dryland plant taxa remain poorly understood, especially the relative contributions of intra‐storm and post‐storm evaporative losses. Employing a new measuring apparatus, this study uses low‐intensity simulated rain, matched to the properties of local rain, to explore interception processes in bluebush shrubs at an Australian dryland site. Five shrub specimens were exposed to simulated rain for 60–90 min. Experiments were repeated at three rainfall intensities (10, 15, and 20 mm h−1). Canopy evaporation was found from the difference between the flux of water delivered to the shrub and the flux of throughfall, once equilibrium had been established. The results show that evaporation from the wet foliage during rain proceeds at an average rate of 3·6 mm h−1. This figure is for relatively cool spring‐season conditions; evaporation rates in hot summer conditions would be larger. Intra‐storm evaporation is shown to exceed post‐rain evaporation from interception storage on the shrubs, and this differentiates dryland shrub interception processes from those of the better‐studied wet forest environment. Implications of the high dryland shrub canopy evaporation rates for aspects of dryland ecology are highlighted. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Kinetic control of skeletal Sr/Ca in a symbiotic coral: Implications for the paleotemperature proxy

Modeling of past climates is critically dependent on estimates of past sea surface temperatures (SSTs), for which one of the principal techniques used is the measurement of Sr/Ca ratios in corals [Guilderson et al., 1994; McCulloch et al., 1999; Hughen et al., 1999]. The link between coral Sr/Ca and SST is not well-understood and there have been a number of discrepant observations [de Villiers et al., 1995; Alibert, 1998]. Corals with symbiotic zooxanthellae are known to show large diurnal fluctuations in calcification rate associated with the photosynthetic activity of their symbionts. Using detailed measurements with the ion microprobe, we compared the Sr/Ca content of discrete daytime and nighttime skeletal structures in the massive hermatypic coral Porties lutea over the course of 1 year and a seasonal temperature range of 4°C. The Sr/Ca content of daytime skeleton is always lower than that of adjacent nighttime skeleton. While the slope of the nighttime Sr/Ca-SST correlation is close to that seen in inorganic aragonite precipitates, that of the daytime correlation is >4 times as steep. We attribute these differences to the role of photosynthesis in calcification and conclude that bulk Sr/Ca is related principally to daytime calcification rate rather than directly to SST. More reliable estimates of past SST may be arrived at through selective analysis of nighttime skeleton.
Osteoblast differentiation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts is associated with changes in the IGF-I/IGFBP expression pattern

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) are essential regulators for osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. It has been reported that Dexamethasone (Dex), an active glucocorticoid (GC) analogue, synergizes the stimulatory effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) on osteoblast differentiation in the mouse fibroblastic cell line NIH3T3. I investigated whether this stimulatory effect is associated with changes in the expression pattern of the IGF/IGFBP system. Quantitative real-time PCR technology was used to quantify the gene expression levels of the IGF-system during osteoblast differentiation and in response to 1,25(OH)2D3 or Dex alone under serum-containing and serum-free culture conditions. Interestingly, NIH3T3 was shown to express high mRNA levels of IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-5, and low levels of both IGFBP-2 and-6. During osteoblast differentiation (days 6-12), IGF-I mRNA was repressed by more than 60%, while the transcript of IGFBP-5 was markedly up-regulated, by more than 50-fold. Similarly, treatment with Dex alone resulted in a dose-and time-dependent increase in the expression of IGFBP-5 and a decrease in IGF-I mRNA. Treatment with 1,25(OH)2D3 alone increased the mRNA levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-6 by around 4-and 7-fold, respectively, in a dose-and time-dependent manner. In conclusion, my data demonstrated that osteoblast differentiation of NIH3T3 is associated with changes in the expression pattern of IGFs/IGFBPs, which are regulated by glucocorticoid in the presence of 1,25(OH)2D3. Modulation of the IGF/IGFBP levels by glucocorticoid might suggest important roles for the IGF-system in mediating the osteoblast differentiation of the NIH3T3 cell line.
Fitts’ Law in 3D Space with Coordinated Hand Movements

The study tested the applicability of Fitts’ law to coordinated hand movements in a 3D response space with. An experiment was conducted in which 20 participants performed the Fitts’ pointing tasks with varying target distances, target sizes and approaching angles from a home position. Results confirmed that Fitts’ law applies to coordinated hand movements in 3D space.
The effect of mouthrinses against oral microorganisms

This paper reviews the benefits of the use of antimicrobial mouthrinses for controlling dental biofilm. It is currently known that the human oral cavity is inhabited by approximately 600 to 700 different species of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, organized in biofilms. Biofilm accumulation represents the principal etiologic agent of oral diseases including caries and periodontal diseases. For that reason, prevention of biofilm accumulation has been shown to be associated with the control of diseases. Patient motivation and oral hygiene instruction are claimed to be a major factor influencing the degree of biofilm control. Therefore, mechanical home-care methods, including toothbrushing and flossing, represent the best way for patients to remove biofilm. For many patients, however, the elimination of all biofilm present in the oral cavity through home-care methods could be tedious and time-consuming. Additionally, some local conditions, including malpositioned teeth, presence of bridge-work or orthodontic appliances, among others, may render the mechanical control of biofilm especially difficult. Chemotherapeutic agents, including mouthrinses, could have a key role as adjuncts to daily home care, preventing and controlling supragingival plaque, gingivitis and oral malodor. Indeed, according to the ADA, the active ingredients of mouthwashes must demonstrate a therapeutic effect in vivo and in vitro to be classified as drugs. Several studies included in the present review have demonstrated the effectiveness of mouthrinses containing active ingredients such as chlorhexidine and essential oils in preventing and controlling both supragingival plaque and gingivitis, especially when used adjunctively to regular toothbrushing and flossing procedures.
Epitope mapping of the neuronal growth inhibitor Nogo‐A for the Nogo receptor and the cognate monoclonal antibody IN‐1 by means of the SPOT technique

Nogo‐A is a potent inhibitor of axonal outgrowth in the central nervous system of adult mammals, where it is expressed as a membrane protein on oligodendrocytes and in myelin. Here we describe an attempt to identify linear peptide epitopes in its sequence that are responsible for the interaction either with the Nogo receptor (NgR) or with the neutralizing monoclonal antibody IN‐1. Analysis of an array of immobilized overlapping 15 mer peptides covering the entire amino acid sequence of human Nogo‐A (1192 residues) revealed a single epitope with prominent binding activity both towards the recombinant NgR and the IN‐1 Fab fragment. Further truncation and substitution analysis yielded the minimal epitope sequence 'IKxLRRL' (x ≠ P), which occurs within the so‐called Nogo66 region (residues 1054–1120) of Nogo‐A. The bacterially produced Nogo66 fragment exhibited binding activity both for the recombinant NgR and for the IN‐1 Fab fragment on the Western blot as well as in ELISA. Unexpectedly, the synthetic epitope peptide and the recombinant Nogo66 showed cross‐reactivity with the 8‐18C5 Fab fragment, which is directed against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) as a structurally unrelated target. On the other hand, the recombinant N‐terminal domain of Nogo‐A (residues 334–966) was shown to specifically interact on the Western blot and in an ELISA with the IN‐1 Fab fragment but not with the recombinant NgR, which is in agreement with previous results. Hence, our data suggest that there is a distinct binding site for the Nogo receptor in the Nogo66 region of Nogo‐A, whereas its interaction with NgR is less specific than anticipated before. Although there probably exists a non‐linear epitope for the neutralizing antibody IN‐1 in the N‐terminal region of Nogo‐A, which is likely to be accessible from outside the cell, a previously postulated second binding site for NgR in this region (called Nogo‐A‐24) remains elusive. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Detection of colorectal tumor and inflammatory bowel disease during follow-up of patients with initial diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND We wanted to estimate the incidence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (FD) in the general population, and the detection of colorectal tumor (CRT) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) after the diagnosis of IBS and FD. METHODS Patients aged 20-79 years newly diagnosed with IBS (N = 2956) or FD (N = 9900), together with a comparison cohort randomly sampled from the general source population, were followed-up during a mean time of 3 years. RESULTS We found an overall incidence of 10.3 per 1000 person-years for FD and 2.6 per 1000 person-years for IBS. There was a greater prevalence of depression, stress, fatigue, and pain disorders among IBS and FD patients than in the general population. During the 1st year after a diagnosis of IBS the cumulative risk of detecting CRT was close to 1% in IBS patients. After the 1st year the risk of CRT in IBS patients was close to that in the general population. We found a significantly increased risk of detecting IBD among patients initially diagnosed as having IBS (relative risk (RR), 16.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 6.6-40.7), which was constant during all the follow-up period. No association was found between dyspepsia and CRT, or IBD. CONCLUSION IBS and FD shared some comorbidity features, yet demographics and incidence rates were different. Unlike the detection of colorectal tumor, the excess risk of IBD after an initial diagnosis of IBS was cumulatively increased during all the follow-up period. The continuously increased risk of IBD detection in IBS patients favors a true association between IBS and IBD.
Denitrifying Bacterial Communities Affect Current Production and Nitrous Oxide Accumulation in a Microbial Fuel Cell

The biocathodic reduction of nitrate in Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) is an alternative to remove nitrogen in low carbon to nitrogen wastewater and relies entirely on microbial activity. In this paper the community composition of denitrifiers in the cathode of a MFC is analysed in relation to added electron acceptors (nitrate and nitrite) and organic matter in the cathode. Nitrate reducers and nitrite reducers were highly affected by the operational conditions and displayed high diversity. The number of retrieved species-level Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) for narG, napA, nirS and nirK genes was 11, 10, 31 and 22, respectively. In contrast, nitrous oxide reducers remained virtually unchanged at all conditions. About 90% of the retrieved nosZ sequences grouped in a single OTU with a high similarity with Oligotropha carboxidovorans nosZ gene. nirS-containing denitrifiers were dominant at all conditions and accounted for a significant amount of the total bacterial density. Current production decreased from 15.0 A·m−3 NCC (Net Cathodic Compartment), when nitrate was used as an electron acceptor, to 14.1 A·m−3 NCC in the case of nitrite. Contrarily, nitrous oxide (N2O) accumulation in the MFC was higher when nitrite was used as the main electron acceptor and accounted for 70% of gaseous nitrogen. Relative abundance of nitrite to nitrous oxide reducers, calculated as (qnirS+qnirK)/qnosZ, correlated positively with N2O emissions. Collectively, data indicate that bacteria catalysing the initial denitrification steps in a MFC are highly influenced by main electron acceptors and have a major influence on current production and N2O accumulation.
What Explains the Variation in Estimates of Labour Supply Elasticities?

This paper performs a meta-analysis of empirical estimates of uncompensated labour supply elasticities. We find that much of the variation in elasticities can be explained by the variation in gender, participation rates, and country fixed effects. Country differences appear to be small though. There is no systematic impact of the model specification or marital status on reported elasticities. The decision to participate is more responsive than is the decision regarding hours worked. Even at the intensive margin, we find that the elasticity for women exceeds that for men. For men and women in the Netherlands, we predict an uncompensated labour supply elasticity of 0.1 (or 0.2 if an alternative specification is preferred) and 0.5, respectively. These values are robust for alternative samples and specifications of the meta regression.
Involvement of IL‐17A‐producing TCR γδ T cells in late protective immunity against pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Interleukin (IL)‐17A is a cytokine originally reported to induce neutrophil‐mediated inflammation and anti‐microbial activity. The CD4+ T cells, which produce IL‐17A, have been well characterized as Th17 cells. On the other hand, IL‐17A‐producing TCR γδ+ T cells have been reported to participate in the immune response at an early stage of infection with Listeria monocytogenes and Mycobacterium bovis in mice. However, the involvement of IL‐17A in protective immunity was not clearly demonstrated in the chronic stage of M. tuberculosis‐infected mice.
Quality Evaluation of Mozzarella Cheese from Different Milk Types

Mozzarella cheeses prepared from buffalo, cow and their mixture (1:1) using commercially available starter cultures (Streptococcus. thermophilus and Lactobacillus. bulgaricus) (1:1). Resultant cheeses were examined when fresh and during storage period at 5 ±1C for 4 weeks. The cow milk Mozzarella cheese tended to be softer, slightly better in flexibility and contained slightly higher moisture, fat and salt contents whereas buffalo milk Mozzarella cheese had higher protein content. Cheeses were also evaluated for meltability (to assess the functionality of cooked cheeses), stretchability, oiling off, microstructure and organoleptic quality. Mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk showed lower contents of soluble nitrogen and total volatile fatty acids than cheese made from other milks. The electrophoretic pattern of proteins from different milk showed the presence of ∝s and B-casein as the major components and minor fast and slow moving products. The mobility and relative intensity of the ∝sbands differs according to the type of milk. The results indicate that proteolysis in the ∝s-fraction occurred in all types of milk. Also cow milk cheese gained the highest score for organoleptic properties, while buffalo milk cheese showed the lowest quality. Mixing cow milk with buffalo milk highly improved the quality of the cheese.
Head–Putter Coordination Patterns in Expert and Less Skilled Golfers

The authors examined the patterns of expert and less skilled golfers in putting on an indoor surface to 1 of 3 circular targets (1, 3, and 5 m away) in trials with a ball present (and putted) or not present (a practice stroke). As expected, the experts performed better than the less skilled golfers on a large number of outcome and kinematic measures. Displacement and velocity profiles of the head and putter revealed high positive correlations for the less skilled golfers, indicating a dominant allocentric coordination pattern, but high negative correlations for the expert golfers, indicating a dominant egocentric coordination pattern. The observed coordination patterns did not interact with the distance of the intended putt or the presence/absence of a ball. These findings offer preliminary evidence that, although contrary to traditional beliefs, fundamental differences exist in putting coordination modes between expert and less skilled golfers.
Making the Most of Transit: Density, Employment Growth, and Ridership around New Stations

In 2008 California adopted Senate Bill (SB) 375, which requires the integration of land use and transportation planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle miles traveled (VMT). A prime example of such activities is transit-oriented development (TOD), the targeting of residential, commercial, or mixed-used development to areas around transit stations. This paper assesses how well California has achieved the integration of land use and transportation planning by looking at employment growth around new transit stations from 1996 to 2006. Three facts, presented in the paper, underscore the importance of locating transit near jobs and encouraging job growth near transit:  Transit ridership depends on proximity to transit, especially workplace proximity.  Employment density is more strongly associated with transit ridership than residential density is.  In California, residential density is higher than the national average and rising, but employment density is lower than the national average and falling. Because employment patterns are at least as important for transit ridership as residential patterns are, and because employment patterns and commercial land use have received much less emphasis in policy work and the research literature, the analysis in this paper focuses on employment growth. Looking across the 200-plus transit stations that opened in California from 1992 to 2006, we find that these new stations were located in areas with high residential density and very high employment density. Yet the opening of new stations was not accompanied by an increase in average employment growth in the areas immediately surrounding these stations (relative to comparison areas), either when the stations opened or several years afterward. What's more, employment around new stations varied widely: Employment growth increased near 18 new stations and decreased near 20, relative to comparison areas, with the largest increases in areas that had higher residential and employment density prior to the station opening. For the rest of the stations, the difference between employment growth around the station and in the comparison areas before and after the station opening was not statistically significant. Employment growth increased most around stations located in higher-density areas. In short, we find an absence of any boost to employment growth associated with the opening of new transit stations, on average. This finding runs counter to a goal of transit-oriented development policy and suggests that California has missed an opportunity to get the maximum increase in transit ridership and reduction in VMT from its recent transit investments. …
Triggering of earthquakes during the 2000 Papua New Guinea earthquake sequence

[1] A sequence of large earthquakes occurred in the New Britain/New Ireland region of Papua New Guinea in late 2000. The sequence started with a Mw 6.8 earthquake along the New Britain Trench on 29 October. About 20 days later a Mw 8.2 earthquake occurred in the New Ireland region on 16 November and produced large strike-slip surface displacements and tsunamis. Following the Mw 8.2 event, two large earthquakes (Mw ∼ 7.5) occurred along the nearby New Britain Trench on 16 and 17 November. Furthermore, small triggered events were observed over a wide area outside of the rupture zones of the large earthquakes, with different focal mechanisms from those of the major events. There is likely some mechanism(s) that triggered this remarkable sequence, and we document the details of the spatial and temporal patterns of the events. We investigated if static stress changes can explain the initiation of the large earthquakes and also some groups of triggered smaller events. There are mixed results. The occurrences of the two M ∼ 7.5 major events may be explained by the static stress changes; however, there are also some earthquakes that are not consistent with triggering by static stress changes. There may be multiple mechanisms, including static and dynamic stress changes, that are needed to explain the complicated sequence of earthquakes.
Soil maturity and planetary regoliths: the Moon, Mercury, and the asteroids.

Observations of the Moon, Mercury and the asteroids provide data which can be used to assess current ideas about the optical maturation of regoliths of bodies without atmospheres. Telescopic data show Mercury's surface to be as optically mature as the Moon's while the asteroids appear to have 'fresh' surfaces. We suggest that these cases illustrate two different paths of regolith evolution caused by differing micrometeoroid impact velocities, gravity, and in some cases composition.
Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LUCC): Implementation Strategy

The Implementation Strategy of the Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LUCC) project specifies in greater detail the activities and projects that will fulfil the mandate outlined in the LUCC Science/Research Plan published in 1995. The project, a joint initiative of IGBP and IHDP, is addressing important global change questions on the local, regional and global scale. The planned and ongoing activities involve a wide community of natural and social scientists. The new understanding of land-use and land-cover change dynamics following from the work carried out under the LUCC Implementation Strategy will be of crucial importance to the global environmental change research community as well as to decision-makers at the local, regional and global levels.
Carbon Mineralization: From Natural Analogues to Engineered Systems

Carbon mineralization sequesters CO2 by reaction of alkaline earth metal bearing silicate and hydroxide minerals with CO2 to form stable carbonate minerals. Seifritz (1990) proposed harnessing this natural process as a method for sequestration of anthropogenic CO2. It was first studied in detail as an industrial process by Lackner et al. (1995), which is often referred to as “mineral carbonation. ” Much of this early research aimed to capitalize on the globally abundant natural deposits of ultramafic and mafic rocks, which are rich in alkaline earth metals, in addition to the long-term stability of the resultant carbonate minerals (Lackner et al. 1995). More recently, other process routes have been investigated that rely on feedstocks other than naturally occurring minerals (e.g., industrial wastes) as a source of cations for carbonate precipitation. Therefore, we use the more general term “carbon mineralization” to refer to any process that sequesters CO2 as a solid carbonate phase. The main advantages of carbon mineralization as a CO2 storage method are that the reactions are thermodynamically favored, the carbonation processes can be readily controlled and manipulated, and the resulting product is benign and stable over geological time. We begin this review with an overview of the fundamental processes that are relevant to carbon mineralization, which provides a basic framework in which to understand CO2 sequestration strategies based on carbon mineralization. We next discuss natural analogues to engineered systems, focusing on (1) exhumed hydrothermal systems in peridotite that have formed listvenite (magnesite + quartz) and soapstone and (2) shallow subsurface peridotite weathering processes and related alkaline springs that form carbonate veins, surficial travertine deposits, and hydromagnesite–magnesite playas. The propensity to form carbonate minerals in these ultramafic terranes reflects the thermodynamic instability of Mg-silicate minerals in the presence of CO2. …