Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immediate and long‐term nitrogen oxide emissions from tropical forest soils exposed to elevated nitrogen input

Tropical nitrogen (N) deposition is projected to increase substantially within the coming decades. Increases in soil emissions of the climate‐relevant trace gases NO and N2O are expected, but few studies address this possibility. We used N addition experiments to achieve N‐enriched conditions in contrasting montane and lowland forests and assessed changes in the timing and magnitude of soil N‐oxide emissions. We evaluated transitory effects, which occurred immediately after N addition, and long‐term effects measured at least 6 weeks after N addition. In the montane forest where stem growth was N limited, the first‐time N additions caused rapid increases in soil N‐oxide emissions. During the first 2 years of N addition, annual N‐oxide emissions were five times (transitory effect) and two times (long‐term effect) larger than controls. This contradicts the current assumption that N‐limited tropical montane forests will respond to N additions with only small and delayed increases in soil N‐oxide emissions. We attribute this fast and large response of soil N‐oxide emissions to the presence of an organic layer (a characteristic feature of this forest type) in which nitrification increased substantially following N addition. In the lowland forest where stem growth was neither N nor phosphorus (P) limited, the first‐time N additions caused only gradual and minimal increases in soil N‐oxide emissions. These first N additions were completed at the beginning of the wet season, and low soil water content may have limited nitrification. In contrast, the 9‐ and 10‐year N‐addition plots displayed instantaneous and large soil N‐oxide emissions. Annual N‐oxide emissions under chronic N addition were seven times (transitory effect) and four times (long‐term effect) larger than controls. Seasonal changes in soil water content also caused seasonal changes in soil N‐oxide emissions from the 9‐ and 10‐year N‐addition plots. This suggests that climate change scenarios, where rainfall quantity and seasonality change, will alter the relative importance of soil NO and N2O emissions from tropical forests exposed to elevated N deposition.
METABOLIC ASPECTS OF THE CALORIGENIC EFFECT OF THYROID HORMONE IN MAMMALS

The increased BMR in hyperthyroidism may be accounted for by the use of chemical energy for metabolic processes and work. Major contributors are the heart work and futile cycling of FFA into triglyceride in adipose tissue, whereas gluconeogenesis in liver and the maintenance of sodium and potassium concentration gradients across the plasma membranes are unlikely to play any significant role. Information on the use of energy for protein turnover and urea production is lacking. The rate of oxygen uptake is not increased in the brain, spleen and testis. The main metabolic fuel seems to be free fatty acid.
Assessing cortical network properties using TMS–EEG

The past decade has seen significant developments in the concurrent use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to directly assess cortical network properties such as excitability and connectivity in humans. New hardware solutions, improved EEG amplifier technology, and advanced data processing techniques have allowed substantial reduction of the TMS‐induced artifact, which had previously rendered concurrent TMS–EEG impossible. Various physiological artifacts resulting from TMS have also been identified, and methods are being developed to either minimize or remove these sources of artifact. With these developments, TMS–EEG has unlocked regions of the cortex to researchers that were previously inaccessible to TMS. By recording the TMS‐evoked response directly from the cortex, TMS–EEG provides information on the excitability, effective connectivity, and oscillatory tuning of a given cortical area, removing the need to infer such measurements from indirect measures. In the following review, we investigate the different online and offline methods for reducing artifacts in TMS–EEG recordings and the physiological information contained within the TMS‐evoked cortical response. We then address the use of TMS–EEG to assess different cortical mechanisms such as cortical inhibition and neural plasticity, before briefly reviewing studies that have utilized TMS–EEG to explore cortical network properties at rest and during different functional brain states. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Changes in sensitivity of the estradiol-LH feedback system with puberty in the female rat.

The question of a decrease in sensitivity to the inhibitory effects of estradiol (E2) on LH release in relation to puberty was re-examined. The rats were fitted with indwelling venous catheters making it possible to monitor plasma LH levels by radioimmunoassay longitudinally in individual animals and to administer E2 as a virtually continuous infusion. The rats were ovx at 19 (prepuberal) or 45–55 days of age (postpuberal), and one week later a polyethylene catheter was introduced into the vena cava via the right external jugular vein and an infusion of E2 or saline started (rate = 1.14 ml/24 hr.). The infusion was interrupted daily between 1600–1800 hr (time of preovulatory LH surge of intact adults) for 10 min for blood collection. In control pre and postpuberal rats infused with saline plasma LH levels exceeded 160 ng/ml (LER 1213A) one week after ovx. In rats ovx after puberty LH was not suppressed by infusion of 0.32 µg E2/100 g/day, while in the spayed prepuberal rats, plasma LH was lowered by a qua.
Genome-wide associations and functional genomic studies of musculoskeletal adverse events in women receiving aromatase inhibitors.

PURPOSE We performed a case-control genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with musculoskeletal adverse events (MS-AEs) in women treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) for early breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS A nested case-control design was used to select patients enrolled onto the MA.27 phase III trial comparing anastrozole with exemestane. Cases were matched to two controls and were defined as patients with grade 3 or 4 MS-AEs (according to the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0) or those who discontinued treatment for any grade of MS-AE within the first 2 years. Genotyping was performed with the Illumina Human610-Quad BeadChip. RESULTS The GWAS included 293 cases and 585 controls. A total of 551,358 SNPs were analyzed, followed by imputation and fine mapping of a region of interest on chromosome 14. Four SNPs on chromosome 14 had the lowest P values (2.23E-06 to 6.67E-07). T-cell leukemia 1A (TCL1A) was the gene closest (926-7000 bp) to the four SNPs. Functional genomic studies revealed that one of these SNPs (rs11849538) created an estrogen response element and that TCL1A expression was estrogen dependent, was associated with the variant SNP genotypes in estradiol-treated lymphoblastoid cells transfected with estrogen receptor alpha and was directly related to interleukin 17 receptor A (IL17RA) expression. CONCLUSION This GWAS identified SNPs associated with MS-AEs in women treated with AIs and with a gene (TCL1A) which, in turn, was related to a cytokine (IL17). These findings provide a focus for further research to identify patients at risk for MS-AEs and to explore the mechanisms for these adverse events.
Technical Description of Equation Sensei: A Mobile-Assisted Learning Application in Mathematics

This study reported the development of Equation Sensei - a mobile-assisted learning application in mathematics. Equation Sensei allows students to input their own problems or to solve problems generated by the application. It is capable of providing step-by-step guide in solving linear equations. Hints are provided whenever a wrong step is encountered. However, hints concerning arithmetic and fraction errors are not detailed in the software. The software has the capability of detecting different solution sets in any given linear equation problem. It collects log activities such as time spent usage, hints used, posted problems, problems solved, and problems unsolved. Future research directions are also presented.
A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY OF SPECIATION PHENOMENA IN PATAGONIAN BIRDS

Patagonia is southermost South America between 36 oS and 56 oS, an area of about 1,140,000 square kilometers, equivalent to Fennoscandia in the northern hemisphere or Colombia in the tropics but 4.4 times larger than New Zealand at similar latitudes in the southern hemisphere. During the Tertiary major changes in climate and vegetation occurred. During the Quaternary a huge icecap covered much of Patagonia and then retreated, a cycle that was repeated several times. Against this turbulent background, studies of selected genera of Patagonian birds have ascribed speciation patterns to Quaternary events. To quantify speciation in the entire fauna, all 217 species of breeding land and waterbirds were surveyed (the 11 oceanic taxa were excluded), and the presence/absence of four patterns were tabulated. Seventy-three species (34 %) exhibit speciation patterns. wcal vicariance (alloor parapatry of sister species within Patagonia) was detected in 24 species (11 %). Extra-Patagonian vicariance (allopatry of sister taxa, with one or more outside Patagonia) was found in 31 species ( 14% ). Overlaps due to secondary sympatry were identified in 25 species (12 %). About 15 species (7%) are relict taxa representing former speciation. Whereas many speciation patterns are probably of Pleistocene origin, others are clearly much older. Only further research will permit ornithologists to trace better the speciational history of birds in Patagonia, and to correlate it with the detailed geological and paleoecological reconstructions available in the literature. Accepted 7 January 1991.
High-quality three-dimensional nanoporous graphene.

We report three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous graphene with preserved 2D electronic properties, tunable pore sizes, and high electron mobility for electronic applications. The complex 3D network comprised of interconnected graphene retains a 2D coherent electron system of massless Dirac fermions. The transport properties of the nanoporous graphene show a semiconducting behavior and strong pore-size dependence, together with unique angular independence. The free-standing, large-scale nanoporous graphene with 2D electronic properties and high electron mobility holds great promise for practical applications in 3D electronic devices.
Antibiotic prophylaxis in total hip arthroplasty

We have assessed the effect of different regimes of antibiotic prophylaxis on the survival of total hip implants, comparing antibiotics administered both systemically and in the bone cement, systemically only, in the bone cement only and with no antibiotics given. We studied 10 905 primary cemented total hip replacements, performed for osteoarthritis of the hip and reported to the Norwegian arthroplasty register between 1987 and 1995. Cox-estimated failure-rate ratios (FRR) are presented with adjustment for gender, age, the brand of cement, the prosthesis, the type of operating theatre and the operating time. For revisions performed for infection (39 operations), the lowest rate of revision was found among patients receiving antibiotic-containing cement plus systemic antibiotics (n = 5804). The revision rate for the 4586 patients receiving systemic antibiotics only was 4.3 times greater (95% CI 1.7 to 11.0, p = 0.001); in 239 with antibiotics in the bone cement only it was 6.3 times greater (CI 1.6 to 25.0, p = 0.003); and in the 276 who did not receive antibiotics it was by 11.5 times greater (CI 2.1 to 63.0, p = 0.002). Adjustment for the total amount of systemic antibiotic administered did not change the results. We also observed an increased revision rate for aseptic loosening (109 operations) comparing the systemic-only (FRR = 1.8, CI 1.1 to 2.9, p = 0.01) and the cement-only regimes (FRR = 2.6, CI 1.2 to 5.9, p = 0.02) with the combined dosage. Our findings show that systemic antibiotics combined with antibiotic-containing bone cement led to fewer revisions than the other methods.
You Are Probably Not the Weakest Link: Towards Practical Prediction of Susceptibility to Semantic Social Engineering Attacks

Semantic social engineering attacks are a pervasive threat to computer and communication systems. By employing deception rather than by exploiting technical vulnerabilities, spear-phishing, obfuscated URLs, drive-by downloads, spoofed websites, scareware, and other attacks are able to circumvent traditional technical security controls and target the user directly. Our aim is to explore the feasibility of predicting user susceptibility to deception-based attacks through attributes that can be measured, preferably in real-time and in an automated manner. Toward this goal, we have conducted two experiments, the first on 4333 users recruited on the Internet, allowing us to identify useful high-level features through association rule mining, and the second on a smaller group of 315 users, allowing us to study these features in more detail. In both experiments, participants were presented with attack and non-attack exhibits and were tested in terms of their ability to distinguish between the two. Using the data collected, we have determined practical predictors of users' susceptibility against semantic attacks to produce and evaluate a logistic regression and a random forest prediction model, with the accuracy rates of. 68 and. 71, respectively. We have observed that security training makes a noticeable difference in a user's ability to detect deception attempts, with one of the most important features being the time since last self-study, while formal security education through lectures appears to be much less useful as a predictor. Other important features were computer literacy, familiarity, and frequency of access to a specific platform. Depending on an organisation's preferences, the models learned can be configured to minimise false positives or false negatives or maximise accuracy, based on a probability threshold. For both models, a threshold choice of 0.55 would keep both false positives and false negatives below 0.2.
Characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum M17 Leucyl Aminopeptidase

Amino acids generated from the catabolism of hemoglobin by intra-erythrocytic malaria parasites are not only essential for protein synthesis but also function in maintaining an osmotically stable environment, and creating a gradient by which amino acids that are rare or not present in hemoglobin are drawn into the parasite from host serum. We have proposed that a Plasmodium falciparum M17 leucyl aminopeptidase (PfLAP) generates and regulates the internal pool of free amino acids and therefore represents a target for novel antimalarial drugs. This enzyme has been expressed in insect cells as a functional 320-kDa homo-hexamer that is optimally active at neutral or alkaline pH, is dependent on metal ions for activity, and exhibits a substrate preference for N-terminally exposed hydrophobic amino acids, particularly leucine. PfLAP is produced by all stages in the intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle of malaria but was most highly expressed by trophozoites, a stage at which hemoglobin degradation and parasite protein synthesis are elevated. The enzyme was located by immunohistochemical methods and by transfecting malaria cells with a PfLAP-green fluorescent protein construct, to the cytosolic compartment of the cell at all developmental stages, including segregated merozoites. Amino acid dipeptide analogs, such as bestatin and its derivatives, are potent inhibitors of the protease and also block the growth of P. falciparum malaria parasites in culture. This study provides a biochemical basis for the antimalarial activity of aminopeptidase inhibitors. Availability of functionally active recombinant PfLAP, coupled with a simple enzymatic readout, will aid medicinal chemistry and/or high throughput approaches for the future design/discovery of new antimalarial drugs.
Comparison of various dimethylsulphoxide‐containing solutions for cryopreservation of leucoreduced platelet concentrates

Background and Objectives Leucoreduced platelet concentrates (LR‐PCs) can be stored at 20–24 °C for 5–7 days. When LR‐PCs are cryopreserved they can be stored for several years. For cryopreservation to become applicable in blood‐bank practice, an off‐the‐shelf cryoprotectant is needed that can be added to the LR‐PC in a sterile manner. For this, we varied the composition of the cryopreservation medium and studied various parameters of cryopreserved LR‐PCs for up to 24 h after thawing at room temperature.
Excitatory GABA induces BDNF transcription via CRTC1 and phosphorylated CREB‐related pathways in immature cortical cells

Although the excitatory action of GABA has been shown to activate the expression of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), its molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Using cultured rat cortical cells, we here demonstrated that GABA induced Bdnf mRNA expression mainly via L‐type voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels (L‐VDCC) at the early stage and inhibited it at the late stage of the culture, which corresponded to the excitatory and inhibitory states of cortical cells. The excitatory GABA‐induced Bdnf mRNA expression was controlled by multiple Ca2+ signaling pathways including Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase (CaMK), mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) and calcineurin (CN). The Bdnf‐promoter IV (Bdnf‐pIV) was activated by GABA, mainly via cAMP‐response element (CRE)/CREB, and this was prevented by the over‐expression of a dominant negative CREB. The nuclear translocation of CREB‐regulated transcriptional coactivator 1 (CRTC1) was selectively induced by the GABA‐induced CN pathway to activate Bdnf‐pIV. On the other hand, GABA‐induced Gal4‐CREB‐dependent transcription, which was controlled by multiple Ca2+ signaling pathways, was prevented when the serine at position 133 of Gal4‐CREB was mutated to alanine. Taken together, the excitatory action of GABA transcriptionally activated Bdnf expression through the combination of nuclear‐localized CRTC1 and phosphorylated CREB in immature cortical cells, and may be the molecular mechanisms underlying Bdnf expression to control neuronal development.
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF THE STRONTIUM DISTRIBUTION COEFFICIENT IN CALCITE : AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY FROM 40 8 TO 200 8 C AND APPLICATION TO NATURAL DIAGENETIC CALCITES

The temperature dependence of Sr coprecipitation with calcite was determined experimentally in solutions with Sr/Ca ratios and ionic strengths closely resembling marine pore fluids. Aragoniteto-calcite and dolomite-to-calcite transformations were conducted over a temperature range from 408 to 2008C. Temperature dependence of the distribution coefficient of strontium in calcite (D ) is significant. Sr D in aragonite-to-calcite experiments varied from 0.046 at 408C to Sr 0.068 at 2008C. D in dolomite-to-calcite experiments varied from Sr 0.034 at 408C to 0.062 at 2008C. Experimental values of D are someSr what dependent on the precursor phase. The experimental results are applied to natural diagenetic and hydrothermal calcites recovered from the sediment-covered Middle Valley part of the Juan de Fuca Ridge spreading center (Ocean Drilling Program Holes 857C and 858D). Low-Mg calcites from Hole 858D have Sr contents appropriate for their present-day in situ temperatures and pore-water Sr values. In contrast, high-Mg calcites from Hole 858D that precipitated from supersaturated pore waters at inferred high growth rates have elevated Sr contents relative to calculated equilibrium values. The Sr contents of calcites from Hole 857C are close to predicted equilibrium values in some instances but are substantially different in others. Deviations from predicted equilibrium Sr contents, especially in nodules, are attributed to the formation of mixed generations of carbonate precipitating with increasing burial depths and temperatures through pore waters with variable Sr composition.
Changes in activation of the auditory cortex following long-term amplification: an fMRI study

Conclusion. Speech-elicited activation decreased after monaural amplification bilaterally during unaided or aided ear stimulation, but tended to recover later at the contralateral hemisphere during aided ear stimulation. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the activation pattern of auditory cortex following long-term monoaural amplification. Patients and methods. Serial functional magnetic resonance images were obtained while speech sounds were presented to the aided (right) and unaided (left) ears of eight hearing-impaired subjects before, 3 months, and 9 months after beginning the use of a single hearing aid. The results were analyzed by group analysis. Results. Before hearing aid fitting, we found that activation patterns of the auditory cortex were somewhat segmented in the left hemisphere, regardless of whether the speech sounds were delivered to right or left ear. Cross projection was lost in response to right ear stimulation. After hearing aid fitting, on the unaided side stimulation, the activation tended to decrease progressively on both sides 3 months and 9 months after beginning monoaural amplification. On the aided side stimulation, activation also decreased 3 months after amplification bilaterally, but tended to recover at the contralateral hemisphere after 9 months of amplification. Cross projection was restored in response to right ear stimulation.
Substance use and dependence in the Union Territory of Chandigarh: Results of a household survey using a multistage stratified random sample

Background: Substance misuse is a global health and social problem with major adverse consequences. A number of regional studies on prevalence of substance use and dependence have been carried out in India; but methodologically robust data from Chandigarh are sparse. Methodology: A house-to-house survey was carried out to estimate the prevalence of substance use and dependence in an adequate multistage-stratified random sample in the Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh, using standardized instruments and predefined measures. Two thousand individuals (1000 each from urban and rural sites) from 743 households were interviewed. Results: Lifetime use of any substance was reported in 21.26% households (8.01% of all respondents; 13.6% males and 1.01% females). Current use was reported in 6.55% of respondents. Prevalence rates of both lifetime and annual/current substance dependence were 2.96% (4.74% for males and 0.72% for females). Alcohol (6.72%) was the most common substance to be ever used by respondents, followed by tobacco (3.34%), opioids (0.17%), and hypnotics (0.04%). Lifetime dependence rates were found to be 1.76%, 2.28%, 0.04% and 0.17% for alcohol, tobacco, hypnotics, and opioids, respectively. None reported the use of cannabinoids, inhalants, or stimulants. Substance users were more likely to be married, employed, and in higher income group as compared to those who never used substance. Only 3.78% substance users had ever sought treatment for the same. Conclusion: Substance use is prevalent in the UT of Chandigarh, with a higher prevalence in males. Substance users hardly ever seek treatment for substance use. This highlights the need of awareness and community-level services for the treatment of substance use disorders.