Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Late Jurassic rifting along the Australian North West Shelf: margin geometry and spreading ridge configuration

The Argo and Gascoyne Abyssal plains in the easternmost Indian Ocean document the last stages of eastern Tethys evolution before the breakup of eastern Gondwana. Thus they provide crucial information not only for modelling the evolution of the eastern Tethys and Proto-Indian Ocean, but also to understand the complex geodynamic history of the North West Shelf. We have revisited the marine magnetic anomaly record of the Argo and Gascoyne Abyssal Plains in combination with other geological and geophysical data from the North West Shelf and southeast Asia. Based on the combined data, we have created a revised plate-tectonic model and a set of palaeogeographic reconstructions for the evolution of the North West Shelf for the early stages after the breakup. The main difference between this model and previously published models is that we have interpreted a complete section of anomalies, M25A – M22A, in the Gascoyne Abyssal Plain, northwest of the Exmouth Plateau. The magnetic anomalies have the same trend as in the Argo Abyssal Plain. Our new plate-tectonic reconstructions show that continental breakup in the Argo and northern Gascoyne Abyssal Plains, east and northwest of the Exmouth Plateau, respectively, started simultaneously in the Oxfordian with M25A identified as the oldest anomaly. In the Gascoyne Abyssal Plain, the oldest anomaly sequence, M25A – M22A (154.5 – 150.4 Ma) indicates that the ‘Argo’ spreading ridge continued around the northern margin of Greater India, and was probably linked with the Somali Basin. Sea-floor spreading continued until M14, separating the West Burma Block and possibly other smaller continental fragments like the Sikuleh Terrane of Western Sumatra from the northern Australian margin. A southward-directed ridge jump at M13 (134 Ma) transferred segments of Australian Plate oceanic crust to the West Burma Plate. Contemporaneously, an anticlockwise change in spreading direction fixed the West Burma Block relative to Greater India until its collision with the southern Eurasian margin.
2023 Korean Endocrine Society Consensus Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Primary Aldosteronism

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common, yet underdiagnosed cause of secondary hypertension. It is characterized by an overproduction of aldosterone, leading to hypertension and/or hypokalemia. Despite affecting between 5.9% and 34% of patients with hypertension, PA is frequently missed due to a lack of clinical awareness and systematic screening, which can result in significant cardiovascular complications. To address this, medical societies have developed clinical practice guidelines to improve the management of hypertension and PA. The Korean Endocrine Society, drawing on a wealth of research, has formulated new guidelines for PA. A task force has been established to prepare PA guidelines, which encompass epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. The Korean clinical guidelines for PA aim to deliver an evidence-based protocol for PA diagnosis, treatment, and patient monitoring. These guidelines are anticipated to ease the burden of this potentially curable condition.
Limited impact of weathered residues from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the gut-microbiome and foraging behavior of sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus)

ABSTRACT The Deepwater Horizon disaster of April 2010 was the largest oil spill in U.S. history and exerted catastrophic effects on several ecologically important fish species in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Within fish, the microbiome plays a key symbiotic role in maintaining host health and aids in acquiring nutrients, supporting immune function, and modulating behavior. The aim of this study was to examine if exposure to weathered oil might produce significant shifts in fish gut-associated microbial communities as determined from taxa and genes known for hydrocarbon degradation, and whether foraging behavior was affected. The gut microbiome (16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomics) of sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) was characterized after fish were exposed to oil in High Energy Water Accommodated Fractions (HEWAF; tPAH = 81.1 ± 12.4 µg/L) for 7 days. A foraging behavioral assay was used to determine feeding efficiency before and after oil exposure. The fish gut microbiome was not significantly altered in alpha or beta diversity. None of the most abundant taxa produced any significant shifts as a result of oil exposure, with only rare taxa showing significant shifts in abundance between treatments. However, several bioindicator taxa known for hydrocarbon degradation were detected in the oil treatment, primarily Sphingomonas and Acinetobacter. Notably, the genus Stenotrophomonas was detected in high abundance in 16S data, which previously was not described as a core member of fish gut microbiomes. Data also demonstrated that behavior was not significantly affected by oil exposure. Potential low bioavailability of the oil may have been a factor in our observation of minor shifts in taxa and no behavioral effects. This study lays a foundation for understanding the microbiome of captive sheepshead minnows and indicates the need for further research to elucidate the responses of the fish gut-microbiome under oil spill conditions.
Complete Genome Sequences for 59 Burkholderia Isolates, Both Pathogenic and Near Neighbor

ABSTRACT The genus Burkholderia encompasses both pathogenic (including Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category B listed), and nonpathogenic Gram-negative bacilli. Here we present full genome sequences for a panel of 59 Burkholderia strains, selected to aid in detection assay development.
Community Antagonism Towards Asylum Seekers in Port Augusta, South Australia

An overtly hostile response to asylum seekers was observed in questionnaire responses provided by residents of Port Augusta, South Australia in April 2002. A social construction approach to identity and representation was used to interrogate this antagonism within its social, cultural, political and geographical contexts. Asylum seekers were constructed as ‘burdensome’, ‘threatening’ and ‘illegal’, and opposition to them was set within the discursive framework of a ‘Self/Other’ binary. Enmity towards asylum seekers was articulated concurrently with overwhelming support for the Federal Government's exclusive and deterrence-oriented asylum policies. However, vehement opposition was expressed regarding the government's decision to construct Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre in close proximity to Port Augusta. Factors contributing to the respondents’ negative perceptions of asylum seekers include xenophobia (specifically Islamophobia), events of geopolitical significance, and problematic government and media representations of asylum seekers. An awareness of these factors is necessary to unpack and, potentially, to destabilise the negative constructions of asylum seekers circulating in contemporary Australian discourses. Their entrenchment in the national consciousness may lead to tangible social implications including fear, friction and ultimately violence between the ‘Self’ and ‘Other’, and this should therefore be countered. Community antagonism also contradicts notions of a culturally tolerant Australia and fosters electoral support for the policies of exclusion and deterrence that undermine Australia's commitment to international human rights frameworks. ACRONYMS ABC The Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABS The Australian Bureau of Statistics DIMIA Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs IRPC Immigration Reception and Processing Centre RCOA Refugee Council of Australia TPV Temporary Protection Visa UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
On Characterization of Anomalous Dispersion in Porous and Fractured Media

A key characterization of dispersion in aquifers and other porous media has been to map the effects of inhomogeneous velocity fields onto a Fickian dispersion term (D) within the context of the conventional advection-dispersion equation (ADE). Recent compilations of data have revealed, however, that the effective D coefficient is not constant but varies systematically with the length or timescale over which transport occurs. A natural strategy to encompass this “anomalous” behavior into the context of the conventional ADE is to make D time dependent. This approach, to use D(t) to handle the same anomalous dispersion phenomena, has also been common in the field of electronic transport in disordered materials. In this paper we discuss the intrinsic inadequacy of considering a time-dependent dispersivity in the conventional ADE context, and show that the D = D(t) generalization leads to quantifiably incorrect solutions. In the course of proving this result we discuss the nature of anomalous dispersion and provide physical insight into this important problem in hydrogeology via analysis of a class of kinetic approaches. Particular emphasis is placed on the effects of a distribution of solute “delay times” with a diverging mean time, which we relate to configurations of preferential pathways in heterogeneous media.
Assimilation of sea surface temperature and sea surface height in a two-way nested primitive equation model of the Ligurian Sea

A coarse grid primitive equation model of 1/4◦ resolution is implemented covering the whole Mediterranean Sea. Within this grid a 1/20◦ resolution model of the Liguro-Provençal basin and the northern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea is embedded. A third fine resolution model of 1/60◦ is nested in the latter one and simulates the dynamics of the Ligurian Sea (Barth et al., 2003). Comparisons between one-way and two-way nesting in representing the Northern Current (NC) are made. This system of nested models is coupled with a simplified Kalman-filter based assimilation method. The state vector for the data assimilation is composed by the temperature, salinity and elevation of the three models. The forecast error is estimated by an ensemble run by perturbing initial conditions and atmospheric forcings. The leading empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) of this ensemble are taken as the error covariance of the model forecast. This error covariance is assumed to be constant in time. Sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) are assimilated in this system. Data assimilation is also used to couple the hydrodynamic model with a statistical predictor of SST in the Ligurian Sea. The forecast improvement of this hybrid modelling system is shown and applications to operational models are highlighted.
Terrestrial nitrogen feedbacks may accelerate future climate change

The effects of nitrogen (N) constraints on future terrestrial carbon (C) dynamics are investigated using the O‐CN land surface model. The model's responses to elevated [CO2] and soil warming agree well with observations made in ecosystem manipulation studies. N dynamics reduce terrestrial C storage due to CO2 fertilization over the period 1860–2100 by ∼50% (342 Pg C) mainly in mid‐high latitude ecosystems, compared to a simulation not accounting for N dynamics. Conversely, N dynamics reduce projected losses of land C due to increasing temperature by 16% (49 Pg C); however, this effect is prevalent only in mid‐high latitude ecosystems. Despite synergistic interactions, the balance of these opposing effects is a significant reduction in future net land C storage. Terrestrial N dynamics thereby consistently increase atmospheric [CO2] in the year 2100 with a median value of 48 (41–55) ppmv, corresponding to an additional radiative forcing of 0.29 (0.28–0.34) W m−2.
Functional and Psychosocial Profile of Older People Living in Nursing Homes: Findings from the European Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

Background: This paper is based on results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), exploring many aspects (health, economic situation and welfare) of the European population aged 50+. Differently from many other international studies, SHARE includes persons living in nursing homes or residential care facilities as part of its sample. The aim of this paper is to provide a socio-demographic, functional and psychosocial snapshot of older residents in nursing homes in Europe. Methods: This paper uses data from SHARE Wave 8/2020, carried out in 27 European countries. A quantitative/descriptive approach explores the prevalence of older people aged 65+ living in residential facilities as mapped by the SHARE survey across Europe, with regard to associated dimensions, i.e., socio-demographic, family relationship, perceived health/main diseases, functional and psychological status. Results: These show that older residents live mainly in Central and Northern Europe, are aged 80+, female and widowed. A small social network (SN) size is often reported. Health is perceived, above all, as being fair–poor, and the presence of long-term illness is high, with several chronic health conditions and functional limitations. The reported quality of life (QoL) is low for most respondents, with moderate–low satisfaction with life. Conclusion: The analysis depicts a profile of seniors needing residential care in Europe, and provides useful insights for policymakers, to better sustain this frail population group, and to allow and improve access to high-quality long-term care (LTC) in Europe. Our findings could also be of help to train health professionals, and potentially drive the research towards the exploration of new housing solutions for seniors. This would in turn contribute to the effective implementation of European initiatives to strengthen LTC systems.
The historical development of studies on soil-plant interactions

How plants grow and how this growth varies through time and in response to changing conditions has been an interest of people for millennia. From the early cultivators to presentday gardeners, there has been a fascination in how a flourishing plant can be derived from a dry, apparently lifeless seed. Furthermore, there has been recognition that plant growth shows different patterns in response to weather conditions and that it varies from place to place. As global population continues to increase the need to understand the growth of plants and the role of soils in crop production becomes increasingly important. The demand for both food and biomass-derived energy from plants is increasing, so we must also seek to understand how to allocate land for multiple purposes. Soils must be used for these services and to obtain other essential services such as clean water and a diverse soil community of organisms. Many early civilisations appear to have compiled information on plant growth and crop husbandry, and there was an extensive literature on agriculture developed during Roman times, which provided important guidance on crop growth and management for many centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire. The Roman literature was collected and condensed into one volume about the year 1309 by a senator of Bologna, Petrus de Crescentius (the book was made more widely available when published in 1471), whose book was one of the most popular treatises on agriculture of any time, being frequently copied, and in the early days of printing, passing through many editions. Many other agricultural books appeared in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, notably in Italy and later in France. In some of these are found certain ingenious speculations that have been justified by later work. Such, for instance, is Palissy ’ s remarkable statement in 1563:
Evaluation of the Chronic Reproductive Toxicity of a Fluorine‐Free Firefighting Foam and a Short‐Chain Fluorinated Foam to Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus)

The development of fluorine‐free firefighting foams has been proposed as a way to reduce the adverse environmental consequences of foams containing per‐ and poly‐fluoroalkyl substances. While there are likely fewer environmental and ecological concerns with these new fluorine‐free foams in terms of persistence and bioaccumulation, it is prudent to evaluate the ecotoxicity of these fluorine‐free foam products given the absence of data. Oral chronic drinking water exposure studies on adult pairs of northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) were conducted with a short‐chain fluorinated and a fluorine‐free foam: Buckeye Platinum Plus C6 and National Foam Avio Green KHC, respectively, at three exposure concentrations (0.01%, 0.1%, and 0.25%). Adults were monitored for survival, growth, and reproductive output; and chicks were monitored for survival and growth. Growth parameters in adult quail were not affected by exposure to the Buckeye or Avio foam. However, liver lipid content was higher in adult males exposed to the Buckeye foam or the Avio foam at the highest exposure concentrations. Chicks were heavier and had higher growth rates after adult exposure to Avio at the highest exposure level (0.25%) and to Buckeye at the two lowest exposure levels but not at the highest exposure level. The two adverse reproductive effects observed from avian exposure to Buckeye were an increased percentage of cracked eggs and earlier arrested embryonic development. Similarly, chronic exposure to Avio also induced earlier arrested embryonic development. These results show that the fluorine‐free foams tested did cause toxicity to bobwhite quail, but whether they pose a risk at contaminated sites requires further laboratory and field study and additional exposure data. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:211–221. © 2023 SETAC
Investigating anorectal function using postoperative MRI-based fibrosis score in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: a two-center study

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to develop a postoperative MRI-based fibrosis scoring system and to assess its correlation with anorectal function in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) cases administered neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). Methods Pathologically confirmed LARC cases administered nCRT and radical resection were assessed retrospectively. Based on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, anastomotic fibrosis score (AFS) and perirectal fibrosis score (PFS) were determined to evaluate the extent of fibrosis. The Wexner continence score for anorectal function was obtained 2 years postoperatively and assessed for correlation with MRI fibrosis scores. The cases were divided into 2 groups by the median Wexner score. Univariable and multivariable analyses were adopted for building a nomogram model, whose diagnostic performance was estimated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and decision curve analyses (DCA). Results Finally, 144 patients with LARC were included in cohort 1 (training set). 52 patients were enrolled in cohort 2 (external validation set). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that AFS and PFS were positively correlated with the Wexner score. Univariable and multivariable analyses revealed age, tumor height, AFS, and PFS were independent predictors of anorectal function. The nomogram model achieved a good diagnostic performance, with AUCs of 0.800 and 0.827 in the training and validation sets, respectively; its predicting value was also confirmed by DCA. Conclusion The present study showed AFS and PFS derived from postoperative MRI are positively correlated with Wexner score. In addition, the new scoring system was effective in predicting anorectal function in LARC cases administered nCRT.
Marine Invaders in the Northeast: Rapid Assessment Survey of Non-native and Native Marine Species of Floating Dock Communities, August 2003

Recommended Citation Pederson, J., R. Bullock, J. Carlton, J. Dijkstra, N. Dobroski, P. Dyrynda, R. Fisher, L. Harris, N. Hobbs, G. Lambert, E. Lazo-Wasem, A. Mathieson, M. Miglieta, J. Smith, J. Smith III and M. Tyrrell. 2005. Marine Invaders in the Northeast: Rapid Assessment Survey of Non-Native and Native Marine Species of Floating Dock Communities, August 2003. Report of the August 3-9, 2003 Survey. MIT Sea Grant College Program, Cambridge, MA, 40 pp.
Secondary irregularities in the equatorial electrojet

Although the two-stream instability theory, discussed by Farley, has been quite successful in accounting for many observed features of the plasma-wave irregularities produced in the equatorial electrojet, increased equipmental sensitivity and improved experimental techniques of observing the power spectrum of radio echoes from the electrojet have resulted in the resolution of weaker irregularities not predicted by that theory. In particular, such irregularities are observed both when a VHF radar located near the magnetic equator is directed vertically and when the radar is directed obliquely in the equatorial plane. In the latter case, the irregularities have lower Doppler shifts than are suggested by the theory. Experimental spectra are presented that demonstrate features consistent with the first-order two-stream theory for observations of a well-developed electrojet at oblique angles of incidence. However, the relative contribution of the weaker irregularities can be resolved in spectra for incidence angles approaching the zenith or, when the electrojet is comparatively weak, at most angles. The spectral width obtained at vertical incidence is shown to be narrow for a weak electrojet and to be broadened as the electrojet becomes stronger. The weaker irregularities probably result from the nonlinear interaction among the stronger irregularities, as is demonstrated by Dougherty and Farley in a companion paper. Experimental results are presented that indicate an asymmetry not predicted by either theory; i.e. the upward irregularities (observed at angles of incidence west of the zenith) are stronger than the downward irregularities (observed at angles of incidence east of the zenith). This asymmetry may be accounted for by the variation with height of the physical properties of the region of instability.
Oligocene to Present kilometres scale subsidence and exhumation of the Ligurian Alps and the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (NW Italy) revealed by apatite (U–Th)/He thermochronology: correlation with regional tectonics

The Ligurian Alps segment of the Alpine–Apennine orogen in NW Italy is unconformably covered by Upper Eocene to Holocene sediments in the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (TPB) and Po Plain. These sediments dip towards the north demonstrating the erosional nature of the southern border of the succession and implying that the adjacent orogenic belt formed the substratum rather than the margin of the sedimentary basin. Apatite (U–Th)/He and fission track thermochronology shows that the orogen first subsided and was buried at >4 km from 30 to 26 Ma and began its exhumation thereafter. From 26 Ma to present, this upward movement was contemporaneous with subsidence in the northern TPB. The couple exhumation in the S and subsidence in the N migrated northwards through time. Vertical movements in the area are similar to those reconstructed in Corsica. In both cases, the onset of exhumation becomes younger away from the Ligurian‐Provençal basin and has little correlation with the opening of the surrounding oceanic basins.