Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of transparent few layer graphene films using a dual flame approach for the ammonia gas sensor

Abstract With regard to graphene preparation, dual flame synthesis method has significant advantages from the up-scaling perspective in terms of cost-effectiveness and fast processing compared to other methods. In this study, a few layer graphene (FLG) films were prepared on quartz in only 1 min using a dual flame approach at different temperatures (600, 700 and 800 °C). The structural, morphological, and optical features of FLG films as well as its gas sensing ability of ammonia gas (NH3) were reported. Raman analyses prove the crystallinity of the prepared FLG with two characteristic bands namely ID and IG. X-ay diffraction (XRD) results present the FLG films have a hexagonal phase with a distinguished orientation along the direction (002). Optical spectra demonstrate the transmittance reduces and FLG layers increase as temperature increases. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images display the FLG films have high quality with smooth surfaces and flat structures. The best data are obtained in graphene films, where few layers, high crystallinity, and highest sensitivity toward NH3 gas. The FLG-based sensors revealed high sensitivity and selectivity to NH3 over dimethylformamide, toluene, acetone, and carbon dioxide (CO2) at room temperature. These results verified that the preparation approach designed in this work yielded transparent FLG films with acceptable quality and functional performance.
Ischemic Brain Regulates Leukocyte Trafficking in the Nucleotidase (CD73) ' Tissue-Resident Ecto-5

Ectoenzymes expressed on the surface of vascular cells and leukocytes modulate the ambient nucleotide milieu. CD73 is an ecto-5 9 nucleotidase that catalyzes the terminal phosphohydrolysis of AMP and resides in the brain on glial cells, cells of the choroid plexus, and leukocytes. Though CD73 tightens epithelial barriers, its role in the ischemic brain remains undeﬁned. When subjected to photothrombotic arterial occlusion, CD73 2 / 2 mice exhibited signiﬁcantly larger (49%) cerebral infarct volumes than wild-type mice, with concordant increases in local accumulation of leukocyte subsets (neutrophils, T lymphocytes, macrophages, and microglia). CD73 2 / 2 mice were rescued from ischemic neurologic injury by soluble 5 9 -nucleotidase. In situ, CD73 2 / 2 macrophages upregulated expression of costimulatory molecules far more than wild-type macrophages, with a sharp increase of the CD80/CD86 ratio. To deﬁne the CD73-bearing cells responsible for ischemic cerebroprotection, mice were subjected to irradiative myeloablation, marrow reconstitution, and then stroke following engraftment. Chimeric mice lacking CD73 in tissue had larger cerebral infarct volumes and more tissue leukosequestration than did mice lacking CD73 on circulating cells. These data show a cardinal role for CD73 in suppressing ischemic tissue leukosequestration. This underscores a critical role for CD73 as a modulator of brain inﬂammation and immune function. The Journal of Immunology
Functional diversity and mowing regime of flower strips as tools to support pollinators and to suppress weeds

36 Introduction . 37 Literature screening . 38 Flower strips’ pros and cons for farmers: a positive balance so far . 43 Research gaps and need for further research . 47 Conclusions . 49 1.3. Objectives and scientific approach . 50 2. Creating perennial flower strips: think functional! 56 Abstract . 56. 56 Introduction . 57 Materials and methods . 58 Results and discussions . 61
CRISPR/Cas9 system: A promising technology for the treatment of inherited and neoplastic hematological diseases

The ongoing advent of genome editing with programmable nucleases, including zinc‐finger nuclease (ZFN), TAL effector nuclease (TALEN), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)‐associated RNA‐guided endonuclease Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9), have spurred the hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy (HSC‐GT). In particular, CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated gene editing revealed promising outcomes in several preclinical disease models including inherited and neoplastic hematological diseases. In this review, we focused on the utilization of the CRISPR/Cas9 system as a possible treatment option for hemoglobinopathies and hematological tumors. We summarize the recent advances with CRISPR/Cas9 and its therapeutic potential for genome editing in cells from hematopoietic origin. We also critically discussed the limitations inherent to the CRISPR/Cas9 and possible alternatives for the improvement of genome editing.
In Vivo Analysis of the Neuronal Calcium Signaling in the Developing Visual Cortex

Neuronal calcium (Ca2+) activity in the in vivo mouse visual cortex was studied by means of two-photon imaging. Signal reporters were either small molecule Ca2+ indicators or the genetically encoded Ca2+ biosensor CerTN-L15. The data revealed a novel type of large scale spontaneous Ca2+ waves, that emerged in the visual cortex around postnatal day 8 (P8). Around eye opening (P12-14) the pattern of Ca2+ waves changed from profuse to sparse in line with the development of GABAergic inhibition. The Ca2+ waves required activation of voltage-gated Na+ channels, glutamatergic synaptic transmission and, importantly, relied upon activation of NMDA receptor-channels. The activation of NMDA receptors was also essential for light-evoked Ca2+ signals. Taken together, the results reveal on the single-cell level the essential activity patterns during a critical phase in the development of the visual cortex.
The Misexpression of Sonic Hedgehog Leads to Digit Duplication

The limb buds of the early embryo are formed at the lateral flank by an outgrowth of cells from a layer of embryonic tissue called the lateral plate mesoderm. Shortly after this initial outgrowth, cells from the lateral edges of adjacent developing tissue invade the limb bud to form the muscles, nerves and vessels of the limb. The limb bud increases in size and the individual skeletal elements are laid down along the body axis in an inner to outer fashion. Anteroposterior patterning of the developing limb is controlled by a small group of cells located along the postaxial limb bud border called the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA). The secreted molecule, sonic hedgehog (Shh) is produced by the cells of the ZPA and has been shown to play an important role in this process of pattern formation. Grafting the cells of the ZPA onto developing host tissue induces mirrorimage limb duplication. In addition to this, exposing embryos to exogenous Shh results in polydactyly. Polydactyly is a birth defect characterized by the presence of more than the normal number of fingers or toes. This defect with or without associated malformation(s) is found to be 5 to 19 in every 10000 births. To further understand the etiology of abnormal limb development, we have generated a mutant mouse line that mis-expresses Shh. Alcian blue staining of cartilaginous tissue shows that these mutant mice exhibit polydactyly and other related skeletal defects. Differences in gene expression between mutant and control mice were assessed using in-situ hybridization with probes for Fgf8, Fgf10 and Shh. Taken together, morphological and molecular expression analysis data supports our hypothesis that mis-expression of Shh leads to digit duplication defects.
Domestication of tomato has reduced the attraction of herbivore natural enemies to pest‐damaged plants

Plant domestication can alter species interactions and influence novel associations among crops and insects. We performed a series of preference and performance experiments to test predator and herbivore attraction to domesticated and wild plants and to evaluate the efficacy of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) across a domestication gradient in tomato, including wild relatives, landraces and domesticated commercial cultivars. We employed a tri‐trophic system consisting of the specialist lepidopteran herbivore Manduca sexta and two of its natural enemies: an egg predator, the stilt bug Jalysus wickhami, and a larval parasitoid, the wasp Cotesia congregata. In olfactometer trials, natural enemies consistently preferred HIPVs of wild tomatoes over domesticated cultivars, with landraces in between. Plant‐domestication effects were also apparent in terms of decision speed: predators were slower to orient towards damaged crops than to damaged wild relatives. By contrast, M. sexta moths were more likely to oviposit on domesticated than on wild or landrace tomatoes, indicating that insect responses to plant odours vary with trophic level. Field trials confirmed olfactory preference tests: caterpillars recovered from wild tomato relatives were more likely to be parasitized than those recovered from landraces or domesticated tomatoes. The results of the present study suggest that tomato domestication has reduced the efficacy of HIPVs in attracting predators compared with wild relatives and also that this decreased attraction leads to lower attack rates by enemies in the field. This outcome has implications for understanding the specificity of tri‐trophic plant defences and the compatibility of natural enemies for biocontrol in agro‐ecosystems.
Resource combination activities and new venture growth: Exploring the role of effectuation, causation, and entrepreneurs’ gender

ABSTRACT Drawing on effectuation theory and the theory of firm growth, our study introduces effectuation and causation as the mediators to explore the mechanism of resource combination activities and new venture growth. Using a sample of 250 new ventures in China, our research finds that effectuation positively mediates the relationship between resource combination activities and new venture growth; whereas, causation plays a negative mediated role. Furthermore, results show that the entrepreneurs’ gender influences the mediated effect of causation and effectuation. Specifically, female entrepreneurs enhance the positive effect of effectuation; whereas, male entrepreneurs weaken the negative effect of causation.
Global leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry and their scaling exponent

Leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations constrain photosynthetic and metabolic processes, growth and the productivity of plants. Their stoichiometry and scaling relationships regulate the allocation of N and P from subcellular to organism, and even ecosystem levels, and are crucial to the modelling of plant growth and nutrient cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. Prior work has revealed a general biogeographic pattern of leaf N and P stoichiometric relationships and shown that leaf N scales roughly as two-thirds the power of P. However, determining whether and how leaf N and P stoichiometries, especially their scaling exponents, change with functional groups and environmental conditions requires further verification. In this study, we compiled a global data set and documented the global leaf N and P concentrations and the N:P ratios by functional group, climate zone and continent. The global overall mean leaf N and P concentrations were 18.9 mg g −1 and 1.2 mg g −1 , respectively, with significantly higher concentrations in herbaceous than woody plants (21.72 mg g −1 vs. 18.22 mg g −1 for N; and 1.64 mg g −1 vs. 1.10 mg g −1 for P). Both leaf N and P showed higher concentrations at high latitudes than low latitudes. Among six continents, Europe had the highest N and P concentrations (20.79 and 1.54 mg g −1 ) and Oceania had the smallest values (10.01 and 0.46 mg g −1 ). These numerical values may be used as a basis for the comparison of other individual studies. Further, we found that the scaling exponent varied significantly across different functional groups, latitudinal zones, ecoregions and sites. The exponents of herbaceous and woody plants were 0.659 and 0.705, respectively, with significant latitudinal patterns decreasing from tropical to temperate to boreal zones. At sites with a sample size ≥10, the values fluctuated from 0.366 to 1.928, with an average of 0.841. Several factors including the intrinsic attributes of different life forms, P-related growth rates and relative nutrient availability of soils likely account for the inconstant exponents of leaf N vs. P scaling relationships.
Purifying a Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Stream by Removing Rainbow Trout and Hybrids via Electrofishing

AbstractThe South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho supports one of the few remaining fluvial populations of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri, but long-term persistence of Cutthroat Trout in the drainage is threatened by introgression with introduced Rainbow Trout O. mykiss. We completed eight backpack electrofishing removals from 2010 to 2015 to remove Rainbow Trout and Rainbow Trout × Cutthroat Trout hybrids from a 9.3-km isolated reach of Palisades Creek (a tributary of the South Fork) in an attempt to improve the purity of the population. For two removals, fish from a subsample of Oncorhynchus were genetically screened at seven diagnostic nuclear DNA loci. A total of 14,092 fish were captured across all removals, of which 3,446 were putative Rainbow Trout or hybrids, which were removed from the stream. The proportion of the total catch that Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout comprised (across all size-classes combined) increased slowly over time, from 67% in 2010 to 86% for the second.
Reconstructing the pre-Variscan puzzle of Cambro-Ordovician basement rocks in the southwestern European margin of Gondwana

Abstract A Cambro-Ordovician palaeogeographical restoration of the southwestern European margin of Gondwana is proposed based on the relative positions of Variscan tectonostratigraphic units. Four palaeogeographical proximal–distal transects are recognized and comprise: (i) the Cantabrian, West Asturian-Leonese, Central Iberian/Central Armorican and Ossa-Morena/North Armorican zones and domains of the Iberian and Armorican massifs, respectively; (ii) the South Armorican Domain and its lateral prolongation into the Thiviers-Payzac unit and the Occitan Domain, including the transect from the Axial, southern and northern Montagne Noire, and the Albigeois-southern Cévennes unit; (iii) the southern and northern sides of the Canigó Massif in the Eastern Pyrenees; and (iv) the External Zone and the External and Internal nappes of Sardinia. Two geodynamic scenarios are recognized controlled by the presence/absence of: (i) the Furongian–Early Ordovician (Toledanian or ‘lacaune normande’) break-up unconformity across the Ossa-Morena/North Armorican and Central Iberian/Central Armorican belts; (ii) the Early–Late Ordovician (Sardic) Phase across the Occitan and Pyrenean domains and SW Sardinia; and (iii) the migration of peaks in trilobite and cinctan (echinoderm) diversity. Other similar palaeogeographical shifts are recognized in zircon provenance patterns, the occurrence of climatically sensitive subtropical facies and mineral indicators across platform–basinal transects along the Gondwana margin. This multidisciplinary framework is proposed as a preliminary step in the quest to produce more tightly constrained Early Paleozoic reconstructions along southwestern Europe.
Ground‐dwelling mammal diversity responds positively to productivity and habitat heterogeneity in a fire‐prone region

Environmental heterogeneity has a consistent, positive effect on species diversity globally, principally due to increased niche space in heterogeneous environments. In ﬂ ammable ecosystems, ﬁ re-mediated heterogeneity (pyrodiversity) is expected to increase species diversity, and the application of diverse ﬁ re regimes is a common management goal. We used landscape-scale sampling units and linear mixed models to determine the response of ground-dwelling mammal alpha, beta, and gamma diversity to spatial habitat heterogeneity (functional heterogeneity) and three indirect measures of spatial heterogeneity, two pyrodiversity indices based on ﬁ re history maps, and another based on mapped vegetation types. In addition, we tested the consistency of species diversity responses across a productivity gradient and examined the extent to which prescribed ﬁ re in ﬂ uenced habitat heterogeneity. Beta diversity responded positively to habitat heterogeneity across the productivity gradient, but more strongly at high compared with low productivity. In contrast, alpha and gamma diversity responded positively to productivity, while a weak negative effect of habitat heterogeneity on alpha diversity was also evident. At the scale of our investigation, the productivity gradient across the study area was the most in ﬂ uential driver of species diversity. Spatial heterogeneity within 100-ha landscapes increased community differentiation among sites (beta diversity), had a weak negative effect on alpha diversity, but had no in ﬂ uence on landscape-scale species richness (gamma diversity). The occurrence of recent ﬁ re had a strong, positive effect on habitat heterogeneity, while the diversity of vegetation types and post ﬁ re age classes had a smaller positive in ﬂ uence. Our ﬁ ndings show that prescribed ﬁ re can be used to increase landscape-scale structural heterogeneity, but this will not always result in additional species. Finally, we suggest that using a functional representation of spatial heterogeneity (e.g., the spatial arrangement of habitat structure) as a predictor of species diversity is likely to reveal responses that may otherwise be overlooked. Modern remote-sensing technologies will aid the development of habitat-based heterogeneity metrics across large spatial extents.
Predicting the Impact of cis-Regulatory Variation on Alternative Polyadenylation

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a major driver of transcriptome diversity in human cells. Here, we use deep learning to predict APA from DNA sequence alone. We trained our model (APARENT, APA REgression NeT) on isoform expression data from over three million APA reporters, built by inserting random sequence into twelve distinct 3’UTR contexts. Predictions are highly accurate across both synthetic and genomic contexts; when tasked with inferring APA in human 3’UTRs, APARENT outperforms models trained exclusively on endogenous data. Visualizing features learned across all network layers reveals that APARENT recognizes sequence motifs known to recruit APA regulators, discovers previously unknown sequence determinants of cleavage site selection, and integrates these features into a comprehensive, interpretable cis-regulatory code. Finally, we use APARENT to quantify the impact of genetic variants on APA. Our approach detects pathogenic variants in a wide range of disease contexts, expanding our understanding of the genetic origins of disease.
Using a Trait-Based Approach to Compare Tree Species Sensitivity to Climate Change Stressors in Eastern Canada and Inform Adaptation Practices

Despite recent advances in understanding tree species sensitivities to climate change, ecological knowledge on different species remains scattered across disparate sources, precluding their inclusion in vulnerability assessments. Information on potential sensitivities is needed to identify tree species that require consideration, inform changes to current silvicultural practices and prioritize management actions. A trait-based approach was used to overcome some of the challenges involved in assessing sensitivity, providing a common framework to facilitate data integration and species comparisons. Focusing on 26 abundant tree species from eastern Canada, we developed a series of trait-based indices that capture a species’ ability to cope with three key climate change stressors—increased drought events, shifts in climatically suitable habitat, increased fire intensity and frequency. Ten indices were developed by breaking down species’ response to a stressor into its strategies, mechanisms and traits. Species-specific sensitivities varied across climate stressors but also among the various ways a species can cope with a given stressor. Of the 26 species assessed, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière and Abies balsamea (L.) Mill are classified as the most sensitive species across all indices while Acer rubrum L. and Populus spp. are the least sensitive. Information was found for 95% of the trait-species combinations but the quality of available data varies between indices and species. Notably, some traits related to individual-level sensitivity to drought were poorly documented as well as deciduous species found within the temperate biome. We also discuss how our indices compare with other published indices, using drought sensitivity as an example. Finally, we discuss how the information captured by these indices can be used to inform vulnerability assessments and the development of adaptation measures for species with different management requirements under climate change.
Use of Bayesian Modeling to Determine the Effects of Meteorological Conditions, Prescribed Burn Season, and Tree Characteristics on Litterfall of Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster Stands

Research Highlights: Litterfall biomass after prescribed burning (PB) is significantly influenced by meteorological variables, stand characteristics, and the fire prescription. Some of the fire-adaptive traits of the species under study (Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster) mitigate the effects of PB on litterfall biomass. The Bayesian approach, tested here for the first time, was shown to be useful for analyzing the complex combination of variables influencing the effect of PB on litterfall. Background and Objectives: The aims of the study focused on explaining the influence of meteorological conditions after PB on litterfall biomass, to explore the potential influence of stand characteristic and tree traits that influence fire protection, and to assess the influence of fire prescription and fire behavior. Materials and Methods: An experimental factorial design including three treatments (control, spring, and autumn burning), each with three replicates, was established at two experimental sites (N = 18; 50 × 50 m2 plots). The methodology of the International Co-operative Program on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP forests) was applied and a Bayesian approach was used to construct a generalized linear mixed model. Results: Litterfall was mainly affected by the meteorological variables and also by the type of stand and the treatment. The effects of minimum bark thickness and the height of the first live branch were random. The maximum scorch height was not high enough to affect the litterfall. Time during which the temperature exceeded 60 °C (cambium and bark) did not have an important effect. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that meteorological conditions were the most significant variables affecting litterfall biomass, with snowy and stormy days having important effects. Significant effects of stand characteristics (mixed and pure stand) and fire prescription regime (spring and autumn PB) were shown. The trees were completely protected by a combination of low-intensity PB and fire-adaptive tree traits, which prevent direct and indirect effects on litterfall. Identification of important variables can help to improve PB and reduce the vulnerability of stands managed by this method.