Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cover crop and soil quality interactions in agroecosystems

ABSTRACT: Maintaining environmental quality implies sustainable agricultural production systems that preserve and prated soil resources. Cover crops play a dual rote maintaining resource quality by providing ground cover to prevent wind and water erosion and carbon input to enhance soil quality. Carbon input from cover crops and crop stover play a vital role in agroecosystems for insuring long-term economic benefits with minimal impact on soil, water and air quality. The fresh carbon from cover crops is critical because of the role of the soil organic carbon cycle in controlling water, temperature, aeration, and soil structure. Both aboveground and root biomass are important to chemical and biological properties for the role in nutrient cycling. The benefits of available nitrogen from symbiotic fixation makes legume cover crops an environmental and economic preference. Use of selected cover crops and associated allelopathic effects can reduce chemicals required for weed control. While there are positive and negative aspects of cover crops from the economic viewpoint, when environmental costs are properly credited, cover crops surface as a major contribution to soil and environmental quality. The challenge is to assure cost-effective production using cover crops to maintain a healthy environment, a healthy economy, and a high quality of life.
Patterns of Burial-and Tectonically Controlled Dolomitization in an Upper Devonian Fringing-reef Complex: Leduc Formation, Peace River Arch Area, Alberta, Canada

ABSTRACT Cumulative patterns of dolomitization in a subsurface Upper Devonian carbonate platform in the Peace River Arch area, Alberta, are related to progressive burial ( 1 km) fracturing focused basin-derived fluids along subvertical structural conduits and into adjacent permeable strata. In the Early Mississippian ( 3 wt % Fe) dolomite in the platform, heralding increased Fe mobilization during burial diagenesis. A negative shift in 18O values, -6.5 to -15, is associated with successive fracture-related dolomites, and is interpreted to reflect an increase in fluid temperatures. Fracture-related flow was probably rapid; petrographic and isotopic signatures of fracture-related dolomitization can be traced 300 m upsection from the Leduc Formation.
A cost-consequences and budget impact analysis of blue light-guided cystoscopy with Hexvix in patients diagnosed with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer in France

Abstract Aims French guidelines for the management of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer recommend that blue-light cystoscopy should be used in patients where the risk of missing residual tumor is highest. Despite evidence for its cost-effectiveness, budgetary concerns have limited uptake in France. The aim of this analysis was to model the cost-consequences of adopting the recommendations in a French urology unit. Materials and methods A budget impact model was developed in Excel, using a decision tree approach derived from guidelines issued by L’Academie franҫaise d’urologie. Risk profiles were derived from an analysis of studies using white-light cystoscopy; estimates for the impact of blue-light cystoscopy were derived from a published Cochrane Review. Costs were based on published tariff prices from L’Agence Technique de L’Information sur L’Hospitalisation. The model allowed results to be tailored to activity levels and projected blue-light usage in the chosen urology unit. Results Two scenarios were evaluated, based on a 3-year time horizon. Full implementation of all recommendations within a large public hospital was estimated to yield incremental costs of €269 per procedure (∼10% increase overall); a more targeted approach within a smaller private hospital yielded incremental costs of €133 per procedure (5% increase overall). Limitations The basis of the model is a change in the time to first recurrence. There are no data available for subsequent recurrences or progression, both of which could have an influence on expenditure. Secondly, recurrence rates for blue-light cystoscopy were not specifically available for each patient group identified in the guidelines: extrapolation of data may have resulted in bias. Finally, the data were derived from clinical trials, which may not be generalisable to real-world clinical practice. Conclusions The model has shown that the additional expenditure required to implement blue-light cystoscopy is modest and not disproportionate to the overall cost of care.
HO cycle in 1997 and 1998 over the southern Indian Ocean derived from CO, radon, and hydrocarbon measurements made at Amsterdam Island

A new empirical method for the derivation of average HO radical concentrations is presented. The method is based on estimation of CO lifetime through the relative variability of CO and Rn measurements, and hydrocarbon measurements are used to independently determine the relative effects of chemistry and dynamics. Data from Amsterdam Island (37°S, 77°E), a remote site in the southern Indian Ocean, are used to calculate annual and daily HO levels for 1997 and 1998. A seasonal variation in calculated daily HO, consistent with seasonally changing photolysis rates, with maxima in summer and minima in winter is also derived which is comparable but slightly lower than the most recent zonal mean HO estimates of Spivakovsky et al. [2000]. The calculated annual HO shows a decrease from 2.7×105 molecule cm−3 in 1997 to 0.8×105 molecule cm−3 in 1998, possibly as a result of El Nino related meteorological changes. The empirically calculated HO correlates with temperature and relative humidity measured at the island but anticorrelates strongly with CO and to a lesser extent with O3. The limitations and improvements to this method are discussed. The method has potential for long-term monitoring of HO changes over areas upwind from remote sites.
Multigenetic Pharmacogenomics–Guided Treatment vs Treatment As Usual Among Hospitalized Men With Schizophrenia

Key Points Question What is the therapeutic efficacy of multigenic pharmacogenomics–guided treatment in patients with schizophrenia? Findings In this randomized clinical trial that included 210 Chinese Han men, patients treated with multigenetic pharmacogenomics–guided treatment had a greater symptom improvement than those treated with treatment as usual after a 6-week treatment, measured as the mean difference in percentage change of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale score. Meaning Multigenetic pharmacogenomic testing can be an effective tool to guide the treatment of schizophrenia.
Miocene point-bar deposits in the Ebro Basin, Northern Spain*

Pyrenean debris dispersed in relation to the Miocene tectonic phase filled the northern part of the Ebro basin. In the studied area (50 km south of Pamplona) the Miocene sediments are represented by fluviatile sequences consisting of flood basin and point-bar deposits forming fining-upward cycles. The point-bar character of part of these sediments is not only evidenced by the internal sedimentary structures, but also by the fact that the corresponding meander bends, about 200 m in radius, are clearly visible on aerial photographs. In this way a unique opportunity is given to compare directly the vertical profile and the surface pattern of ancient small size point bars. The internal structure consists of many imbricated and concentrically arranged bundles corresponding to the accretional topography of the point bar. The separation planes between the bundles are erosional and dip toward the channel axis. The internal structure of each bundle is festoon mega-cross-stratification whose direction points toward the convex bank, away from the channel axis. The resulting structure resembles the Epsilon cross-stratification of Allen (1965a) and its origin is the same as postulated by Allen for this kind of cross bedding.
Compartimentalização e qualidade da água: o caso da Represa Billings

A Represa Billings, maior reservatorio de agua da Regiao Metropolitana de Sao Paulo, devido a sua importância estrategica e a degradacao na qualidade de suas aguas, foi e continua sendo alvo de muitos estudos. A fim de avaliar de maneira integral a qualidade das aguas superficiais desse manancial, investigaram-se diversas variaveis limnologicas ao longo de 20 pontos. Analisaram-se as variaveis: temperatura, pH, condutividade eletrica, transparencia da agua, oxigenio dissolvido, solidos totais, nitrogenio total, nitrato, nitrito, amonio, ortofosfato, ortosilicato, clorofila a e feofitina. De maneira geral, a represa apresenta sinais de degradacao da qualidade da agua, com elevados teores de clorofila a . Analise de Componentes Principais forneceu nitida separacao dos bracos formadores da Represa Billings. Observaram-se sete compartimentos: 1) regiao de Pedreira, sob influencia das aguas do rio Pinheiros, apresentou elevados teores de nutrientes e clorofila a ; 2) regiao do Corpo Central e Borore, sob influencia das aguas provenientes de Pedreira, apresentou elevados teores de solidos totais; 3) regiao do Taquacetuba; 4) regiao do Summit Control , Riacho Grande, partes do Taquacetuba e Capivari, sob influencia da variavel amonio; 5) Bracos Capivari e 6) Rio Pequeno apresentaram os menores teores de clorofila a e nutrientes; 7) Braco Rio Grande, constantemente submetido a aplicacao de algicidas, isolado do restante da Represa Billings. A compartimentacao da Represa Billings deve-se principalmente a sua conformacao dendritica, associada as atividades antropicas, como a ocupacao do seu entorno. Portanto, e crucial reduzir a carga de nutrientes que penetram nesse ecossistema, o que pode ser obtido por meio do controle dos assentamentos urbanos e medidas de saneamento basico. Palavras-chave : Aguas superficiais. Eutrofizacao. Heterogeneidade espacial. Nutrientes.
Targeting sphingosine kinase 1 in p53KO thymic lymphoma

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) is a key sphingolipid enzyme that is upregulated in several types of cancer, including lymphoma which is a heterogenous group of malignancies. Treatment for lymphoma has improved significantly by the introduction of new therapies; however, subtypes with tumor protein P53 (p53) mutations or deletion have poor prognosis, making it critical to explore new therapeutic strategies in this context. SK1 has been proposed as a therapeutic target in different types of cancer; however, the effect of targeting SK1 in cancers with p53 deletion has not been evaluated yet. Previous work from our group suggests that loss of SK1 is a key event in mediating the tumor suppressive effect of p53. Employing both genetic and pharmacological approaches to inhibit SK1 function in Trp53KO mice, we show that targeting SK1 decreases tumor growth of established p53KO thymic lymphoma. Inducible deletion of Sphk1 or its pharmacological inhibition drive increased cell death in tumors which is accompanied by selective accumulation of sphingosine levels. These results demonstrate the relevance of SK1 in the growth and maintenance of lymphoma in the absence of p53 function, positioning this enzyme as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of tumors that lack functional p53.
VELOCITY DEPENDENCE OF DISPERSION FOR TRANSPORT THROUGH A SINGLE FRACTURE OF VARIABLE ROUGHNESS

Several authors have recently expressed interest in chemical transport within fractured media. The majority of these efforts have been based on a linear relationship between the dispersion coefficient and the average fluid velocity within the fracture. It is not apparent that this relationship is fully justified in all applications. For the present study, it is assumed (as suggested by authors working in porous media) that the dispersion coefficient is proportional to the velocity raised to a power, n. Further, it is assumed that transport within the fracture follows classic advection-dispersion behavior (e.g., Fickian dispersion). The present study focuses on the value of the power n in a series of artificial fractures. In particular, an experimental apparatus is utilized to run controlled tracer experiments through a single fracture. When the fracture consists of smooth parallel plates, the results from the experiments indicate that the dispersion coefficient is proportional to the velocity squared (consistent with the early work by Taylor (1953) for transport dominated by transverse diffusion). As the fracture roughness is increased through use of blockages within the fracture and/or addition of surface roughness along the fracture walls, the relationship between dispersion and velocity varied. For each fracture roughness, the results followed the general relationship in which dispersion is proportional to velocity raised to the power n. The power n, however, was strongly dependent on the fracture roughness, taking on a value of 2.0 for smooth parallel plates and decreasing to a value of approximately 1.3 for rough plates.
Clinical application of circulating tumor DNA in metastatic cancers

ABSTRACT Introduction Advances in genomics have facilitated the application of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in phase II and phase III clinical trials. The various mutations of cfDNA/ctDNA have been correlated with clinical features. Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) and digital droplet PCR have paved the way for identifying cfDNA/ctDNA mutations. Areas covered Herein, the biology of ctDNA and its function in clinical application in metastasis, which may lead to improved clinical management of metastatic cancer patients, are comprehensively reviewed. Expert opinion Metastatic cancer ctDNA shows the greatest frequency of mutations in TP53, HER-2, KRAS, and EGFR genes (alteration frequency of > 50%). Therefore, identifying key mutations frequently present in metastatic cancers can help identify patients with pre-malignant tumors before cancer progression. Studying ctDNA can help determine the prognosis and select appropriate treatments for affected patients. Nevertheless, the obstacles to detecting and analyzing ctDNA should be addressed before translation into routine practice. Also, more clinical trials should be conducted to study the significance of ctDNA in commonly diagnosed malignancies. Given the recent advances in personalized anti-neoplastic treatments, further studies are needed to detect a panel of ctDNA and patient-specific ctDNA for various cancers.
Omics-Based Mathematical Modeling Unveils Pathogenesis of Periodontitis in an Experimental Murine Model

Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease that progresses via dynamic interaction between bacterial and host-derived genetic factors. The recent trend of omics analyses has discovered many periodontitis-related risk factors. However, how much the individual factor affects the pathogenesis of periodontitis is still unknown. This article aims to identify multiple key factors related to the pathogenesis of periodontitis and quantitatively predict the influence of each factor on alveolar bone resorption by omics analysis and mathematical modeling. First, we induced periodontitis in mice (n = 3 or 4 at each time point) by tooth ligation. Next, we assessed alveolar bone resorption by micro–computed tomography, alterations in the gene expression by RNA sequencing, and the microbiome of the gingivae by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing during disease pathogenesis. Omics data analysis identified key players (bacteria and molecules) involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. We then constructed a mathematical model of the pathogenesis of periodontitis by employing ordinary differential equations that described the dynamic regulatory interplay between the key players and predicted the alveolar bone integrity as output. Finally, we estimated the model parameters using our dynamic experimental data and validated the model prediction of influence on alveolar bone resorption by in vivo experiments. The model predictions and experimental results revealed that monocyte recruitment induced by bacteria-mediated Toll-like receptor activation was the principal reaction regulating alveolar bone resorption in a periodontitis condition. On the other hand, osteoblast-mediated osteoclast differentiation had less impact on bone integrity in a periodontitis condition.
Body mass index and waist circumference in relation to risk of recurrence and progression after non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer

Obesity may be associated with increased risk of recurrence and progression in patients with non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), but evidence is limited and inconsistent. We examined the associations of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) with risk of recurrence and progression among patients with NMIBC.
Glial activity load on PET (GALP) reveals persistent 'smoldering' inflammation in MS despite disease modifying treatment: PBR06 study

Introduction: Cortical grey (CoGM) and white matter (WM) microglial activation (MA) is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). [F-18]PBR06 positron emission tomography (PET) targeting 18kilodalton-translocator protein (TSPO) can detect abnormal MA in MS. Aims and Objectives: The goal of this study is to determine the effect of disease modifying treatment (DMT) efficacy on modulating the extent and clinical and radiological correlates of MA in MS patients. Methods: Thirty [F-18]PBR06 PET scans were performed in 22 MS patients (13 RR, 9 SP, mean age 46{+/-}14 years, 15 females, median EDSS 3.5, mean T25FW 7.2{+/-}4.6s) and 8 healthy controls (HC). Individualized z-score maps of brain parenchymal MA were generated by voxel-by-voxel comparison between each subject's PET SUVR images and a HC dataset. Logarithmically transformed 'Glial activity load on PET' scores ( calculated as the sum of voxel-by-voxel z-scores [≥]4 in CoGM and WM regions), 'lnGALP', were compared between MS subjects on DMT with high efficacy (HT; including rituximab, ocrelizumab, natalizumab and fingolimod, n=13) versus those on no or lower efficacy treatment (LT; including glatiramer acetate and interferons), and correlated with clinical measures and cortical thickness (measured using Freesurfer). p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: CoGM and WM lnGALP scores were higher in MS vs. HCs (10.0{+/-}1.5 vs. 7.5{+/-}1.5 and 9.8{+/-}1.5 vs. 6.6{+/-}2.4, both p<0.01) and were inversely correlated with cortical thickness across groups (r=-0.44 and -0.48, both p<0.05, n=30). In HT-MS group, CoGM and WM lnGALP was significantly lower as compared to LT-MS group (9.1{+/-}1.0 vs. 11.3{+/-}1.1 and 9.1{+/-}1.3 vs. 10.8{+/-}1.4, p=0.000075 and 0.006) but remained abnormally higher than in HC group (p=0.006 and 0.02, respectively). Within HT-MS patients, CoGM lnGALP scores were higher in SP vs. RR subgroups (p=0.008), correlated positively with EDSS, T25FW, fatigue scores and serum GFAP levels (r=0.65,0.79, 0.75 and 0.67, all p<0.05), and inversely with cortical thickness (r=-0.66, p=0.01). Conclusions: High-efficacy DMTs decrease, but do not normalize, CoGM and WM MA in MS patients. Such "residual" MA in CoGM is associated with clinical disability, symptom severity and cortical degeneration. Individualized mapping of TSPO-PET using [F-18]PBR06 can potentially serve as an imaging biomarker for evaluating emerging therapies targeting MA in MS patients who are worsening despite high-efficacy DMTs.
The Kapuskasing uplift: a geological and geophysical synthesis

Over the past decade, the Kapuskasing uplift has been the subject of intense geological and geophysical investigation as Lithoprobe's window on the deep-crustal structure of the Archean Superior Province. Enigmatic since its recognition as a positive gravity anomaly in 1950, the structure has been variably interpreted as a suture, rift, transcurrent shear zone, or intracratonic thrust. Diverse studies, including geochronology, geothermobarometry, and various geophysical probes, provide a comprehensive three-dimensional image of Archean (2.75–2.50 Ga) crustal evolution and Proterozoic (2.5–1.1 Ga) cooling and uplift. The data favour an interpretation of the structure as an intracratonic uplift related to Hudsonian collision.Eastward across the southern Kapuskasing uplift, erosion levels increase from < 10 km in the Michipicoten greenstone belt, through the Wawa gneiss domain (10–20 km), into granulites (20–30 km) of the Kapuskasing structural zone, juxtaposed against the low-grade Swayze greenstone belt al.
Magnetic and seismic reflection study of Lake Cheko, a possible impact crater for the 1908 Tunguska Event

A major explosion occurred on 30 June 1908 in the Tunguska region of Siberia, causing the destruction of over 2,000 km2 of taiga; pressure and seismic waves detected as far as 1,000 km away; bright luminescence in the night skies of Northern Europe and Central Asia; and other unusual phenomena. This “Tunguska Event” is probably related to the impact with the Earth of a cosmic body that exploded about 5–10 km above ground, releasing in the atmosphere 10–15 Mton of energy. Fragments of the impacting body have never been found, and its nature (comet or asteroid) is still a matter of debate. We report here results from a magnetic and seismic reflection study of a small (∼500 m diameter) lake, Lake Cheko, located about 8 km NW of the inferred explosion epicenter, that was proposed to be an impact crater left by a fragment of the Tunguska Cosmic Body. Seismic reflection and magnetic data revealed a P wave velocity/magnetic anomaly close to the lake center, about 10 m below the lake floor; this anomaly is compatible with the presence of a buried stony object and supports the impact crater origin for Lake Cheko.
Current carriers in the near-earth cross-tail current sheet during substorm growth phase

Throughout most of the growth phase of a substorm, the cross-tail current at x ∼ −10 Re can be supplied by the curvature drift of a bi-directional field aligned distribution of ∼1 keV electrons. Just prior to its local disruption after substorm onset, the cross-tail current in the now thin (∼400 km) current sheet is carried by the cross-tail serpentine motion of non-adiabatic ions (Speiser, 1965). The instability of this latter current leads to the local disruption of the near-earth current sheet.
Understanding the relationships between perceived travel experiences, overall satisfaction, and destination loyalty

Despite an extensive amount of research on visitor satisfaction, there has been little investigation on how different types of visitors evaluate their travel experiences associated with a particular destination and the effects of these attributes on post-consumption behaviour, especially, in nature-based settings. The study seeks to examine the impacts of perceived travel experiences and personal characteristics on overall satisfaction and destination loyalty. The Flinders Ranges region in South Australia, serving a nature-oriented remote tourism destination was selected as the site for this study, using on-site interviews, and mail-back questionnaires. It was found that natural attractions including the scenery and wildlife were major pull factors which appeal to the majority of tourists. The findings also revealed that discovering new experiences, adventure experiences, and geological attractions have the potential to enhance tourists' novelty-seeking experience and influence return behaviour. Additional findings indicated that visitors' previous experience with the site and length of stay were important determinants of the overall satisfaction. The implications for product development and marketing strategies are discussed.