Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synchronous Extraction and Quantitative Speciation of Arsenic and Chromium in Sediments by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography – Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS)

Abstract The optimum chromatographic separation conditions, polyatomic ions interference correction, and extraction parameters were investigated for simultaneous extraction and quantification of As(III), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), As(V) and Cr(VI) with excellent resolution. The ammonium salts (NH4H2PO4 and NH4NO3) were examined as mobile phases at different pH values by altering the composition during the chromatographic run in gradient elution mode using high-performance liquid chromatography – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). The 10 mM and 70 mM NH4NO3 composition at pH 8.7 enabled sufficient baseline separation of the target As and Cr species at a total run time of 18 minutes. The identified polyatomic ion interferences were corrected by an inter-element method using mathematical equations. The optimum extraction conditions containing a mixture of 0.375 M (NH4)2HPO4 and 50 mM EDTA at neutral pH as an extraction buffer, extraction temperature of 150 °C and volume of 15 mL were attained by a factorial design technique. The lowest concentrations of the selected elemental species that can be reliably detected by the procedure were in the range from 0.064 to 0.682 ng g−1. The accuracy of the developed procedure was demonstrated by achieving percentage recoveries of 96.8% for As(V) and 97.7% for Cr(VI) using San Joaquin Soil standard reference material 2709a. Proposed method was validated by achieving percentage recoveries from 84.9 to 104% for As species and Cr(VI) using spiking and recovery studies at 3x and 25x the limit of quantification values of the target species. The selected As and Cr species in real sediment were monitored using the optimized analytical method. The differences in concentrations of Cr(VI), As(III), MMA and As(V) between the seasonal state of the river were statistically significant (p ˂0.05) at a 95% confidence level as determined by analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Four Decades of Land-Cover Change on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Detecting Disturbance-Influenced Vegetation Shifts Using Landsat Legacy Data

Across Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, disturbance events have removed large areas of forest over the last half century. Simultaneously, succession and landscape evolution have facilitated forest regrowth and expansion. Detecting forest loss within known pulse disturbance events is often straightforward given that reduction in tree cover is a readily detectable and measurable land-cover change. Land-cover change is more difficult to quantify when disturbance events are unknown, remote, or environmental response is slow in relation to human observation. While disturbance events and related land-cover change are relatively instant, assessing patterns of post-disturbance succession requires long term monitoring. Here, we describe a method for classifying land cover and quantifying land-cover change over time, using Landsat legacy imagery for three historical eras on the western Kenai Peninsula: 1973–2002, 2002–2017, and 1973–2017. Scenes from numerous Landsat sensors, including summer and winter seasons, were acquired between 1973 and 2017 and used to classify vegetation cover using a random forest classifier. Land-cover type was summarized by era and combined to produce a dataset capturing spatially explicit land-cover change at a moderate 30-m resolution. Our results document large-scale forest loss across the study area that can be attributed to known disturbance events including beetle kill and wildfire. Despite numerous and extensive disturbances resulting in forest loss, we estimate that the study area has experienced net forest gain over the duration of our study period due to reforestation within large fire events that predate this study. Transition between forest and graminoid non-forest land cover including wetlands and herbaceous uplands is the most common land-cover change—representing recruitment of a graminoid dominated understory following forest loss and the return of forest canopy given sufficient time post-disturbance.
Global transpiration data from sap flow measurements: the SAPFLUXNET database

Abstract. Plant transpiration links physiological responses of vegetation to water supply and demand with hydrological, energy, and carbon budgets at the land–atmosphere interface. However, despite being the main land evaporative flux at the global scale, transpiration and its response to environmental drivers are currently not well constrained by observations. Here we introduce the first global compilation of whole-plant transpiration data from sap flow measurements (SAPFLUXNET, https://sapfluxnet.creaf.cat/, last access: 8 June 2021). We harmonized and quality-controlled individual datasets supplied by contributors worldwide in a semi-automatic data workflow implemented in the R programming language. Datasets include sub-daily time series of sap flow and hydrometeorological drivers for one or more growing seasons, as well as metadata on the stand characteristics, plant attributes, and technical details of the measurements. SAPFLUXNET contains 202 globally distributed datasets with sap flow time series for 2714 plants, mostly trees, of 174 species. SAPFLUXNET has a broad bioclimatic coverage, with woodland/shrubland and temperate forest biomes especially well represented (80 % of the datasets). The measurements cover a wide variety of stand structural characteristics and plant sizes. The datasets encompass the period between 1995 and 2018, with 50 % of the datasets being at least 3 years long. Accompanying radiation and vapour pressure deficit data are available for most of the datasets, while on-site soil water content is available for 56 % of the datasets. Many datasets contain data for species that make up 90 % or more of the total stand basal area, allowing the estimation of stand transpiration in diverse ecological settings. SAPFLUXNET adds to existing plant trait datasets, ecosystem flux networks, and remote sensing products to help increase our understanding of plant water use, plant responses to drought, and ecohydrological processes. SAPFLUXNET version 0.1. 5 is freely available from the Zenodo repository (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3971689; Poyatos et al., 2020a). The “sapfluxnetr” R package – designed to access, visualize, and process SAPFLUXNET data – is available from CRAN.
A chromosome‐scale genome assembly of the Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica)

Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch.) is an ecologically and economically important white oak species native to and widespread in the temperate zone of East Asia. Here, we present a chromosome‐scale reference genome assembly of Q. mongolica, a representative white oak species, by combining Illumina and PacBio data with Hi‐C mapping technologies that is the first reference genome created for an Asian oak. Our results showed that the PacBio draft genome size was 809.84 Mb, with a BUSCO complete gene percentage of 92.71%. Hi‐C scaffolding anchored 774.59 Mb contigs (95.65% of draft assembly) onto 12 pseudochromosomes. The contig N50 and scaffold N50 were 2.64 and 66.74 Mb, respectively. Of the 36,553 protein‐coding genes predicted in the study, approximately 95% had functional annotations in public databases. A total of 435.34 Mb (53.75% of the genome) of repetitive sequences were predicted in the assembled genome. Genome evolution analysis showed that Q. mongolica is closely related to Q. robur from Europe, and they shared a common ancestor ~11.8 million years ago (Ma). Gene family evolution analysis of Q. mongolica revealed that the nucleotide‐binding site (NBS)‐encoding gene family related to disease resistance was significantly contracted, whereas the ECERIFERUM 1 (CER1) homologous genes related to cuticular wax biosynthesis was significantly expanded. This pioneering Asian oak genome resource represents an important supplement to the oak genomics community and will improve our understanding of Asian white oak biology and evolution.
Influence of Farming System on Weed Infestation and on Productivity of Narrow-Leaved Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.)

Legumes have become important crops, due to an increasing global population and its demand for feed protein. Furthermore, legumes can improve the characteristics of the soil, improve biodiversity levels in crop rotations, and be cultivated in both organic and sustainable farming systems. In this study, a two-factor field experiment was conducted in Gorzyń, Poland in 2011–2015. The first factor was the farming system: low-external inputs (LI; without fertilization and chemical protection), medium-input (MI; medium fertilization level and chemical protection), and high-input (conventional—CONV; high fertilization level and chemical protection). Narrow-leaved lupin cultivar was the second factor; the indeterminate cv. Kalif and the determinate cv. Regent. We evaluated (a) weed infestation levels, (b) seed and protein production, and (c) the economic effects of narrow-leaved lupin cultivation under different farming conditions. A total of 12 weed species were identified, with the lowest weed density level and biomass production observed in CONV, and the greatest weed density level observed in LI. Seed yield was determined by the farming system; the greatest in CONV and significantly lower in LI (by 0.73 t h−1) and MI (by 0.18 t ha–1). Little difference was observed in seed yield between cultivars. The greatest production values for the Kalif and Regent cultivars (996€ and 949€ ha–1, respectively) were recorded in CONV, although LI proved to be the most profitable (with the highest gross agricultural income and lowest total cost of production). LI farming systems, in conjunction with chemical weed control, should be investigated in future studies.
Chronology of Laurentide glaciation in New Jersey and the New York City area, United States

Abstract Deposits of at least three glaciations are present in New Jersey and the New York City area. The oldest deposits are magnetically reversed. Pollen and stratigraphic relations suggest that they are from the earliest Laurentide advance at ~2.4 Ma. Deposits of a second advance are overlain by peat dated to 41 ka and so are pre-Marine Isotope Stage (pre-MIS) 2. Their relation to marine deposits indicates that they predate MIS 5 but postdate MIS 11 and may postdate MIS 7 or 9, suggesting an MIS 6 age. The most recent deposits are of MIS 2 (last glacial maximum [LGM]) age. Radiocarbon dates and varve counts tied to glacial-lake events indicate that LGM ice arrived at its terminus at 25 ka, stood at the terminus until ~24 ka, retreated at a rate of 80 m/yr until 23.5 ka, and then retreated at a rate of 12 m/yr to 18 ka. At 18 ka the retreat record connects to the base of the North American Varve Chronology at Newburgh, New York. The 25–24 ka age for the LGM is slightly younger than, but within the uncertainty of, cosmogenic ages; it is significantly older than the oldest dated macrofossils in postglacial deposits in the region.
Speaker Attractor Network: Generalizing Speech Separation to Unseen Numbers of Sources

Most existing speech separation research focuses on improving the separation performance under consistent source number conditions between training and testing. In real-world applications, however, the source number may be different from that in training sets. In this letter, we address this problem by thoroughly improving the deep attractor network in terms of the network architecture and learning objectives so that it can well generalize to separating an unseen number of sources. Experimental results show that, compared with existing models, the proposed method significantly improves the separation performance when generalizing to an unseen number of speakers, and can separate up to five speakers even the model is only trained on two-speaker mixtures.
Magnesium Sulfate and Clonidine; Effects on Hemodynamic Factors and Depth of General Anesthesia in Cesarean Section

Background Making stable hemodynamic and also durable unawareness is a daily challenge in the setting of general anesthesia in women who undergo surgical delivery of neonate and have limitations to receive opioids derivatives. Objectives We aimed to evaluate the effects of magnesium sulfate and clonidine on hemodynamic changes and depth of anesthesia and in mentioned mothers and also in neonatal APGAR index. Methods Current randomized, double-blind controlled trial study was conducted among a total of 360 pregnant females (38 - 41 weeks of gestation) who underwent elective cesarean section. Participants were randomly divided into three drug-receiving groups (equal 120 members): magnesium sulfate (30 mg/kg), clonidine (3 µg/kg), and placebo (0.9% NaCl). Patients’ blood pressure, heart rate, cerebral state index (CSI) in specific time zones, and also late 24-hour recall were recorded. The CSI is an electroencephalographic monitoring method helping to assess the depth of anesthesia. Neonatal parameters, including APGAR score and umbilical venous blood sampling, were measured. Results Mean patients’ age was 28 ± 4.5. A significant decreasing and stabilizing effect of magnesium sulfate and clonidine on hemodynamic parameters (blood pressure and heart rate) was revealed (P < 0.001). Evidence implied on deeper anesthesia (lower CSI) among drug receivers comparing to placebo (P < 0.001). None of the participants experienced a late 24-hour recall postoperatively. All neonates were healthy, and no decrease was reported in APGAR score at minutes 1 and 5. Umbilical blood gas analysis showed no signs of acidosis and/or hypoxemia. Conclusions Adjuvant administration of either magnesium sulfate or clonidine is associated with hemodynamic stability and favorable unawareness in the setting of elective surgical delivery.
Becoming a Prison Officer: An Analysis of the Early Development of Prison Officer Cultures

: Despite the fact that over recent years, imprisonment in Scotland has adopted a bold and aspirational policy direction including proposed reforms to the role of the prison ofﬁcer, there has been little research into prison ofﬁcers in Scotland, and by extension, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) as an organisation. This article offers a unique empirical insight into prison ofﬁcer recruits and evolving prison ofﬁcer cultures, by longitudinally tracking 31 prison ofﬁcer recruits over training and early working experience. The article provides an in-depth perspective on prison ofﬁcer recruits’ views and experiences, and it also makes a contribution to the emerging area of research of the SPS through a focus on organisational change and reform. Finally, it incorporates, and further develops, a body of literature on penality and the penal state by interrogating the tensions between policy and practice within the context of the Scottish penal system.
Chlorophyllum Massee e Macrolepiota Singer (Agaricaceae) em área do bioma Pampa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

This work reports the occurrence of fungi species of the genera Chlorophyllum Massee and Macrolepiota Singer, the latter not yet registered for Sao Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The study area is located in the Pampa biome, being the samplings conducted between April 2011 and May 2012. The micobiota studied in the area is represented until this moment by five species, as follows: Macrolepiota gracilenta (Krombh) Wasser, Macrolepiota fuligineosquarrosa Malencon, Macrolepiota procera (Scop.) Singer, Chlorophyllum rachodes (Vittad.) Vellinga and Chlorophyllum molybdites (G. Mey.) Massee. Identification keys for these species and two new occurrences of Macrolepiota for, respectively, Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul, are presented. Keywords: mycodiversity, taxonomy, Basidiomycota.
Indirect shoot organogenesis from leaf explants of threatened medicinal plant Cleistanthus collinus

In this study an effective plant regeneration protocol for multiple shoot bud induction was optimized for the micropropagation of plantlets through indirect organogenesis from leaf explants of C. collinus. The young leaves were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with Thidiazuron (TDZ), 6Benzylaminopurine (BAP), Kinetin (KIN), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 0.5-3.0 mg/l for callus induction. The induced calli was excised and subcultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP, KIN and TDZ (0.5-4.0 mg/l) in combination with NAA (0.5 mg/l) to find out the optimum hormone concentration for shoot bud induction. For rooting, half strength MS medium with various concentrations (0.5-3.0 mg/l) of Indole 3-acetic acid (IAA), Indole 3butyric acid (IBA) and NAA was used. Initially, a creamy white callus was formed from the cut ends of leaf explants and gradually these mass of unorganised cells transformed to light green regenerable callus. The maximum callus induction (100%) was observed in MS medium with TDZ at 1.0 mg/l concentration. The highest frequency of organogenesis was observed in the combination of BAP (1.0 mg/l) and NAA (0.5 mg/l) with a mean number of 12.1±1.1 shoots followed by TDZ (1.0 mg/l) and NAA (0.5 mg/l) with 10.2±1.0 shoots per explants. The healthy shoots were rooted best on half strength MS medium supplemented with 0.5mg/l IAA. The well developed plantlets with healthy roots were successfully acclimatized. The development of thriving protocol for the callus induction and regeneration would make possible for the mass multiplication and in vitro production of plantlets with somaclonal variations.
How Does the Melting Impact Charge Separation in Squall Line? A Bin Microphysics Simulation Study

A new electrification and discharge model was developed based on a two‐moment bin microphysical scheme coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Based on the electrical model, the role of the noninductive charging mechanism associated with the melting processes of both snow and graupel (rimed particles) in the charge structure formation in the stratiform region of an organized convective system was examined. Our results showed that the snow melting charging mechanism forms a substantial positive charge layer near and below 0°C isotherm in the stratiform region of a squall line. It was also found that the graupel melting charging process mostly enhanced the positive charge layer in the convective region with little impact in the stratiform region. The in situ charging of noninductive collisional and melting processes and the charge transportation from the convective core all contribute to the charge structure formation in the stratiform region of a squall line.
Recurrent giant phyllodes tumour in a 17-year-old female: a rare case report

Abstract Phyllodes tumours (PTs) are rare fibroepithelial tumours of the breast with incidence accounting for <1% in the general population. Availability of reports on PTs with size of 31 cm or more in diameter in the literature are extremely rare. Herein, the case of a 17-year-old female patient with a giant recurrent right breast PT is reported. Histologically, the tumour showed proliferation of stromal tumour cells consisting of spindle cells with uniform nuclear chromatin, inconspicuous nucleoli, abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and proliferation labelling index for Ki67 of <10%. PTs require meticulous surgical excision due to the fact that they have a high rate of recurrence and status of surgical margins must be included in the pathology report. This is because recurrent cases of PTs tend to grow faster than the primary ones with a high chance of transforming to malignancy.
Oceans, Lakes, and Stromatolites on Mars

Billions of years ago, the Northern Hemisphere of Mars may have been covered by at least one ocean and thousands of lakes and rivers. These findings, based initially on telescopic observations and images by the Mariner and Viking missions, led investigators to hypothesize that stromatolite fashioning cyanobacteria may have proliferated in the surface waters, and life may have been successfully transferred between Earth and Mars via tons of debris ejected into the space following bolide impact. Studies conducted by NASA’s robotic rovers also indicate that Mars was wet and habitable and may have been inhabited in the ancient past. It has been hypothesized that Mars subsequently lost its magnetic field, oceans, and atmosphere when bolides negatively impacted its geodynamo and that the remnants of the Martian seas began to evaporate and became frozen beneath the surface. As reviewed here, twenty-five investigators have published evidence of Martian sedimentary structures that resemble microbial mats and stromatolites, which may have been constructed billions of years ago on ancient lake shores and in receding bodies of water, although if these formations are abiotic or biotic is unknown. These findings parallel the construction of the first stromatolites on Earth. The evidence reviewed here does not prove but supports the hypothesis that ancient Mars had oceans (as well as lakes) and was habitable and inhabited, and life may have been transferred between Earth and Mars billions of years ago due to powerful solar winds and life-bearing ejecta propelled into the space following the bolide impact.
Prevalence and Pathology of Avian Polyomavirus (APV) and Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Virus (PBFDV) Infections in Taiwan: A Retrospective Study from 2010 to 2014

The objective of the present study was to investigate disease prevalence of Avian polyomavirus (APV) and Psittacine beak and feather disease virus (PBFDV) infection, frequently affecting captive psittacine birds. A total of 163 samples of psittacine birds belonging to 22 genera from a bird farm near by Pingtung, Taiwan was submitted in 2010 and 2014. Each sample was investigated separately using necropsy and histopathological examination by light microscopy. Necropsy examination of APV infected cases revealed were ascities, hydropericardium, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, suggesting the presence of hemorrhages at subcutaneous tissue, proventriculus, heart and liver. For PBFDV cases, they were characterized by loss of feathers, abnormal feathers shap and overgrowth and irregularity of the surface of the beak. Histopathologic examination of APV case showed characteristic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the liver, kidney, spleen and bone marrow. For PBFDV, a characteristic microscopic finding is the presence of macrophages containing purple intracytoplasmic inclusions in affected esophagus, crop and feather pulp. The results revealed an APV-positive rate of 16.56% (27/163), a PBFDV-positive rate of 8.59% (14/163) and APV/PBFDV dual infection rate 11.04% (18/163). Overall APV, PBFDV and APV/PBFDV dual infection rate were 36.20% (59/163). In this study the possible outbreak of APV and PBFDV in the future.