Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of potentilla discolor bunge extracts on oxidative stress and glycolipid metabolism in animal models of diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background/aim: Potentilla discolor Bunge (PDB) is an ancient herb of traditional Chinese medicine. Studies have suggested that extracts of PDB may ameliorate diabetes mellitus (DM). This study aimed to systematically assess the efficacy of PDB extracts on glycolipid metabolism and oxidative stress in animal models of diabetes and to provide evidence-based references for the use of PDB extracts. Methods: This study followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies were searched from eight databases until January 2023. Statistical analysis was performed using StataSE 15.0 and RevMan 5.3. The standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using the random-effects model. SYRCLE’s risk of bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Results: In total, 32 studies with 574 animals were included. The findings demonstrated that PDB extracts considerably lowered fasting blood glucose (SMD: −3.56, 95%CI: −4.40 to −2.72, p < 0.00001); insulin resistance (SMD: −3.19, 95% CI: −5.46 to −0.92, p = 0.006), total cholesterol (SMD: −2.18, 95%CI: −2.89 to −1.46, p < 0.00001), triglyceride (SMD: −1.48, 95% CI: −2.01 to −0.96, p < 0.00001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (SMD: −1.80, 95% CI: −2.58 to −1.02], p < 0.00001), malondialdehyde (SMD: −3.46, 95% CI: −4.64 to −2.29, p < 0.00001) and free fatty acid levels (SMD: −3.25, 95%CI: −5.33 to −1.16, p = 0.002), meanwhile, increased insulin sensitivity index (SMD: 2.51 95% CI: 1.10 to 3.92, p = 0.0005), body weight (SMD:1.20, 95% CI: 0.38 to 2.01, p = 0.004), and the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (SMD: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.40 to 1.69, p = 0.001), superoxide dismutase (SMD:2.63, 95% CI: 1.53 to 3.73, p < 0.00001), glutathione peroxidase (SMD:1.13, 95%CI: 0.42 to1.83, p = 0.002), and catalase (SMD:0.75, 95% CI: 0.11 to 1.40], p = 0.02). Conclusion: These findings suggest that PDB extracts can ameliorate DM by improving glycolipid metabolism and oxidative stress. PDB may be a promising medication for DM; however, due to significant heterogeneity between studies, these findings should be interpreted with caution. In addition, future well-designed trials should determine which components of the PDB play a major role in ameliorating DM and whether these benefits persist in humans. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd. york.ac. uk/prospero, CRD42023379391
Relict blockfields in the Ligurian Alps (Mount Beigua, Italy)

The area around Monte Beigua is characterized by accumulations of large blocks. Survey indicates the occurrence of flow structures on the surfaces of the blockfields, and a pattern of long axis orientation aligned in the same direction as the local gradient. Blocks are often imbricated upslope at the front. The formation of block streams is tentatively attributed to cold‐climate conditions during the Pleistocene. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Light as a first‐order control on ecosystem structure in a temperate stream

An emerging issue in ecohydrology is the role of light in fluvial ecosystem dynamics. Here, we investigate how photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) influences the hydrogeomorphology and biogeochemistry of a second‐order temperate stream with varying riparian communities from heavily shaded forest sections to unshaded grass sections. First, in‐stream PAR was compared to submerged aquatic macrophyte distributions along a 1·2‐km reach. The effects of macrophytes on water depth, sediment size, sediment volume, organic matter (OM) accumulation and nutrient uptake were then analysed. Compared with forested sites, non‐forested sites had three times more benthic PAR, which resulted in a quadrupling of macrophyte biomass. This greater biomass at non‐forested sites increased water depth, sediment accumulation and the uptake of soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP). Bed sediment size and OM were not significantly different between forested and non‐forested sites. Finally, we used the above relations to estimate biogeochemical differences between a completely forested reach and a non‐forested reach. Compared with a forested reach, the non‐forested reach accumulated almost twice as much bed sediment and retained more than four times as much SRP. Thus, changes in riparian conditions may create a cascade through which shading drives changes in stream habitat, which in turn drives changes in hydrogeomorphology and biogeochemical cycles. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biogeochemical control on the flux of trace elements from estuarine sediments : Water column oxygen concentrations and benthic infauna

Abstract Trace element (arsenic, copper and manganese) fluxes between sediment and water were examined for approximately 2 months in replicated sediment/water microcosms. Treatments consisted of three oxygen levels in the water column (saturated, 10% saturation and anaerobic) and three different organism treatments (control, Macoma balthica and Nereis succinea ). Both arsenic and manganese were released from the sediment in the anoxic treatment, while copper was lost from the water. With the water column either saturated or at 10% oxygen saturation, both arsenic and manganese fluxes were negligible. In contrast, copper fluxes out of the sediment increased with increasing oxygen concentrations. The effect of organisms on the trace element fluxes were greatest immediately after their introduction to the microcosms, and declined substantially thereafter. Nereis caused a substantial initial increase in manganese fluxes, but caused a negative flux (out of the water column) for arsenic. Macoma had a much smaller effect on flux than Nereis . Neither organism had a substantial effect on copper fluxes. Porewater profiles gave good predictions of arsenic and manganese fluxes in the anoxic treatment, but not in the 10% or saturated-oxygen treatments. Porewater profiles underestimated copper fluxes in the oxygenated treatments somewhat, and predicted copper flux in the opposite direction in the anoxic treatment. These results suggest that the annual cycle of anoxia in systems like Chesapeake Bay, and the resulting annual cycle of organism death and recruitment, can significantly alter the cycling of trace elements between the sediment and water column.
RNA-Based Strategies for Cancer Therapy: In Silico Design and Evaluation of ASOs for Targeted Exon Skipping

Precision medicine in oncology has made significant progress in recent years by approving drugs that target specific genetic mutations. However, many cancer driver genes remain challenging to pharmacologically target (“undruggable”). To tackle this issue, RNA-based methods like antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that induce targeted exon skipping (ES) could provide a promising alternative. In this work, a comprehensive computational procedure is presented, focused on the development of ES-based cancer treatments. The procedure aims to produce specific protein variants, including inactive oncogenes and partially restored tumor suppressors. This novel computational procedure encompasses target-exon selection, in silico prediction of ES products, and identification of the best candidate ASOs for further experimental validation. The method was effectively employed on extensively mutated cancer genes, prioritized according to their suitability for ES-based interventions. Notable genes, such as NRAS and VHL, exhibited potential for this therapeutic approach, as specific target exons were identified and optimal ASO sequences were devised to induce their skipping. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first computational procedure that encompasses all necessary steps for designing ASO sequences tailored for targeted ES, contributing with a versatile and innovative approach to addressing the challenges posed by undruggable cancer driver genes and beyond.
Phosphatic connecting rings and ecology of an Ordovician ellesmerocerid nautiloid

The phosphatic siphuncle of Bactroceras latisiphonatum Glenister, a Late Ordovician member of the ancestral order of nautiloid cephalopods, displays the outer ‘chalky’ and inner ‘horny’ tubes seen in the aragonitic connecting rings of Recent Nautilus and Carboniferous Orthocerida. The specimens were collected from the Malongulli Formation of central New South Wales. Bactroceras resembles Mesozoic ammonoids in having a marginal phosphatic connecting ring that is partly a product of diagenetic phosphatization. Both the septa and connecting rings were apparently able to resist greater hydrostatic water pressures than other ellesmerocerids and had a potential implosion depth comparable to that of mature Nautilus. The septal necks and siphuncle position resemble the morphology of Bactrites; but it is unlikely that Bactroceras and ‘Eobactrites’ were directly ancestral to bactritoids and ammonoids.
Depositional environments, lithofacies types, and reservoir development of the Permian Khuff Formation in Eastern Saudi Arabia

The Later Permian carbonates and evaporites of the Khuff Formation contain considerable amounts of gas in Ghawar field, eastern Saudi Arabia. Sedimentary structures, textures, and grain types were used to interpret the depositional environments and to define the different lithofacies types which determine the original reservoir face is distribution within this 1,500-ft-thick formation. There are three major depositional environments: subtidal, intertidal, and sabkha. Locally, these include shoals, belts, bars, bays, lagoons, ponds, tidal channels, sabkha. Locally, these include shoals, belts, bars, bays, lagoons, ponds, tidal channels, sabkha islands, and sabkha pans. Tidal flooding and storms are represented. These environments represent four major transgressive-regressive cycles, which conform to four Khuff units: Khuff A, B, C and D (from youngest to oldest). Transgressive phases (subtidal), with lithofacies of grainstones and horizontally burrowed mudstones usually comprise the reservoir facies. The regressive phases (intertidal and sabkha) with lithofacies of anhydritic mudstones and anhydrites, usually seal the Khuff reservoirs. Later disappearance of reservoir facies are due to deposition or diagenesis. Depositionally, the lateral change in facies may occur, for example, from a non-reservoir anhydrite and mudstone facies to a reservoir grainstone facies, or from a non-reservoir anhydritic mudstones to a reservoir burrowed-mudstone facies. Diagenetically, ooidmore » grainstones may be greatly cemented by anhydrite. A combination of dolomitization and leaching may create intercrystalline porosity in mudstone. Leaching creates poorly connected moldic porosity in grainstones because the resulting calcite cement plugs the interparticle porosity. « less
Turnover-Based Corporate Income Taxation and Corporate Risk-Taking

This study investigates the effect of a Turnover-based Corporate Income Tax (TbCIT) on corporate risk-taking. TbCIT is a simplified presumptive tax levied on a firm’s turnover and commonly applied to SMEs and hard-to-tax income. Using a rich sample of Indonesian firms for the years 2009 to 2021, we provide evidence that corporate risk-taking is negatively associated with a firm’s TbCIT exposure. The negative effect is stronger for firms in industries with high profit margins and firms with prior year losses. However, we find no association between risk-taking and the effective TbCIT rate. Overall, our findings extend prior research on the effects of limited risk sharing between taxpayers and the government by showing that turnover-based taxation can depress corporate risk-taking. Our study also informs policymakers about potential unintended consequences of adopting simplified, turnover-based tax regimes.
Stratigraphy of the upper carboniferous and lower permian sequence, southern Sydney Basin

Abstract A study of the stratigraphic units within the southern Sydney Basin has led to the recognition of Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian sediments. Terrestrial valley-fill sediments up to 228 m thick define a palaeodrainage system active during the Upper Carboniferous. These sediments belong to the proposed Talaterang Group and comprise the Yadboro Conglomerate, Tallong Conglomerate, Burrawang Conglomerate, Yagers Conglomerate, Pigeon House Creek Siltstone, and Badgerys Breccia. Palynological data indicate that at least the lower part of the Talaterang Group can be correlated with the Seaham Formation of the Hunter Valley. The Talaterang Group is overlain disconformably by the Clyde Coal Measures (up to 41 m thick) and the Yarrunga Coal Measures, which are in part laterally equivalent to, and overlain by, the Conjola Sug-Group (lower part of the Shoalhaven Group). The Clyde Coal Measures may be correlated with the interval extending from the Rutherford Formation to the Greta Coal Measures of the H.
The Ecological Footprint of Wellingtonians in the 1950s

Population and economic growth lead to increased demand for resources; these resources rely on land or water, which are both finite resources on Earth. Globally humanity is currently operating at an unsustainable level, demanding more land than available. One method used to measure this is ecological footprinting. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) regularly estimates the ecological footprints of most countries, from this information it is estimated that New Zealand is using less productive land than is available and therefore is in ecological deficit. Research has been conducted by the Ministry for the Environment, to calculate the ecological footprints for New Zealand and its regions. However, no research has been conducted for Wellington city. The research of this thesis therefore uses current methodologies to estimate the ecological footprint of Wellingtonians in 1956 and 2006. In conjunction with this, research was also conducted to understand the lifestyles and quality of life during the 1950s and today. This is used to form comparisons between the ecological footprints that are 50 years apart. The ecological footprints and the relevant quality of life and lifestyles are also compared to indicate any relationships that may exist between these factors. Finally the research looked at the possible effects on the current lifestyle and quality of life of Wellingtonians from reducing the relevant parts of the ecological footprint. To achieve this three methods were used, firstly calculations based on the ecological footprint methodology developed by Wackernagel and Rees, and two surveys which consisted of a questionnaire and then focus group discussions, completed by residents of Wellington who lived in the city during the 1950s.
Soil Water Sensor Accuracy for Predicting Seedling Emergence Using a Hydrothermal Time Model

Hydrothermal time models are used to predict seed germination over time in seedling establishment models. Soil matric potential data from three resistance-type sensors (Colman cells [Soiltest, Inc. Lakebluff, Illinois, USA], Watermark brand sensors [Irrometer Co., Riverside, California, USA], and Delmhorst gypsum blocks [Delmhorst Instrument Company, Towaco, New Jersey, USA]), from a time-domain reflectometry (TDR) probe (Campbell Scientific 615 [Campbell Scientific, Inc., Logan, Utah, USA]), and from gravimetric sampling of the seed zone were input into a hydrothermal time model to determine if we could accurately predict seedling emergence over time in a growth chamber experiment for six desert grass species. Seeds were sown in a structureless sandy loam soil which received four different irrigation amounts and was allowed to dry in a growth chamber programmed to simulate spring soil temperatures in Provo, Utah. Cells and gypsum blocks were more sensitive to soil surface drying than Watermark sensors and TDR probes. Only gravimetric sampling correctly predicted no emergence for the driest soil and fastest drying conditions when surface soil dried out 2–4 days sooner than indicated by the most sensitive sensors. For wetter and slower-drying soils, soil water potential inputs from all sensors were similar and high and predicted seedling emergence within 1–2.5 days of observed emergence. For these wet seed-zone conditions, use of thermal time to predict emergence was as accurate as use of hydrothermal time, evidently because all seeds had high water potentials during germination. Because the soil water sensors we used must be buried deeper than the seed zone, accuracy of hydrothermal time model prediction of field germination using these sensors depends greatly on how fast soils dry out in the sensor measurement zone compared to how fast the seed zone dries out relative to the speed at which seeds accumulate thermal time to germinate.
PACS-Integrated Tools for Peritumoral Edema Volumetrics Provide Additional Information to RANO-BM-Based Assessment of Lung Cancer Brain Metastases after Stereotactic Radiotherapy: A Pilot Study

Simple Summary Peritumoral edema can contribute significantly to the development of neurological symptoms in patients with brain metastases (METS), but the quantification of edema has historically been challenging. PACS-based peritumoral edema volume measurement is feasible, and this study suggests that tracking edema volume may facilitate better prediction of treatment outcome. This need is highlighted in our study as over half of the METS studied do not show congruent changes when comparing peritumoral edema volume changes to changes in diameter measurements of contrast-enhancing lesions in longitudinal assessment. Additionally, our results indicate that changes in peritumoral edema volume can pre-date tumor core size changes and could help with early identification of lesions progressing after treatment. Availability of PACS-integrated segmentation tools will allow the incorporation of edema and tumor core volumetrics into treatment response assessment in clinical practice. Abstract Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is the standard of care treatment for brain metastases (METS) today. Nevertheless, there is limited understanding of how posttreatment lesional volumetric changes may assist prediction of lesional outcome. This is partly due to the paucity of volumetric segmentation tools. Edema alone can cause significant clinical symptoms and, therefore, needs independent study along with standard measurements of contrast-enhancing tumors. In this study, we aimed to compare volumetric changes of edema to RANO-BM-based measurements of contrast-enhancing lesion size. Patients with NSCLC METS ≥10 mm on post-contrast T1-weighted image and treated with SRT had measurements for up to seven follow-up scans using a PACS-integrated tool segmenting the peritumoral FLAIR hyperintense volume. Two-dimensional contrast-enhancing and volumetric edema changes were compared by creating treatment response curves. Fifty NSCLC METS were included in the study. The initial median peritumoral edema volume post-SRT relative to pre-SRT baseline was 37% (IQR 8–114%). Most of the lesions with edema volume reduction post-SRT experienced no increase in edema during the study. In over 50% of METS, the pattern of edema volume change was different than the pattern of contrast-enhancing lesion change at different timepoints, which was defined as incongruent. Lesions demonstrating incongruence at the first follow-up were more likely to progress subsequently. Therefore, edema assessment of METS post-SRT provides critical additional information to RANO-BM.
EVALUATION OF Ann AGNPS NITROGEN LOADING IN AN AGRICULTURAL WATERSHED 1

ABSTRACT: Pollutants entering a water system can be very destructive to the health of that system. Best Management Practices (BMPs) are used to reduce these pollutants, but understanding the most effective practices is very difficult. Watershed models are an effective tool to aid in the decision‐making process of selecting the BMPs that are most effective in reducing the pollutant loading and are also the most cost effective. The Annualized Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution model (AnnAGNPS 2.0) is a technological tool that can be used to estimate watershed response to agricultural management practices. The main purpose of this paper is to test the performance of AnnAGNPS 2.0 on nitrogen loading using comparisons with measurements from the Deep Hollow watershed of the Mississippi Delta Management Systems Evaluation Area (MDMSEA) project. Previous work has demonstrated the capability of the model to simulate runoff and sediment. From sensitivity analyses in this study, initial nitrogen concentration in the soil and crop nitrogen uptake had the most impact on the nitrogen loadings. AnnAGNPS simulations of monthly nitrogen loadings are poor. However, statistical test (t‐test) showed that the predicted nitrogen loading is not significantly different from observed nitrogen loading at the 95 percent level of confidence.
Alteration of Clay Minerals by Weathering in Wisconsin Tills

Alteration of clay minerals by weathering in Tazewell, early Cary, and late Cary tills of the Northwest Allegheny Plateau was determined by X-ray technique. In each locality 10 samples closely spaced through the entire profile from fresh unweathered till to the A soil zone were studied. Each zone in the weathering profile of till is characterized by a specific clay-mineral assemblage. The well-crystallized illite in the fresh unweathered till is changed by hydration of the intermica sheets, and in the A soil zone illite-montmorillonite mixed layers are abundant. The well-organized chlorite of the fresh unweathered till is altered by hydration of the brucite sheets culminating in the development of vermiculite in the A soil zone.
Synergistic effects of water repellency and macropore flow on the hydraulic conductivity of a burned forest soil, south‐east Australia

Research shows that water repellency is a key hydraulic property that results in reduced infiltration rates in burned soils. However, more work is required in order to link the hydrological behaviour of water repellent soils to observed runoff responses at the plot and hillslope scale. This study used 5 M ethanol and water in disc infiltrometers to quantify the role of macropore flow and water repellency on spatial and temporal infiltration patterns in a burned soil at plot (<10 m2) scale in a wet eucalypt forest in south‐east Australia. In the first summer and winter after wildfire, an average of 70% and 60%, respectively, of the plot area was water repellent and did not contribute to infiltration. Macropores (r > 0·5 mm), comprising just 5·5% of the soil volume, contributed to 70% and 95%, respectively, of the field‐saturated and ponded hydraulic conductivity (Kp). Because flow occurred almost entirely via macropores in non‐repellent areas, this meant that less than 2·5% of the soil surface effectively contributed to infiltration. The hydraulic conductivity increased by a factor of up to 2·5 as the hydraulic head increased from 0 to 5 mm. Due to the synergistic effect of macropore flow and water repellency, the coefficient of variation (CV) in Kp was three times higher in the water‐repellent soil (CV = 175%) than under the simulated non‐repellent conditions (CV = 66%). The high spatial variability in Kp would act to reduce the effective infiltration rate during runoff generation at plot scale. Ponding, which tend to increase with increasing scale, activates flow through macropores and would raise the effective infiltration rates at larger scales. Field experiments designed to provide representative measurements of infiltration after fire in these systems must therefore consider both the inherent variability in hydraulic conductivity and the variability in infiltration caused by interactions between surface runoff and hydraulic conductivity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.