Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of buffer strips without added fertilizer to reduce phosphorus loads from flat fields to surface waters

Buffer strips with no added fertilizers are a mitigation measure to reduce P loads from agricultural land to surface water. However, the experimental evidence on their effectiveness (BSE) has been from sloping locations with shallow flow and surface runoff. The aim of this experimental study was to quantify BSE for P on flat agricultural lowland, predominantly with deep flow. We selected sites characteristic of five major hydrogeological classes in the Netherlands and in each experimental field installed paired 5‐m‐wide unfertilized grass (BS) and reference treatments (REF) that abutted the ditch. The REF treatments were managed similar to the adjacent grass or maize field, but BS treatments were only harvested. Each treatment had a reservoir in the ditch to collect and measure discharge and flow‐proportional P concentration for 3 or 4 yr. We also measured net P withdrawal, the P status of the soil and P concentration in upper groundwater. We found a significant BSE for P of 61% on the site with the shallowest flow and steepest slope (2%). At the other sites, BSE was low and statistically insignificant. We conclude that harvested unfertilized buffer strips reduce P loads from flat fields only in specific areas with high surface runoff and/or shallow flow, especially in combination with a high original soil P status.
Predicting changes in soil organic carbon in mediterranean and alpine forests during the Kyoto Protocol commitment periods using the CENTURY model

Six Italian research sites, representative of Mediterranean and mountain forests and equipped with eddy covariance towers, were used in this study to test the performance of the CENTURY 4.5 model in predicting the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) changes during the commitment periods (CP) of the Kyoto Protocol (2008–2012; 2013–2017). We show that changes in SOC stocks over short periods of time are difficult to detect, and explore the potential for models to be used for reporting SOC changes for forests that will remain forests, under Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol. As the eddy covariance flux sites have been active for 10 yr on average, being initiated over the period between 1996 and 1998, the model was evaluated by comparing the modelled SOC stocks with those directly measured at each site in different years. Since long term series of observed values for soil carbon were not available, the validation of other model outputs such as net primary production (NPP) and soil nitrogen stocks, gives some confidence in long term simulations. Once the model performance was evaluated, two climate change scenarios, A1F1 (world markets‐fossil fuel intensive) and B2 (local sustainability), were considered for prediction of C stock changes during the commitment periods of the Kyoto Protocol. In general, despite the need to consider the uncertainties in the direct measurements, at each site model fit with measured SOC stocks was good, with the simulated values within the standard deviation of the measurements. In this regard, the similarity between the SOC measured in 2008 and that predicted for the two forthcoming commitment periods points out the difficulty of detecting carbon stock changes by direct measurements, given the closeness in time to the present of the commitment periods. In any case, all sites show positive variations that are possibly related to the fertilization effects of increasing CO2 and to longer growing seasons, since no change in management occurred. Compared with the SOC measured in 2008, at the end of the second commitment period, the modelled SOC variations were smaller than 2% in the Mediterranean forests and comprised between 2% and 7% in the mountain forests. These variations, although small, indicate it might be possible to statistically detect differences after 10 yr in mountain forests with a reasonable number of samples. In conclusion, this work shows that since SOC stock changes are minimal within both CP, models can be effective tools for estimating future changes in SOC amounts, as an alternative to, or in support of, direct measurements when a short period of time is considered.
SORET AND MASS DIFFUSION-COEFFICIENTS OF TOLUENE N-HEXANE MIXTURES

Soret coefficients and mass diffusion coefficients of mixtures of toluene and n‐hexane have been measured by thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering (TDFRS) and are compared with literature data. For the mass diffusion coefficients a good agreement between different experimental techniques is found. For the Soret coefficients contradictory results are obtained from thermogravitational column measurements, small angle Rayleigh scattering, and TDFRS. Arguments supporting the TDFRS data are presented.
Surface Functionalised Emulsion-Templated Porous Polymers for In-Vitro Cell Culture

“PolyHIPE” is an acronym for polymerized high internal phase emulsions. The nature of the formation of PolyHIPEs creates a highly porous, interconnected monolith structure, the architecture of which can be tightly controlled. Styrene-2-ethylhexylacrylate-divinylbenzene PolyHIPEs with defined architecture of voids between 80 – 100 μm have been previously investigated as suitable supports for in-vitro cell culture, but the highly hydrophobic nature of the predominantly polystyrene scaffold requires extra processing steps to hydrate the surface before use as a support for cell culture. This thesis addresses routes to surface functionalise these PolyHIPEs for the specific aim of optimising 3D in-vitro cell culture materials. Specific routes to this include chemical modification, plasma treatment and chemical adsorption. Of these three routes to surface functionalisation, the plasma processing appears to give the best results, with further attachment of biologically-directing molecules, possible. This thesis presents oxygen plasma treatment as a route to increase the hydrophilicity of these materials, with a reasonable shelf-life, which both reduces the processing steps before cell culture, and increases cell viability when grown on the functionalised PolyHIPE. The ultimate aim in this project is to create smart “off-the-shelf” materials that can control cell behaviour in-vitro. Chemical attachment to the surface of the PolyHIPE with synthetic retinoid EC23 has been proposed, and initial chemical tests obtained to suggest attachment, with future testing with mammalian cells envisaged.
Multifactorial approach to mortality of piglets in semi- arid region of Tamil Nadu

The piglet mortality pattern of Large White Yorkshire pigs were analyzed utilizing the last data available in organized farm. Among the different causes of piglet mortality traumatic shock due to crushing by mother (25.0 per cent), pneumonia (25.0 per cent), hepatitis (17.13 per cent) and haemorrhagic enteritis (13.46 per cent) was found to be common. The percentage of mortality was higher (69.23 pr cent) in 0 to 15 days age group which was mostly due to crushing by mother. As the mortality during the first 15 days was high, it can be concluded that utmost care should be given in early life. Strict hygienic measures will help in reducing the infection related diseases.
Effect of establishment methods and sowing time on growth and yield of rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.)

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of establishment methods and microclimate on growth and yield of rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.) was carried out during kharif season 2016 at the research farm of College of Agriculture, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar. It was laid out in a Split-Split Plot design, replicated thrice with three establishment methods (M1- Direct Seeding, M2-Unpuddled transplanting, and M3-Puddled transplanting) as main plot treatments, two dates of sowing (D1-17th June and D2-26th June) as sub plots and two varieties (V1-Naveen and V2-Pooja) as Sub-Sub plot treatments. The leaf area index (LAI) increased progressively upto panicle initiation stage there after decreased gradually and influenced by different rice establishment methods, dates of sowing and the rice cultivars. All the yield attributing characters i.e. number of panicles m-2, number of grains panicle-1and 1000 grain weight were more in plants planted after puddling than the unpuddled transplanting and direct seeding. The treatment also produced maximum grain yield (3879 kg ha-1) with HI value of (61.52).
The Fate of Organic Oxygen During Coal Pyrolysis

Oxygen in coal is in more than one form. Oxygen-containing functional groups are thought to play a key role in the structure of coal and have a significant effect on the process of coal pyrolysis. This paper describes the fate of oxygen in coal pyrolysis. Three Chinese coals were heated in high-purity Ar at 10°C/min with a fixed-bed reactor, and the oxygen distribution has been examined in detail. Model compounds containing oxygen were pyrolyzed in a quartz boat using a Pyroprobe 2000 (CDS) coil probe directly coupled to a BIORAD FTIR model FTS-165 spectroscopy. Thermal decomposition results show more than 70% oxygen evolution in the gas-phase oxygen; the major form of gas-phase oxygen was CO and CO2. CO2 was produced at a low temperature, CO at a high temperature. The carboxyl group of coal is related to the evolution of CO2. Large oxygen converted into the gas phase between 400 and 500°C. The conversion to tar-O was always < 10%; phenol and its derivatives in tar are the only stable pyrolysis products. The amounts of phenol tended to decrease with an increase in heating rate. At higher temperatures, lower product yields of phenolic compounds in tar are obtained.
Dynamics of nucleotide excision repair complex assembly and disassembly in vivo

The endonuclease XPG is an indispensable core protein of the nucleotide excision repair (NER) machinery. XPG cleaves the DNA strand at the 3’ side of the DNA damage. Binding of XPG stabilizes the NER pre-incision complex and is essential for the 5’ incision by the ERCC1/XPF endonuclease. We have studied the dynamic role of XPG in its different cellular functions in vivo. We have created mammalian cell lines that lack functional endogenous XPG and stably express EGFP-tagged XPG. Live cell imaging shows that in undamaged cells XPG-EGFP is uniformly distributed throughout the cell nucleus, diffuses freely and is not stably associated with other nuclear proteins. XPG is recruited to UV-damaged DNA with a half-time of 200 s and dissociates under steady-state repair conditions with a half-time of 50 s. Recruitment to repair complexes requires functional TFIIH, although some TFIIH mutants allow slow XPG recruitment. Remarkably, binding of XPG to damaged DNA does not require the DDB2 protein, which is thought to enhance damage recognition by NER factor XPC. Together, our data present a comprehensive view of the in vivo behaviour of a protein that is involved in a complex chromatin associated process. Introduction Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a versatile DNA repair mechanism that removes different types of helix-distorting damage from the genome, including UV lightinduced DNA damage, such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and 6-4 photo products (6-4 PP) (Friedberg, 2001; Hoeijmakers, 2001). The severe clinical features of three photo-hypersensitive hereditary NER disorders underscore its biological importance: the cancer-prone syndrome Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), the neurodevelopmental conditions Cockayne syndrome (CS) and trichothiodystrophy (TTD) (Lehmann, 2003). The multi-step NER process requires the coordinated actions of at least 25 polypeptides (Friedberg, 2005). The general modus operandi for NER comprises the following steps: i) recognition of DNA damage, ii) unwinding around the lesion, iii) dual incision on both sides of the damage, iv) removal of the excised oligonucleotide, and v) filling the generated gap by DNA polymerase and ligase (de Laat et al., 1999). Two different modes of NER exist, i.e. transcription-coupled NER (TC-NER) and global genome NER (GG-NER) (Hanawalt, 2000). TC-NER removes lesions exclusively from the transcribed strand of active genes, whereas GG-NER repairs damage at any other position in the genome. GG-NER protects against damageinduced mutagenesis and can thus be considered a cancer-preventing process, whereas TC-NER primarily promotes cellular survival and therefore may counteract aging (Mitchell et al., 2003). The damage sensor for 6-4 PP in GG-NER is the heterotrimeric XPC/HR23B/centrin2 complex (Sugasawa et al., 1998; Volker et al., 2001). In addition, the UV-damaged DNA binding protein (UV-DDB) assists XPC in the recognition of CPD (Fitch et al., 2003; Wakasugi et al., 2002) and facilitates 6-4 PP repair (Moser et Chapter 3
Microbial Community Composition Near Depleted Uranium Impact Points

Military training activities can result in the deposition of depleted uranium (DU) into surface soils. Mechanisms of introduction include the generation of dust from firing and impact as well as the eventual corrosion of projectile fragments and unexploded ordnance. Microorganisms in surface soils have the potential to affect the transport of DU by direct binding of the metal to the cell surface, by altering near field soil chemistry that affects metal solubility, and by microbially influenced corrosion. We investigated the response (in terms of community composition) of a native soil microbiota to the presence of DU in an arid environment. Bacteria in soils outside of the test area were challenged in dilute media with “yellow cake” or U 3 O 8 . At concentrations of 200 to 20,000 mg L− 1 only species of Bacillus were identified. In situ characterizations (by PLFA analysis) of exposed site soils showed an enrichment in sulfate reducing bacterial (i17:1w7c up 39%) and Bacillus species (a15:0 up 35%) biomarkers. Three types of microbial communities were defined (as PLFA profiles) using exploratory statistics and related to three different levels of DU exposure. The community types were then statistically corresponded to site soil chemistry. Observed differences in site soil chemistry were attributed to munitions firing since enrichments (unexposed to exposed) were observed in the minerals magnesium (increase of ∼ 18 mg kg−1 ), potassium (increase of ∼ 46 mg kg−1 ) and sulfur (increase of ∼ 12 mg kg−1 ), all constituents of munitions residues. Increased concentrations of these minerals corresponded with a community type that was associated with an area of extensive DU round use.
The use of assisted autogenic drainage in children with acute and chronic respiratory disease

Structured summary 2 Provide a structured summary including, as applicable: background; objectives; data sources; study eligibility criteria, participants, and interventions; study appraisal and synthesis methods; results; limitations; conclusions and implications of key findings; systematic review registration number. P V INTRODUCTION Rationale 3 Describe the rationale for the review in the context of what is already known. P36 Objectives 4 Provide an explicit statement of questions being addressed with reference to participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes, and study design (PICOS). P36 METHODS Protocol and registration 5 Indicate if a review protocol exists, if and where it can be accessed (e.g., Web address), and, if available, provide registration information including registration number. P37 Eligibility criteria 6 Specify study characteristics (e.g., PICOS, length of follow-up) and report characteristics (e.g., years considered, language, publication status) used as criteria for eligibility, giving rationale. P37 Information sources 7 Describe all information sources (e.g., databases with dates of coverage, contact with study authors to identify additional studies) in the search and date last searched. P38 Search 8 Present full electronic search strategy for at least one database, including any limits used, such that it could be repeated. P38 Study selection 9 State the process for selecting studies (i.e., screening, eligibility, included in systematic review, and, if applicable, included in the meta-analysis). P38 Data collection process 10 Describe method of data extraction from reports (e.g., piloted forms, independently, in duplicate) and any processes for obtaining and confirming data from investigators. P38 Data items 11 List and define all variables for which data were sought (e.g., PICOS, funding sources) and any assumptions and simplifications made. P38
Four centuries of tropical Pacific sea-surface temperature from coral archives

Our ability to judge the significance of recent climate change is fundamentally limited by the shortness and sparsity of the instrumental record. It is crucial to extend the latter, particularly in the tropical Pacific where powerful air/sea interactions orchestrate global-scale low-frequency climate variability. Multiproxy reconstructions of tropical sea-surface temperature (SST) variability have traditionally relied heavily on extratropical proxy records, particular dendrochronological ones. Such dependence hampers a rigorous examination of the links between tropical SST and continental hydroclimate in the pre-instrumental era. Here we use an expanded network of high-resolution coral proxies and a novel statistical methodology (GraphEM, Guillot et al., submitted) to reconstruct tropical Pacific SST back to 1600 C.E solely from annually-banded coral archives. The network and method prove able to capture ∼ 30% of interannual SST variability in the NINO3.4 region, but systematically under-represents El Niño events, especially strong ones, which negatively affect coral physiology at some sites. La Niña events, however, are more faithfully captured. The reconstructed NINO3.4 displays no long-term trend since 1600 C.E, contradicting claims that the twentieth century is anomalous with respect to a long-term baseline (McGregor et al., 2010). Changes in the preponderance of ENSO ’flavors’ (Eastern Pacific vs Central Pacific El Niño events) are assessed using the methodology of (Yeh et al., 2009), and suggests that the late twentieth century trend towards increased CP El Niño occurrences is within historic norms, consistent with results employing a multivariate red noise model (Newman et al., 2011). The link to North American droughts is assessed by comparison to the Palmer Drought Severity Index from the North American Drought Atlas v2a (Cook et al., 2004; Cook, 2008): the pattern corresponding to notable droughts in the US southwest is a cool tropical Pacific, both during the instrumental and preinstrumental period. In detail, SST patterns associated with individual drought episodes may deviate from the canonical La Niña (Cook et al., 2007). Finally, superposed epoch analysis confirms the results of Adams et al. (2003) that El Niño events tend to follow large tropical explosive eruptions. A formal analysis of uncertainties will put these findings in a probabilistic context.
Heterogeneity in iron‐doped titania flower‐like nanocrystalline aggregates: detection of brookite and anatase/rutile size–strain modeling

Detailed investigations of Raman spectra and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) patterns of rutile-rich and anatase/brookite-poor flower-like nanocrystalline aggregates of Fe-doped TiO2 shed new light with regard to its microstructure and heterogeneity. The brookite phase has been detected from the Raman spectra, and the presence of different phases in pure and doped samples is discussed. The phonon confinement model (PCM) was applied to Raman spectra, and the Warren–Averbach and simplified integral breadth methods were applied to XRPD patterns in order to obtain information about the nanocrystallite size and strain of rutile and anatase. The applied methods (i.e. XRPD size–strain analysis and the PCM fit of Raman spectra), when used in combination and together with other experimental techniques like high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, could be very useful in nanomaterial characterization.
OXIDATION OF IRON AND MANGANESE BY OZONE

Abstract The oxidation of iron and manganese by ozone was studied in the laboratory. Model waters both with and without organic matter were used. Results showed iron to be very rapidly oxidized to an insoluble form in the absence of organic matter. However, in the presence of organic matter the iron was protected from oxidation by ozone and precipitation. The degree to which this occurred depended on the nature of the organic matter and the chemical environment at the time of mixing the iron stock and the dissolved organic matter. Experiments with manganese allowed the determination of second order rate constants for the reaction of ozone with manganese at various pH values. The oxidation of manganese in the presence of organic matter occurred in competition with oxidation of the organic matter. As a result, high ozone doses were required to achieve the same degree of removal of manganese. An increase in bicarbonate alkalinity from 50 mg/L to 200 mg/L did not result in an acceleration of the manganese oxi.
Technology of Fluoropolymers

Basic Chemistry of Fluoropolymers. Properties of Commercial Fluoropolymers. Technology and Applications of Commercial Fluoroplastics. Properties and Processing of Fluoropolymer Systems. Effects of Heat, Radiation, and Environment on Fluoropolymers. Recent Developments in Chemistry and Technology of Fluoropolymers. Recycling.
Antidiabetic Activity Of Zingiber Officinal Roscoe In Streptozotocin-Induced Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetic Rats.

The fresh as well as dried rhizome of ginger, Zingiber officinale Roscoe is widely used in the traditional system of medicine. We have studied the effect of fresh juice of Z.officinale (4 ml/kg) and methanolic extract (0.5 g/kg ) administered orally daily for 6 w on streptozotocin induced noninsulin dependent diabetic rats (90 mg/kg, i.p. single dose). Diabetes produced a significant increase in fasting glucose levels that was associated with increase in insulin levels. Treatment with Z.officinale produced a significant decrease in fasting glucose and increase in insulin levels levels in non-insulin dependent type diabetes mellitus rats. In oral glucose tolerance test treatment with Z. officinale was found to significantly (P<0.05) decrease Area Under the Curveglucose and increase Area Under the CurveInsulin values in diabetic rats. Treatment with Z.officinale also produced decrease in serum cholesterol, serum triglyceride levels and decrease in blood pressure in diabetc rats. Our data suggest a potential antidiabetic activity of the Z.officinale in non-insulin depaendent diabetes mellitus model of diabetic rats.
Hollow cathode ignition studies and model development

The Hollow Cathode Assembly is a thermionic source of electrons critical to the operation of the L-3 ETI Xenon Ion Propulsion System (XIPS) thruster. There are two cathode subsystems on a XIPS thruster: the discharge cathode provides the current for the main discharge and the neutralizer cathode produces an electron stream to prevent the spacecraft from charging. There are two phases to the operation of the cathode: 1) a pre- heat phase during which an external heater prepares the cathode for ignition and 2) a self- heating phase that follows ignition. We will discuss experimental data related to the ignition processes for the hollow cathode. These included emission studies and Auger surface spectroscopy data. Based on these observations a detailed physical ignition model has been developed and benchmarked using available cathode and thruster life test data. The model will be outlined and its use in describing the expected ignition characteristics of the L-3 ETI 25 cm XIPS hollow cathode over life will be presented.