Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGES ON TOURIST DEMAND IN WINTER SPORT CENTRES IN SLOVENIA

The article deals with the potential influences of climate changes on tourist demand in selected winter sport centres in Slovenia. By using the method of inquiry we tried to ascertain how skiers perceive climate changes and what their potential responses are. The results of the survey, which was carried out according to Konig's example (1998) in four winter sport centres in Slovenia in the winter 2004/05, showed that climate change would have a great influence on the structure of tourist demand and the frequency of visits. The loss of half of the present skiers would mean an enormous loss of profits and a majority of ski centres (mostly smaller and middle size ones) would probably stop operating. The factors which would, in the case of snow deficient winters, influence the skiers' decision about where to ski the most would be arrangement of ski tracks, possibility of artificial snow- making, ticket price, remoteness of a ski centre and catering and hotel offers. A slightly less important factor would be the aesthetic attractiveness of a ski centre. Seasons with less snow cover could, to a certain extent, be improved through additional/supplementary offers, but this will not replace the winter sport activities. According to the results of the survey, skiers in Slovenia are well acquainted with climate change and are well aware of the potential consequences. But conversations with the people who are responsible for the development of winter sport tourism in Slovenia have demonstrated that they are much less aware of climate change than skiers.
A New Method for Estimating Seed Numbers in the Soil

An elutriation system was developed to estimate weed seed densities in soil. The system provided reliable estimates of seed densities for weed species with a broad range of seed weights (0.06 to 9.80 mg) and had no effect on seed viability of three weed species tested. Elutriation of soil samples (up to 60 g) taken from a cultivated field took approximately 15 min. Separating, classifying, and counting seeds is time consuming (20 to 30 min per sample) but provides an accurate estimate of seed densities for weeds with a diameter of 0.5 mm or more.
Robust RGB-T Tracking via Adaptive Modality Weight Correlation Filters and Cross-modality Learning

RGBT tracking is gaining popularity due to its ability to provide effective tracking results in a variety of weather conditions. However, feature specificity and complementarity have not been fully used in existing models that directly fuse the correlation filtering response, which leads to poor tracker performance. In this article, we propose correlation filters with adaptive modality weight and cross-modality learning (AWCM) ability to solve multimodality tracking tasks. First, we use weighted activation to fuse thermal infrared and visible modalities, and the fusion modality is used as an auxiliary modality to suppress noise and increase the learning ability of shared modal features. Second, we design modal weights through average peak-to-correlation energy coefficients to improve model reliability. Third, we propose consistency in using the fusion modality as an intermediate variable for joint learning consistency, thereby increasing tracker robustness via interactive cross-modal learning. Finally, we use the alternating direction method of multipliers algorithm to produce a closed solution and conduct extensive experiments on the RGBT234, VOT-TIR2019, and GTOT tracking benchmark datasets to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed AWCM against compared to existing tracking algorithms. The code developed in this study is available at the following website.1
Towards Understanding the Design of Intertwined Human-computer Integrations

Human-computer integration is an HCI trend in which computational machines can have agency, i.e. take control. Our work focuses on a particular form of integration in which the user and the computational machine share agency over the user’s body, that is, can simultaneously (in contrast to a traditional turn-taking approach) control the user’s body. The result is a user exp erience where the agency of the user and the computational machine is so intertwined that it is often no more discernable who contributed what to what extent; we call this (cid:1748)intertwined integration(cid:1749). Due to the recency of advanced technologies enabling intertwined integration systems, we find that little understanding and documented design knowledge exist. To begin constructing such an understanding, we use three case studies to propose two key dimensions ((cid:1748)awareness of machine’s agency(cid:1749) and (cid:1748)alignment of ma chine’s agency(cid:1749)) to articulate a design space for intertwined integration systems. We differentiate four roles that computati onal machines can assume in this design space (angel, butler, influencer, and adversary). Based on our craft knowledge gained through designing such intertwined integration systems, we discuss strategies to help designers create future systems. Ultimately, we aim to advance the HCI field’s emergin g understanding of sharing agency.
Distinguishing mutants that resist drugs via different mechanisms by examining fitness tradeoffs across hundreds of fluconazole-resistant yeast strains

There is growing interest in designing multidrug therapies that leverage tradeoffs to combat resistance. Tradeoffs are common in evolution and occur when, for example, resistance to one drug results in sensitivity to another. Major questions remain about the extent to which tradeoffs are reliable, specifically, whether the mutants that provide resistance to a given drug all suffer similar tradeoffs. This question is difficult because the drug-resistant mutants observed in the clinic, and even those evolved in controlled laboratory settings, are often biased towards those that provide large fitness benefits. Thus, the mutations (and mechanisms) that provide drug resistance may be more diverse than current data suggests. Here, we perform evolution experiments utilizing lineage-tracking to capture a fuller spectrum of mutations that give yeast cells a fitness advantage in fluconazole, a common antifungal drug. We then quantify fitness tradeoffs for each of 774 evolved mutants across 12 environments, finding these mutants group into 6 classes with characteristically different tradeoffs. Their unique tradeoffs may imply that each group of mutants affects fitness through different underlying mechanisms. Some of the groupings we find are surprising. For example, we find some mutants that resist single drugs do not resist their combination, and some mutants to the same gene have different tradeoffs than others. These findings, on one hand, demonstrate the difficulty in relying on consistent or intuitive tradeoffs when designing multidrug treatments. On the other hand, by demonstrating that hundreds of adaptive mutations can be reduced to a few groups with characteristic tradeoffs, our findings empower multidrug strategies that leverage tradeoffs to combat resistance. Finally, by grouping mutants that likely affect fitness through similar underlying mechanisms, our work guides efforts to map the phenotypic effects of mutation.
Three-Dimensional Structure of Optimal Nonlinear Excitation for Decadal Variability of the Thermohaline Circulation

Abstract The decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) is investigated within a three-dimensional ocean circulation model using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method. The results show that the optimal initial perturbations of temperature and salinity exciting the strongest decadal THC variations have similar structures: the perturbations are mainly in the northwestern basin at a depth ranging from −1500 to −3000 m. These temperature and salinity perturbations act as the optimal precursors for future modifications of the THC, highlighting the importance of observations in the northwestern basin to monitor the variations of temperature and salinity at depth. The decadal THC variation in the nonlinear model initialized by the optimal salinity perturbations is much stronger than that caused by the optimal temperature perturbations, indicating that salinity variations might play a relatively important role in exciting the decadal THC variability. Moreover, the decadal THC variations in the tangent linear and nonlinear models show remarkably different characteristics, suggesting the importance of nonlinear processes in the decadal variability of the THC.
The anti-obesity effect of fish oil in diet-induced obese mice occurs via the induction of heat production in brown but not white adipose tissue

Aims/Introduction The ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil enhance heat production in adipocytes and exert anti-obesity effects, but the effects of fish oil on heat production in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice are unclear. In this study, we examined whether diets containing fish oil increased the expression of heat-producing genes in adipose tissue and increased body temperature in DIO mice, resulting in weight loss. We also examined fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels in blood and the expression of the FGF21 gene in adipose tissue of DIO mice fed fish oil. Materials and Methods C57BL6/J mice were fed a lard-based high-fat diet for 8 weeks starting at 5 weeks of age and then divided into two groups: one group was fed a fish oil-based high-fat diet, and the other group was fed a lard-based high-fat diet continuously for another 8 weeks. Mice fed a control diet for 16 weeks from the age of 5 weeks served as the control group. Mice were dissected at 21 weeks and used for analysis. Results Mice fed a fish oil-based high-fat diet lost body weight gain, adipose tissue weight gain, and reduced insulin/leptin resistance. In addition, the rectal temperatures of mice fed a fish oil-based high-fat diet remained higher. The administration of fish oil increased the expression of heat-producing genes in brown adipose tissue (BAT) but did not alter heat-producing genes in inguinal white adipose tissue (WAT). In DIO mice fed a fish oil-based high-fat diet, the FGF21 expression in BAT increased. Furthermore, βklotho expression in BAT increased and the blood FGF21 concentration was decreased compared to mice fed a lard-based high-fat diet. Conclusions In DIO mice, fish oil was shown to increase rectal temperature and ameliorate obesity. Furthermore, fish oil enhanced heat production in BAT, but not WAT, in DIO mice.
The radiation of Austral teals and the evolution of flightlessness

The origin and evolution in the Southern Hemisphere of the Austral teals, consisting of the grey-teal and brown-teal species complexes, remains poorly understood due to limited molecular data. With the group containing multiple independent examples of flight loss, understanding the evolutionary history of the group is of significant interest for functional genomic studies into the evolution of flightlessness. Here we present the first whole mitogenome-based phylogeny of the Austral teals. We show that the group diverged from a common ancestor with mallards in the late Miocene and soon after radiated into the brown-teal and grey-teal lineages, as well as the widely distributed pintails and green-winged ducks. The brown-teal species complex, which includes the volant brown and Chatham Island teals as well as the flightless, sub-Antarctic Auckland and Campbell Island teals, radiated within the past 0.9 - 2.2 million years. The divergence of the extinct Chatham Island teal, and the stepping-stone colonisation of the Auckland and Campbell Islands occurred from mainland New Zealand. Morphological changes towards flightlessness are also present in the volant brown teal on mainland New Zealand, suggesting that this group was on the pathway to flightlessess, which accelerated in some insular island lineages.
Physiological and transcriptomic characterization of cold acclimation in endodormant grapevine under different temperature regimes

It is essential for the survival of grapevines in cool climate viticultural regions that vines properly acclimate in the late fall and early winter and develop freezing tolerance. Climate change-associated abnormities in temperature during the dormant season, including oscillations between extreme cold and prolonged warmth, impacts cold acclimation and threatens the sustainability of the grape and wine industry. We conducted two experiments in controlled environment to investigate the impacts of different temperature regimes on cold acclimation ability in endodormant grapevine buds through a combination of freezing tolerance based physiological and RNA-seq based transcriptomic monitoring. Results show that the freezing tolerance of buds was not altered from field levels when exposed to stable temperatures ranging from 2 °C to 22 °C but was enhanced when exposed to temperature cycling (7±5 °C). We also characterized the transcriptomic response of endodormant buds to high and low temperatures and the potential genetic control for the maintenance of endodormancy. Several pathways that were previously reported to be responsive or functional during cold acclimation, such as the ICE-CBF-COR cascade, were not observed to play a role in the enhancement of freezing tolerance or the sensing of different temperatures, indicating our current understanding of the genetic control of cold acclimation remains a challenge when generalizing across plant species and phenological stages.
Emergent Ecological Patterns and Modelling of Gut Microbiomes in Health and in Disease

The Human Gut Microbiome (HGM) harbors a huge diversity in terms of species. Recent work has shown the existence of macroecological laws describing the variation and diversity in microbial communities using 16s OTU data. Here we investigate whether such patterns could be used to discriminate between different models of population dynamics, and characterize gut microbiomes in healthy vs. disease states. In this work, by using shotgun metagenomics data, we first discuss how a simple scaling relation (Taylor’s law) plays a crucial role when building theoretical models for the gut microbiome. Moving from recent results, we then introduce the Symmetric Schlömlich Model, which is related to a widely used prior for relative species abundance (RSA), i.e. the Dirichlet Model. We show that the RSA can be obtained by constraining the solution of the Stochastic Logistic Growth Model, thus endowing all parameters with a clear ecological interpretation. Finally, we characterize the gut microbiomes from an ecological viewpoint, and compare how different models describe the emergent gut microbiome patterns in healthy and disease conditions.
Transepithelial Electrical Impedance Increase Following Porous Substrate Electroporation Enables Label-Free Delivery

Porous substrate electroporation (PSEP) is a promising new method for intracellular delivery, yet fundamentals of the PSEP delivery process are not well understood, partly because most PSEP studies rely solely on imaging for evaluating delivery. Although effective, imaging alone limits understanding of intermediate processes leading to delivery. PSEP is an electrical process, so electrical impedance measurements naturally complement imaging for PSEP characterization. In this study, we developed a device capable of measuring impedance and performing PSEP and we monitored changes in transepithelial electrical impedance (TEEI). Our measurements show TEEI increases following PSEP, unlike other electroporation methods. We then demonstrated how cell culture conditions and electrical waveforms influence this response. More importantly, we correlated TEEI response features with viability and delivery efficiency, allowing prediction of outcomes without fluorescent cargo, imaging, or image processing. This label-free delivery also allows improved temporal resolution of transient processes following PSEP, which we expect will aid PSEP optimization for new cell types and cargos. TEASER Electrical impedance measurements were used to understand delivery and cellular response after porous substrate electroporation.
Developing oak buds produce volatile emissions in response to herbivory by freshly hatched caterpillars

Plant responses to damage by insectivorous herbivores is well documented in mature leaves. The resulting herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) protect the plant by attracting carnivorous arthropods and even some insectivorous vertebrates, to parasitize or consume the plant invaders. However, very little is known about plant production of HIPVs in developing buds, particularly when herbivorous insects are too small to be considered a prey item. It is additionally unclear whether plants respond differently to generalist and specialist chewing insects that overlap in distribution. Therefore, we compared HIPV production of Downy oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) buds infested with freshly hatched caterpillars of Tortrix viridana (specialist) and Operophtera brumata (generalist), against uninfested buds. Of the compounds identified in both years of the experiment, we found that (Z)-hex-3-enyl acetate, (E)-β-ocimene, acetophenone, linalool, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT), methyl salicylate, α-copaene, α-humulene, (E)-caryophyllene, and (E,E)-α-farnesene were higher in infested buds compared to controls. We found no difference in HIPV production between the specialist and the generalist herbivores. Production of HIPVs was also associated with leaf damage, with higher HIPV production in more severely attacked buds. Thus, our study shows that oak trees already start responding to insect herbivory before leaves are developed, by producing compounds similar to those found in damaged mature leaves. Future work should focus on how Downy oak may benefit from initiating alarm cues at a time when carnivorous arthropods and insectivorous vertebrates are unable to use herbivorous insects as host or food.
The role of positively charged small biomolecules in the aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau in Alzheimer’s disease

Tau proteins have recently drawn attention as a possible cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated neuronal dementia. Hyperphosphorylated tau proteins detach from microtubules, impairing their stability and leading to neuronal degeneration. The present study focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind the aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau. Since hyperphosphorylated proteins are highly negatively charged, it is implausible that they create the damaging aggregates in the absence of some counteracting positive charge. This study found such an electrostatic (charge-charge) interaction between tau proteins and polyamines, identifying this interaction as crucial to promoting tau aggregation. In this study, we also directly observed the transition over time from tau protein aggregates to fibril structures. These findings challenge existing theories and offer insights into potential therapeutic targets for AD.
Applying the area fraction fractionator (AFF) probe for total volume estimations of somatic, dendritic and axonal domains of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in a murine model

Using the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system as a case example, we describe a protocol based on Cavalieri’s principle to estimate the total volume of its somatic, nuclear, dendritic and axonal domains in the adult mouse. This protocol requires serial section analysis, a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), and a stereological software combining the serial section manager (SSM) tool and the area fraction fractionator (AFF) probe. The protocol consists of the following steps: 1) systematic random sampling (SRS) of sites across sections for relevant regions of interest (ROI), which in this study included the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and pars reticulata (SNr), the nigrostriatal tract, and the caudate-putamen complex (CP), 2) high resolution image acquisition of all SRS sites within and across sections, 3) loading of images on the previously defined SRS sites, 4) marking of all cellular structures of interest (cSOI) in the images, including perikarya and cell nuclei, dendrites, axonal segments and varicosities, using Cavalieri’s point-counting grids, and 5) estimation of cSOI total volume using the estimated area of each cSOI in every brain section, and the distance between sections. The added volume for all cSOI comprising the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system, in this murine model is around 0.37 mm3, with approximately 5% corresponding to perikarya and cell nuclei, 10% to neuropil/dendrites in substantia nigra, and 85% to axonal segments and varicosities within the CP. The use of a simple quantitative approach to assess the global state of a system may allow quantification of compartment-specific changes that may accompany neurodegenerative processes.
Enhanced local cooling effects of forests across the globe

Forests cool the land surface in warm regions and warm the land surface in cool regions. Because these local temperature buffering effects depend on background climate1,2, increasingly large areas might experience forest cooling effects as the climate warms3–5. Here, using statistical modeling, we quantified changes in the sensitivity of land surface temperatures6 to forest cover change7 from 1988 – 2016, across 15 million km2 of land area. Forests had a local cooling effect on day and night surface temperatures in 86.3% (72 million km2) and 61.6% (5,108 million km2) of the forest area, respectively. This area has increased by 0.3% (0.2 million km2) at day and 4.7% (2 million km2) at night over recent decades. Our study indicates that climate change is enhancing the cooling effect of forests in the short term, underscoring the importance of protecting natural, diverse forest ecosystems in the face of rising global temperatures that threaten ecosystems8,9, human health10,11, and food production12.