Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The distribution and productivity of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) in Ireland in relation to site, soil and climatic factors.

An analysis of the geographic distribution and productivity of Sitka spruce with reference to site, soil and climate characteristics, planted between the years 1924–1991 was conducted. Sitka spruce plantations have been established throughout Ireland from latitude 51oN on Cape Clear Island off the south-west coast of Co. Cork, to 55oN on the Inishowen Peninsula in Co. Donegal. Climate models were used to characterise the range in rainfall and temperature of sites afforested with Sitka spruce. Annual accumulated temperature above 5oC and growing season potential water balance (deficit or surplus) were used to derive five climate zones. Seventy percent of Sitka spruce stands had annual accumulated temperatures >1200 degree days per year. Only 7% of the area was classified as having a potential growing season water deficit. Sitka spruce has been most commonly planted on Mountain and Hill sites below the 450 m contour, typically on peat, gley and podzol soils. A stratified random sampling scheme was used to assess productivity on different soils, climate zones and elevation classes. Results indicate that the most productive stands occurred on deep, moist, well-aerated soils, of moderate to rich nutrient status. Yields on low and high level blanket peats were significantly lower than on greybrown podzolics, acid brown earths, brown earths and gley soils. Productivity varied between elevation classes, but was only significantly lower at elevations over 500 m. Significantly lower yields were found in high rainfall areas where rainfall exceeded potential evapotranspiration by more than 150 mm during the growing season. These areas are associated with blanket peat, peaty podzol and lithosol soils. The national average weighted yield class was found to be 17.0 m3ha-1a-1.
Electrophysical properties, memristive and resistive switching of charged domain walls in lithium niobate

Charged domain walls (CDWs) in ferroelectric materials raise both fundamental and practical interest due to their electrophysical properties differing from bulk ones. On a microstructure level, CDWs in ferroelectrics are 2D defects separating regions with different spontaneous polarization vector directions. Screening of electric field of the CDW's bound ionic charges by mobile carriers leads to the formation of elongated narrow channels with an elevated conductivity in initially dielectric materials. Controlling the position and inclination angle of CDW relative to the spontaneous polarization direction, one can change its conductivity over a wide range thus providing good opportunities for developing memory devices, including neuromorphic systems. This review describes the state of art in the formation and application of CDWs in single crystal uniaxial ferroelectric lithium niobate (LiNbO3, LN), as resistive and memristive switching devices. The main CDWs formation methods in single crystal and thin-film LN have been described, and modern data have been presented on the electrophysical properties and electrical conductivity control methods of CDWs. Prospects of CDWs application in resistive and memristive switching memory devices have been discussed.
Performance Evaluation of Three Antibody Binding Assays, a Neutralizing Antibody Assay, and an Interferon-Gamma Release Assay for SARS-CoV-2 According to Vaccine Type in Vaccinated Group

We evaluated the performance of SARS-CoV-2 assays in the vaccinated group using receptor-binding domain antibody assays (RBD Ab assay), neutralizing antibody assay (nAb assay), and interferon-gamma release assay (IGR assay). We also compared the performance of the SARS-CoV-2 assays based on vaccine type in a large population. We collected 1851 samples from vaccinated individuals with vector, mix-and-match (MM), and mRNA vaccines. The performance of the RBD Ab assays was assessed by SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant (Abbott Laboratories, Sligo, Ireland), SARS-CoV-2 IgG (Beckman Coulter, CA, USA), and anti-SARS-CoV-2 S (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany). The nAb assay was assessed by cPass SARS-CoV-2 neutralization antibody detection kits (GenScript, NJ, USA). The IGR assay was assessed by QuantiFERON (Qiagen, Venlo, The Netherlands). Median values of the RBD Ab assays and nAb assay sequentially increased after the first and second vaccinations. RBD Ab assays and nAb assay showed very strong correlations. The median values of the RBD Ab, nAb, and IGR were higher in the mRNA vaccine group than in the vector and MM vaccine groups. The agreement and correlation among the RBD Ab assays, nAb assay, and IGR assay were higher in the mRNA vaccine group than in the vector and MM vaccine groups. We compared the performance of the RBD Ab assay, nAb assay, and IGR assay based on the vaccine types using the RBD Ab, nAb, and IGR assays. This study provides a better understanding of the assessment of humoral and cellular immune responses after vaccination.
Inflammation in Heart Failure—Future Perspectives

Chronic heart failure is a terminal point of a vast majority of cardiac or extracardiac causes affecting around 1–2% of the global population and more than 10% of the people above the age of 65. Inflammation is persistently associated with chronic diseases, contributing in many cases to the progression of disease. Even in a low inflammatory state, past studies raised the question of whether inflammation is a constant condition, or if it is, rather, triggered in different amounts, according to the phenotype of heart failure. By evaluating the results of clinical studies which focused on proinflammatory cytokines, this review aims to identify the ones that are independent risk factors for heart failure decompensation or cardiovascular death. This review assessed the current evidence concerning the inflammatory activation cascade, but also future possible targets for inflammatory response modulation, which can further impact the course of heart failure.
Efecto del riego y el nivel de carga de cosecha en cv. Tempranillo en condiciones de clima mediterráneo semi-árido

espanolEl riego y la regulacion de la carga de la vid son dos practicas comunes en los vinedos que afectan al rendimiento y calidad de la produccion. Esta tesis explora la respuesta de la variedad Tempranillo frente diferentes dosis de riego y los niveles de carga en las condiciones de cultivo semiaridas de Extremadura y los efectos de la distribucion de tamanos de bayas y composicion dentro del racimo. Cuatro tratamientos de riego: secano, 25ETc, 50ETc y 100ETc y 2 niveles de carga mediante aclareo de racimos en cada uno (alta y baja) se mantuvieron durante cuatro anos. Se consideraron dos zonas del racimo (hombro) y (punta). Ademas, las bayas fueron separadas de acuerdo a su peso en tres categorias diferentes: S, M y B. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que los tratamientos de riego afectaron al rendimiento durante la campana actual y la siguiente. 25ETc disminuyo la produccion entorno al 22% en respecto al 100ETc utilizando 75% menos de agua. Todos los tratamientos de riego alcanzaron 23 Brix con un pH y acidez titulable similar. Los compuestos fenolicos fueron mayores en secano y 25ETc. Por otro lado, la perdida de produccion debida al aclareo, produjo ligeras diferencias en la calidad del mosto (pH, acidez, K+, TPP y TanP) a pesar del incremento en el area foliar por kilo de uva. Las bayas del Hombro resultaron mayor contenido de azucar y menor acidez. La Categoria S presento mayor TSS que B y la categoria B, menor compuestos fenolicos que las categorias M y B. EnglishThe irrigation and the regulation of the vine crop level are two common practices in vineyards that impact into the yield and quality of the production. This thesis explores the response of the cultivar Tempranillo against different irrigation doses and load levels in the semi-arid growing conditions of Extremadura and the effects of distribution of berry sizes and composition within the bunch. Four irrigation treatments: Dry-farmed vine, 25ETc, 50ETc and 100ETc and 2 crop levels by cluster thinning on each (High and Low) were maintained during four season. Two cluster zones (Shoulder) and (Bottom) were considered in 25ETc and 100ETc. In addition, berries were separated according to their weight in three different categories: S, M and B. The results obtained show that the irrigation treatments impacted in the yield of the current and the next season. 25ETc decreased yield about 22% compared to 100ETc using 75% less water. All the irrigation treatment reached 23 Brix (harvest target) and had similar pH and Titratable acidity. Phenolic compounds were higher in Dry-farmed vine and 25ETc On the other hand, yield loss due to clusters thinning, scarcely provided differences in must quality (pH, acidity, K+, TPP and TAnP) despite the increase in leaf area per kg of grapes. Shoulder berries resulted in higher sugar content and lower titratable acidity. S Categorie had a higher TSS than B and lower phenolic compounds than categories M and B.
Modeling, evaluation, and asymptotic analysis of attenuation anisotropy

Seismic attenuation is sensitive to the physical properties of the subsurface, which makes attenuation analysis a useful tool for reservoir characterization. In this thesis, I present algorithms for estimating directionally dependent attenuation coefficients and perform asymptotic and numerical analysis of wave propagation in attenuative anisotropic media. First, I introduce a methodology to estimate the S-wave interval attenuation coefficient by extending the layer-stripping method of Behura and Tsvankin (2009) to mode-converted (PS) waves. Kinematic reconstruction of pure shear (SS) events in the target layer and the overburden is performed by combining velocity-independent layer stripping with the PP+PS=SS method. Then, application of the spectral-ratio method and the dynamic version of velocity-independent layer stripping to the constructed SS reflections yields the S-wave interval attenuation coefficient in the target layer. The attenuation coefficient estimated for a range of source-receiver offsets can be inverted for the interval attenuation-anisotropy parameters. The method is tested on synthetic data generated with the anisotropic reflectivity method for layered VTI (transversely isotropic with a vertical symmetry axis) media and vertical symmetry planes of orthorhombic media. Then, I analyze a cross-hole data set generated by perforation shots set off in a horizontal borehole to induce hydraulic fracturing in a tight gas reservoir. The spectral-ratio method is applied to pairs of traces to set up a system of equations for directionally-dependent effective attenuation. Although the inversion provides clear evidence of attenuation anisotropy, the narrow range of propagation directions impairs the accuracy of anisotropy analysis. The observed variations of the attenuation coefficient between different perforation stages appear to be related to changes in the medium due to hydraulic fracturing and stimulation. Important insights into point-source radiation in attenuative anisotropic media can be gained by applying asymptotic methods. I derive the asymptotic Green’s function in homogeneous, attenuative, arbitrarily anisotropic media using the steepest-descent method. The
Global Simulation of UV Atmospheric Emissions

F. González-Galindo, M.A. López-Valverde, Instituto de Astrofı́sica de Andalucı́a-CSIC, Granada, Spain. (ggalindo@iaa.es), F. Forget, Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique-IPSL, Paris, France, A. Stiepen, J.-C. Gérard, Laboratoire de Physique Atmosphérique et Planétaire, Space sciences, Technologies and Astrophysics Research Institute, University of Liege, Belgium, N.M. Schneider, S.K. Jain, J. Deighan, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), University of Colorado, USA, J.-L. Bertaux, Laboratoire Atmospheres, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, IPSL, Paris, France.
Crystal-orientation fabric variations on the cm-scale in cold Alpine ice: Interaction with paleo-climate proxies under deformation and implications for the interpretation of seismic velocities

The macroscopic flow of a glacier is substantially influenced by the plastic anisotropy of individual ice crystals on the microscale. A preferred crystal orientation develops with depth in a glacier and is subjected to the influence of the temperature, deformation and recrystallisation regime as well as the climate-dependent impurity load in the ice. Detailed knowledge about the crystal anisotropy in a glacier is thus required to better constrain the response of ice sheets in a changing climate. While the gradual change in anisotropy on a large scale of tens to hundreds of metres can mostly be explained, this is not the case for changes in anisotropic fabric on a shorter scale of centimetres to decimetres. This work aims to improve the understanding of how and why the anisotropic crystal-orientation fabric (COF) changes on a short scale in a glacier. Fabric data from an ice core, drilled at the high-altitude Alpine site Colle Gnifetti, were measured in continuously sampled sections, covering 10 % of the entire core length. The distribution of crystal axes was analysed in high-resolution together with impurity data from meltwater analysis. It is found that the fabric anisotropy exhibits a strong variability on the short scale in all depths of the ice core with extreme eigenvalue differences within one metre of ∼ 0.2, often associated with small- or large-grained layers. The clear connection between the grain size variation and the impurity content leads to the conclusion that the influence of impurities on short-scale fabric variations is partially conveyed by the impurity-controlled grain size in combination with the local deformation regime. To further connect ice-core fabric data and COF measurements using seismics, a framework for the exact calculation of seismic phase velocities based on the asymmetric fabric distributions obtained from ice cores is developed and evaluated in two case studies.
Electroconductive Nanofibrous Scaffolds Enable Neuronal Differentiation in Response to Electrical Stimulation without Exogenous Inducing Factors

Among the various biochemical and biophysical inducers for neural regeneration, electrical stimulation (ES) has recently attracted considerable attention as an efficient means to induce neuronal differentiation in tissue engineering approaches. The aim of this in vitro study was to develop a nanofibrous scaffold that enables ES-mediated neuronal differentiation in the absence of exogenous soluble inducers. A nanofibrous scaffold composed of polycaprolactone (PCL), poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), and single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) was fabricated via electrospinning and its physicochemical properties were investigated. The cytocompatibility of the electrospun composite with the PC12 cell line and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was investigated. The results showed that the PCL/PLLA/SWNT nanofibrous scaffold did not exhibit cytotoxicity and supported cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation. ES was applied to cells cultured on the nanofibrous scaffolds at different intensities and the expression of the three neural markers (Nestin, Microtubule-associated protein 2, and β tubulin-3) was evaluated using RT-qPCR analysis. The results showed that the highest expression of neural markers could be achieved at an electric field intensity of 200 mV/cm, suggesting that the scaffold in combination with ES can be an efficient tool to accelerate neural differentiation in the absence of exogenous soluble inducers. This has important implications for the regeneration of nerve injuries and may provide insights for further investigations of the mechanisms underlying ES-mediated neuronal commitment.
Learning Transfer in the Workplace: An Insight Into the Missing Link in the Education and Training of Employees

The goal of education and training is the transfer of learning which requires translating theories to knowledge, skills and learned behaviour. Education can only achieve its intended purpose when theories taught in the classroom are connected to workplace practices. If education and training fail to achieve this lofty objective, then, all efforts, time and resources may be a waste. Transfer of learning only occurs when prior learned knowledge and skills are applied in workplace, either in similar, related, or different contexts. However, there seems to be a missing link in what is being taught and transferred to the workplace in recent times. Aside from the theory of identical elements, this review also considers the theory of near and far transfer. The relevance of these two theories to classroom and workplace is the focal point of this review. Data for this review are secondary sources from documentary reviews, related articles, scholarly works in journals, conference proceedings among others. Data derived from these sources were analysed using content analysis approach. This paper posits that there is a missing link between what is being taught and learnt in the classroom and its workplace application. This paper posits that there is urgent need to make classroom a centre of active learning. Hence, a student-centred pedagogy is recommended, where real-life social contexts are taught in the classrooms, which can ultimately transfer learning to workplace.
"This mere speck on the surface of the waters": Rockall aka Waveland

Rockall is a tiny granite knoll isolated in the stormy waters of the North Atlantic. It is not habitable and has of itself no economic value. However, given its location it has been a prize insofar as at one time it was thought its possession could bring control of an exclusive economic zone. Iceland, Ireland and Denmark laid claim in addition to the UK, which had annexed Rockall in 1955, the last territory to be taken into the British Empire. In 1972 Rockall was declared to be part of Scotland. However the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (1982) now precludes rocks incapable of supporting life to be awarded economic zones. Interest in Rockall then reverted to symbolism especially in its occupation by Greenpeace in 1997 when the global state of Waveland was declared from Rockall’s summit, with Rockall itself as the capital. Greenpeace stayed on Rockall longer than anybody else and a claim has been established to it thereby, but Waveland itself collapsed with the failure of the company that serviced its online presence.
Navigating the digital landscape: examining the interdependencies of digital transformation and big data in driving SMEs' innovation performance

PurposeIn this digital age, the rapid technological innovation and adoption, with the increasing use of big data analytics, has raised concerns about the ability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to sustain the competition and innovation performance (IP). To narrow the research gap, this paper investigates the role of big data analytics capability (BDAC) in moderating the relationship between digital innovation (DI) and SME innovation performance.Design/methodology/approachThis research has been carried forward through a detailed theory and literature analysis. Data were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models using a two-stage approach in smartPLS-4.FindingsResults highlight that digital service capability (DSC) significantly mediates the relationship between DI and IP. Additionally, value co-creation (VCC) directly affects digital transformation (DT), while DI has a stronger effect on DSC than IP. Furthermore, BDAC significantly moderates the relation between DSC → IP and DT → IP, whereas it has a detrimental effect on the relation between DI and IP. In addition to that, VCC, DSC, DT, DI and BDAC have a direct, significant and positive effect on IP.Practical implicationsThis research was motivated by the practical relevance of supporting SMEs in adopting DT and the resource-based view (RBV) and technology acceptance model (TAM). This study shows that all direct and indirect measures significantly affect innovation performance, including BDAC as moderator. These findings refresh the perspective on what DT, DI, VCC, DSC and BDAC can bring to a firm's innovation performance.Originality/valueThis paper has contributed to DT by empirically validating a theoretical argument that suggests the acceptance and adoption of new technology. This paper aims to fill theoretical gaps in understanding BDAC and DT by incorporating the RBV and TAM theories on BDAC and DT.
Occurrence and Associated Risk Factors of Metallo-B-Lactamase Producing Agents of Infection among Patients in Uyo, Southern Nigeria

Background: Carbapen­emase enzymes such as metallo-β-lactamase (MβL) belong to Amber class B type of β- lactamase that cause serious clinical infections mostly feared due to the associated antibiotic resistance mechanisms resulting from their ability to hydrolyse virtually all β-lactam agents, including the carbapenems. Aim: To investigate the occurrence as well as determine the associated risk factors of metallo- β -lactamase producing bacterial agents of infection among in Uyo, Southern Nigeria. Methods: A clean-catch, mid-stream urine and wound samples were collected from consented patients and cultured according to standard procedure. The isolated pathogens were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing using the Kirby Bauer method. All Imipenem and Ertapenem resistant isolates were used for of MβL detection, using Total Metallo-β-Lactamase confirmation Kit. Results: Of the 157 Gram-negative bacteria isolates from 312 clinical samples of urine and wound, metallobeta-lactamase (MβL) was detected in 12 (7.6%). The highest MβL producing Gram-negative bacteria isolate from urine was Escherichia coli. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the major producer from wound the samples. Overall, the antibiotic sensitivity profile revealed that the isolates were mostly sensitive to imipenem 123(91.0%) and highly resistant to the commonly used antibiotics in the study area. The associated risk factors of note were the participants residence, antibiotic use and duration of wound infection and they were found to be statistically significant (P = <0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of metallo-ß-lactamase producing bacterial agents in Uyo, Nigeria was found to be 7.6%. In addition, while E. coli and P. aeruginosa were the major MβL producers, the participant’s place of residence, antibiotics use and wound duration were found to be associated with their occurrence.
Deriving incline values for street networks from voluntarily collected GPS traces

ABSTRACT When producing optimal routes through an environment, considering the incline of surfaces can be of great benefit in a number of use cases. For instance, steep segments need to be avoided for energy-efficient routes and for routes that are suitable for mobility-restricted people. Such incline information may be derived from digital elevation models (DEMs). However, the corresponding data capturing methods (e.g. airborne LiDAR, photogrammetry, and terrestrial surveying) are expensive. Current low-cost and open-licensed DEM (e.g. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission [SRTM] and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer [ASTER]) generally do not have sufficient horizontal resolution or vertical accuracy, and lack a global coverage. Therefore, we have investigated an alternative low-cost approach which derives street incline values from GPS traces that have been voluntarily collected by the OpenStreetMap contributors. Despite the poor absolute accuracy of this data, the relative accuracy of traces seems to be sufficient enough to compute incline values with reasonable accuracy. A validation shows that the accuracy of incline values calculated from GPS traces slightly outperforms incline values derived from SRTM-1 DEM, though results depend on how many traces per street segment are used for computation.