Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distinction of soil thermal regimes under various experimental vegetation covers

Five vegetation treatments were established in 1.2 m × 1.2 m plots in 1990: (1) bare mineral soil, (2) Epilobium angustifolium, (3) Rubus spectobilis, (4) Alnus rubra and (5) a mixture of all three species. Soil temperatures were measured at 10-cm depths in three replicates of each treatment during the early summer of 1991. Mean, maximum and minimum temperatures always exhibited the same rank order of treatments — bare > Epilobium > Rubus > mixture > Alnus — but the latter four treatments were not readily distinguishable. A data-adjustment procedure based on Fourier analysis was conducted and its utility discussed for use in the separation of treatment effects where observations exhibit a detectable diurnal cycle. Using this method, the soil thermal regime of the Epilobium treatment was demonstrated to be statistically distinct from that of the bare plots and from those of the other vegetation treatments. Key words: Fourier analysis, diurnal pattern, soil temperature, vegetation effects, microclimate
Postsynaptic α1‐ and α2‐adrenoceptors in human blood vessels: interactions with exogenous and endogenous catecholamines

Abstract. The relative efficacy of epinephrine and norepinephrine on vascular α1‐ and (α2‐adrenoceptors and also the difference in vasoconstriction induced by exogenous norepinephrine as opposed to neuronally released norepinephrine were studied in the forearm of healthy volunteers. Intra‐arterial cumulative dose infusions of epinephrine and norepinephrine (0·6, 1·6 and 4·0 ng kg−1 min−1) were given in the presence of saline, the selective α1‐antagonist doxazosin (0·1 μg kg min−1) the selective α2‐antagonist yohimbine (1·0 μg kg min−1) and the combination of both antagonists. β‐Adrenoceptor‐mediated effects were prevented by a concomitant i.a. infusion of propranolol (10 μg kg−1 min−1). Forearm blood flow (FBF) was measured before each infusion and at the end of each dose step. Neuronal norepinephrine was released by i.a. infusion of tyramine in three cumulative doses (0·25, 0·50 and 1·25 μg kg−1 min−1) and by lower body negative pressure (LBNP, − 40 mmHg for 5 min). Changes in FBF were measured without and with concomitant i.a. infusions of the aforementioned doses of doxazosin and yohimbine. In the LBNP experiment the opposite arm was used as a control. Forearm blood flow was measured by plethysmography. Epinephrine and norepinephrine induced an equal and dose‐dependent vasoconstriction, which was significantly inhibited by doxazosin as well as yohimbine and to a greater extent by the combination of the antagonists. No differences were found between epinephrine and norepinephrine in this respect. Intra‐arterial tyramine induced a dose‐dependent vasoconstriction, which was inhibited by both doxazosin and yohimbine. The tyramine‐induced vasoconstriction was more effectively blocked by doxazosin than by yohimbine whereas the reverse was found for the vasoconstriction induced by infusion of norepinephrine. Lower body negative pressure produced a similar vasoconstriction in both arms. This vasoconstriction was not influenced by yohimbine, but was significantly inhibited by doxazosin. It is concluded that vasoconstriction induced by exogenous epinephrine and norepinephrine is due to stimulation of both α1‐ and α2‐adrenoceptors and that neuronally released norepinephrine preferentially activates postsynaptic α1‐adrenoceptors. Moreover, epinephrine and norepinephrine have similar relative efficacies on both α‐adrenoceptor subtypes. These data support the view that postsynaptic α1‐adrenoceptors are predominantly located intrasynaptically whereas postsynaptic α2‐adrenoceptors are predominantly located extrasynaptically. It can also be reasoned that norepinephrine rather than epinephrine is responsible for α2‐adrenoceptor mediated basal vascular tone.
Use of a coupled equilibrium model to describe the buffering of protons and hydroxyl ions in some acid soils

The buffering of protons and hydroxyl ions in acid soils was studied by the addition of small amounts of HCl, H2SO4, and NaOH in consecutive batch experiments using surface soils and subsoils from two Cambisols and one Podzol. A chemical equilibrium model was used to study the main buffer processes. The model included inorganic complexation and multiple cation exchange, and also the solubility of jurbanite and Al(OH)3 for the subsoils. Buffering of protons was predicted quite well by the model for the surface soil of the Spodi-Dystric and Spodic Cambisols, suggesting that multiple cation exchange was the main buffer process. For the Podzol surface soil, however, the model overestimated proton buffering by cation exchange considerably. Hydroxyl buffering in acid surface soils could be described well by the model for the Podzol soil only. For the Cambisols, hydroxyl buffer reactions included not only cation exchange, but also solubilization of large amounts of organic matter and presumably deprotonation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Modelling proton and hydroxyl buffering in subsoils suggested that equilibrium with AJ(OH)3 was not maintained for the Podzol and spodic Cambisol. Sulphate sorption had to be considered to describe titration experiments in all three soils. The assumption of jurbanite being in equilibrium with soil extracts was useful only for the Spodi-Dystric Cambisol. Anwendung eines Modells gekoppelter Gleichgewichte zur Beschreibung der Pufferung von Protonen und Hydroxyl-Ionen in einigen sauren Boden Die Pufferung von Protonen und Hydroxyl-Ionen in sauren Boden wurde durch Zugabe geringer Mengen HCl, H2SO4 und NaOH in konsekutiven Batchexperimenten fur zwei Cambisole und einen Podsol untersucht. Ein chemisches Gleichgewichtsmodell wurde zum Studium der wichtigsten Pufferprozesse verwendet. Das Modell beinhaltete anorganische Komplexierung, multiplen Kationenaustausch und fur die Unterboden zusatzlich Loslichkeilsprodukte fur Jurbanit und Al(OH)3. Fur den Oberboden des Spodi-Dystric Cambisols und des Spodic Cambisols wurde die Protonenpufferung gut durch multiplen Kationenaustausch beschrieben. Fur den Podsol-Oberboden hingegen uberschatzte das Modell die Protonenpufferung durch Kationenaustausch betrachtlich. Die Pufferung von Hydroxyl-Ionen in sauren Oberboden konnte nur fur den Podsol gut beschrieben werden. Die Hydroxyl-Pufferreaktionen der Cambisole beinhalteten nicht nur Kationenaustausch, sondern zusatzlich die Mobilisierung erheblicher Mengen organischen Kohlenstoffs und vermutlich die Deprotonierung gelosten organischen Kohlenstoffs (DOC). Die Modellierung der H+- und OH−-Pufferung in Unterboden deutete an, das fur den Podsol und den spodic Cambisol kein Gleichgewicht zwischen der Losungsphase und Al(OH)3 herrschte. Sulfatsorption muste fur alle drei Boden zur Beschreibung der Titrationsexperimente berucksichtigt werden. Die Annahme, das Jurbanit im Gleichgewicht mit den Bodenextrakten war, erwies sich nur fur den Spodi-Dystric Cambisol als sinnvoll.
Perioperative Outcomes in 17,947 Patients Undergoing 2-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Versus 1-Level Anterior Cervical Corpectomy for Treatment of Cervical Degenerative Conditions: A Propensity Score Matched National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Analysis

Objective To compare the perioperative morbidity of 2-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with that of 1-level anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) for the treatment of cervical degenerative conditions. Methods A retrospective study of the 2005–2016 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for patients undergoing 2-level ACDF and 1-level ACCF was performed. Patient data included: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), functional status, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status (PS) classification. Hospital data included: operative time and length of hospital stay (LOS). Thirty-day outcome data included: any, serious, and minor adverse events, return to the operating room, readmission, and mortality. After propensity matching for age, sex, ASA PS classification, functional status, and BMI, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to compare outcomes between the 2 propensity-matched subcohorts. Finally, multivariate logistic regression that additionally controlled for operative time was performed to compare the 2 propensity-matched subcohorts. Results A total of 17,497 cases were identified, with 90.20% undergoing 2-level ACDF and 9.80% undergoing 1-level ACCF. Patients undergoing 2-level ACDF were younger, more likely to be female, had higher functional status, and had shorter operative time and LOS (p < 0.001). After propensity score matching, cases undergoing 1-level ACCF had a statistically significant higher rate of serious adverse events (p = 0.005). This difference was no longer significant after controlling for operative time. Conclusion While there was noted to be additional morbidity in 1-level ACCF cases relative to 2-level ACDF cases, the lack of difference once controlling for the surgical time supports using the procedure that best accomplishes the surgical objectives.
Isoflavone composition of American and Japanese soybeans in Iowa: effects of variety, crop year, and location

The amounts of 12 isoflavones were measured in 8 American and 3 Japanese soybean varieties by using C18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. In Vinton 81 soybeans of 1989-1991, variation in total isoflavone ranged from 1176 to 3309 micrograms/g. Isoflavone amounts of soybeans grown in different locations in 1991 ranged from 1176 to 1749 micrograms/g. Crop year seemed to have a much greater influence on isoflavone content in Vinton 81 than did location. Isoflavones in the other seven American varieties (Pioneer 9111, Pioneer 9202, Prize, HP204, LS301, XL72, Strayer 2233) ranged from 2053 to 4216 micrograms/g. The major isoflavone constituents were 6"-O-malonylgenistin, genistin, 6"-O-malonyldaidzin, and daidzin. Isoflavone contents in three Japanese varieties (Keburi, Kuro diazu, Raiden) ranged from 2041 to 2343 micrograms/g and from 1261 to 1417 micrograms/g for soybeans grown in 1991 and 1992, respectively. Compared with American varieties, Japanese varieties had higher 6"-O-malonylglycitin contents and higher ratios of 6"-O-malonyldaidzin to daidzin and 6"-Omalonylgenistin and genistin.
Women-only swimming as a space of belonging

ABSTRACT The female Muslim body has come under close political and public scrutiny in many Western societies. Within sport, too, Muslim women’s dress and practices have become topics of discussion. For example, gender-segregated swimming sessions catering for Muslim women have caused disputes in several European countries, including Denmark. Nevertheless, the perspectives of participants are absent in such discussions and research about the significance of sports and physical activity for minority-ethnic groups is sparse. The aim of this article is to explore the meanings Danish Muslim women ascribe to their participation in a gender-segregated swimming space. Drawing on transnational feminism that foregrounds the voices of ‘othered’ women, this article presents the results of a study, in which we used participant observation and interviews with club officials and 14 Muslim women. The participants connected swimming with well-being and self-care and portrayed women-only swimming as a space of belonging, where they felt comfortable and safe and were not only protected from the male but also the ‘white’ gaze that they encountered in other situations, such as when wearing a burkini on the beach. Consequently, contestations of belonging ‘outside’ gave particular value to the women-only swimming pool as a space free from such contestations. This finding demonstrates how Muslim women’s experiences with sport and physical activity are shaped by current public and political discourses on immigration and integration in Western societies.
Cause-specific mortality of low and selective intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients with active surveillance or watchful waiting

Background Active surveillance or watchful waiting (AS/WW) is increasingly being used as an alternative strategy to radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for appropriately selected patients with prostate cancer (PCa). However, the prognosis of low-risk and selective intermediate-risk PCa patients after AS/WW is poorly defined. In this study we reviewed the patients registered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program to establish a competing risk nomogram for the prediction of prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM). Methods The information of patients undergoing AS/WW in the SEER program from 2004 to 2015 was obtained. All patients were ISUP (International Society of Urological Pathology) grade 1 or 2 PCa and also fulfilled the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s definition of low-risk PCa [prostate specific antigen (PSA) <10 ng/mL and cT2aN0M0 or less)]. A competing risk nomogram was used to analyze the association of tumor characteristics with PCSM and non-PCSM among the PCa patients with AS/WW. All cases were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort (1:1). A competing risk nomogram was constructed to predict PCSM in PCa patients with AS/WW. The performance of the PCSM nomogram was evaluated using the concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. Results A total of 30,538 PCa patients were identified as low risk or selective intermediate risk with AS/WW. The 10-year cumulative incidence of death from prostate cancer and death from other cause were 2.8% (95% CI: 2.4–3.1%) and 19.3% (95% CI: 17.8–20.5%), respectively. Variables associated with PCSM included age, marital status, PSA, and ISUP grade. The PCSM nomogram had a good performance in both the training and validation cohorts, with a C-index of 0.744 (95% CI: 0.700–0.781, P<0.001) and 0.738 (95% CI: 0.700–0.777, P<0.001), respectively. Conclusions Overall, the prognosis was favorable for the low- and selective intermediate-risk PCa patients with AS/WW. The competing risk nomogram yielded a good performance in identifying subgroups of patients with a higher risk of PCSM and potential candidates for AS/WW.
An understanding of interlink of Vitamin D with Tuberculosis- A cross-sectional study

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the most prevalent health disorder in developing nations and is linked with decreased immunity. Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins required to boost immune response as it is required to maintain innate immune response via its actions on TLRs and macrophages. Risk of Tuberculosis has been associated with decrease level of vitamin D in serum in various studies. Despite of these studies some discrepancies have been shown in different studies conducted in different regions which further potentiates the role of various factors like diet, ethnicity, and seasonal variations influencing the prevalence of T.B in vitamin D deficient and non-deficient population. This study has been conducted to evaluate and establish the link of serum vitamin D in TB and non TB population residing in Mathura region of U.P. Materials and Methods: Total studied population was 80. 40 participants were taken in patient group with newly diagnosed Tuberculosis both pulmonary and extrapulmonary and 40 were enrolled in healthy control group. Serum sample was collected twice first before the start of treatment in patient group and then after the three months of effective treatment initiation. Results: Among the two groups i.e., control and patient serum level of vitamin D in patient group was found to be significantly low as compared to the control group (22.66±15.17 vs73.03±25.6 ng/mL: P<0.001). Moreover it was seen in this study that serum vitamin D level was low in extrapulmonary tuberculosis as compared to pulmonary T.B, but this is statistically insignificant (P=0.397). Likewise when serum level of vitamin D was compared before start of treatment in patient group and after treatment no significant difference was seen. (P = 0.807). Linear regression analysis ruled out any significant link in serum levels of vitamin D when matching was done including age, gender, site of tuberculosis and after treatment onset criteria P≥0.68. Conclusions: Healthy population has higher serum levels of vitamin D as compared to patients with
Freedom of Expression Challenged: Scientists’ Perspectives on Hidden Forms of Suppression and Self-censorship

The media have become an important arena where struggles over the symbolic legitimacy of expert authority take place and where scientific experts increasingly have to compete for public recognition. The rise of authoritarian and populist leaders in many countries and the growing importance of social media have fueled criticism against scientific institutions and individual researchers. This paper discusses the new hidden forms of suppression and self-censorship regarding scientists’ roles as public experts. It is based on two web surveys conducted among Finnish researchers in 2015 and 2017. We focus on answers to the open-ended questions in these surveys, where respondents reflect upon issues of freedom of expression and the feedback they receive in public arenas. Building on previous research on suppression, “research silencing,” and the “chilling effect,” we discuss the connection between freedom of expression and freedom of inquiry. We make a distinction between four forms of suppression: political and economic control, organizational control, control between rival academics, and control from publics. Moreover, we make explicit and discuss the means, motives, and practices of suppression within each of these four forms.
Delimitation of low topsoil moisture content areas in a vineyard using remote sensing imagery (Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2) in a Mediterranean-climate region

Irrigation can be responsible for salt accumulation in the root zone of grapevines when late autumn and winter precipitation is not enough to leach salts from the soil upper horizons, turning the soil unsuitable for grape production. The aim of this work is to present a novel methodology to outline areas, within a drip-irrigated vineyard, with a low soil moisture content (SMC) during, and after, an 11-month agricultural drought. Soil moisture (SM) field measurements were performed in two plots at the vineyard, followed by a geostatistical method (indicator kriging) to estimate the SM class probabilities according to a threshold value, enlarging the training set for the classification algorithms. The logistic regression (LR) and Random Forest (RF) methods used the features of the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images and terrain parameters to classify the SMC probabilities at the vineyard. Both methods classified the highest SMC probabilities above 14% that is located close to the stream at the lower altitudes. The RF method performed very well in classifying the topsoil zones with a lower SMC during the autumn-winter period. This delineation allows the prevention of the occurrence of areas affected by salinisation, indicating which areas will need irrigation management strategies to control the salinity, especially under climate change, and the expected increase in droughts.
What Drives U.S. Treasury Re-Use?

We study what drives the re-use of U.S. Treasury securities in the financial system. Using confidential supervisory data, we estimate the degree of collateral re-use at the dealer level through their collateral multiplier : the ratio between a dealer's secured funding and their outright holdings. We find that Treasury re-use increases as the supply of available securities decreases, especially when supply declines due to Federal Reserve asset purchases. We also find that non-U.S. dealers' re-use increases when profits from intermediating cash are high, U.S. dealers' re-use increases when demand to source on-the-run Treasuries is high, and both types of dealers' re-use can alleviate safe asset scarcity. Finally, we document a sharp drop in Treasury re-use at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a subsequent reversal after the Federal Reserve's intervention to support market functioning.
Novel Organic Mineral Complex Prevents High-Fat Diet-Induced Changes in the Gut and Liver of Male Sprague-Dawley Rats

Diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with the onset of gastrointestinal diseases, such as hepatic steatosis and gut inflammation. Prior research shows that a proprietary soil-derived organic mineral complex (OMC) prevents hyperglycemia, endotoxemia, and liver injury in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks. The aim of this study was to further examine the effects of OMC on the liver and gastrointestinal health of these rats. Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 36) were divided into two dietary groups: Chow or HFD fed for 10 weeks. Animals were further divided (n = 6/group) and administered 0, 0.6, or 3.0 mg/mL OMC in their drinking water. The 10-week HFD resulted in significant liver fat accumulation. Both OMC doses prevented hepatic increases in the glycation end product Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) induced by HFD (p < 0.05). Low-dose OMC was associated with higher expression of occludin in the small intestine of rats fed either diet (two-way ANOVA, p < 0.042). Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) indicated significant differences in fecal microbial composition of untreated HFD-fed rats in comparison to untreated Chow rats at 10 weeks (LDA score > 2.0 : 18). After 10 weeks, untreated HFD-fed rats were also more abundant in bacteria associated with obesity and metabolic disease in comparison to corresponding week 0 samples (LDA score > 2.0 : 31), 10-week untreated Chow (LDA > 2.0 : 18), or 10-week OMC-treated HFD-fed rats (0.6 mg/mL; LDA > 2.0 : 80, 3.0 mg/mL; LDA > 2.0 : 8). Low-dose OMC prevented the HFD-induced increase in the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio (p < 0.0416). Study animals treated with OMC exhibited no significant changes in the gut microbiota at week 10, although gut inflammatory biomarkers were not significantly altered by diet or OMC treatment. These results indicate that OMC supplementation ameliorates glycosylation reactions and modifies HFD-induced alterations in the intestinal microbiota.
Interference Effects of Easily Ionizable Elements in ICP-AES and Flame AAS: Characterization in Terms of the Collisional Radiative Recombination Activation Energy

ABSTRACT A simplified rate model for the interference effects of easily ionized elements on analyte absorbance and emission signals in Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, FAAS, is presented showing that when the analyte is determined in the absence and presence of the interferent, the change in the collisional radiative recombination activation energy, ΔE a, is zero when the systems conform to local thermal equilibrium. The proposed model also shows that ΔE a can be calculated from the slope of the plot of A′/A or I′/I versus the interferent-to-analyte ion number density ratio, where A and I denote absorbance and emission signal intensities, respectively, and the prime denotes presence of the interferent. ΔE a values of −1.5168 and −1.6924 eV where obtained when Mg was determined by FAAS in the presence of excess Ca and Sr respectively, and values of −6.62, −9.83, and −13.52 eV were obtained when CaI, CaII, and MgII respectively were determined in the presence of excess Li, confirming that these systems are not in LTE. Possible causes for departure from LTE and possible collisional radiative recombination mechanisms consistent with the results are discussed.
Convenient Synthesis and Reactivity of Ethyl 8‐amino‐6‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐4H‐1‐benzopyran‐2‐carboxylate

Abstract We report and comprehensively describe the synthesis and reactivity of ethyl 8‐amino‐6‐methyl‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐1‐benzopyran‐2‐carboxylate. This peptidomimetic building block provides a constrained template that allows for the introduction of various functionalities in a specific spatial orientation.