Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disparity in Perceptions of Social Values for Ecosystem Services of Urban Green Space: A Case Study in the East Lake Scenic Area, Wuhan

Urban green space can bring various ecosystem benefits to diverse social groups. Among those ecosystem benefits, intangible social values are often neglected but highly relevant to human welfare. Existing research on the social values of urban green space often focusses on the perspective of urban inhabitants rather than tourists, even though tourists are also major beneficiaries. By combining different data sources into a comprehensive source about green-space social values, we investigated the disparity between inhabitants' and tourists' perceptions about space-associated social values, and further explored the underlying environmental conditions in the East Lake scenic area, Wuhan. For this, we collected 347 questionnaires through an on-site survey and 11,908 photos uploaded by 2165 social media users (Sina Blog), and we used SolVES (Social Value for Ecosystem Services) to uncover the spatial patterns of social values and the relationships between social value indicators and natural surroundings. Social-value hotspots occurred near water and trails. Perceptions differed, however, between inhabitants and tourists. Inhabitants perceived a larger scale of social values and could benefit more from recreation and economic values. Tourists, on the other hand, showed greater appreciation for aesthetic and cultural values. Environmental features were associated with social values to differing extent; distance to water and land use/cover exerted significantly influence. These findings should be taken into consideration to improve urban spatial planning and to optimize green infrastructures for human welfare.
L-Arginine-Nitric Oxide-Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Pathway and the Coronary Circulation: Translation of Basic Science Results to Clinical Practice

By 1980, it was thought that we already knew most of the major mechanisms regulating vascular tone. However, after the somewhat serendipity discovery that endothelium is involved in mediation of relaxation to acetylcholine, a whole new world opened up and we had to rewrite our concept regarding vascular function and its regulation (not to mention many other fields). The new player was an endothelium derived relaxing factor, which molecular constitution has been identified to be nitric oxide (NO). This review summarizes the major molecular steps concerning how NO is synthetized from L-arginine. Also, the fate of L-arginine is described via the arginase and methylation pathways; both of them are affecting substantially the level and efficacy of NO. In vitro and in vivo effects of L-arginine are summarized and controversial clinical findings are discussed. On the basis of the use of methylated L-arginines, the vasomotor effects of endothelial NO released to agonists and increases in flow/wall shear stress (a major biological stimulus) is summarized. In this review the role of NO in the regulation of coronary vascular resistance, hence blood flow, is delineated and the somewhat questionable clinical use of NO donors is discussed. We made an attempt to summarize the biosynthesis, role, and molecular mechanisms of endogenously produced methylated L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in modulating vascular resistance, affecting the function of the heart. Additionally, the relationship between ADMA level and various cardiovascular diseases is described, such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease (CAD), ischemia/reperfusion injuries, and different types of coronary revascularization. A novel aspect of coronary vasomotor regulation is identified in which the pericardial fluid ADMA and endothelin play putative roles. Finally, some of the open possibilities for future research on L-arginine-NO-ADMA signaling are highlighted.
Forest Productivity Enhancement and Compensatory Growth: A Review and Synthesis

This review and synthesis article attempts to integrate observations from forestry to contemporary development in related biological research fields to explore the issue of forest productivity enhancement and its contributions in mitigating the wood supply shortage now facing the forest sector. Compensatory growth has been clearly demonstrated in the long-term precommercial thinning and fertilization trial near the Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. This phenomenon appears similar to many observations from other biological fields. The concept of compensatory growth can be applied to forest productivity enhancement through overcompensation, by taking advantage of theories and methods developed in other compensatory growth research. Modeling technology provides an alternative approach in elucidating the mechanisms of overcompensation, which could reveal whether the Shawnigan Lake case could be generalized to other tree species and regions. A new mitigation strategy for dealing with issues related to wood supply shortage could be formed through searching for and creating conditions promoting overcompensation. A forest growth model that is state dependent could provide a way of investigating the effect of partial harvest on forest growth trajectories and stand dynamics. Results from such a study could provide cost-effective decision support tools to practitioners.
Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Reinforced Passivation Film: A Reactive Molecular Dynamics Study

Reinforced concrete is one of the most critical composite materials in the modern civil engineering and can improve the tensile resistance of concrete. Its passivation film plays an important role in the durability of concrete and the steel corrosion. But, due to the size limitations, the destruction of micro-scale steel bars has not been well studied. In this work, the reactive molecular dynamics simulation was employed to studying the mechanical properties of the steel and its passivation film. The uniaxial stretching of different compounds of γ-FeOOH, γ-Fe2O3 and Fe was performed. We found that the oxidation can reduce the tensile strength of steel. For the three compounds of γ-FeOOH, γ-Fe2O3 and Fe, the order of tensile strength from high to low is Fe > γ-Fe2O3 > γ-FeOOH. But, the ductility of γ-FeOOH under x direction is increased. The detail microstructure analysis shown that the difference of tensile strength is origin from the coordination in the materials. The two kinds of stretching processes of whole system stretching (in the Fe phase and x direction of γ-FeOOH phase) and partly area stretching (in the Fe2O3 phase and z direction of γ-FeOOH phase) were clarified. The external force is dispersed in whole system stretching but opposite in partly area stretching. This investigation leads to possible new direction for studying the tensile strength of materials, and the strategy of evaluating materials tensile strength can supply valuable information in evaluating and improving the mechanical properties of reinforced concrete.
Reciprocality Between Estrogen Biology and Calcium Signaling in the Cardiovascular System

17β-Estradiol (E2) is the main estrogenic hormone in the body and exerts many cardiovascular protective effects. Via three receptors known to date, including estrogen receptors α (ERα) and β (ERβ) and the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER, aka GPR30), E2 regulates numerous calcium-dependent activities in cardiovascular tissues. Nevertheless, effects of E2 and its receptors on components of the calcium signaling machinery (CSM), the underlying mechanisms, and the linked functional impact are only beginning to be elucidated. A picture is emerging of the reciprocality between estrogen biology and Ca2+ signaling. Therein, E2 and GPER, via both E2-dependent and E2-independent actions, moderate Ca2+-dependent activities; in turn, ERα and GPER are regulated by Ca2+ at the receptor level and downstream signaling via a feedforward loop. This article reviews current understanding of the effects of E2 and its receptors on the cardiovascular CSM and vice versa with a focus on mechanisms and combined functional impact. An overview of the main CSM components in cardiovascular tissues will be first provided, followed by a brief review of estrogen receptors and their Ca2+-dependent regulation. The effects of estrogenic agonists to stimulate acute Ca2+ signals will then be reviewed. Subsequently, E2-dependent and E2-independent effects of GPER on components of the Ca2+ signals triggered by other stimuli will be discussed. Finally, a case study will illustrate how the many mechanisms are coordinated to moderate Ca2+-dependent activities in the cardiovascular system.
Magma Pressure-Temperature-Time Paths During Mafic Explosive Eruptions

We have constrained syneruptive pressure-temperature-time (P-T-t) paths of mafic magmas using a combination of short-timescale cooling and decompression chronometers. Recent work has shown that the thermal histories of crystals in the last few seconds to hours of eruption can be constrained using concentration gradients of MgO inside olivine-hosted melt inclusions, produced in response to syneruptive cooling and crystallization of olivine on the inclusion walls. We have applied this technique to the study of melt inclusions erupted by arc and ocean island volcanoes, including the 1974 subplinian eruption of Fuego volcano; the 1977 fire-fountain eruption of Seguam volcano; and three eruptions of Kilauea volcano (episode 1 of the 1959 Kilauea Iki fire-fountain eruption, the 1500 CE vigorous fire-fountain eruption, and the 1650 CE subplinian eruption). Of the eruptions studied so far, melt inclusions from the 1959 Kilauea Iki eruption record the highest syneruptive cooling rates (3–11°C/s) and the shortest cooling durations (4–19 s), while inclusions from the 1974 Fuego eruption record the slowest cooling rates (0.1–1.7°C/s) and longest cooling durations (21–368 s). The high cooling rates inferred for the Kilauea Iki and Seguam fire fountain eruptions are consistent with air quenching over tens of seconds during and after fragmentation and eruption. Melt inclusions sampled from the interiors of small (∼6 cm diameter) volcanic bombs at Fuego are found to have cooled more slowly on average than inclusions sampled from ash (with particle diameters < 2 mm) during the same eruption, as expected based on conductive cooling models. We find evidence for a systematic relationship between cooling rates and decompression rates of magmas, in which rapidly ascending gas-bearing magmas experience slower cooling during ascent and eruption than slowly ascending magmas. Our magma P-T-t constraints for the Kilauea Iki eruption are in broad agreement with isentropic models that show that the dominant driver of cooling in the conduit is adiabatic expansion of a vapor phase; however, at Fuego and Seguam, our results suggest a significant role for latent heat production and/or open-system degassing (both of which violate assumptions required for isentropic ascent). We thereby caution against the application of isentropic conduit models to magmas containing relatively high initial water concentrations (e.g., arc magmas containing ∼4 wt% water). We note that several processes that have been inferred to occur in volcanic conduits such as magma stalling, magma mingling, open- and closed-system degassing, vapor fluxing, and vapor accumulation (in foam layers or as slugs of gas) are associated with different implied vapor volume fractions during syneruptive ascent. Given the sensitivity of magma P-T-t paths to vapor volume fraction, the syneruptive thermometer presented here may be a means of identifying these processes during the seconds to hours preceding the eruption of mafic magmas.
Confabulations in Cases of Dementia: Atypical Early Sign of Alzheimer’s Disease or Misleading Feature in Dementia Diagnosis?

Confabulations, also known as false memories, have been associated with various diseases involving mainly the frontal areas, such as Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome or frontal epilepsy. The neuropsychological dysfunctions underlying mechanisms of confabulation are not well known. We describe two patients with memory impairment and confabulations at the onset speculating about neuropsychological correlates of confabulations and self-awareness. Both patients, a 77-year-old woman and a 57-years-old man, exhibited confabulations as first symptom of cognitive decline. She later developed memory impairment without awareness of her memory deficits and her cognitive and imaging profile suggested an amnesic mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Unlike her, he developed a prevalent involvement of frontal functions despite a clear consciousness of his cognitive deficits. However, the clinical diagnostic hypothesis of behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia was not supported by imaging findings, which suggested AD. Both patients underwent neuropsychological evaluation including the Confabulation Battery. Despite that the exact anatomical correlation of confabulations is still not defined, imaging data shown by our patients is consistent with recent theories according to which at the origin of confabulatory tendency in AD there is an impairment of the connections between crucial hubs in frontal and mediotemporal areas, mainly involving the right hemisphere. Besides, it would be reasonable to hypothesize that self-awareness and confabulations should not be considered as necessarily associated dimensions.
Virtual Reality: Using Computer Models to Learn About Arctic Climate Change

Phytoplankton are the plants of the ocean. When they die and sink, they become a source of delicious food for microorganisms, such as bacteria that live in the mud that settles on the seafloor. As these microorganisms feast on the phytoplankton, nutrients (chemicals needed for growth) stored in the phytoplankton cells are released into the water contained within the mud. These nutrients can then escape into the ocean and be used by new phytoplankton—the circle of life! However, this process is complicated and made up of hundreds of reactions that combine to produce the patterns scientists observe when on expeditions. This is where computers come in handy. We have computer models of the seafloor that can help us to understand the complicated web of reactions that underlie our observations. These models can also be used to simulate extreme conditions, to see how climate change might alter these important processes.
A Preliminary Simulation Study of Dose-Guided Adaptive Radiotherapy Based on Halcyon MV Cone-Beam CT Images With Retrospective Data From a Phase II Clinical Trial

Background and purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of dose-guided adaptive radiotherapy (ART) based on deformable image registration (DIR) using fractional megavoltage cone-beam CT (MVCBCT) images from Halcyon system that uses identical beams for treatment and imaging and to retrospectively investigate the influence of anatomic changes on target coverage and organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing across various tumor sites. Materials and Methods: Four hundred twenty-two MVCBCT images from 16 patients (three head and neck, seven thoracic, three abdominal, and three pelvic cases) treated in a phase II clinical trial for Halcyon were selected. DIR between the planning CT and daily MVCBCT image was implemented by Velocity software to create pseudo CT. To investigate the accuracy of dose calculation on pseudo CT, three evaluation patients with rescanned CT and adaptive plans were selected. Dose distribution of adaptive plans calculated on pseudo CT was compared with that calculated on the rescanned planning CT on the three evaluation patients. To investigate the impact of inter-fractional anatomic changes on target dose coverage and dose to OARs of the 16 patients, fractional dose was calculated and accumulated incrementally based on deformable registration between planning CT and daily MVCBCT images. Results: Passing rates using 3 mm/3%/10% threshold local gamma analysis were 93.04, 96.00, and 91.68%, respectively, for the three evaluation patients between the reconstructed dose on pseudo CT (MVCBCT) and rescanned CT, where accumulated dose deviations of over 97% voxels were smaller than 0.5 Gy. Planning target volume (PTV) D95% and D90% (the minimum dose received by at least 95/90% of the volume) of the accumulated dose could be as low as 93.8 and 94.5% of the planned dose, respectively. OAR overdose of various degrees were observed in the 16 patients relative to the planned dose. In most cases, OARs' dose volume histogram (DVH) lines of accumulated and planned dose were very close to each other if not overlapping. Among cases with visible deviations, the differences were bilateral without apparent patterns specific to tumor sites or organs. Conclusion: As a confidence building measure, this simulation study suggested the possibility of ART for Halcyon based on DIR between planning CT and MVCBCT. Preliminary clinical data suggested the benefit of patient-specific dose reconstruction and ART to avoid unacceptable target underdosage and OAR overdosage.
An Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Needs to Engage T Cells

Ending the current COVID-19 pandemic and preventing recurrence requires the development of vaccines that provide long-lasting immunity to the causative virus SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants where B cell epitopes can be mutated (1–3). We argue that to achieve this, a vaccine must elicit CD4 and CD8T cell immunity in addition to the production of neutralizing antibodies (nAB) by B cells. The rationale is based on the following findings for SARS-CoV-2 and the related SARS-CoV virus which caused the 2002/2003 SARS pandemic:
Simultaneous Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Aspects of Technical Implementation

The simultaneous transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offers a unique opportunity to non-invasively stimulate brain circuits while simultaneously monitoring changes in brain activity. However, to take advantage of this multimodal technique, some technical issues need to be considered/addressed. In this work, we evaluated technical issues associated with the setup and utilization of this multimodal tool, such as the use of a large single-channel radio frequency (rf) coil, and the artifacts induced by TMS when interleaved with the echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence. We demonstrated that good image quality can be achieved with this rf coil and that the adoption of axial imaging orientation in conjunction with a safe interval of 100 ms, between the TMS pulse and imaging acquisition, is a suitable combination to eliminate potential image artifacts when using the combined TMS-fMRI technique in 3-T MRI scanners.
Systematic Identification and Functional Analysis of Circular RNAs During Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus Infection in the Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) Midgut

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous RNAs that have critical regulatory roles in numerous biological processes. However, it remains largely unknown whether circRNAs are induced in response to plant virus infection in the insect vector of the virus as well as whether the circRNAs regulate virus infection. Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) is transmitted by Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) in a persistent propagative manner and causes severe losses in East Asian countries. To explore the expression and function of circRNAs in the regulation of virus infection, we determined the circRNA expression profile in RBSDV-free or RBSDV-infected L. striatellus midgut tissues by RNA-Seq. A total of 2,523 circRNAs were identified, of which thirteen circRNAs were differentially expressed after RBSDV infection. The functions of these differentially circRNAs were predicted by GO and KEGG pathway analyses. The expression changes of five differentially expressed circRNAs and eight parental genes were validated by RT-qPCR. The circRNAs-microRNAs (miRNAs) interaction networks were analyzed and two miRNAs, which were predicted to bind circRNAs, were differentially expressed after virus infection. CircRNA2030 was up-regulated after RBSDV infection in L. striatellus midgut. Knockdown of circRNA2030 by RNA interference inhibited the expression of its predicted parental gene phospholipid-transporting ATPase (PTA) and enhanced RBSDV infection in L. striatellus. However, none of the six miRNAs predicting to bind circRNA2030 was up-regulated after circRNA2030 knockdown. The results suggested that circRNA2030 might affect RBSDV infection via regulating PTA. Our results reveal the expression profile of circRNAs in L. striatellus midgut and provide new insight into the roles of circRNAs in virus–insect vector interaction.
The Impact of Customer Mistreatment on Employee Displaced Aggression: The Moderating Effect of Interpersonal Sensitivity and Moral Identity

Although customer mistreatment produces harmful consequences for employees and organizations, our understanding of the boundary conditions of customer mistreatment has largely been neglected. This study examines whether and when customer mistreatment influences employee displaced aggression toward coworkers by demonstrating interpersonal sensitivity and moral identity traits as two critical boundary conditions. Through the analysis of 623 employees’ questionnaire data, the results showed that customer mistreatment was positively related to employee displaced aggression toward coworkers. Furthermore, interpersonal sensitivity exacerbates the effect of customer mistreatment on displaced aggressive behaviors, while moral identity buffering the effect.
Streptococcus xiaochunlingii sp. nov. E24 Isolated From the Oropharynx of Healthy Chinese Children

A Gram-positive, α-hemolytic, catalase-negative, facultative anaerobic and non-motile coccus was isolated form throat swabs taken from the oropharynx of healthy children. The genome was shown to be 1.950,659 bp long and contained 42.03 mol% G + C bases with 1,942 protein-coding and 53 RNA coding genes. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing strongly suggested that the strain is a member of the Streptococcus genus, with 98.04, 98.11, and 97.34% similarities to Streptococcus australis ATCC 700641T, Streptococcus rubneri LMG 27207T and Streptococcus parasanguinis ATCC 15912T, respectively. A sodA gene comparison exhibited a sequence identity of 92.6% with the closest strain Streptococcus australis ATCC 700641T. In silico DNA-DNA hybridization showed a highest DNA similarity value of 52% with Streptococcus australis ATCC 700641T. Comparing 18 biochemical traits, the similarities of the Streptococcus strain E24 were 72% with Streptococcus rubneri LMG 27207T, 78% with Streptococcus australis ATCC 700641T and 44% with Streptococcus parasanguinis ATCC 15912T. We suggest that based on the genotypic and phenotypic results that the strain E24 is a novel species of the Streptococcus genus and propose the name Streptococcus xiaochunlingii sp. nov. E24.