Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for sero-prevalence of tick-borne diseases of calves in Maasai pastoral herds in Kajiado District, Kenya

Risk factors for sero-prevalence of Theileria parva, Theileria mutans, Anaplasma marginale and Babesia bigemina were investigated in 729 calves from Maasai herds in Kajiado District, Kenya. Study herds were selected using a multistage sampling method. Serum antibodies were estimated using an indirect EnzymeLinked Immunosorbent Assay and expressed as a percent positivity. The objective was to identify risk factors associated with sero-prevalence of tick-borne diseases in Maasai pastoral systems in Kajiado District. Sero-prevalence and associated risk factors varied between and within agro-climatic zones, group ranches and farms. Thus, targeted rather than blanket immunization of calves and other tick control should be conducted, with targeting being done at agro-climatic, group ranch and farm levels. Introduction Kajiado is one of Kenya’s semi arid districts where livestock production is practiced by Maasai community through nomadic pastoralism (Bekure et al. 1991). The Government of Kenya formed Communal Group Ranches in 1960s to promote livestock improvement and marketing in the district. In the last 20 years, most group ranches have been subdivided into individual land holdings while human population has increased and livestock production has declined (Campbell et al. 2000) East Coast fever (ECF) caused by Theileria parva and transmitted by Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, is a major constraint to improved calf health and production in Kajiado District (DVO 1998). Other tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are benign theileriosis caused by Theileria mutans, anaplasmosis caused by Anaplasma marginale, babesiosis caused by Babesia bigemina and cowdriosis caused by Cowdria ruminatium. Data on the prevalence of TBDs in pastoral systems of Kenya is lacking. The objective was to identify risks factors for sero-prevalence of TBDs and to assess the potential of controlling TBDs in pastoral systems of Kenya. Materials and Methods Study area and study herds The study was carried out in Kajiado district located in the Southern part of Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The climate of Kajiado District falls within three major agro-climatic zones (ACZs): 4, 5 and 6 (Pratt et al 1977). The district has a bimodal rainfall pattern ranging between 500-250 mm. The long rains fall between March-May while the short rains fall between October-December. Mean diurnal temperatures range from 12C-34 C. Three major ACZs (4, 5,6) were selected purposively. Then, six out of 55 group ranches, three subdivided and three non-subdivided, were selected randomly.
IRRIGATION WATER SALINITY EFFECTS ON SOME SOIL WATER CONSTANTS AND PLANT

Germination and pot experiment were conducted to study the influence of irrigation water salinity on yield and chemical composition of wheat (Triticum vulgare L.) plant grown in sandy and calcareous soil. Water salinity levels were, 0.43 (control), 4.85, 6.60 and 8.86 dS m -1 , S1, S2, S3 and S4, respectively. Results concluded that, the lower germination percentage and rate in calcareous soil at any salinity level compared to sandy soil and also, decreased the mean daily germination in both soils. Soil salinity increased as a result of increasing salinity levels of irrigation water. Easily available water was negatively correlated with increasing water salinity from S1 to S4, especially in case of calcareous soil. Same trend was observed in case of soluble cations and anions; especially Na + which increased by 121, 285, 610 % and 94, 267, 531 % for S2, S3 and S4 relative to the control, for sandy and calcareous soils, respectively. Increasing water salinity in sandy soil up to 4.85 dS m -1 reduces the grain yield by 23 %, while 16 % reduction is found in calcareous soil. The yield reduction increases by increasing salinity of irrigation water and reaches its maximum at 8.86 dSm -1 salinity level. Grain yield, was highly significant negative correlated with hardly available water, water salinity and soil EC, while the relations were highly positive with easily available water.
Stable carbon isotopic evidence for methane oxidation in plumes above Hydrate Ridge, Cascadia Oregon Margin

The transport and consumption of methane in the water column in the vicinity of the cold seeps of Hydrate Ridge on the Cascadia Oregon Margin were characterized using measurements of the stable carbon isotope composition of methane. The δ13C‐CH4 values measured in the water column ranged from approximately −65 to −16‰, PDB. The combination of measured methane concentration data and the stable carbon isotope values from the same depths support the hypothesis of biogenically produced methane which enters the water column from dissolving bubbles released from cold seepages, likely as a consequence of destabilized methane hydrate (δ13C‐CH4 = −65‰, PDB). Kinetic fractionation factors, α, associated with aerobic bacterial methane oxidation in the water column were calculated using a Rayleigh distillation equation applied to a subset of the data. Fractionation factors ranged from 1.002 to 1.013 (mean = 1.008) and were in the lower end of the range of those reported in the literature, a result likely due to the influence of temperature and mixing in plume waters. The fraction of methane remaining after oxidation calculated using the same Rayleigh model approach suggests that the aerobic oxidation of methane in the water column over Hydrate Ridge is nearly quantitative.
Personal Care Products

Personal care products (PCPs) are a class of compounds which consist of consumer products marketed for direct use primarily on the human body. These products exclude prescription and over the counter pharmaceutical products which are intended to have documented physiological effects (Daughton and Ternes, 1999), and with the exception of neutraceuticals and food supplements, PCPs are generally not intended for ingestion. There are thousands of chemicals that are constituents of PCPs. These are diverse and are used as active ingredients or preservatives in cosmetics; skin care, dental care and hair care products; soaps and cleansers; insect repellents; sunscreen agents; fragrances; and flame retardants. Many of these PCPs are used in very large quantities, and often at dosages and frequencies larger than are recommended.
Valuation of environmental pollution in the city of Madrid: an application with hedonic models and spatial quantile regression

Air pollution and urban noise are major concerns in big cities. This paper aims at evaluating how they impact transaction prices in the city of Madrid. For that purpose, we incorporate some measures of air pollution and noise, joint with other variables available for individual characteristics, accessibility and socio-economic data, and we use spatial quantile models with a sample of 5080 houses in the municipality of Madrid. Quantile regressions are a good instrument to deal with common problems in hedonic models, such as non-normality due to asymmetries and outliers, since it allows for different relationships in the middle and the tails of the price distribution. As it is well-known, valuations at the mean can be misleading in terms of welfare calculation. In this sense, quantile regressions estimates monetary valuation and welfare benefit of pollution at different income-level populations. In fact, we find that air-pollution have no clear significant effect except in the wealthier neighborhoods, where it is clearly a disamenity. Additionally, we find a counter-intuitive positive sign for the effect of noise only for the group of the most exclusive properties, possibly because of their owners? high `sense of place', joint to the existence of some other related positive associated externalities, such as upscale shops and historical or cultural areas.
The three-dimensional seismological model a priori constrained: Confrontation with seismic data

We compare the predictions of an a priori model of the upper mantle with seismic observations of surface waves and eigenmodes. The 3-Dimensional Seismological Model A Priori Constrained (3SMAC) has been developed by Natal and Ricard (1996). It is based on the interpretation by geodynamicists of the near surface layers of the Earth; on distributions of temperature, pressure, and composition as a function of depth; and then on estimates of seismic parameters (density, velocities, attenuations) from solid state laboratory measurements as a function of temperature and pressure. The 3SMAC predictions are confronted with observations consisting of phase velocities for Love and Rayleigh waves in the period range of 70-250 s (Montagner and Taniraoto, 1990). We first show that tomographic inversions applied to 3SMAC synthetics induce a strong smoothing of the heterogeneities. This ca, sts doubt on the meaning of the spectra of mantle heterogeneities revealed by tomography. We then show that most of the Love and Rayleigh fundamental mode observations for periods less than 200 s are satisfactorily predicted by 3SMAC. The major differences come from the seismic velocities under the Red Sea and Southeast China, which are much slower than what is estimated from 3SMAC, as well as those under Greenland, which are not as fast as the other cratonic areas. Because the lithosphere is thinner than 100 km under oceans and thinner than 300 km under continents in 3SMAC, we suggest that the existence of deeper lithospheric anomalies as proposed in many tomographic models is mostly due to a spurious effect of the inversion rather than implied by surface wave data. Half of the variance of the degree 2 anomaly mapped by low-degree eigenmode observations can be explained by lithospheric velocity structures. The other half is highly correlated with the distribution of deep slabs, but its amplitude is a factor of 3 or 4 larger than that predicted by 3SMAC. The lithospheric anomalies present a degree 6 pattern well correlated with the distribution of hotspots even when the thermal anomalies that could be associated with plumes are not included in 3SMAC. Our results emphasize the importance of giving very close attention to "surface corrections" in tomographic models.
Early Permian zircon uranium‐lead ages for plagiogranites in the Yakuno ophiolite, Asago district, Southwest Japan

Abstract Prior work has defined a two‐stage history for Yakuno ophiolite petrogenesis consisting of older oceanic basement, and younger island‐arc rocks and subordinate elastic rocks. First‐stage Yakuno rocks have transitional‐type Morb or oceanic plateau affinities, and second‐stage Yakuno rocks are more similar to immature island‐arc settings. Zircon U‐Pb isotopic dates of plagiogranite from the Asago district of Southwest Japan yield crystallization ages of 285 ± 2 Ma for the first‐stage ophiolite component, and 282 ± 2 Ma for the second‐stage component of the ophiolite. These results indicate that the two petrologi‐cally distinct components of the Yakuno ophiolite in this area formed in a short time interval in the Early Permian. The zircon U‐Pb crystallization ages provide a maximum age for the base of the stratigraphically overlying Maizuru Group.
“Candidatus Nealsonbacteria” Are Likely Biomass Recycling Ectosymbionts of Methanogenic Archaea in a Stable Benzene-Degrading Enrichment Culture

An anaerobic microbial enrichment culture was used to study members of candidate phyla that are difficult to grow in the lab. We were able to visualize tiny “Candidatus Nealsonbacteria” cells attached to a large Methanothrix cell, revealing a novel episymbiosis. ABSTRACT The Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR), also referred to as superphylum Patescibacteria, is a very large group of bacteria with no pure culture representatives discovered by 16S rRNA sequencing or genome-resolved metagenomic analyses of environmental samples. Within the CPR, candidate phylum Parcubacteria, previously referred to as OD1, is prevalent in anoxic sediments and groundwater. Previously, we had identified a specific member of the Parcubacteria (referred to as DGGOD1a) as an important member of a methanogenic benzene-degrading consortium. Phylogenetic analyses herein place DGGOD1a within the clade “Candidatus Nealsonbacteria. ” Because of its persistence over many years, we hypothesized that “Ca. Nealsonbacteria” DGGOD1a must play an important role in sustaining anaerobic benzene metabolism in the consortium. To try to identify its growth substrate, we amended the culture with a variety of defined compounds (pyruvate, acetate, hydrogen, DNA, and phospholipid), as well as crude culture lysate and three subfractions thereof. We observed the greatest (10-fold) increase in the absolute abundance of “Ca. Nealsonbacteria” DGGOD1a only when the consortium was amended with crude cell lysate. These results implicate “Ca. Nealsonbacteria” in biomass recycling. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and cryogenic transmission electron microscope images revealed that “Ca. Nealsonbacteria” DGGOD1a cells were attached to larger archaeal Methanothrix cells. This apparent epibiont lifestyle was supported by metabolic predictions from a manually curated complete genome. This is one of the first examples of bacterial-archaeal episymbiosis and may be a feature of other “Ca. Nealsonbacteria” found in anoxic environments. IMPORTANCE An anaerobic microbial enrichment culture was used to study members of candidate phyla that are difficult to grow in the lab. We were able to visualize tiny “Candidatus Nealsonbacteria” cells attached to a large Methanothrix cell, revealing a novel episymbiosis.
Near field Communication

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology is being grown up at enormous speed. NFC technology provides the fastest way to communicate two devices with in a fraction of second. This technology has only been implemented on smart phones so far. Like Bluetooth it works only in short range and data transfer takes place at very low speed. Several security issues are attached with NFC, which is a big concern. Security attacks like eavesdropping, data corruption and modification, interference attacks and theft, are the most dangerous for the customer who is using his/her smart phone for payment purpose. In this paper we present the comparison of NFC with Bluetooth and security analysis of NFC.
Impact of atmospheric CO2 doubling on the North Pacific Subtropical Mode Water

In order to investigate responses of the North Pacific Subtropical Mode Water (NPSTMW) to climate change, the impact of atmospheric CO2 doubling with 1% annual increase is examined using a coupled climate model (GFDL CM2.1). Under the CO2 forcing, the surface waters in the formation region of NPSTMW and the core layer of NPSTMW become warmer and freshener. The total volume of NPSTMW increases by about 40% due to warming. The inter‐annual and decadal variability of NPSTMW is significantly correlated with the variability of the Kuroshio heat transport, and less correlated with variability of sea surface temperature and winter monsoon index in comparison with the control run.
Standard Fire Behavior Fuel Models: A Comprehensive Set for Use with Rothermel?s Surface Fire Spread Model

This report describes a new set of standard fire behavior fuel models for use with Rothermel's surface fire spread model and the relationship of the new set to the original set of 13 fire behavior fuel models. To assist with transition to using the new fuel models, a fuel model selection guide, fuel model crosswalk, and set of fuel model photos are provided.
Effects of spherical inclusions on scattering properties of small ice cloud particles

The single‐scattering properties of small ice crystals containing four types of spherical inclusions, ammonium sulfate (NH4)2SO4, ammonium nitrate NH3NO3, air bubbles, and soot, are investigated at 0.65 and 2.13 µm. Small, randomly oriented hexagonal ice columns with spherical inclusions that are randomly distributed with standard gamma size distributions in the columns are considered in the present study. Ice crystals with inclusions of (NH4)2SO4 and NH3NO3 essentially have the same features due to their similar refractive indices. Nonzero scattering matrix elements are sensitive to inclusion type and amount, and show differences between 0.65 and 2.13 µm. The extinction efficiency Qe of small ice crystals at 0.65 µm is near 2.0 and essentially unaffected by variations in inclusion volume, in contrast to strong influences of inclusion amount on Qe at 2.13 µm. The single‐scattering albedo ϖ0 of ice crystals, nearly equal to 1.0, is not affected by inclusions of (NH4)2SO4, NH3NO3, and air bubbles. Soot inclusions strongly affect ϖ0, which decreases to about 0.5 with increasing soot amounts. The asymmetry factor g is substantially affected by (NH4)2SO4, NH3NO3, and soot and the variations in their amounts. Full Stokes parameters of cirrus clouds consisting of uniform hexagonal ice columns with inclusions are computed using a polarized radiative transfer model. Sensitivities of light intensity and polarization of cirrus clouds to types and amounts of inclusions and cirrus cloud optical thicknesses are found to depend on wavelength. The present results suggest that different types of inclusions for small ice crystals should be considered when developing realistic ice crystal optical properties, and that light intensity and polarization of cirrus clouds and their angular distribution features, in the absence of other effects such as cavities and surface roughness, imply the potential for identifying pure ice crystals from those with aerosol inclusions.
The psychology of religion : an empirical approach

This volume presents the most comprehnsive survey of the empirical literature on the psychology of religion available today. Like its predecesor, the second edition of The Psychology of Religion emphasises scientific work that is moving the psychology of religion into the mainstream of academic psychology, rather than the broad interpretive and conceptual discussions of religion. Ideally structured as a text, the volume's chapters each integrate findings according to theory or theories that best illuminate them, allowing instructors the flexibility to assign any or all of the chapters according to the design of their courses. Completely revised and updated, this second edition incorporates data on the impact of the family and schools into an expanded chapter on religious socialization, and also includes a new discussion of religion and coping. Throughout, the text is greatly enhanced by the wealth of empirical research that has been conducted during the past decade.
The use of the functional independence measure in elderly

Objectives: To analyze in scientific publications how the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) has been employed to evaluate the elderly. Methods: Integrative review of periodical publications between 2011 and 2015, available online in full-text in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Results: 129 articles were found; after the application of the criteria, they resulted in 21. The studies were categorized into two groups: A) follow or compare scores in FIM (cohort studies, case-control, clinical trials), focusing on rehabilitation, evaluation of programs and changes in the functional level after procedures/interventions; and B) measure/associate the functionality of the elderly (cross-sectional studies), focused on evaluation protocols in elderly health and associations to the caregiver burden, hospital stay, balance, satisfaction with life, cognition and clinical/socio-demographic aspects. Conclusion: The FIM was used in several scenarios of healthcare for the elderly, particularly in rehabilitation and outpatient clinics or health centers.
Chronic Pain Conditions and Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts: an Epidemiologic Perspective

Objectives: Investigations of the association between chronic pain conditions and suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) have rarely taken the effect of mental disorders into account and have been limited by nonrepresentative samples. The present study used a large population-based sample to investigate the association between chronic pain conditions and SI and SA. Methods: Data were from the Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 1.2 public use file conducted by Statistics Canada from 2001 to 2002 (N = 36,984; response rate 77%). Respondents were asked if they had been diagnosed with the following painful conditions: migraine, back problems, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Respondents were assessed for past 12-month SI and SA. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to assess Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV. Results: After adjusting for sociodemographics, Axis I mental disorders and comorbidity (3 or more mental disorders), the presence of 1 or more chronic pain conditions was associated with both SI and SA. Among respondents with a mental disorder, comorbidity with 1 or more chronic pain conditions was also associated with SI and SA. In models adjusting for other painful conditions, migraine had the strongest link with SI and SA. Discussion: This is the first study to demonstrate the association between several chronic pain conditions and SI and SA while adjusting for mental disorders in a nationally representative sample. Moreover, this study demonstrates that among individuals with a mental disorder, having a chronic pain condition significantly increased the association with SI and SA. R ecent studies on chronic pain conditions in relation to poor overall health, missed days of work, economic burden, and comorbidity of mental disorders have concentrated on 3 particular chronic pain conditions; back problems, migraine, and arthritis. 1–4 Recently, research has also looked at the effect of fibromyalgia (FM) on these issues. 5–7 These chronic pain conditions are highly prevalent in both American and Canadian national surveys (back/neck problems 18. An expanding body of literature has shown chronic pain conditions to be associated with higher rates of suicidal ideation (SI), suicide attempts (SA), and completed suicides. 16–27 A study of young adults in a Health Maintenance Organization found that the rates of SI and SA were significantly increased in respondents with migraine, after adjusting for the effects of other common mental disorders. 26 A previous study concluded that men were at significantly higher risk of committing suicide during the first 10 years …
Pollen productivity estimates for the reconstruction of past vegetation cover in the cultural landscape of southern Sweden

Pollen productivity estimates (PPE) are one of the critical parameters for a quantitative recon struction of past vegetation from fossil pollen records. Modern pollen and vegetation data were collected in traditional landscapes of southern Sweden to derive PPE for the most characteristic plant taxa. The 42 selected sites are assumed to be good analogues of historical to prehistorical grasslands. A sampling method of vegetation, designed to produce plant abundance data in different distance classes, allowed the use of distance-weighted plant abundance around the surface pollen sites. PPE for 11 herb taxa and Juniperus communis were estimated by extended R-value (ERV) models, using the distance-weighted plant abundance and surface pollen data. Results using three ERV submodels, data sets from open and semi-open landscapes, and two distance-weighting methods are generally consistent. The herb taxa analysed have higher PPE than Poaceae except Cyperaceae and Compositae (sub-family) Cichorioideae. Calluna vulgaris, Rumex acetosa type, Juniperus communis and Plantago lanceolata have the highest PPE. Most of the common tree taxa in the region produce 6–8 times as much pollen per unit area as Poaceae. The present set of PPE covers most of the common herb taxa of northwest Europe and will be useful for simu lating pollen dispersal and deposition in heterogeneous landscapes of open and forested vegetation, which will help in future research project design and in the interpretation of fossil data.