Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary Polyphenols Support Akkermansia muciniphila Growth via Mediation of the Gastrointestinal Redox Environment

Obesity and metabolic dysfunction have been shown to be associated with overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which contributes to dysbiosis or imbalances in the gut microbiota. Recently, the reversal of dysbiosis has been observed as a result of dietary supplementation with antioxidative compounds including polyphenols. Likewise, dietary polyphenols have been associated with scavenging of GI ROS, leading to the hypothesis that radical scavenging in the GI tract is a potential mechanism for the reversal of dysbiosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between GI ROS, dietary antioxidants and beneficial gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila. The results of this study demonstrated A. muciniphila to be a discriminant microorganism between lean (n = 7) and obese (n = 7) mice. The relative abundance of A. muciniphila was also found to have a significant negative correlation with extracellular ROS in the GI tract as measured using fluorescent probe hydroindocyanine green. The ability of the dietary antioxidants ascorbic acid, β-carotene and grape polyphenols to scavenge GI ROS was evaluated in tandem with their ability to support A. muciniphila bloom in lean mice (n = 20). While the relationship between GI ROS and relative abundance of A. muciniphila was conserved in lean mice, only grape polyphenols stimulated the bloom of A. muciniphila. Analysis of fecal antioxidant capacity and differences in the bioavailability of the antioxidants of interest suggested that the poor bioavailability of grape polyphenols contributes to their superior radical scavenging activity and support of A. muciniphila in comparison to the other compounds tested. These findings demonstrate the utility of the GI redox environment as a modifiable therapeutic target in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases like metabolic syndrome.
Digital Narratives of Place: Learning About Neighborhood Sense of Place and Travel Through Online Responses

As the market penetration of mobile information and communication technologies continues to grow, visitor feedback, such as online reviews of locations or sites visited, will continue to grow in parallel at finer temporal and geographic scales. This growth in data opens the opportunity for travel demand analysts to assess location attractiveness on the basis of online reviews and subsequently inform destination choice models. In geography and urban planning, the construct of sense of place (SOP) has emerged as an indicator for visitor association or connection with a place or site. An opportunity exists for examining SOP through the lens of text mining (i.e., extracting information from online text reviews and forming digital narratives of place). Several websites devoted to sharing feedback on experiences and overall perceptions exist, including Yelp and TripAdvisor. With text-mining methods, previously unidentified SOP-related topics and issues may emerge from online reviews and serve as a basis for subsequent analysis. The results from this study indicate that these emerging topics or terms require more contextual information and interpretation. As a stand-alone method, text mining is insufficient for identifying SOP topics, given the complexity of dimensions that characterize SOP. In addition, the results suggest that timing and seasonality play an important role in visitors’ evaluation of a site; these factors have received less attention in the literature. With respect to text mining as a methodology to gain insights into SOP and supplement existing travel analysis, several barriers exist, including interpretation of topics from topic models. Nonetheless, these approaches are promising and require more research to guide practical implementation for inferring SOP from online text reviews and integration with existing travel analysis approaches.
Modelling habitat conversion in miombo woodlands: insights from Tanzania

ABSTRACT Understanding the drivers of natural habitat conversion is a major challenge, yet predicting where future losses may occur is crucial to preventing them. Here, we used Bayesian analysis to model spatio-temporal patterns of land-use/cover change in two protected areas designations and unclassified land in Tanzania using time-series satellite images. We further investigated the costs and benefits of preserving fragmenting habitat joining the two ecosystems over the next two decades. We reveal that habitat conversion is driven by human population, existing land-use systems and the road network. We also reveal the probability of habitat conversion to be higher in the least protected area category. Preservation of habitat linking the two ecosystems saving 1640 ha of land from conversion could store between 21,320 and 49,200 t of carbon in the next 20 years, with the potential for generating between US$ 85,280 and 131,200 assuming a REDD+ project is implemented.
Engaging new Antarctic learners and ambassadors through flexible learning, open education and immersive video lectures

Abstract In April 2017, Victoria University of Wellington launched ICE101X—Antarctica: From Geology to Human History—on the global edX platform. This Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, attracted 5735 learners from around the world, who engaged with content about Antarctic science, history, geology, and culture, primarily through video lectures filmed in Antarctica. Analysis of feedback from learners in three iterations of the course, offered between 2015 and 2017 and culminating in ICE101X, revealed that learners enjoyed the immersive Antarctic field lectures and learning through a diverse set of disciplinary lenses, had some preconceptions about Antarctica that were challenged by the course content, and completed the course with a new sense of interest in and protection of Antarctica.
A spectral expansion approach for geodetic slip inversion: implications for the downdip rupture limits of oceanic and continental megathrust earthquakes

S U M M A R Y We have developed a data-driven spectral expansion inversion method to place bounds on the downdip rupture depth of large megathrust earthquakes having good InSAR and GPS coverage. This inverse theory approach is used to establish the set of models that are consistent with the observations. In addition, the inverse theory method demonstrates that the spatial resolution of the slip models depends on two factors, the spatial coverage and accuracy of the surface deformation measurements, and the slip depth. Application of this method to the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule Earthquake shows a slip maximum at 19 km depth tapering to zero at ∼40 km depth. In contrast, the continent–continent megathrust earthquakes of the Himalayas, for example 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha Earthquake, shows a slip maximum at 9 km depth tapering to zero at ∼18 km depth. The main question is why is the maximum slip depth of the continental megathrust earthquake only 50 per cent of that observed in oceanic megathrust earthquakes. To understand this difference, we have developed a simple 1-D heat conduction model that includes the effects of uplift and surface erosion. The relatively low erosion rates above the ocean megathrust results in a geotherm where the 450–600 ◦C transition is centred at ∼40 km depth. In contrast, the relatively high average erosion rates in the Himalayas of ∼1 mm yr–1 results in a geotherm where the 450–600 ◦C transition is centred at ∼20 km. Based on these new observations and models, we suggest that the effect of erosion rate on temperature explains the difference in the maximum depth of the seismogenic zone between Chile and the Himalayas.
Tuning Chemical and Morphological Properties of Ceria Nanopowders by Mechanochemistry

Cerium oxide powders are widely used and are of fundamental importance in catalytic pollution control and energy production due to the unique chemical properties of CeO2. Processing steps involved in catalyst preparation, such as high-temperature calcination or mechanical milling processes, can alter the morphological and chemical properties of ceria, heavily affecting its final properties. Here, we focus on the tuning of CeO2 nanopowder properties by mild- and high-energy milling processes, as the mechanochemical synthesis is gaining increasing attention as a green synthesis method for catalyst production. The textural and redox properties were analyzed by an array of techniques to follow the aggregation and comminution mechanisms induced by mechanical stresses, which are more prominent under high-energy conditions but strongly depend on the starting properties of the ceria powders. Simultaneously, the evolution of surface defects and chemical properties was followed by Raman spectroscopy and H2 reduction tests, ultimately revealing a trade-off effect between structural and redox properties induced by the mechanochemical action. The mild-energy process appears to induce the largest enhancement in surface properties while maintaining bulk properties of the starting materials, hence confirming its effectiveness for its exploitation in catalysis.
Irrigation Patterns Resemble ERA‐Interim Reanalysis Soil Moisture Additions

Irrigation modulates the water cycle by making water available for plants, increasing transpiration and atmospheric humidity, while decreasing temperatures due to the energy that is needed for evaporation. Irrigation is usually not included in atmospheric reanalysis systems, but moisture can be added to the soil due to data assimilation. This paper compares these soil moisture additions to the irrigation patterns. In the ERA‐interim atmospheric reanalysis, 2 m temperature observations are assimilated. A mismatch between modeled and observed temperatures is corrected by adding or removing moisture from the soil. These corrections show a clear pattern of mean soil moisture additions in many areas. To determine the cause of these increments, the spatial and temporal patterns of these soil moisture increments are compared to irrigation water demand and precipitation bias. In irrigated areas, the annual means and cycles of soil moisture increments correlate well with irrigation, and less with precipitation bias. Therefore, in irrigated areas, the soil moisture increments are more likely caused by irrigation than by the precipitation bias. In nonirrigated areas, a weak statistical relation between soil moisture increments and precipitation bias is present. Irrigation is currently not included in reanalysis systems. However, as irrigation indirectly influences the water balance in atmospheric reanalysis systems, we recommend to include this process in reanalysis models. Moreover, the influence of irrigation on the local and regional atmosphere should be taken into account when interpreting atmospheric data over strongly irrigated areas.
Executives’ Political Influence, Green M&A
and Green Innovation: Evidence from China’s
Heavily Polluting Private Firms

: Literature on green M&A (merger and acquisition) drivers is mainly from the perspective of conforming legitimacy, but studies based on a dual legitimacy perspective are still lacking. Our study introduces executives’ political influence and investigates how it contributes to green M&A using the dual legitimacy theory. Using a dataset of 409 heavily polluting private firms between 2012 and 2020, we find the conformity and initiativeness of executives’ political influence will drive heavily polluting firms to implement green M&A, proving its dual legitimacy. The above finding was tested under several robustness tests, such as Tobit regression and changing measurement methods, and the endogeneity test. Further, we find executives’ political influence is more inclined to post-merger strategic green innovation with a low “green concentration”, and this phenomenon has positive industry and spatial spillover effects, implying that it is mostly motivated by policy arbitrage rather than substantive upgrading. Finally, based on an external governance perspective, we find ESG rating and media supervision play a role in debiasing between executives’ political influence and post-merger strategic green innovation. Our study contributes to the environmental governance function of executives’ political influence, which gives significant theoretical significance and practical insights for the green transformation of heavily polluting private firms.
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Causes Heightened Disease Severity and Mortality in a Mouse Model of Down Syndrome

Recent epidemiological studies suggest that individuals with Down syndrome are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and have higher rates of hospitalization and mortality than the general population. However, the main drivers behind these disparate health outcomes remain unknown. Herein, we performed experimental infections with SARS-CoV-2 in a well-established mouse model of Down syndrome. We observed similar SARS-CoV-2 replication kinetics and dissemination in the primary and secondary organs between mice with and without Down syndrome, suggesting that both groups have similar susceptibilities to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, Down syndrome mice exhibited more severe disease as defined by clinical features including symptoms, weight loss, pulmonary function, and survival of mice. We found that increased disease severity in Down syndrome mice could not be attributed solely to increased infectivity or a more dramatic pro-inflammatory response to infection. Rather, results from RNA sequencing suggested that differences in the expression of genes from other physiological pathways, such as deficient oxidative phosphorylation, cardiopulmonary dysfunction, and deficient mucociliary clearance in the lungs may also contribute to heightened disease severity and mortality in Down syndrome mice following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Data-Driven Innovation: A Literature Review, Conceptual Framework, and Research Agenda

We systematically review the data-driven innovation (DDI) literature spanning 2009–2022, analyzing key studies, assessing the current state of DDI research in information systems and operations management, and highlighting the research gaps. A classification framework to organize the DDI research literature is proposed. Using Gregor's (2006) theory classification framework, we identify theory types in the DDI literature. By applying the structural view (level of analysis) of Smith et al. (2011), we also investigate the level of analysis in the DDI literature. Our systematic literature review and analysis provide a roadmap both to facilitate knowledge creation and accumulation and to guide future DDI research. This review, the first of its kind focusing on DDI, summarizes DDI development, and identifies opportunities for new research, concluding with directions for future exploration in the field.
Deglacial Heat Uptake by the Southern Ocean and Rapid Northward Redistribution Via Antarctic Intermediate Water

Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) is an important conduit for nutrients to reach the nutrient‐poor low‐latitude ocean areas. In the Atlantic, it forms part of the return path of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Despite the importance of AAIW, little is known about variations in its composition and signature during the prominent AMOC and climate changes of the last deglaciation. Here we reconstruct benthic foraminiferal Mg/Ca‐based intermediate water temperatures (IWTMg/Ca) and intermediate water neodymium (Nd) isotope compositions at submillennial resolution from unique sediment cores located at the northern tip of modern AAIW extent in the tropical W‐Atlantic (850‐ and 1018‐m water depth). Our data indicate a pronounced warming of AAIW in the tropical W‐Atlantic during Heinrich Stadial 1 and the Younger Dryas. We argue that these warming events were induced by major AMOC perturbations resulting in the pronounced accumulation of heat in the surface Southern Ocean. Combined with published results, our data suggest the subsequent uptake of Southern Ocean heat by AAIW and its rapid northward transfer to the tropical W‐Atlantic. Hence, the rapid deglacial northern climate perturbations directly controlled the AAIW heat budget in the tropical W‐Atlantic after a detour via the Southern Ocean. We speculate that the ocean heat redistribution via AAIW effectively dampened Southern Hemisphere warming during the deglaciation and may therefore have been a crucial player in the climate seesaw mechanisms between the two hemispheres.
Transporting results in an observational epidemiology setting: purposes, methods, and applied example

In the medical domain, substantial effort has been invested in generating internally valid estimates in experimental as well as observational studies, but limited effort has been made in testing generalizability, or external validity. Testing the external validity of scientific findings is nevertheless crucial for the application of knowledge across populations. In particular, transporting estimates obtained from observational studies requires the combination of methods for causal inference and methods to transport the effect estimates in order to minimize biases inherent to observational studies and to account for differences between the study and target populations. In this paper, the conceptual framework and assumptions behind transporting results from a population-based study population to a target population is described in an observational setting. An applied example to life-course epidemiology, where internal validity was constructed for illustrative purposes, is shown by using the targeted maximum likelihood estimator.
Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among patients with epilepsy in Ethiopia: a national-based systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Depression is a major public health problem and negatively affects the quality of life of patients with epilepsy. Despite multiple studies investigating the magnitude and predictors, the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among patients with epilepsy in Ethiopia. Methods The primary articles were searched using databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and African Journal Online. A total of 10 primary articles that assessed the prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among patients with epilepsy in Ethiopia were included. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was used to extract the data, which was then exported to Stata version 14 for further analysis. The statistical heterogeneity was evaluated using the I2 test. Due to heterogeneity, a random effect meta-analysis model was employed. Publication bias was checked through Egger’s weighted regression test and funnel plot. Results A total of 10 primary studies with 3,532 participants were included. The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms among patients with epilepsy was found to be 41.69% (95% CI, 37.70, 45.68). The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms was 48.61, 42.98, 40.68, 38.27, and 34.80% in Oromia, SNNPs, Amhara, Addis Ababa, and Tigray, respectively, based on a sub-group analysis per regional state. Perceived stigma (AOR = 3.30, 95% CI: 1.40, 7.80), seizure frequency (AOR = 3.81, 95% CI: 1.03, 14.09), and perceived stress (AOR = 4.6, 95% CI: 1.05, 20.06) were factors associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusion We found that depressive symptoms affects at least four out of ten patients with epilepsy, indicating an immense burden. Depressive symptoms were extremely prevalent in those who had high levels of stigma, a monthly seizure frequency of once or more, and perceived stress. Therefore, physicians should take extra precautions when treating patients with epilepsy who have certain conditions. Systematic review registration This study was registered according to The International Prospective Register of Systemic Review (PROSPERO) with the registration ID (CRD42023484308).
Along‐Axis Variations of Rift Width in a Coupled Lithosphere‐Mantle System, Application to East Africa

Narrow and wide rifts are end‐member expressions of continental extension. Within the framework of passive rifting, the transition from wide to narrow rifts requires lowering the geothermal gradient. Reconciling this view with observational evidence for narrow rift zones in regions underlain by sublithospheric hot plume material, such as the eastern branch of the East African Rift, requires invoking preexisting weak zones for strain to localize in a warm crust. Based on thermomechanical numerical models, we show that along‐rift width variations can develop spontaneously as a consequence of spatial variations of the geotherm over an evolving mantle plume impinging a lithosphere subjected to ultraslow extension. The eastern branch of the East African Rift, with a narrow Kenya segment underlain by a mantle plume head and widening to the north and south in the colder regions of the Turkana depression and North Tanzania divergence, is in agreement with this numerical prediction.
Sensitivity of inorganic aerosol radiative effects to U.S. emissions

Between 2005 and 2012, U.S. emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) decreased by 42% and 62%, respectively. These species, as well as ammonia (NH3), are precursors of inorganic fine aerosols, which scatter incoming shortwave radiation and thus affect climate. Scaling aerosol concentrations to emissions, as might be done for near‐term climate projections, neglects nonlinear chemical interactions. To estimate the magnitude of these nonlinearities, we conduct a suite of simulations with a chemical transport model and an off‐line radiative transfer model. We find that the direct radiative effect (DRE) over the North American domain decreases by 59 and 160 mW m−2 in winter and summer, respectively, between 2005 and 2012. The sensitivities of DRE to NOx and SO2 emissions increase, by 11% and 21% in summer, while sensitivity to NH3 emissions decreases. The wintertime sensitivity of DRE to NOx emissions is small in 2005 but is 5 times as large in 2012. Scaling radiative effects from 2005 to 2012 based on 2005 sensitivities overestimates the magnitude of the DRE of 7% and 6% of the U.S. attributable DRE in January and July, respectively. The difference between the changes in DRE and the changes in sensitivity suggests that scaling to SO2 emissions alone has so far been an accurate approximation, but it may not be in the near future. These values represent the level of accuracy that can be expected in adjusting aerosol radiative effects in climate models without chemistry.