Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Priming effects on labile and stable soil organic carbon decomposition: Pulse dynamics over two years

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a major component in the global carbon cycle. Yet how input of plant litter may influence the loss of SOC through a phenomenon called priming effect remains highly uncertain. Most published results about the priming effect came from short-term investigations for a few weeks or at the most for a few months in duration. The priming effect has not been studied at the annual time scale. In this study for 815 days, we investigated the priming effect of added maize leaves on SOC decomposition of two soil types and two treatments (bare fallow for 23 years, and adjacent old-field, represent stable and relatively labile SOC, respectively) of SOC stabilities within each soil type, using a natural 13C-isotope method. Results showed that the variation of the priming effect through time had three distinctive phases for all soils: (1) a strong negative priming phase during the first period (≈0–90 days); (2) a pulse of positive priming phase in the middle (≈70–160 and 140–350 days for soils from Hailun and Shenyang stations, respectively); and (3) a relatively stabilized phase of priming during the last stage of the incubation (>160 days and >350 days for soils from Hailun and Shenyang stations, respectively). Because of major differences in soil properties, the two soil types produced different cumulative priming effects at the end of the experiment, a positive priming effect of 3–7% for the Mollisol and a negative priming effect of 4–8% for the Alfisol. Although soil types and measurement times modulated most of the variability of the priming effect, relative SOC stabilities also influenced the priming effect for a particular soil type and at a particular dynamic phase. The stable SOC from the bare fallow treatment tended to produce a narrower variability during the first phase of negative priming and also during the second phase of positive priming. Averaged over the entire experiment, the stable SOC (i.e., the bare fallow) was at least as responsive to priming as the relatively labile SOC (i.e., the old-field) if not more responsive. The annual time scale of our experiment allowed us to demonstrate the three distinctive phases of the priming effect. Our results highlight the importance of studying the priming effect by investigating the temporal dynamics over longer time scales.
Coupling numerical and symbolic methods for signal interpretation

A framework for a general signal interpretation system is presented. The structure allows for a collaboration between domain-dependent knowledge (acquired by human experts through years of experience in a specific area) and signal-analysis knowledge (the expertise needed to select and use signal-processing techniques for automated extraction of meaningful features). The system has been built following an object-oriented approach and is organized around a blackboard. Control is handled by a global request-centered mechanism. Morphological and contextual (e.g spatial-temporal relationships) information about the events to be detected by the system is represented in terms of frames. A model interpreter is in charge of matching the events' attributes with the data. A first level of analysis is performed to detect possible candidates. Additional features are opportunistically retrieved from the signal whenever needed by the model interpreter. This permits a focusing on segments of data that are of significance to the reasoning process. The models and the model interpreter have been designed such that the depth of analysis can be adapted to the situation at hand (obvious events will require less feature extraction and computation than doubtful cases). Features needed by the model interpreter are extracted from the signal by independent specialists, which consist of a set of specific digital signal-processing routines and the knowledge required to select the one most appropriate for a given task. The system allows for extensive use of contextual information and adaptation of the event models on the basis of earlier detections. The system has been tested on the problem of automatic electroencephalogram interpretation. >
Formation of the myelinated nerve fiber layer in the chicken retina

Oligodendrocytes in the ganglion cell layer, the myelinating cells in the chicken retina, were investigated morphologically and quantitatively. Oligodendroblasts divided in the inner retinal layer around the 14th day of incubation and differentiated into oligodendrocytes. The oligodendrocytes started sheathing an axon in the nerve fiber layer at the 14th day of incubation. The number of myelin lamellae increased rapidly during the first week after chicks had hatched. An immunological reaction of antimyelin basic protein was observed on the myelin sheaths in the nerve fiber layer and on the oligodendrocytes in the ganglion cell layer. These results suggest that the oligodendrocytes form the myelinated nerve fiber layer of the chicken and that they act independently of the Müller cells during myelination. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Basic Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Silicon

A Introduction This paper outlines some of the basic mechanical and thermal properties of silicon. B Crystalline Structure and Elastic Properties Three values for the lattice parameter of pure Silicon at 22.500 °C are given below. The values were determined in independent studies through X-ray and optical interferometry (XROI). a= 543102.032 +/0.033 fm [2] a= 543102.044 +/0.017 fm [3] a= 543101.99 +/0.09 fm [4] The value of the linear thermal expansion coefficient (α(T)) is given by the following expression: α(T) = (3.725{1exp[-5.88 x 10 (T – 124)]} + 5.548 x 10T) x 10 K [1] where T is the absolute temperature expressed in Kelvin and valid for values of T between 120 K and 1500 K. At 25.0 °C the recommended value is α298. 2 = (2.59 +/0.05) x 10 K The lattice parameter at T K is given by
Implication de ghreline/obestatine, deux peptides issus du même précurseur, dans le contrôle de la sécrétion d'hormone de croissance et du comportement alimentaire.

Dans cette these nous nous sommes interesses aux relations entre ghreline (GHR) d'une part et secretion d'hormone de croissance (GH) et prise alimentaire (PA) d'autre part. Nous avons montre : a) que la secretion de GHR est rythmique ; b) que les pics de GHR, peu correles avec ceux de GH, sont en relation etroite avec les episodes de PA. Neanmoins, un antagoniste du recepteur GHSR1a montre que la GHR endogene modulerait l'amplitude du pic de GH et que ses effets sur la PA mettraient en jeu soit le GHSR1a dans des etats d'activation differente soit des recepteurs differents ; c) que les taux de GHR dependent plus de l'etat nutritionnel que de la masse grasse et seraient regules par des facteurs presents dans l'intestin. Une deregulation de ces derniers pourrait participer au developpement de l'obesite ; d) que chez l'anorexique (AN) le polymorphisme Leu72Met presente un desequilibre de transmission qui est plus marque chez l'AN boulimique que chez l'AN restrictive.
Replication of ONYX-015, a Potential Anticancer Adenovirus, Is Independent of p53 Status in Tumor Cells

ABSTRACT The 55-kDa E1B protein of adenovirus, which binds to and inactivates the tumor suppressor protein p53, is not expressed in the adenoviral mutant termed ONYX-015 (i.e., dl1520). It was reported that the mutant virus due to a deletion in E1B is able to replicate only in cells deficient for wild-type p53. Accordingly,dl1520 is currently being evaluated as a potential tool in the therapy of p53 deficient cancers. In contrast, we report here thatdl1520 replicates independently of the p53 status in various tumor cell lines (U87, RKO, A549, H1299, and U373). In addition, the inhibition of p53-mediated transcriptional activation in wild-type p53 containing U2OS cells, by overexpression of a transdominant negative p53 mutant, did not render the cells permissive for dl1520 replication. Finally, we show that, depending on the multiplicity of infection, the deleted virus is able to replicate in and to kill primary human cells. Thus, the molecular basis for the growth differences of dl1520 within different cell types remains to be determined.
Travel in large-scale head-worn VR: Pre-oriented teleportation with WIMs and previews

We demonstrate an interaction technique that allows a user to point at a world-in-miniature representation of a city-scale virtual environment and perform efficient and precise teleportation by pre-orienting an avatar. A preview of the post-teleport view of the full-scale virtual environment updates interactively as the user adjusts the position, yaw, and pitch of the avatar's head with a pair of 6DoF-tracked controllers. We describe design decisions and contrast with alternative approaches to virtual travel.
Effect of Present-on-Admission (POA) Reporting Accuracy on Hospital Performance Assessments Using Risk-Adjusted Mortality.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate how the accuracy of present-on-admission (POA) reporting affects hospital 30-day acute myocardial infarction (AMI) mortality assessments. DATA SOURCES A total of 2005 California patient discharge data (PDD) and vital statistics death files. STUDY DESIGN We compared hospital performance rankings using an established model assessing hospital performance for AMI with (1) a model incorporating POA indicators of whether a secondary condition was a comorbidity or a complication of care, and (2) a simulation analysis that factored POA indicator accuracy into the hospital performance assessment. For each simulation, we changed POA indicators for six major acute risk factors of AMI mortality. The probability of POA being changed depended on patient and hospital characteristics. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Comparing the performance rankings of 268 hospitals using the established model with that using the POA indicator, 67 hospitals' (25 percent) rank differed by ≥10 percent. POA reporting inaccuracy due to overreporting and underreporting had little additional impact; POA overreporting contributed to 4 percent of hospitals' difference in rank compared to the POA model and POA underreporting contributed to <1 percent difference. CONCLUSION Incorporating POA indicators into risk-adjusted models of AMI care has a substantial impact on hospital rankings of performance that is not primarily attributable to inaccuracy in POA hospital reporting.
Unusual Morphological Damage of Purkinje Cells Following Postnatal BrdU Administration in the Cerebellar Cortex of Mouse

Postnatal development of the cerebellum lasts for weeks in rodents and can be disturbed by systemic 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) administration. This thymidine analogue incorporates into the DNA of proliferating cells, and results in more or less serious damage or death of granule cells, the most actively dividing neuronal population in the developing cerebellar cortex. Further consequences of postnatal BrdU administration are the interrupted postnatal migration and integration as well as partial loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells. In the present study, C57B16 mice were administered with 50 μ. g/g body weight BrdU, one sc. injection daily, between P0 and Pll postnatal days, respectively. Large “cavities” appeared in the cytoplasm of a subpopulation of Purkinje cells by P7 in about one-third of administered animals, their number were high at P9 and Pll, especially in vermal lobules VIII, IX, and X. By P13 and P15 the number and size of the cavities (and PCs exhibiting unusual morphology) decreased. EM studies revealed that the unusual Purkinje cells received numerous axonal inputs of unknown origin, first of all on their somatic and dendritic spines. The transitory appearance of a subpopulation of Purkinje cells possessing unusual morphology refers to the influence of other (neuronal, glial, or both) cells on their regular differentiation.
Less is more: not "going the distance" and why.

Podolsky wrote an influential editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled “Going the Distance—The Case for True Colorectal Cancer Screening” (1) in the year 2000. He advocated for a primary colonoscopy screening strategy, “going the distance,” and suggested that screening with flexible sigmoidoscopy was akin to screening only one breast for breast cancer. The seductive logic of screening is well known; Podolsky’s approach further extends that logic. The issue is not whether to screen but rather how to screen. Randomized controlled trials show that screening with fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) and flexible sigmoidoscopy reduces mortality from colorectal cancer (CRC), but there is much less evidence about the magnitude of any additional benefit from colonoscopy (2–6). The argument Podolsky makes is that if some screening is good, then more must be better. We need to “go the distance”—the entire distance—to maximize the benefit from screening. What was missing from his analysis was any attempt to weigh an additional benefit from colonoscopy against additional harm and to consider additional costs to individuals and society (7). Perhaps, we can get more from “going the distance,” but with what harms and at what cost? Podolosky’s editorial, together with other factors, had an enormous effect. The United States has indeed adopted a primary colonoscopy strategy for CRC screening (8), and this strategy is
Innovative Tank Management System based on DCS

The Distributed Control System is being widely used in Power, Steel manufacturing, Oil and Gas, and Petrochemicals for monitoring, advance process control, regulatory and sequential control and various other functions. DCS is operated either in single mode and or it is interfaced with other systems such as PLC, SCADA, and Etc for enhanced functionality. Developing Distributed Control System is a major industrial concern since those systems are more and more complex and involved in many safety critical application fields. Tank Gauging by DCS is much more than just automated inventory management, it's about having more control over your fuelling operation, collecting accurate information from your sites with less effort and allowing you to make better decisions about your assets. This paper focuses on an innovative and intelligent DCS based Tank Gauging Control system that has been designed, implemented and commissioned in large tank farm oil terminal after case study in international standards. The main scopes of DCS are described in this paper.
A Natural Intergenotypic Recombinant of Hepatitis C Virus Identified in St. Petersburg

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) evolution is thought to proceed by mutations within the six genotypes. Here, we report on a viable spontaneous HCV recombinant and we show that recombination may play a role in the evolution of this virus. Previously, 149 HCV strains from St. Petersburg had been subtyped by limited sequencing within the NS5B region. In the present study, the core regions of 41 of these strains were sequenced to investigate the concordance of HCV genotyping for these two genomic regions. Two phylogenetically related HCV strains were found to belong to different subtypes, 2k and 1b, according to sequence analysis of the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR)-core and the NS5B regions, respectively. By sequencing of the E2-p7-NS2 region, the crossover point was mapped within the NS2 region, probably between positions 3175 and 3176 (according to the numbering system for strain pj6CF). Sequencing of the 5′UTR-core regions of four other HCV strains, phylogenetically related to the above-mentioned two strains (based on analysis within the NS5B region), revealed that these four strains were also recombinants. Since a nonrecombinant 2k strain was found in St. Petersburg, the recombination may have taken place there around a decade ago. Since the frequency of this recombinant is now high enough to allow the detection of the recombinant in a fraction of the city's population, it seems to be actively spreading there. The reported recombinant is tentatively designated RF1_2k/1b, in agreement with the nomenclature used for HIV recombinants. Recombination between HCV genotypes must now be considered in the classification, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment of HCV infection.
A high precision sensor system for indoor object positioning and monitoring

In this paper, we present a sensor system that uses carpets equipped with RFIDs to measure the position of humans and objects in a room at a very high precision. Such a system can be used in applications such as intelligent media output coordination in multi-display environments or automatic generation of 3D-based user interfaces where precision of 10 cm or better is needed.
A tropical analog of Descartes' rule of signs

We prove that for any degree d, there exist (families of) finite sequences a_0, a_1,. , a_d of positive numbers such that, for any real polynomial P of degree d, the number of its real roots is less than or equal to the number of the so-called essential tropical roots of the polynomial obtained from P by multiplication of its coefficients by a_0, a_1,. a_d respectively. In particular, for any real univariate polynomial P of degree d with non-vanishing constant term, we conjecture that one can take a_k = e^{-k^2}, k = 0, . , d. The latter claim can be thought of as a tropical generalization of Descartes's rule of signs. We settle this conjecture up to degree 4 as well as a weaker statement for arbitrary real polynomials. Additionally we describe an application of the latter conjecture to the classical Karlin problem on zero-diminishing sequences.
Co‐stimulatory effect of nitric oxide on endothelial NF‐κB implies a physiological self‐amplifying mechanism

Here we investigated the effects of the second messenger molecule NO at various concentrations on the activation of transcription factor NF‐κB, IκB‐α kinase (IKK‐α), Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) and apoptosis in murine endothelial cells. Low concentrations of NO alone failed to activate NF‐κB, IKK‐α and JNK. When NF‐κB was prestimulated by TNF‐α or phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate, the addition of NO at low concentrations enhanced the activation of NF‐κB. This provides a mechanism for a self‐amplifying signal in the inflammatory response, since the inducible NO synthase in endothelial cells is regulated by NF‐κB. The co‐stimulatory effect of NO on NF‐κB activation was also evident from IKK‐α kinase assays and reporter gene experiments in endothelial cells. High doses of NO impaired the TNF‐α‐induced DNA‐binding activity of NF‐κB. Accordingly, these high amounts of NO also repressed the TNF‐α‐induced transactivation by NF‐κB as efficient as dexamethasone. The doses of NO required for the inhibition of NF‐κB are not cytotoxic for the endothelial cells, enabling the establishment of an autoregulatory loop for NF‐κB signaling.
Age‐related alterations in T‐lymphocytes modulate key pathways in prostate tumorigenesis

The primary risk for prostate cancer is aging, often associated with inflammation. Evidence implicates progressive age‐related immune dysfunction with increased prostate cancer incidence and mortality. The aged T‐cell response is characterized by increased production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, which could significantly contribute to prostate tumorigenesis through induction of key inflammation‐mediated pro‐survival factors.
The effects of clinical concentrations of halothane on the blood flow and oxygen uptake of the cerebral cortex.

SUMMARY Clinical concentrations of halothane vaporized in nitrous oxide-oxygen caused vasodilatation in the cerebral cortex of anaesthetized dogs at constant arterial carbon dioxide tension. The vasodilatory action on the cerebral circulation was greater the higher the concentration of halothane. Consequently 2 per cent halothane increased blood flow through the cerebral cortex more than did 0.5 per cent halothane. However, the administration of 4 per cent halothane reduced mean blood pressure so markedly that blood flow was not elevated above the control value. The oxygen uptake of the cerebral cortex was depressed by halothane and this depression was greater with 2 per cent halothane than with 0.5 per cent. These results are discussed with reference to the effects of halothane on intracranial pressure and on the oxygenation of the brain.
Timed pushdown automata and branching vector addition systems

We prove that non-emptiness of timed register pushdown automata is decidable in doubly exponential time. This is a very expressive class of automata, whose transitions may involve state and top-of-stack clocks with unbounded differences. It strictly subsumes pushdown timed automata of Bouajjani et al., dense-timed pushdown automata of Abdulla et al., and orbit-finite timed register pushdown automata of Clemente and Lasota. Along the way, we prove two further decidability results of independent interest: for non-emptiness of least solutions to systems of equations over sets of integers with addition, union and intersections with ℕ and −ℕ, and for reachability in one-dimensional branching vector addition systems with states and subtraction, both in exponential time.
The Jungle of Methods for Evaluating Phenotypic and Phylogenetic Structure of Communities

The way communities are assembled is an old ecological question currently experiencing renewed interest thanks to the recent advances in molecular biology and phylogenetics. The generality of these new methods has allowed us to understand the structure of communities of organisms from different kingdoms and at different scales. Concomitant with this growing interest, new methods, metrics, terms, and software have appeared that independently solve similar questions, but with different approaches. Here we provide a unifying framework on methods for community structure based on the relationships between four key concepts: phylogeny, phenotype, environment, and co-occurrence. The different approaches are based on different community representations of traits, the phylogenetic relationships of species in the community, or species occurrence along the environmental gradients. We finally provide insights on future directions of this emerging discipline.
Educação ambiental e/ou educação para o desenvolvimento sustentável? Uma análise centrada na realidade portuguesa

O texto destaca que a EA em Portugal tem una rica história, que começou a ser explorada em 1975: projectos escolares, dinamização das populações, publicações e vontade política para questões de ambiente, entre outros indicadores. Una avaliação detalhada dos projectos de ea implementados em Portugal ao longo de mais de trinta anos é completada com a análisis de questionários. O texto destaca que uma análise da situação actual e perspectivas futuras da Educação Ambiental (EA), não pode deixar de considerar três aspectos essenciais, estreitamente inter-relacionados: a) as mais valias e as deficiências que, até este momento, a têm caracterizado; b) as exigências colocadas pela profunda crise que abala o nosso mundo; e, c) o debate acerca da emergência da Educação para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável (eds) e das eventuais inter-relações entre estas duas perspectivas educativas.