Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Festuca campestris alters root morphology and growth in response to simulated grazing and nitrogen form

Summary 1. Large herbivores are known to spatially concentrate and alter the form of nitrogen (N) in grassland systems, which can modify aboveground plant chemical composition and productivity, and result in shifts in grazing pressure in these areas. Root responses to grazing under high N inputs may facilitate these changes, but their responses are less well understood. 2. We examined biomass, root morphology and demography, and nitrogen pool responses of Festuca campestris Rydb. seedlings grown in pots in an environmental chamber and subject to heavy fertilization with isotopically-labelled N in a NO3-N or NH4-N fertilizer treatment, and to no clipping or clipping to 4 cm twice during the experiment. 3. Festuca campestris exhibited re-growth patterns after defoliation that reflected preferential allocation to aboveground shoots, with percent recovery of shoot biomass twice that of roots. Clipping did not increase the risk of root mortality. Instead, reduced root biomass in clipped plants resulted from slowed elongation and decreased production of new roots. Although roots with smaller diameters and at lower density had a greater risk of root mortality, clipping did not alter the mean root diameter or level of root branching. 4. Under high N fertilization, NH4-N increased the amount of aboveground biomass, ameliorated the effects of clipping on root production and further reduced the risk of root mortality in clipped plants. N-form had no effect on root morphology. 5. While total plant N uptake and the percent utilization of fertilizer were lower in clipped plants, total plant nitrogen accumulated per root biomass (g g )1 ) at harvest was higher in clipped plants. 6. Our findings indicate that where defoliation is coupled with high nitrogen return, Festuca campestris recuperates by increasing nitrogen uptake, shifting production to favour recovery of aboveground biomass, and mitigating carbon losses by decreasing investment in new, actively growing roots. Because application of a more mobile form of nitrogen (NO3-N) did not alter root morphology, root physiological responses may be most important for re-growth when nitrogen is not limiting. Root reductions associated with grazing may have a greater impact in locations where grazer-mediated nitrogen return is spatially decoupled from defoliation.
Enhanced CO2 alters the relationship between photosynthesis and defence in cyanogenic Eucalyptus cladocalyx F. Muell.

The effect of elevated CO2 and different levels of nitrogen on the partitioning of nitrogen between photosynthesis and a constitutive nitrogen-based secondary metabolite (the cyanogenic glycoside prunasin) was examined in Eucalyptus cladocalyx. Our hypothesis was that the expected increase in photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency of plants grown at elevated CO2 concentrations would lead to an effective reallocation of available nitrogen from photosynthesis to prunasin. Seedlings were grown at two concentrations of CO2 and nitrogen, and the proportion of leaf nitrogen allocated to photosynthesis, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), protein and prunasin compared. Up to 20% of leaf nitrogen was allocated to the cyanogenic glycoside, although this proportion varied with leaf age, position and growth conditions. Leaf prunasin concentration was strongly affected by nitrogen supply, but did not increase, on a dry weight basis, in the leaves from the elevated CO 2 treatments. However, the proportion of nitrogen allocated to prunasin increased significantly, in spite of a decreasing pool of leaf nitrogen, in the plants grown at elevated concentrations of CO2. There was less protein in leaves of plants grown at elevated CO2 in both nitrogen treatments, while the concentration of active sites of Rubisco only decreased in plants from the low-nitrogen treatment. These changes in leaf chemistry may have significant implications in terms of the palatability of foliage and defence against herbivores.
Proposed Revision of the Standard Weight (Ws) Equation for Redear Sunfish

ABSTRACT Weight-length data were compiled from 289 redear sunfish Lepomis microlophus populations. We applied the regression-line-percentile (RLP) technique to weight-length data for 150 redear sunfish populations to develop a new 75th-percentile standard weight (Ws) equation. The proposed RLP Ws equation, log10 Ws = −4.968 + 3.119log10TL where Ws is the standard weight in grams and TL is the total length in millimeters, is valid for fish >70 mm TL. The English-unit equivalent, log10Wg = −3.263 + 3.119log10TL where Ws is the standard weight in pounds and TL is the total length in inches, is valid for fish >3 in TL. We used the remaining 139 independent populations to evaluate the current [log10 Ws = −5.164 + 3.227(log10TL)] and RLP Ws equations for any length-related biases. We confirmed that the current Ws equation is length-biased. That is, relative weight (Wr) values significantly decreased with increasing fish length for far more populations (N=45) than they increased (N=7). We tested the proposed RLP.
Simulated Precipitation Diurnal Variation With a Deep Convective Closure Subject to Shallow Convection in Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 Coupled With CLUBB

In order to improve the physical consistency between shallow and deep convection, we modify the deep convective closure in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) coupled with a third‐order turbulence closure parameterization (i.e., Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals [CLUBB]). The revised closure reserves a portion of the total convective available potential energy for shallow convection via utilizing the heating and moistening profiles from CLUBB to distribute moisture and energy between shallow and deep convection. Simulations at two resolutions (i.e., 2° and 0.5°, respectively) are conducted to investigate the impacts of convective closure on the simulated precipitation diurnal variations. Results from low‐resolution simulations show that the revised closure suppresses deep convection until the lower troposphere is sufficiently moistened by shallow convection, which improves the precipitation diurnal variation simulations compared with the default closure, with the precipitation diurnal peak over tropical lands delayed from 12LST to 19LST. The revised closure better simulates the diurnal variations for precipitation over the Asian monsoon region, such as the delayed precipitation onset, but still fails to well capture the nighttime peak for precipitation there. This deficiency is alleviated to some extent when applying the revised closure in high‐resolution simulations, but nighttime precipitation is still underestimated probably because key processes responsible for nighttime convection are missing. Overall, our results indicate that establishing the consistency between shallow and deep convection is critical for the precipitation diurnal cycle simulations.
Leaf-size divergence along rainfall and soil-nutrient gradients: Is the method of size reduction common among clades?

Summary 1Ecologists have long recognized that plants occurring in areas of low rainfall or soil nutrients tend to have smaller leaves than those in more favourable regions. 2Working with a large data set (690 species at 47 sites spread widely through south-east Australia) for which this reduction has been described previously, we investigated the morphology of leaf size reduction, asking whether any patterns observed were consistent across evolutionary lineages or between environmental gradients. 3Leaf length, width and surface areas were measured; leaf traits such as pubescence or lobing were also scored qualitatively. There was no correlation between soil phosphorus and rainfall across sites. Further, there was no evidence that pubescence, lobing or other traits assessed served as alternatives to reduction of leaf size at the low ends of either environmental gradient. 4Leaf size reduction occurred through many combinations of change in leaf width and length, even within lineages. Thus consistent patterns in the method of leaf size reduction were not found, although broad similarities between rainfall and soil P gradients were apparent.
Study of Morphing Winglet Concepts Aimed at Improving Load Control and the Aeroelastic Behavior of Civil Transport Aircraft

Morphing is today widely studied in order to improve aircraft performance and thereby decrease their environmental footprint. This paper deals with the preliminary study of several morphing winglet concepts aimed at improving load control and aeroelastic behavior. The first step consisted in building and validating low-CPU-time-consuming but accurate aeroelastic models able to take into account aerodynamics, structural dynamics and flight mechanics, in order to handle free flexible aircraft. Aeroelastic state-space models have therefore been built from a structural modal reduction and from a rational function approximation of the aerodynamic forces based on the Roger formulation. They have been validated through comparisons with high-fidelity fluid-structure (CFD-CSM) coupling simulations. The flight mechanics has been taken into account by coupling these models with the AVL software. The second step consisted in designing a realistic reference wing equipped with a conventional winglet. Then, four morphing winglet concepts were assessed: a flapping winglet, a winglet whose deformation in torsion is controllable, a winglet able to rotate around an axis along its span and a winglet equipped with a trailing edge flap. The latter concept was found to be the most promising in terms of load control, in particular when used in conjunction with the aileron. Finally, a technological study was performed in order to ensure the feasibility of the concepts. This study was pursued up to the drawing phase, but stopped before a demonstrator was manufactured. Nevertheless, it demonstrated the feasibility of a winglet equipped with a trailing edge flap, at both the demonstrator and real aircraft scales.
Chlorophyll-a concentration in the hailing bay using remote sensing assisted sparse statistical modelling

ABSTRACT In the recent past, the Satellite authenticated synoptic instrument has been used to retrieve the water quality variables like chlorophyll, suspended materials and the pigmented dissolved organic matter. However, the use of chlorophyll phytoplankton endeavors acts as a proxy and strongly overestimates the contribution to the annual pelagic carbon flows from spring production. Further, Remote Sensing assisted Sparse Statistical Modelling (RSSSM)has been proposed to determine the chlorophyll-a concentration seasonal variations and spatial/temporal structure in the Hailing Bay. It provides high correlation information between the water surface environment and organic matter. Besides, it provides the highest possible correlation coefficient value and gives a more practical representation at a clear water reference site using a lab-scale simulation setup. Thus in considering the coastal system, the seasonal variation in chlorophyll ratios has been reviewed and outcomes has been analyzed using effective experimental validation at lab scale.
Pelletization of Refuse-Derived Fuel with Varying Compositions of Plastic, Paper, Organic and Wood

The combustible fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) is called refuse-derived fuel (RDF). RDF is a blend of heterogeneous materials and thus its handling is challenging. Pelletization is an efficient treatment to minimize the heterogeneity. In this research, typical RDF compositions were prepared by mixing several mass fractions of paper, plastic, household organic and wood. The collected compositions were ground, wetted to 20% moisture content (wet basis) and pelletized. Increasing the plastic content from 20% to 40% reduced the pelletization energy but increased the pellet’s calorific value. Pellets with higher plastic content generated more dust when exposed to shaking. Making durable pellets with 40% plastic content needed an increase in die temperature from 80 °C to 100 °C. Increasing the paper content from 30% to 50% increased the durability but consumed higher energy to form pellets. Paper particles increased the friction between pellet’s surface and die wall as was evident from expulsion energy. Force versus displacement curve for material compression revealed that the RDF compositions have rigid material characteristics.
Molecular insights into the niche of harmful brown tides

Recurrent brown tide blooms caused by the harmful alga Alureococcus anophagefferens have decimated coastal ecosystems and shellfisheries along the Eastern U.S and South Africa. The exact mechanisms controlling bloom formation, sustenance, and decline are unclear, however bottom-up factors such as nutrient type and supply are thought to be critical. Traditional assays for studying algal nutrient physiology require bulk community measurements or in situ nutrient perturbations. Although useful, these techniques lack the ability to target individual species in complex, mixed microbial assemblages. The motivation for this thesis is to examine the metabolic strategies utilized by A. anophagefferens for meeting its nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) demand at the cellular level using molecular tools that, even in the presence of complex microbial assemblages, can be used to track how nutrients influence the bloom dynamics of A. anophageferens in the environment. Chapter two examines the global transcriptional responses of A. anophagefferens to N and P deficiency. Results demonstrate that A. anophagefferens has the capacity to utilize multiple forms of organic N and P when inorganic forms become unavailable. Chapter three analyzed the global protein changes in response to P deficiency and P re-supply. Consistent with transcript patterns, A. anophagefferens increases protein abundance for a number of genes involved in inorganic and organic P metabolism when inorganic P is deficient. Furthermore, increases in a sulfolipid biosynthesis protein combined with lipid data suggest A. anophagefferens can adjust its P requirement by switching from phospholipids to sulfolipids when inorganic P is unavailable. Analysis of protein abundances from Pdeficient cells that were re-fed inorganic P demonstrates variations in the timing of turnover among various proteins upon release from phosphate deficiency. Chapter four tests the expression patterns of candidate gene markers of nutrient physiology under controlled culture experiments. Results show that expression patterns of a phosphate transporter and xanthine/uracil/vitamin C permease are indicators of P and N deficiency, respectively. Taken together, these findings provide insight into the fundamental and ecological niche space of this harnful algal species with respect to N and P and provide a platform for assaying nutrient controls on natural brown tide blooms.
New insights into the 2017 Sefidsang earthquake by Coulomb stress change pattern and aftershock distributions: implication for active tectonics of NE Iran

The April 5th 2017 Mw 6.15 Sefidsang earthquake occurred east-northeast of the town of Fariman near the Cimmerian arc-related Fariman complex. The stress distribution was estimated by seismic parameters and Coulomb stress distribution in the source region. Inferred Coulomb stress field and general pattern of aftershocks distribution revealed that the Sefidsang earthquake occurred on a northeast-dipping listric fault with dextral reverse movement. Proximity of the Sefidsang sequence to Fariman complex proposes the reactivation of the pre-existing Cimmerian arc-related faults in the present-day stress field. The crustal-penetrating low-angle inverted faults coupled with Mesozoic mafic–ultramafic magmatism can shed light on the structural aspects of the region. The kinematics was also investigated by GPS velocity fields and morphotectonic features. The counterclockwise block rotation under the left-lateral regional shear between the Doruneh fault system and the North Kopeh Dagh fault system and NE-oriented coeval shortening led to the formation of rhombic structures. Cimmerian-related basement faults in NE Iran confined the expansion of rhombic cells and sense of block rotation. The results of this study improved our understanding about kinematics of active deformation in NE Iran and had important implications for seismic hazard assessment of the region and potential future failure area.
Differences in applied electrical power between full thorax models and limited-domain models for RF cardiac ablation

Abstract Purpose Most modeling studies on radiofrequency cardiac ablation (RFCA) are based on limited-domain models, which means the computational domain is restricted to a few centimeters of myocardium and blood around the active electrode. When mimicking constant power RFCA procedures (e.g., atrial fibrillation ablation) it is important to know how much power is absorbed around the active electrode and how much in the rest of the tissues before reaching the dispersive electrode. Methods 3D thorax full models were built by progressively incorporating different organs and tissues with simplified geometries (cardiac chamber, cardiac wall, subcutaneous tissue and skin, spine, lungs and aorta). Other 2D limited-domain models were also built based on fragments of myocardium and blood. The electrical problem was solved for each model to estimate the spatial power distribution around the active electrode. Results From 79 to 82% of the power was absorbed in a 4 cm-radius sphere around the active electrode in the full thorax model at active electrode insertion depths of between 0.5 and 2.5 mm, while the impedance values ranged from 104 to 118 Ω, which were consistent with those found (from 83 to 103 Ω) in a 4 cm radius cylindrical limited domain model. Conclusion The applied power in limited-domain RFCA models is approximately 80% of that applied in full thorax models, which is equivalent to the power programed in a clinical setting.
From Teachers’ Views to Explore the Implementation of Energy Education in Taiwan’s Elementary Schools

This study intended to explore the implementation of promoting “energy education” in Taiwan’s elementary schools. The research adopted a questionnaire (Likert five-point scale) from teachers’ view in three dimensions to construct examination. The 45 participants come from 10 different primary schools distributed across Taiwan, which participate in e nergy education program in the second period (2015-2017). The data was analyzed by ANOVA, mean and standard deviations of the viewpoints of the participants in the energy education learning achievement of the primary schools. The first findings in this research is, the program of energy education was most effective in “energy attitude” (M=4.282, SD=0.814), followed by “energy awareness” (M=4.049, SD=0.720) and “energy behavior” (M=3.983, SD=0.875). It shows that students have positive energy attitude, but they were relatively weak at energy saving behavior. Secondly, there is statistically significant difference in overall students learning performance with urban areas are higher than rural areas. Finally, it is suggested that in addition to strengthen energy attitudes and energy awareness, we should encourage students to take action in save energy in their daily life. Furthermore, we should invest more resources to rural areas to balance the students’ performances between urban and rural areas.
Superficial spreading melanoma in a thermal burn scar

Cases of melanoma on thermal burn scars have exceptional been reported. We report a case of superficial spreading melanoma arising after about 30 years after a burn injury. 54 year-old women presented with pigmented lesion that emerged on her old burn scar of the back. The cutaneous biopsy showed a melanoma. There was no palpable regional adenopathy or any distant metastases detectable. An excision with a 2 cm margin was performed. We would like to highlight the importance of earlier treatment of necrotic burn scar with very long follow-up.
Transcriptome analysis of blastocysts acquiring implantation competency in mice

Blastocyst activation, referring to the blastocyst acquiring the implantation competency, is the determining factor for implantation into the receptive uterus. It involves the process of embryonic cell differentiation to contact and initiate dialog with the uterine cells. Before the application of -omics approaches to this biological event, only the cellular morphological changes and a small number of molecules were known to regulate this process. This review aims to discuss the recent exploration for global molecular changes during the blastocyst activation in mouse model, based on a transcriptional evaluation strategy.
Overcoming the excessive compressive strain in AlGaN epitaxy by introducing high Si-doping in AlN templates

The influence of compressive strain in high-quality AlN templates on the subsequent growth of AlGaN-based device layers was investigated. The AlN templates showed compressive strain of ∼−0.29% and threading dislocation densities (TDDs) below 6.5 × 108 cm−2. By introducing high Si-doping in MOVPE-grown AlN, the compressive strain was relaxed while preserving the low TDD. By this method, the low TDD was transferred from the AlN template to the micron-thick n-Al0.63Ga0. 37N. A 275 nm LED was demonstrated with a ∼2.5 times power enhancement than the same LED on conventional MOVPE-grown AlN template under low current injection. The maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) was enhanced from 1.6% to 2.2% with an improved n-AlGaN.
[New insights on a long-known element - iron, hepcidin and inflammation].

Iron (Fe) is an essential trace element. In daily veterinary practice, it plays a pivotal role e. g. due to its role in Fe deficiency anaemia. The bioavailability of Fe, for example for heme and hemoglobin synthesis, sets high demands on Fe homeostasis. The discovery of hepcidin as being an important regulative protein made a hormone-like regulation of the Fe metabolism evident. Hepcidin is synthesized by the liver and regulates the trans-membranous Fe-transporter ferroportin. An increase of hepcidin leads to a decrease of Fe export from the cell into the extracellular space, the consequence being an internalisation of Fe in the reticuloendothelial system as well as in mononuclear cells. Additionally, enteral Fe uptake decreases. The induction of hepatic hepcidin synthesis seems to be caused by high Fe- and transferrin concentrations in plasma. In addition to this, an increase of cytokines during inflammation similarly triggers hepatic hepcidin synthesis. This finding offers an explanation for the frequently observed decrease of Fe in serum/plasma during acute inflammation, the mechanism thus being termed as cytokine-hepcidin-link. Based on the fact that numerous pathogens require Fe for their own metabolism, internalisation of Fe into the intracellular compartment during inflammation has hence been categorised as being a part of the innate immunity. Iron supplementation, initiated by the veterinarian or the farmer, interferes with this regulation. Currently however, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the clinical and metabolic impacts of parenteral or oral Fe supplementation to farm animals. Therefore, the acquisition of added scientific data via prospective studies is warranted. In consequence, novel findings may lead to a reassessment of Fe supplementation strategies for ruminants, pigs and/or horses.