Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in leucocyte telomere length in a free‐living mammal

Mounting evidence suggests that average telomere length reflects previous stress and predicts subsequent survival across vertebrate species. In humans, leucocyte telomere length (LTL) is consistently shorter during adulthood in males than in females, although the causes of this sex difference and its generality to other mammals remain unknown. Here, we measured LTL in a cross‐sectional sample of free‐living Soay sheep and found shorter telomeres in males than in females in later adulthood (>3 years of age), but not in early life. This observation was not related to sex differences in growth or parasite burden, but we did find evidence for reduced LTL associated with increased horn growth in early life in males. Variation in LTL was independent of variation in the proportions of different leucocyte cell types, which are known to differ in telomere length. Our results provide the first evidence of sex differences in LTL from a wild mammal, but longitudinal studies are now required to determine whether telomere attrition rates or selective disappearance are responsible for these observed differences.
Long‐Term Effects of Forest Fertilization on Site Organic Matter and Nutrients

The long-term effects of time-of-planting fertilization on the accumulation and distribution of above- and belowground organic matter and nutrients are largely unknown for intensively managed southern pine (Pinus spp.) stands in the U.S. lower Coastal Plain. These effects were investigated using a 25-yr-old slash pine (P. elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) plantation in north Florida. The experiment was conducted on a poorly drained, P-deficient Rutlege soil (sandy, siliceous, thermic Typic Humaquept) using a randomized complete block design. The experimental treatments included: (i) control, (ii) NPK (112, 39, and 45 kg ha⁻¹ using ordinary superphosphate [OSP] + N and K) and (iii) P (314 kg P ha⁻¹ using ground rock phosphate [GRP]). Fertilization significantly increased total aboveground organic matter accumulation, with levels for the OSP + NK and GRP treatments being 2.5 and 1.8 times greater than the control, respectively. Levels of soil organic matter measured to a depth of 91 cm did not vary, however. Treatment effects were found for P, K, and Ca levels in the fertilized slash pine biomass components and surface soil. Long-term differences in extractable soil P were most pronounced for the GRP treatment, with concentrations in the surface 15 cm being 2.6 times greater than the control; only the high P treatment sustained foliar P levels within the published critical range for slash pine. While field trials are required to confirm actual fertilizer carryover effects, results from this experiment suggest that sites previously fertilized with operational P rates (40–80 kg ha⁻¹) will again require treatment when establishing the next pine rotation. Contribution of the Florida Agric. Exp. Stn. Journal no. R-03288.
Viscous flow models of global geophysical observables: 1. Forward problems

We present a gravitationally consistent method for calculating the “kernel” functions which relate global geophysical observables, such as the geoid, surface plate motions and core-mantle boundary (CMB) topography, to internal density heterogeneities in a viscous, compressible mantle possessing an arbitrary radial variation of viscosity. We show that the influence of finite mantle compressibility is substantial in the case of the predicted nonhydrostatic geoid, with the largest effects occurring at spherical harmonic degree l=2. On the basis of the geoid data we find that our best two-layer viscosity model possesses a factor of 9 jump in viscosity at 1200 km depth. We argue, however, that the inferences of viscosity obtained from the geoid data are sensitive to the model of internal density heterogeneity which is employed and that this sensitivity probably explains the differences between our own viscosity inferences and those obtained by others. Our viscous flow models possess a spherically symmetric viscosity distribution and they cannot therefore “explain” the toroidal component of the flow of the tectonic plates. We therefore present a new scheme for predicting plate motions based on an explicit coupling of poloidal and toroidal flows which we derive on the basis of the assumption that the individual plates are perfectly rigid. We show how this new description of surface plate motions induced by buoyancy forces in the mantle may be used to constrain the absolute value of the long-term (i.e., steady state) mantle viscosity.
Kolaviron, a biflavonoid of Garcinia kola seed mitigates ischemic/reperfusion injury by modulation of pro-survival and apoptotic signaling pathways

Objective: The study was designed to investigate the ameliorative effect of Kolaviron (KV) on ischemic/reperfusion injury in experimental animal models. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: Group 1 received corn oil as a vehicle and rats in Group 2 were administered KV at 200 mg/kg for 4 weeks. The rats were fed with rat standard chow pellet and water administered ad libitum. After 4 weeks of KV administration, hearts were excised and mounted on the working heart perfusion system. Western blot analysis for protein expression was carried out on frozen heart samples. Results: There was significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase with concomitant reduction in oxygen radical absorbance capacity in ischemic rat heart of control compared to group pre-treated with KV, respectively. Similarly, intracellular reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde were significantly elevated in control compared to KV pre-treated rats. KV significantly increased total Akt/protein kinase B (PKB), phosphorylated Akt/PKB at serine 473 and also caused a significant reduction in p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, Caspase 3, and cleaved poly adenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase. Conclusion: Taken together, KV offered significant cardioprotection via free radical scavenging activity and upregulation of pro-survival pathway.
Low‐velocity zone variations in the southwestern United States

Time differences between arrivals of P and PL waves on 55 seismograms from 13 events were measured and compared with model study values. Variations are mapped as a point midway between station and event for each measurement. The results are presented as a contour map of large-scale lateral variations in the upper mantle beneath the western United States.
Maximizing TTI RTM Throughput for CPU+GPU

There is a continuous interest for increased computational performance in seismic modelling and migration based on discretization of the 2-way wave equation. In many complex exploration settings the acoustic tilted transverse isotropic (TTI) approximation is preferred. Traditionally the CPU hardware architecture has been used, but during the recent years the GPU technology has been gaining popularity because of its significantly higher theoretical peak performance. However, not all problems are equally suited to take advantage of this potential and the low-level programming model is more demanding. In this work a comparison between a CPU only and a hybrid CPU and GPU implementation is presented. The starting point is a code well optimized for CPU systems by using long operators, coarse grids and cache optimization. The performance optimizations required to get good GPU performance are described. The success measure in the CPU GPU port is migration throughput, not speedup of individual kernels. A comparison on a system with Intel Westmere CPU and nVidia Fermi GPU shows a performance improvement of 4.4x.
Thermal Expansion of Garnets Included in Diamond

The lattice parameters of two garnet inclusions in diamonds have been measured by X rays as functions of temperature, with the inclusions first in situ and then freed from their hosts. The included garnets have smaller lattice parameters than the free garnets and must therefore be under pressure. From an equation of state for garnet calculated from thermoelastic data, the pressures in situ are found to vary from 2 to 15 kbar for one garnet (D1) and from 2 to 7 kbar for the other (D2) as the temperature is increased. A model is proposed which assumes that, under uniform isotropic stress and temperature, diamond forms around garnets and behaves purely elastically thereafter. The model is used to calculate theoretical values for the difference in lattice parameters of free and included garnet; it gives the external pressure that removes shear stress in the host at each temperature, a curve that should pass through the temperature and the pressure of formation of the host. For diamond D1, whose behavior agreed with the model, this curve crosses the thermodynamic diamond-graphite equilibrium line at about 500°C; because some nonelastic processes may have occurred, the curve is proposed merely as a lower bound to pressures of formation of the diamond. The method cannot be applied to D2: below 400°C the thermal expansion of the included garnet was greater than that predicted by the model, and the curve obtained from the high-temperature data lies wholly in the region where graphite is stable. It is concluded that in D2 pressure has probably been released by a nonelastic mechanism during some stage of the diamond's history.
Long-term Tillage and Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Soil Properties and Crop Yields

The impact of agricultural intensification on soil degradation now is occurring in tropical countries. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of long-term tillage and N fertilization on soil properties and crop yields in corn-soybean rotation. This long-term study which initiated since 1987 was carried out on a Typic Fragiudult soil at Politeknik Negeri Lampung, Sumatra (105 13’45.5"-10513’48.0"E, 0521’19.6"-0521’19.7"S) in 2010 and 201 1. A factorial experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with four replications. The first factor was tillage system namely intensive tillage (IT) and conservation tillage (CT) which consisted of minimum tillage (MT) and notillage (NT); while the second factor was N fertilization with rates of 0, 100 and 200 kg N ha -1 applied for corn, and 0, 25, and 50 kg N ha -1 for soybean. The results showed that bulk density and soil strength at upper layer after 24 years of cropping were similar among treatments, but the soil strength under IT at 50-60 cm depth was 28.2% higher (p<0.05) than NT . Soil moisture and temperature under CT at 0-5 cm depth were respectively 38.1% and 4.5% higher (p<0.05) than IT. High N rate decreased soil pH at 0-20 cm depth as much as 10%, but increased total soil N at 0-5 cm depth as much as 19% (p<0.05). At 0-10 cm depth, MT with no N had highest exchangeable K, while IT with medium N rate had the lowest (p<0.05). At 0-5 cm depth, MT with no N had highest exchangeable Ca, but it had the lowest (p<0.05) if combined with higher N rate. Microbial biomass C throughout the growing season for NT was consistently highest and it was 14.4% higher (p<0.05) than IT . Compared to IT , Ap horizon of CT after 24 years of cropping was deeper , with larger soil structure and more abundance macro pores. Soybean and corn yields for long-term CT w e 64.3% and 31.8% higher (p<0.05) than IT , respectively . Corn yield for long-term N with rate of 100 kg N ha -1 was 36.4% higher (p<0.05) than without N. J Trop Soils, Vol. 18, No. 2, 2013: 131-139 ISSN 0852-257X INTRODUCTION Available online at: http://journal.unila. ac.id/index.php/tropicalsoil DOI: 10.5400/jts.2013. 18.2. 131
F‐region ionospheric structure associated with antisunward flow near the dayside polar cusp

After one year of measurements using the Sondrestrom incoherent-scatter radar (74° Λ), a number of repeatable features have been identified that interrelate the F-region ionization and plasma convection patterns. One of these is an extended (poleward) ridge of ionization frequently present overhead near magnetic local noon. This ionization enhancement is associated with large ion drift velocities with a significant poleward component. Similar ionization features have been reported and thought to be produced by convection of F layer plasma through an ionization source—soft particle precipitation associated with the polar cusp. In this study, however, we are able to measure the electron temperature as well as number density and drift velocity. These measurements indicate that the electron temperature is not elevated within the density enhancement suggesting that the enhancement is not caused by local soft particle precipitation. Rather, it may simply be F-region plasma convected from lower latitudes with correspondingly lower solar zenith angles.
When Michaelis and Menten met Holling: towards a mechanistic theory of plant nutrient foraging behaviour

To the untrained eye plants might appear to be more like an inanimate object than the type of organism that exhibits behaviour. However, if you know where to look, you will find that plants are remarkably good at assessing and responding to environmental conditions in ways that are best described using behavioural models. Here we show that botanists and zoologists have been using rearranged forms of an identical equation to explain resource intake. By rearranging this equation, botanists may preserve existing knowledge on uptake physiology, while simultaneously gaining access to a rich literature on foraging theory.
Mitochondrial Genome Sequencing in Mesolithic North East Europe Unearths a New Sub-Clade within the Broadly Distributed Human Haplogroup C1

The human mitochondrial haplogroup C1 has a broad global distribution but is extremely rare in Europe today. Recent ancient DNA evidence has demonstrated its presence in European Mesolithic individuals. Three individuals from the 7,500 year old Mesolithic site of Yuzhnyy Oleni Ostrov, Western Russia, could be assigned to haplogroup C1 based on mitochondrial hypervariable region I sequences. However, hypervariable region I data alone could not provide enough resolution to establish the phylogenetic relationship of these Mesolithic haplotypes with haplogroup C1 mitochondrial DNA sequences found today in populations of Europe, Asia and the Americas. In order to obtain high-resolution data and shed light on the origin of this European Mesolithic C1 haplotype, we target-enriched and sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of one Yuzhnyy Oleni Ostrov C1 individual. The updated phylogeny of C1 haplogroups indicated that the Yuzhnyy Oleni Ostrov haplotype represents a new distinct clade, provisionally coined “C1f”. We show that all three C1 carriers of Yuzhnyy Oleni Ostrov belong to this clade. No haplotype closely related to the C1f sequence could be found in the large current database of ancient and present-day mitochondrial genomes. Hence, we have discovered past human mitochondrial diversity that has not been observed in modern-day populations so far. The lack of positive matches in modern populations may be explained by under-sampling of rare modern C1 carriers or by demographic processes, population extinction or replacement, that may have impacted on populations of Northeast Europe since prehistoric times.
The actin binding proteins cortactin and HS1 are dispensable for platelet actin nodule and megakaryocyte podosome formation

Abstract A dynamic, properly organised actin cytoskeleton is critical for the production and haemostatic function of platelets. The Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome protein (WASp) and Actin-Related Proteins 2 & 3 Complex (Arp2/3 complex) are critical mediators of actin polymerisation and organisation in many cell types. In platelets and megakaryocytes, these proteins have been shown to be important for proper platelet production and function. The cortactin family of proteins (Cttn & HS1) are known to regulate WASp-Arp2/3-mediated actin polymerisation in other cell types and so here we address the role of these proteins in platelets using knockout mouse models. We generated mice lacking Cttn and HS1 in the megakaryocyte/platelet lineage. These mice had normal platelet production, with platelet number, size and surface receptor profile comparable to controls. Platelet function was also unaffected by loss of Cttn/HS1 with no differences observed in a range of platelet function assays including aggregation, secretion, spreading, clot retraction or tyrosine phosphorylation. No effect on tail bleeding time or in thrombosis models was observed. In addition, platelet actin nodules, and megakaryocyte podosomes, actin-based structures known to be dependent on WASp and the Arp2/3 complex, formed normally. We conclude that despite the importance of WASp and the Arp2/3 complex in regulating F-actin dynamics in many cells types, the role of cortactin in their regulation appears to be fulfilled by other proteins in platelets.
Observation of ionospheric disturbances following the Alaska earthquake

The Alaska earthquake, which occurred at 5:36 P.M. local time on Friday March 27, 1964 (0336, March 28, 1964 UT), initiated a large traveling ionospheric disturbance. This disturbance undoubtedly affected many different types of ionospheric sensors; however, the data reported here are limited to ionosondes operating at College, Alaska; Adak, Alaska; Palo Alto, California; and Maui, Hawaii. The ionosonde data show indications of the perturbation in two different forms. The form depends on the distance between the observing station and the epicenter of the earthquake.
Penetration of Antarctic bottom water from the Cape Basin into the Angola Basin

Wust (1936) demonstrated that antarctic bottom water (AABW, tp = 2.0°C) enters the Angola basin only along its northern boundary with the Guinea basin and flows southward until it reaches the Walvis ridge. New data on temperature and light scattering near the sea floor indicate that AABW (tp = 1.0°C) is also flowing into the southwestern Angola basin from the Cape basin via a newly discovered channel near 37°S, 7°W. Mixing with the warmer clearer AABW flowing south from the Guinea basin is complete by the time the colder more turbid AABW from the Cape basin reaches 30°S. Particle settling from the nepheloid layer may partially explain the relatively thick sediments in the southwestern Angola basin.
Trace gas signatures of the airstreams within North Atlantic cyclones: Case studies from the North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE ’97) aircraft intensive

This study reveals how airstreams within midlatitude cyclones draw and export trace gases from the polluted continental boundary layer, the midtroposphere, and the stratosphere of North America to the troposphere of the North Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE) produced aircraft-based trace gas measurements from eight midlatitude cyclones during the autumn of 1997. Meteorological and back trajectory analysis identified the various component airstreams of several cyclones, including a cold conveyor belt, two warm conveyor belts, a dry airstream, a previously undefined post cold front air-stream, and a streamer fragment that originated in a dry airstream off the coast of California. O3, CO, and NOy mixing ratio distributions and relationships were determined for each airstream. Airstream chemical composition was related to the origin and transport history of the associated air mass. The lowest O3 values were associated with airstreams originating in Canada or the Atlantic Ocean marine boundary layer; the highest O3 values were associated with airstreams with a recent stratospheric component. The highest CO values were associated with lower tropospheric outflow from New England and a warm conveyor belt that advected boundary layer CO from the southeast United States to the mid and upper troposphere. The highest NOy values were also the result of lower troposphere polluted outflow from New England. Most NOy was removed from the airstreams that transported polluted boundary layer air to the free troposphere. A steep and positive O3/NOy slope was found for all airstreams in the free troposphere regardless of air mass origin.
Revista Clínica Española

This position paper describes the most relevant and essential aspects of a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of hospitalized elderly people. The change in demographic patterns and the epidemiological proﬁles of diseases makes it necessary for internal medicine departments to adapt in order to take into account the vulnerabilities of the elderly in this context. A comprehensive, multidimensional assessment and the multidisciplinary development of a care plan during hospitalization can have an impact in terms of preventing mortality, disability, and institutionalization at discharge. It is necessary for all internists to acquire skills to improve the hospitalization experience in the elderly and obtain better health outcomes in our patients. This document has been developed by the Focus Group on Aging and the Polypathological and Advanced Age Working Group and endorsed by the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine.
Seismic characterization of reservoirs containing multiple fracture sets

Natural fractures in reservoirs play an important role in determining fluid flow during production and knowledge of the orientation and density of fractures is required to optimize production. Variations in reflection amplitude versus offset (AVO) are sensitive to the presence of fractures but current models used to invert the seismic response often make simplified assumptions that prevent fractured reservoirs from being characterized correctly. For example, many models assume a single set of perfectly aligned fractures, whereas most reservoirs contain several fracture sets with variable orientation within a given fracture set. In addition, many authors only consider the azimuthal variation in the small offset amplitude versus offset and azimuth response (the variation in AVO gradient with azimuth), while the effect of fractures on amplitude versus offset and azimuth increases with increasing offset. In this paper, the variation in the reflection coefficient of seismic P‐waves as a function of azimuth and offset due to the presence of multiple sets of fractures with variable orientation within any fracture set is used to determine the components of a second‐rank fracture compliance tensor αij. The variation in the trace of this tensor as a function of position in the reservoir can be used to estimate the variation in fracture density with position in the reservoir and may be used to choose the location of infill wells in the field. The principal axes of αij reveal the most compliant direction within the reservoir and may be used to optimize the trajectory of deviated wells. The determination of the principal axes of αij requires wide azimuth acquisition and the use of the small‐offset amplitude versus offset and azimuth (the azimuthal variation of the AVO gradient) may give misleading results.
An alternative method on camera calibration with one-dimensional objects

Camera calibration is a necessary step in 3D computer vision in order to extract metric information from 2D images. In this paper, using the homography between a plane in the scene and the plane of an image, we propose an alternative method on camera calibration with one-dimensional objects, and give both a linear and nonlinear solutions for the camera intrinsic parameters. Experimental results show that our approach also has a high accuracy.