Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ammonia and methane dairy emission plumes in the San Joaquin Valley of California from individual feedlot to regional scales

Agricultural ammonia (NH3) emissions are highly uncertain, with high spatiotemporal variability and a lack of widespread in situ measurements. Regional NH3 emission estimates using mass balance or emission ratio approaches are uncertain due to variable NH3 sources and sinks as well as unknown plume correlations with other dairy source tracers. We characterize the spatial distributions of NH3 and methane (CH4) dairy plumes using in situ surface and airborne measurements in the Tulare dairy feedlot region of the San Joaquin Valley, California, during the NASA Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality 2013 field campaign. Surface NH3 and CH4 mixing ratios exhibit large variability with maxima localized downwind of individual dairy feedlots. The geometric mean NH3:CH4 enhancement ratio derived from surface measurements is 0.15 ± 0.03 ppmv ppmv−1. Individual dairy feedlots with spatially distinct NH3 and CH4 source pathways led to statistically significant correlations between NH3 and CH4 in 68% of the 69 downwind plumes sampled. At longer sampling distances, the NH3:CH4 enhancement ratio decreases 20–30%, suggesting the potential for NH3 deposition as a loss term for plumes within a few kilometers downwind of feedlots. Aircraft boundary layer transect measurements directly above surface mobile measurements in the dairy region show comparable gradients and geometric mean enhancement ratios within measurement uncertainties, even when including NH3 partitioning to submicron particles. Individual NH3 and CH4 plumes sampled at close proximity where losses are minimal are not necessarily correlated due to lack of mixing and distinct source pathways. Our analyses have important implications for constraining NH3 sink and plume variability influences on regional NH3 emission estimates and for improving NH3 emission inventory spatial allocations.
Optimizing marine macrophyte capacity to locally ameliorate ocean acidification under variable light and flow regimes: Insights from an experimental approach

The urgent need to remediate ocean acidification has brought attention to the ability of marine macrophytes (seagrasses and seaweeds) to take up carbon dioxide (CO2) and locally raise seawater pH via primary production. This physiological process may represent a powerful ocean acidification mitigation tool in coastal areas. However, highly variable nearshore environmental conditions pose uncertainty in the extent of the amelioration effect. We developed experiments in aquaria to address two interconnected goals. First, we explored the individual capacities of four species of marine macrophytes (Ulva lactuca, Zostera marina, Fucus vesiculosus and Saccharina latissima) to ameliorate seawater acidity in experimentally elevated pCO2. Second, we used the most responsive species (i.e., S. latissima) to assess the effects of high and low water residence time on the amelioration of seawater acidity in ambient and simulated future scenarios of climate change across a gradient of irradiance. We measured changes in dissolved oxygen, pH, and total alkalinity, and derived resultant changes to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and calcium carbonate saturation state (Ω). While all species increased productivity under elevated CO2, S. latissima was able to remove DIC and alter pH and Ω more substantially as CO2 increased. Additionally, the amelioration of seawater acidity by S. latissima was optimized under high irradiance and high residence time. However, the influence of water residence time was insignificant under future scenarios. Finally, we applied predictive models as a function of macrophyte biomass, irradiance, and residence time conditions in ambient and future climatic scenarios to allow projections at the ecosystem level. This research contributes to understanding the biological and physical drivers of the coastal CO2 system.
Arctic climate impact assessment

1. An introduction to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment 2. Arctic climate: past and present 3. The changing Arctic: indigenous perspectives 4. Future climate change: modeling and scenarios for the Arctic 5. Ozone and ultraviolet radiation 6. Cryosphere and hydrology 7. Arctic tundra and polar fesert ecosystems 8. Freshwater ecosystems and Fisheries 9. Marine Systems 10. Principles of conserving the Arctic's Biodiversity 11. Management and conservation of wildlife in a changing Arctic environment 12. Hunting, herding, fishing, and gathering: indigenous peoples and renewable resource use in the Arctic 13. Fisheries and aquaculture 14. Forests, land management, and agriculture 15. Human health 16. Infrastructure: buildings, support systems, and industrial facilities 17. Climate change in the context of multiple stressors and resilience 18. Summary and synthesis of the ACIA Appendix A. Chapter authors Appendix B. Biographies Appendix C. Reviewers Appendix D. Species names Appendix E. Acronyms Appendix F. Glossary.
Specific distribution of ground motion during the 1995 Kobe Earthquake and its generation mechanism

The 1995 Kobe (Hyogo‐ken Nanbu) earthquake (Mw 6.9) is the most damaging in the recent Japanese history, and its notable feature is that most of the damage and over 6000 casualties occurred in a narrow belt through Kobe and neighboring cities (the Kobe‐Hanshin area). Usually a fault‐rupture propagation generates strong ground motions along the direction of propagation, and this directivity effect should be significant above the source faults and beyond its leading end. However, the damage zone of the Kobe earthquake is migrated noticeably from the fault trace into the center of Kobe city. Three‐dimensional (3‐D) simulations of ground motion in Kobe show that this migration is due to the strong amplification and ray bending in the sedimentary basin below the city in cooperation with the multipathing effects at a basin/bedrock boundary.
Modelos predictivos de distribución para cuatro especies de mamíferos (cingulata, artiodactyla y rodentia) típicas del Chaco en Argentina

Predictive distribution models to four species of mammals (Cingulata, Artiodactyla and Rodentia) typical of the Argentinean Chaco. The rapid environmental changes caused by man make necessary the detailed study of the geographic range of species. At present, the Argentine Chaco is one of the ecoregions with the highest con- version rates, which has placed its mammals in a difficult position from a conservation point of view. By modeling the potential distribution using the Maxent software, in this paper we study the set of environmental variables most relevant in predicting the current distribution of Catagonus wagneri, Pediolagus salinicola, Priodontes maximus and Tolypeutes matacus. We also report potential distribution obtained on the basis of two cutoff thresholds. These assumptions are discussed in order to approximate the actual distribution and evaluate its implications in a conservation context. The number of explanatory variables involved in the adjustment of the models did not exceed seven, slope and precipitation of driest month
Dementia in Germany: epidemiology, trends and challenges

Background Dementia poses a growing challenge for individuals, healthcare, social support, and society amidst the ongoing ageing of populations. To evaluate the care requirements and social implications of dementia in Germany, reliable statistics regarding its current and future occurrence are necessary. Methods Using existing data sources and recent research results, this paper compiles and analyses relevant statistics on the occurrence of dementia in Germany, presents protective and risk factors, and options for care provision. Results Recent projections indicate a potential surge in the number of dementia patients in Germany, predicted to rise from 1.7 million at present to up to 3.0 million by the year 2070. Cognitive and motor deterioration and behavioural changes associated with dementia lower the ability to live independently. These changes are often tied to social exclusion and stigma and, particularly in the severe phase of the disease, necessitate extensive medical and care requirements. This contributes to dementia being one of the most costly diseases at old age from an overall societal perspective. Currently, there are no curative treatment options available. Conclusions To reduce the increase in the number of dementia patients and associated costs in the future, preventive approaches, particularly promoting a healthy lifestyle, may prove effective. Simultaneously, the healthcare system, society, and caregivers must prepare for the increasing number of dementia patients. Improved diagnostics, new forms of therapy, and social innovations that support those who are affected and their relatives can help reduce the burden of dementia and its associated costs.
Variations in concentrations of the major endometrial secretory proteins (placental protein 14 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1) in assisted conception regimes.

We have previously shown that placental protein 14 (PP14) concentrations were depressed in two pregnancies that followed down-regulation of the anterior pituitary and exogenous hormone support prior to a frozen-thawed embryo transfer. We now report on a more comprehensive series of pregnancies following this form of treatment, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and natural cycle frozen-thawed embryo transfer. Serum specimens were analysed for PP14 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 12 days after embryo transfer and at 7 weeks gestation. At 12 days after embryo transfer, the mean serum PP14 concentrations in the IVF and natural cycle were significantly higher in those who conceived than those who did not (82 versus 23 and 107 versus 39 micrograms/l respectively, P < 0.001). Although the mean PP14 concentration in the hormone-supported pregnant patients was higher than in the non-pregnant patients, this had not reached statistical significance 12 days after embryo transfer (49 versus 31 micrograms/l). By 7 weeks gestation the PP14 concentrations in the hormone-supported pregnant patients were significantly higher than in the non-pregnant patients (152 versus 31 micrograms/l, P < 0.001). However, the PP14 concentrations for hormone-supported pregnant patients were significantly lower (P < 0.001) than those for pregnant IVF or natural cycle patients at 7 weeks gestation (152, 777 and 660 micrograms/l respectively). The PP14 concentrations in the pregnant patients, although lower than those in IVF and natural cycle pregnancies, were higher than those previously reported in ovarian failure and Turner's syndrome ovum donation cycles. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Lower Devonian Gastropoda from the Canadian Arctic Islands

Gastropods from Lochkovian (Lower Devonian) beds on Prince of Wales and Baillie-Hamilton Island, Canadian Arctic, compose a small but relatively diverse part of a brachiopod-dominated fauna. The fossils probably represent subtidal photic, and shallow subphotic zone environments. Seventeen species are described including six new species: Odontomaria linsleyi (an openly coiled septate species), Phanerotrema perryi, Gyronema thorsteinssoni, Cyclonema (Cyclonema) supralirata, Platyceras (Platyceras) daschi, and Subulites sinistralis. Based on the limited amount of previous work on Lower Devonian gastropods, the gastropod fauna appears to have Old World affinities, with genera such as Lytospira and Codonocheilus representing holdovers from the Silurian.
Seismic interferometry by tangent‐phase correction

We present a modified interferometry method based on local tangent‐phase analysis, which corrects the cross‐correlated data before summation. The approach makes it possible to synthesize virtual signals usually vanishing in the conventional seismic interferometry summation. For a given pair of receivers and a set of different source positions, a plurality of virtual traces is obtained at new stationary projected points located along the signal wavefronts passing through the real reference receiver. The position of the projected points is estimated by minimizing travel times using wavefront constraint and correlation‐signal tangent information. The method uses mixed processing, which is partially based on velocity‐model knowledge and on data‐based blind interferometry. The approach can be used for selected events, including reflections with different stationary conditions and projected points with respect to those of the direct arrivals, to extend the interferometry representation in seismic exploration data where conventional illumination coverage is not sufficient to obtain the stationary‐phase condition. We discuss possible applications in crosswell geometry with a velocity anomaly and a time lapse.
The BP Blowout and the Social and Environmental Erosion of the Louisiana Coast

The BP Oil Spill was yet another blow to already threatened human and biological communities. It would be hard to think of a more challenging venue for addressing environmental problems. The mix of problems is forbidding, including rapidly eroding wetlands, climate change, endangered species, and a gigantic aquatic dead zone. These problems have mostly been the subject of not-so-benign neglect, akin to the regulatory neglect that cumulated in the disastrous BP Oil Spill.The political problems are also daunting. Five states border the Gulf, of which two are among the nation’s poorest and least environmentally sensitive. Another thirty states contribute to the hypoxia problem. The oil industry has been a major contributor to the problems and exercises great political clout in the region and nationally. In short, the term “collective action problem” does not begin to explain the economic and political complexities.The BP Oil Spill itself may indirectly assist in improving the situation. Through cy pres settlements, voluntary payments by BP, and perhaps civil penalties, the spill may provide funding to strengthen the institutional and scientific foundation for environmental regulation. The spill has already helped strengthen NEPA in its application to offshore oil and gas projects, and it could help revitalize CZMA. The Gulf’s problems are a preview of the difficulties we are likely to face in this century, with eroding coasts and wetlands and ecological disruption threatening coastal communities and their livelihoods. By beginning to focus on the problems of the Gulf, we will obtain valuable expertise with applications in other parts of the United States and in places around the world.
Uma análise exploratória de tópicos de pesquisa emergentes em Informática na Educação

The research in Informatics in Education has attracted a growing interest in the last years. For example, in 2012 Brazilian conferences in this research area received their first qualification score in Qualis Capes, indicating the quality and relevance of the national research in Informatics in Education. However, it is still possible to observe a gap between research conducted in Brazil and in other countries. When comparing national and international conferences, we notice a significant difference in terms of the number of published papers and the Qualis score of the conferences. In this sense, in this paper we investigate the current scenario of the research in Informatics in Education. This investigation has been carried out through the usage of Data Mining techniques to obtain topic hierarchies from the published papers in conferences of the area. An exploratory analysis was carried out to identify the main topics in the area. As a result, we provide an overview of the emerging research topics in the educational contexts.
Temporal variability of current-driven upwelling at Jarvis Island

[1] The temporal variability of upwelling on the western side of Jarvis Island, caused by the island blocking of free stream currents, is investigated using in situ and shipboard observations. Variations in upwelling are related to changes in the strength and depth of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) caused by wind-forcing at different timescales. Seasonally, the strongest upwelling at Jarvis occurs in boreal spring when a weakening of the trade winds in the eastern and central Pacific coincides with a locally shallow thermocline and shallow and strong EUC. Year to year differences in springtime upwelling are associated with the strength of the trade winds in the western Pacific; intensified trade winds associated with La Nina conditions favor the shoaling of the thermocline and the EUC at Jarvis. On intraseasonal timescales, upwelling events at Jarvis are linked to local trade wind bursts, which cause a regional upwelling that also enhances EUC-driven upwelling. Strong (>1.00 m s−1) near-surface eastward currents measured at Jarvis, associated with trade wind relaxations in the central Pacific, are downwelling favorable. During periods of EUC-driven upwelling, interactions of the semidiurnal tide with Jarvis result in abrupt cold spikes (1–4°C) that tend to occur at ∼12 hour period. Tidal currents and temperature fluctuate 180° out of phase, such that minimum temperatures coincide with maximum eastward current. The high-frequency upwelling appears to be most consistent with the presence of internal tides.
Cannabidiol does not attenuate acute delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol‐induced attentional bias in healthy volunteers: A randomised, double‐blind, cross‐over study

Abstract Aims To test how attentional bias and explicit liking are influenced by delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and whether these effects are moderated by cannabidiol (CBD). Design Double‐blind, randomised, within‐subjects cross‐over study. Setting NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility at King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Participants/Cases Forty‐six infrequent cannabis users (cannabis use <1 per week). Intervention(s) Across four sessions, participants inhaled vaporised cannabis containing 10 mg of THC and either 0 mg (0:1 CBD:THC), 10 mg (1:1), 20 mg (2:1) or 30 mg (3:1) of CBD, administered in a randomised order and counter‐balanced across participants (a total of 24 order groups). Measurements Participants completed two tasks: (1) Attentional Bias (AB), comparing reaction times toward visual probes presented behind 28 target stimuli (cannabis/food) compared with probes behind corresponding non‐target (neutral) stimuli. Participants responding more quickly to probes behind target than non‐target stimuli would indicate greater attentional bias to cannabis/food; (2) Picture Rating (PR), where all AB stimuli were rated on a 7‐point pleasantness scale, measuring explicit liking. Findings During the AB task, participants were more biased toward cannabis stimuli in the 0:1 condition compared with baseline (mean difference = 12.2, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] = 1.20–23.3, d = 0.41, P = 0.03). No other significant AB or PR differences were found between cannabis and food stimuli between baseline and 0:1 condition (P > 0.05). No significant CBD effect was found on AB or PR task performance at any dose (P > 0.05). There was additionally no cumulative effect of THC exposure on AB or PR outcomes (P > 0.05). Conclusions A double‐blind, randomised, cross‐over study among infrequent cannabis users found that inhaled delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol increased attentional bias toward cannabis in the absence of explicit liking, a marker of liability toward cannabis use disorder. At the concentrations normally found in legal and illegal cannabis, cannabidiol had no influence on this effect.
Increase in Straight and Coiled Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Cyanobacteria) Populations under Conditions of Thermal De-Stratification in a Shallow Tropical Reservoir

In recent decades, there have been frequent occurrences of the cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in northeastern Brazil. Little is known regarding the response of straight and coiled morphotypes to environmental conditions such as light intensity and water temperature. Samples were collected at the Mundau reservoir (PE, Brazil) at six sampling depths in the dry and rainy season. Both morphotypes exhibited seasonal and vertical differences in densities. The reservoir was stratified in the dry season, with a predominance of the straight morphotype. The coiled morphotype exhibited greater densities in the lower strata and prove to be more susceptible to light. There was evident thermal de-stratification in the rainy season, with a predominance of the coiled morphotype in the surface layers. Thermal de-stratification favors an increase in both morphotypes by providing adequate conditions for growth, such as low light intensity and milder temperatures, which are characteristic of the winter season in the northeastern Brazil.
Allelic chromatin structure precedes imprinted expression of Kcnk9 during neurogenesis

In this study, Loftus et al. show that maternally or paternally imprinted gene expression is foreshadowed by formation of allele-specific, topological chromatin structures that are defined by enhancer–promoter contacts. Using the Peg13-Kcnk9 locus as paradigm, they show that CTCF occupancy at the paternal Peg13-DMR blocks chromatin contacts essential for paternal Kcnk9 expression, which, together with maternal-biased and chromatin structure-dependent enhancer activation, favors maternal Kcnk9 expression during neuron differentiation.
Folding makes an imprint

In this Outlook, Stricker discusses a study in this issue of Genes & Development by Loftus et al. that describes the link between parental allele-specific chromatin topology and imprinted gene expression at the Peg13-Kcnk9 locus. Stricker highlights our current understanding of genomic imprinting, commenting on the functional relevance of imprinted gene expression and the importance of locus-focused analyses for deeper mechanistic insight into epigenetic gene regulation.
Determination of surface roughness parameters of tidal flats from SIR-C/X-SAR 3-frequency SAR data

A new method for extracting the rms height and correlation length of sand ripples on tidal flats from multi-frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data is presented. The data used in this analysis were acquired by the 3-frequency SAR on board the space shuttle Endeavor during the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band SAR (SIR-C/X-SAR) missions in 1994 over tidal flats in the German Bight of the North Sea that had fallen dry during ebb tide. The normalized radar cross section (NRCS) of tidal flats that are covered with sand ripples is a function of the soil moisture as well as of the surface roughness. Since the water content of the sand on tidal flats is very high, the variation of the NRCS is dominated by variations of the surface roughness. By using the integral equation model (IEM) the authors have inverted the simultaneously acquired X-, C, and L-band radar images into maps of the rms height and the correlation length of tidal flats.
Pharmacological inhibition of the integrated stress response accelerates disease progression in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse model

The integrated stress response (ISR) regulates translation in response to diverse stresses. ISR activation has been documented in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and ALS experimental models. In experimental models, both ISR stimulation and inhibition prevented ALS neurodegeneration; however, which mode of ISR regulation would work in patients is still debated. We previously demonstrated that the ISR modulator ISRIB (Integrated Stress Response InhiBitor, an eIF2B activator) enhances survival of neurons expressing the ALS neurotoxic allele SOD1 G93A. Here, we tested the effect of two ISRIB‐like eIF2B activators (2BAct and PRXS571) in the disease progression of transgenic SOD1G93A mice.