Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Pedotransfer Functions for Predicting the Soil Moisture Retention Curve

The soil moisture retention curve (MRC) is time consuming and expensive to measure directly. Several attempts have been made to establish a relation between readily available soil properties, like particle-size distribution, organic matter content, and bulk density, and the soil moisture retention curve. Those relationships are referred to as pedotransfer functions (PTFs). The objective of this study was to evaluate some PTFs with respect to their accuracy in predicting the soil moisture retention curve. Five widely used and four more recently developed PTFs were selected for evaluation. Seven of the selected PTFs predict moisture retention function parameters, whereas the other two predict the moisture content at certain matric potentials. In order to quantify the prediction accuracy, the mean of the absolute value of mean differences (MAMD), the mean and the standard deviation of the root of mean squared differences (MRMSD and SDRMSD, respectively), and the mean of the Pearson correlation coefficient (Mr) were used. The evaluated PTFs were finally ranked based on these validation indices. The PTFs showed good to poor prediction accuracy with MAMD values ranging from 0.0312 to 0.0603 m 3 m -3 and with MRMSDs between 0.0412 and 0.0774 m 3 m -3 , The SDRMSDs and Mrs ranged from 0.0212 to 0.0349 m 3 m -3 , and from 0.9468 to 0.9980, respectively. The validation indices computed by the PTF of Vereecken and coworkers gave the best results. Moreover, it predicts moisture retention function parameters, and therefore, this PTF is recommended most to predict the moisture retention curve from readily available soil properties.
New Pre-Paleozoic Nannofossils from the Stoer Formation (Torridonian), Northwest Scotland

Sphaeroidal unicellular fossils 10 to 62 μm in diameter are abundant in black shales referred to the Stoer Formation of lower Torridonian age at Stoer Bay, in northwest Scotland. The Rb-Sr whole-rock age is estimated as about 935 m.y. The fossils are assigned to the leiosphaeridacean acritarch genera Favososphaeridium and Protosphaeridium, common in younger pre-Paleozoic rocks of the U.S.S.R. Their biological affinities are obscure, but it is consistent with what is known so far of their associations and distribution to consider them as some form of marine phytoplankton.
Visual Place Recognition with Repetitive Structures

Repeated structures such as building facades, fences or road markings often represent a significant challenge for place recognition. Repeated structures are notoriously hard for establishing correspondences using multi-view geometry. They violate the feature independence assumed in the bag-of-visual-words representation which often leads to over-counting evidence and significant degradation of retrieval performance. In this work we show that repeated structures are not a nuisance but, when appropriately represented, they form an important distinguishing feature for many places. We describe a representation of repeated structures suitable for scalable retrieval and geometric verification. The retrieval is based on robust detection of repeated image structures and a suitable modification of weights in the bag-of-visual-word model. We also demonstrate that the explicit detection of repeated patterns is beneficial for robust visual word matching for geometric verification. Place recognition results are shown on datasets of street-level imagery from Pittsburgh and San Francisco demonstrating significant gains in recognition performance compared to the standard bag-of-visual-words baseline as well as the more recently proposed burstiness weighting and Fisher vector encoding.
Tumor Suppressor Functions of miRNA-375 in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma through Inhibition of Ubiquitin-Speci�c Protease 1 Expression

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) development involves many genetic alterations. This study pro�led differentially expressed miRNAs and selected miR-375 for further study. Methods: Differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) were screened using online databases and subjected to various analyses. miR-375 mimics with negative control cDNA, and ubiquitin-speci�c protease 1 (USP1) as well as a vector-only control were transfected into NPC cells for analysis by quantitative PCR, western blotting, wound healing, Transwell, cell viability, �ow cytometry, and luciferase gene reporter assays. Results: A total of 308 NPC and 23 normal tissues were analyzed, and 67 DE-miRNAs were identi�ed. Among these, miR-375 was downregulated and miR-21-5p was upregulated. Bioinformatical analysis identi�ed USP1 as a potential target gene of miR-375. Furthermore, miR-375 expression was decreased, whereas USP1 expression was increased in NPC. Increased USP1 expression was associated with poor survival of head and neck cancer patients. The luciferase assay con�rmed miR-375 binding to the USP1 3'-untranslated region (UTR), while the transfection experiment con�rmed miR-375 expression reduced USP1 expression, and USP1 overexpression reversed the anti-tumor activity of miR-375 in NPC cells, determined by tumor cell migration, invasion, apoptosis, and gene expression. In addition, USP1 overexpression activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling, whereas a selective PI3K inhibitor (S2793) could reverse the effects of USP1 on NPC cells in vitro. Conclusions: This study con�rmed decreased miR-375 expression and increased miR-21 expression in NPC tissues. Downregulated miR-375 expression led to USP1 upregulation, which in turn activated PI3K/Akt signaling and promoted NPC cell migration and invasion, but inhibited NPC cell apoptosis.
A comparative study of peat proxies from two eastern central Swedish bogs and their relation to meteorological data

Analyses of peat humification, testate amoebae, carbon and nitrogen content have been carried out on a peat sequence from Ältabergsmossen. At Gullbergbymossen testate amoebae and peat humification were analysed. Both bogs are located in eastern central Sweden. The longest sequence, Ältabergsmossen, covers the last 150 yr and the data from Gullbergbymossen covers the last 60 yr, both with a time resolution of ca. 2–4 yr cm−1. The different proxies were compared to each other and were also compared to instrumental meteorological data. Correlation between peat humification and C/N ratios is high whereas the correlation is low between these physical/chemical parameters and reconstructed water tables inferred from the testate amoebae assemblages. High peat humification values and C/N ratios greater than 50 indicate aerobic decay and are thought to reflect the thickness of the acrotelm. High humification values and low C/N ratios are recorded in peat deposited between 1965 and 1980, whereas the dry period starts in the early 1970s according to instrumental meteorological data and inferred water‐table depth. The difference in the timing of the onset of a dry‐shift between the physical/chemical proxies and meteorological data and testate amoebae derived water table changes is interpreted as renewed decay of already deposited peat. The term secondary decomposition is used for this process. The secondary decomposition process has implications for interpreting physical/chemical and biological parameters in peat as they may be out of phase during the beginning of a dry‐shift. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social Equity Theory and Racial-ethnic Achievement Gaps

In the United States, racial-ethnic differences on tests of school readiness and academic achievement continue. A complete understanding of the origins of racial-ethnic achievement gaps is still lacking. This article describes social equity theory (SET), which proposes that racial-ethnic achievement gaps originate from two kinds of social process, direct and signal influences, that these two kinds of processes operate across developmental contexts, and that the kind of influence and the setting in which they are enacted change with age. Evidence supporting each of SET's key propositions is discussed in the context of a critical review of research on the Black–White achievement gap. Specific developmental hypotheses derived from SET are described, along with proposed standards of evidence for testing those hypotheses. This article offers an account of the varied social processes that contribute to mean differences in test scores between children from different racial-ethnic groups, spanning preschool to high school (on measures of school readiness and academic achievement, Asian Americans achieve higher average scores than White students, who in turn achieve higher average scores than it has received a great deal of attention, the Black– White achievement gap is used to illustrate the major points of this article. The broad goal of this article, however, is to propose a model that applies to a variety of racial-ethnic and other achievement gaps. Racial-ethnic achievement gaps are substantial lifespan phenomena. By all accounts, the magnitude of the Black–White achievement gap is considerable , ranging from. The Black–White achievement gap affects individuals and the generation to which they belong, beginning in early childhood and spanning all educational levels (Farkas, 2003). In terms of school readiness, research has consistently demonstrated that prior to school entry, Black students achieve lower average scores than White students The Black–White achievement gap is a highly consequential social problem. School readiness and academic achievement are associated with the kinds of jobs and wages people are able to secure. Racial-ethnic achievement gaps that begin at school entry and persist through school completion thus can influence racial-ethnic gaps in socioeconomic status (SES) across the life span (e. Furthermore, the health of any democratic society is predicated on the ability of its population to make informed choices at the ballot box. When large segments of the population are inadequately educated, democracy's health is at risk. As with any social problem, how policy makers, practitioners, and the public formulate the Black– White achievement gap's …
PRELIMINARY CHECKLIST OF FLIES ASSOCIATED WITH PIG CARRIONS DECOMPOSITION IN OKIJA, ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

The decomposition process of pig carrions was carried out in Okija, Anambra State, Nigeria. The study area was located on 0553.240N and 00648.50E within the ambient temperature and relative humidity of 30.2 ± 0.28 C and 68.5 ± 1.34%, respectively. Flies found on the carrions were collected, preserved in 70% ethanol and identified. The flies encountered belong to six families (Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Ulidiidae, Tephritidae, Stratiomyiidae and Muscidae) and ten species (Chrysomya abiceps, Chrysomya regalis, Chrysomya chloropyga, Isomyia dubiosa, Isomyia sp., Sarcophaga inzi, Chrysomyza africana, Trirhithum sp., Hermetia illucens and Musca domestica). The successional pattern of the flies was predictable. Their activities on the carrions include consumption of the carrion tissues and using same to propagate their progeny. All the flies except the Trirhithum sp. played defined roles on the carrions and were established as flies of forensic importance, while the Trirhithum sp. was referred to as opportunistic fly of the carrion resource.
University of Birmingham The 2019 Garrod Lecture

The AcrAB-TolC multidrug (MDR) efflux system confers intrinsic overproduction confers clinically relevant resistance to some antibiotics active against Gram- 12 negative bacteria. The system is made up of three components, namely AcrA, AcrB and TolC 13 otherwise known as the AcrAB-TolC tripartite system. Inactivation or deletion of a gene 14 encoding one of the constituent proteins, or substitution of a single amino acid substitution in 15 the efflux pump component, AcrB that results in loss of efflux function, confers increased 16 antibiotic susceptibility. Clinically relevant resistance can be mediated by a mutation in AcrB 17 which changes the way its substrates are transported. However, it is more common that 18 resistant clinical and veterinary isolates overproduce the AcrAB-TolC MDR efflux system. 19 This is due to mutations in genes such as marR and ramR that encode repressors of 20 transcription factors (MarA and RamA, respectively) that when produced activate expression 21 of the acrAB and tolC genes thereby increasing efflux. The Lon protease degrades MarA and 22 RamA to return the level of efflux to that of the wild type. Furthermore, the levels of AcrAB- 23 TolC are regulated by the CsrA. Studies with fluorescent reporters that report levels of acrAB 24 and regulatory factors allowed the development of a new tool for discovering efflux 25 inhibitors. Screens of the Prestwick library and a large library from a collaborating 26 pharmaceutical company has generated a number of candidate compounds for further 27 research. ciprofloxacin efflux MDR isolates
Pregnancy rates in donors versus recipients according to the serum progesterone level at the time of human chorionic gonadotropin in a shared oocyte program.

Previous data suggested a subtle increase in serum P at the time of hCG injection without LH surge reduces the PR of women having oocyte retrievals for IVF; this study compared PRs of recipients in a shared oocyte program according to the donors' pre-hCG P level. There was no difference in viable PRs between recipients and donors when P < or = 1 ng/mL. The PR was similar for recipients when donors' P was > 1 ng/mL (12.7%). Donors with P > 1 ng/mL had the lowest PR: 7.2%. The data suggest that the adverse effect of higher serum P without LH surge may be on the endometrium rather than the oocyte.
Centennial-Scale Nannoplankton Productivity Changes in the Mid-latitude North Atlantic During Marine Isotope Stages 11-12: Evidence From IODP Site 1313

HR: 0800h AN: PP11B-1395 TI: Centennial-Scale Nannoplankton Productivity Changes in the Mid-latitude North Atlantic During Marine Isotope Stages 11-12: Evidence From IODP Site 1313 AU: * Kulhanek, D K EM: kulhanek@gly.fsu. edu AF: Florida State University, Department of Geological Sciences, 909 Antarctic Way, Room 108 CAR, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4100, United States AU: Voelker, A H EM: AF: Laboratorio Nacional de Energia e Geologia (formerly INETI), Departamento de Geologia Marinha, Estrada da Portela, Zambujal, Alfragide, 2721-866, Portugal AU: Grützner, J EM: AF: Marum Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Leobener Strasse, Bremen, 28359, Germany AB: High-resolution nannoplankton records from sediment cores recovered at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1313 reveal past changes in surface water conditions during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 11-12. Samples were spiked with microbeads for collection of quantitative assemblage data and calculation of coccoliths per gram of sediment, which is an estimate of nannoplankton productivity. These data are compared to oxygen and carbon isotopes, total lithics (>315 μm), and high-resolution X-ray fluorescence measurements. Nannoplankton productivity correlates well with the δO and calcium data, showing a gradual decrease in productivity during MIS 12, followed by a relatively rapid increase during Termination V, with generally higher levels in MIS 11. Gephyrocapsids dominate the assemblage throughout the studied interval. Gephyrocapsa oceanica, typically considered a warm-water species, is abundant during MIS 12. Some intervals of higher abundance are associated with lithic peaks, and could relate to decreased salinity from melting ice. Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica, typically a cold-water species, is also abundant during the studied interval, but only loosely correlated to inferred temperature. A transition from abundant large gephyrocapsids (>4 μm) during MIS 12 to small forms (<2.5 μm) occurs during Termination V. Small gephyrocapsids have been linked to both upwelling conditions and warmer temperatures. High abundance of the lower photic zone species Florisphaera profunda is typically interpreted as evidence for increased surface water stratification. The abundance of F. profunda fluctuates significantly during MIS 12, with the highest abundance (~4%) occurring just before the onset of Termination V. The studied interval also includes the biostratigraphically important last (common) occurrence of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa at 20.76 c-mcd (451.93 ka) during MIS 12. These results correlate well with other published nannoplankton data for the Atlantic basin, suggesting a change from cool, intermittently stratified surface waters during MIS 12 to warmer surface waters in MIS 11. DE: 4900 PALEOCEANOGRAPHY (0473, 3344) DE: 4901 Abrupt/rapid climate change (1605) DE: 4944 Micropaleontology (0459, 3030) DE: 4950 Paleoecology SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP] MN: 2008 Fall Meeting
Use of culture and molecular analysis to determine the effect of antibiotic treatment on microbial community diversity and abundance during exacerbation in patients with cystic ﬁbrosis

Background Anaerobic bacteria are increasingly regarded as important in cystic ﬁbrosis (CF) pulmonary infection. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of antibiotic treatment on aerobic and anaerobic microbial community diversity and abundance during exacerbations in patients with CF. Methods Sputum was collected at the start and completion of antibiotic treatment of exacerbations and when clinically stable. Bacteria were quantiﬁed and identiﬁed following culture, and community composition was also examined using culture-independent methods. Results Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Burkholderia cepacia complex were detected by culture in 24/26 samples at the start of treatment, 22/26 samples at completion of treatment and 11/13 stable samples. Anaerobic bacteria were detected in all start of treatment and stable samples and in 23/26 completion of treatment samples. Molecular analysis showed greater bacterial diversity within sputum samples than was detected by culture; there was reasonably good agreement between the methods for the presence or absence of aerobic bacteria such as P aeruginosa ( k ¼ 0.74) and B cepacia complex ( k ¼ 0.92), but agreement was poorer for anaerobes. Both methods showed that the composition of the bacterial community varied between patients but remained relatively stable in most individuals despite treatment. Bacterial abundance decreased transiently following treatment, with this effect more evident for aerobes (median decrease in total viable count 2.3 3 10 7 cfu/g, p ¼ 0.005) than for anaerobes (median decrease in total viable count 3 3 10 6 cfu/g, p ¼ 0.046). Conclusion a minimal effect There is no adequate animal model of cystic ﬁ brosis (CF) airways disease. This study investigated using CFTR-knockout neonatal ferrets as they show similarities to newborn humans with CF. These similarities include meconium ileus (MI), pancreatic disease, liver disease, severely impaired nutritional status, absent or degenerate vas deferens at birth, defective airways and a predisposition of lung infection. There is a higher prevalence of MI and intestinal complications in CFTR-knockout kits than in humans with CF. This limitation is overcome by using transgenic CFTR-knockout kits expressing CFTR in the intestine. Oral administration of ursodeoxycholic acid normalised liver function and a proton pump inhibitor improved the nutrition status and survival in the CF ferrets. Despite improved nutrition, CFTR-knockout neonatal ferrets had increased bacterial counts in the airways that subsided after the ﬁ rst week. The ﬁ ndings of CF phenotype in various organs in CFTR-knockout neonatal ferrets and their similarities to human CF may be useful in the understanding of CF pathogenesis and the future development of organ-speci ﬁ c therapies.
Absence of receptor guanylyl cyclase C enhances ileal damage and 1 reduces cytokine and antimicrobial peptide production during oral 2 Salmonella Typhimurium infection

Non-typhoidal Salmonella disease contributes towards significant morbidity and mortality 20 across the world. Host factors including IFN-γ, TNF-α and gut microbiota, significantly 21 influence the outcome of Salmonella pathogenesis. However, the entire repertoire of host protective mechanisms contributing to Salmonella pathogenicity is not completely appreciated. Here, we have investigated the roles of receptor guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) that 24 is predominantly expressed in the intestine, and regulates intestinal cell proliferation and 25 fluid-ion homeostasis. Mice deficient in GC-C ( Gucy2c -/ - ) displayed accelerated mortality 26 following infection via the oral route, in spite of possessing comparative systemic Salmonella 27 infection burden. Survival following intra-peritoneal infection remained similar, indicating 28 that GC-C offered protection via a gut-mediated response. Serum cortisol was higher in 29 Gucy2c -/- mice, in comparison to wild type ( Gucy2c +/+ ) mice, and an increase in infection- 30 induced thymic atrophy, with loss in immature CD4 + CD8 + double positive thymocytes, was 31 observed. Accelerated and enhanced damage in the ileum, including submucosal edema, 32 epithelial cell damage, focal tufting and distortion of villus architecture, was seen in Gucy2c -/- 33 mice, concomitant with a larger number of ileal tissue-associated bacteria. Transcription of key mediators in Salmonella -induced inflammation (IL-22/Reg3  ) were altered in Gucy2c -/- 35 mice in comparison to Gucy2c +/+ mice. A reduction in fecal Lactobacilli, which are 36 protective against Salmonella infection, was observed in Gucy2c -/- mice. Gucy2c -/- mice 37 housed with wild type mice continued to show reduced Lactobacilli and 38 susceptibility to infection. Our study therefore suggests that receptor GC-C confers a 39 advantage during gut-mediated S . Typhimurium pathogenesis, presumably by 40 Salmonella -effector mechanisms and maintaining a beneficial
ULTIMATE BED SLOPE IN CALABRIAN STREAMS UPSTREAM OF CHECK DAMS: FIELD STUDY

In this paper a number of proposed criteria are analyzed that predict the ultimate equilibrium bed slope in streams upstream of a check dam. The analysis is based on a comprehensive data set that includes 132 reaches in streams located in southern Italy. The results of this study show that the procedures suggested by Ferro et al. and Julien and Wargadalam do not lead to satisfactory results. Better predictions of the ultimate bed slope are achieved using the criterion suggested by Gessler, which is based on the stochastic analysis of incipient motion in nonuniform bed material. This analysis is based on a design discharge corresponding to a return period of 1.2 years and accounts for the armoring process at the bed surface. The procedure allows an estimate of the equilibrium slope of a nonhomogeneous bed material.