Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tightening the nitrogen cycle

The availability of nitrogen to crop plants is a universally important aspect of soil quality, and often nitrogen represents the immediate limitation to crop productivity in modern agriculture. Nitrogen is decisive for the nutritive value of plant products and plays a key role in the environmental impact of agricultural production. The fundamental doctrine of nitrogen management is to optimise the nitrogen use efficiency of both introduced and native soil nitrogen by increasing the temporal and the spatial coincidence between availability and root uptake of mineral nitrogen. Natural ecosystems have evolved to produce a high degree of coincidence and maintain a relatively tight nitrogen cycle. The management needed to assure the vitality of crop cultivars with a high production potential cause agroecosystems to be relatively open with respect to nitrogen. By shifting the focus from sheer productivity to a balance between productivity, product quality and environmental impact, the management of agroecosystems can be redesigned to allow for a higher nitrogen use efficiency. The important management measures to improve the nitrogen aspect of soil quality are crop sequences that incorporate cover crops, judicious use of soil tillage, improved timing and use of animal manures, crop residues and mineral fertilizers, and a sustainable balance between plant production potential and animal stocking density. This chapter addresses the characteristics of nitrogen cycling in plant production, the premises upon which an improved nitrogen use has to be based, and discusses management principles that can improve nitrogen use in cropping systems.
Clarifying the Roles of Greenhouse Gases and ENSO in Recent Global Warming through Their Prediction Performance

AbstractIt is well known that natural external forcings and decadal-to-millennial variability drove changes in the climate system throughout the Holocene. Regarding recent times, attribution studies have shown that greenhouse gases (GHGs) determined the trend of temperature (T) in the last half century, while circulation patterns contributed to modify its interannual, decadal, or multidecadal behavior over this period. Here temperature predictions based on vector autoregressive models (VARs) have been used to study the influence of GHGs and El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on recent temperature behavior. It is found that in the last decades of steep temperature increase, ENSO shows just a very short-range influence on T, while GHGs are dominant for each forecast horizon. Conversely and quite surprisingly, in the previous quasi-stationary period the influences of GHGs and ENSO are comparable, even at longer range. Therefore, if the recent hiatus in global temperatures should persist into the near future.
Association of CYP19A1 gene polymorphisms with anoestrus in water buffaloes.

Cytochrome P450 aromatase (encoded by the CYP19A1 gene) regulates oestrogen biosynthesis and so plays an essential role in female fertility. We investigated the genetic association of CYP19A1 with the risk of anoestrus in Egyptian water buffaloes. A total of 651 animals (326 anoestrous and 325 cycling) were used in this case-control study. Using single-strand conformation polymorphisms and sequencing, four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected; c. -135T>C SNP in the 5'UTR and three non-synonymous SNPs: c.559G>A (p. V187M) in Exon 5, c.1285C>T (p. P429S) and c.1394A>G (p. D465G) in Exon 10. Individual SNP-anoestrus association analyses revealed that genotypes (CC, AA and GG) and alleles (C, A and G) of the -135T>C, c.559G>A and c.1394A>G SNPs respectively were high risk for anoestrus. A further analysis confirmed that these three SNPs were in linkage disequilibrium. Additionally, haplotypes with two (TAG/122 and CAA/221) or three (CAG/222) risk alleles were significantly associated with susceptibility to anoestrus, lower blood levels of both oestradiol and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase) and downregulated expression levels of CYP19A1, oestrogen receptor α and Gpx3 in the ovary, as well as increased serum level of malondialdehyde. This suggests the occurrence of a high incidence of oxidative ovarian damage and subsequently ovarian inactivity in buffaloes carrying risk alleles. Therefore, with this study we suggest the selection of buffaloes with protective alleles at these SNPs to improve the reproductive efficiency of the herd.
Arctic ecosystems in a changing climate : an ecophysiological perspective

F.S. Chapin III, R.L. Jefferies, J.F. Reynolds, G.R. Shaver, and J. Svoboda, Arctic Plant Physiological Ecology: A Challenge for the Future. The Arctic System: B. Maxwell, Arctic Climate: Potential for Change under Global Warming. D.L. Kane, L.D. Hinzman, M. Woo, and K.R. Everett, Arctic Hydrology and Climate Change. L.C. Bliss and N.V. Matveyeva, Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation. W.D. Billings, Phytogeographic and Evolutionary Potential for the Arctic Flora and Vegetation in a Changing Climate. L.C. Bliss and K.M. Peterson, Plant Succession, Competition, and the Physiological Constraints of Species in the Arctic. Carbon Balance: W.C. Oechel and W.D. Billings, Effects of Global Change on the Carbon Balance of Arctic Plants and Ecosystems. O.A. Semikhatova, T.V. Gerasimenko, and T.I. Ivanova, Photosynthesis, Respiration, and Growth of Plants in the Soviet Arctic. G.R. Shaver and J. Kummerow, Phenology, Resource Allocation, and Growth of Arctic Vascular Plants. J.D. Tenhunen, O.L. Lange, S. Hahn, R. Siegwolf, and S.F. Oberbauer, The Ecosystem Role of Poikilohydric Tundra Plants. B. Sveinbj~adornsson, Arctic Tree Line in a Changing Climate. Water and Nutrient Balance: S.F. Oberbauer and T.E. Dawson, Water Relations of Arctic Vascular Plants. K.J. Nadelhoffer, A.E. Giblin, G.R. Shaver, and A.E. Linkins, Microbial Processes and Plant Nutrient Availability in Arctic Soils. D.M. Chapin and C.S. Bledsoe, Nitrogen Fixation in Arctic Plant Communities. K. Kielland and F.S. Chapin III, Nutrient Absorption and Accumulation in Arctic Plants. F. Berendse and S. Jonasson, Nutrient Use and Nutrient Cycling in Northern Ecosystems. Interactions: J.B. McGraw and N. Fetcher, Response of Tundra Plant Populations to Climatic Change. J.P. Bryant and P.B. Reichardt, Controls over Secondary Metabolite Production by Arctic Woody Plants. R.L. Jefferies, J. Svoboda, G. Henry, M. Raillard, and R. Ruess, Tundra Grazing Systems and Climatic Change. J.F. Reynolds and P.W. Leadley, Modeling the Response of Arctic Plants to Changing Climate. F.S. Chapin III, R.L. Jefferies, J.F. Reynolds, G.R. Shaver, and J. Svoboda, Arctic Plant Physiological Ecology in an Ecosystem Context. Index.
Streaming constrained binary logistic regression with online standardized data. Application to scoring heart failure

We study a stochastic gradient algorithm for performing online a constrained binary logistic regression in the case of streaming or massive data. Assuming that observed data are realizations of a random vector, these data are standardized online in particular to avoid a numerical explosion or when a shrinkage method such as LASSO is used. We prove the almost sure convergence of a variable step-size constrained stochastic gradient process with averaging when a varying number of new data is introduced at each step. 24 stochastic approximation processes are compared on real or simulated datasets, classical processes with raw data, processes with online standardized data, with or without averaging and with variable or piecewise constant step-sizes. The best results are obtained by processes with online standardized data, with averaging and piecewise constant step-sizes. This can be used to update online an event rate score in heart failure patients.
The Placenta Accreta Spectrum: Pathophysiology and Evidence-based Anatomy for Prenatal Ultrasound Imaging

Short spectrum Abstract The placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is a complex obstetric complication associated with a high maternal morbidity. It is a relatively new disorder of placentation which is the consequence of damage to the endometrium-myometrial interface of the uterine wall. When first described 80 years ago, it mainly occurred after manual removal of the placenta, uterine curettage or endometritis. Superficial damage leads primarily to an abnormally adherent placenta, and is diagnosed as the complete or partial absence of the decidua on histology. Today, the main cause of PAS is uterine surgery and, in particular, the uterine scar secondary to a caesarean delivery. In the absence of endometrial re-epithelialization of the scar area the trophoblast and villous tissue can invade deeply within the myometrium, including its circulation, and reach the surrounding pelvic organs. The cellular changes in the trophoblast observed in PAS are probably secondary to the unusual myometrial environment in which it develops, and not to a primary defect of trophoblast biology leading to excessive invasion of the myometrium. PAS was separated by pathologists into three categories: placenta creta (PC) when the villi simply adhere to the myometrium, placenta increta (PI) when the villi invade the myometrium, and placenta percreta where the villi invade the full thickness of the myometrium (PP). Several prenatal ultrasound signs of PAS have been reported over the last 35 years, principally the disappearance of the normal utero-placental interface (clear zone), extreme thinning of the underlying myometrium and vascular changes within the placenta (lacunae) and placental bed (hypervascularity). The pathophysiological basis of these signs is due to permanent damage of the uterine wall down to the serosa, with placental tissue reaching the deep uterine circulation. Adherent and invasive placentation may co-exist in the same placental bed. This may explain why no single, or set combination of, ultrasound sign(s) have been found to be specific for the depth of abnormal placentation, and accurate for the differential diagnosis between adherent and invasive placentation. Correlation of pathological and clinical findings with the prenatal imaging is essential to improve screening, diagnosis and management of PAS and standardised protocols need to be developed.
Prevalence and antibacterial susceptibility in mastitis in buffalo and cow in District Lahore-Pakistan.

A total of 450 milk samples including both 272 buffalo and 178 cow were randomly collected in and around District Lahore to study the incidence of mastitis and antibiotic sensitivity by performing culture and sensitivity test. The prevalence of mastitis in buffalo was found to be 20.98% while that in cowwas 24.71%. The prevalences of both clinical and subclincal mastitis in buffalo were 40.35% and 59.64% , respectively, and those in cow were 61.26% and 30.63% respectively. The milk samples mixed with both mucus and blood in buffalo and cow were 5.51% and 4.49%, respectively. Quarter-wise prevalence was 47.72%, 11.36%, 36.36% and 4.54% in the left fore, left hind, right fore and right hind quarters in cow while in buffaloes, the prevalence was 0%, 68.96%, 11.49% and 19.54% in the left fore, left hind, right fore and right hind quarters, respectively. Ciprofl oxacin was found highly sensitive in buffalo while gentamicin was found highly sensitive in cow.
Water balance of the Amazon Basin: Dependence on vegetation cover and canopy conductance

The availability and geographic distribution of fresh water resources may undergo significant changes in response to global environmental change. In this study, we examine the water balance of the Amazon Basin using a modified version of the LSX land surface model [Pollard and Thompson, 1995; Thompson and Pollard, 1995a, b] which includes a representation of land surface processes, canopy physiology (stomatal conductance, transpiration, and photosynthesis), and continental-scale hydrological routing. The model operates on a 0.5° by 0.5° grid and is forced with observed long-term climatological data. As an initial application of the model, we examine the seasonal variability of water balance within the Amazon Basin. The simulation is evaluated by comparing (1) simulated evapotranspiration with observations for different vegetation cover types and (2) simulated river discharge against the long-term records of 56 fluviometric stations spread throughout the basin. The model results show that evapotranspiration is strongly dependent on the vegetation cover, especially during the rainy season. Overall, we find good agreement between the simulated and the observed water balance: for most of the fluviometric stations the error is less than 25%. In addition, we perform a model sensitivity study to determine the role of changes in vegetation cover on the water balance, without considering feedbacks on climate. When forests, woodlands, and savannas are replaced with grasslands, annual average evapotranspiration decreases by ∼0.5 mm d−1 (∼12%), which is comparable to observations. Finally, we perform a model sensitivity study in order to assess the potential physiological effects of increased CO2 on stomatal (canopy) conductance and, as a consequence, on the water balance of the Amazon Basin, again without considering feedbacks on the atmosphere. The model results suggest that doubling atmospheric CO2 concentrations (from 325 to 650 ppmv) would decrease the canopy conductance by 20 to 35% (depending on the vegetation type) arid would decrease evapotranspiration by ∼4% throughout the region. As a consequence, annual river discharge increases by between 3% and 16.5%, depending on the position within the basin. At the mouth of the Amazon arid Tocantins Rivers, annual discharge increases by 5 and 9%, respectively.
Recombinant Human Platelet–Derived Growth Factor: A Systematic Review of Clinical Findings in Oral Regenerative Procedures

Aim: The use of recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor–BB (rhPDGF) has received Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of periodontal and orthopedic bone defects and dermal wound healing. Many studies have investigated its regenerative potential in a variety of other oral clinical indications. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the efficacy, safety, and clinical benefit of recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor (rhPDGF) use for alveolar bone and/or soft tissue regeneration. Material and Methods: Comprehensive electronic and manual literature searches according to the PRISMA guidelines were performed to identify interventional and observational studies evaluating the regenerative applications of rhPDGF-BB. The primary outcomes were the safety, efficacy, and overall clinical benefit of rhPDGF use in oral regenerative procedures. Results: Sixty-three human clinical studies (mean ± SD follow-up period of 10.7 ± 3.3 mo) were included in the qualitative analysis. No serious adverse effects were reported in any of the 63 studies, aside from the postoperative complications routinely associated with surgical therapy. Use of rhPDGF was shown to be beneficial when combined with allografts, xenografts, and alloplasts (the latter tricalcium phosphate [β-TCP]) for the treatment of periodontal defects and gingival recession. The use of rhPDGF also led to favorable clinical outcomes when combined with allografts or xenografts for guided bone regeneration (GBR) and alveolar ridge preservation. While favorable clinical results support the use of the combination of rhPDGF plus allograft or xenograft for GBR, ARP, and sinus floor augmentation, current data support the use of rhPDGF and alloplasts (e.g., β-TCP) only in periodontal defects and gingival recession. Conclusions: Based on the clinical evidence, rhPDGF is safe and provides clinical benefits when used in combination with bone allografts, xenograft, or β-TCP for the treatment of intrabony and furcation periodontal defects and gingival recession or when used with allografts or xenograft for GBR and ARP (PROSPERO CRD42020142446). Knowledge Transfer Statement: Clinicians should be aware that rhPDGF is a safe and effective approach for the treatment of intrabony and furcation periodontal defects and gingival recession or when used with allografts or xenograft for bone regeneration and alveolar ridge preservation. With consideration of cost and patient preference, this result could lead to more appropriate therapeutic decisions.
R‐5 revisited: 1. Spatial variability of infiltration on a small rangeland catchment

In this paper, results from a large set of steady state infiltration experiments made for a small rangeland catchment are presented. We report a geostatistical characterization of infiltration variability for the new data. The scale of spatial correlation between infiltration measurements is determined to be less than 20 m. Steady state infiltration rates are linked to vegetation type and found to be variant with time. The infiltration data described in this paper are used in a companion paper (Loague, this issue) to reexcite and reevaluate the quasi-physically based rainfall-runoff model employed by Loague and Freeze (1985).
Rural economic restructuring and farm household income in Jiangsu, People's Republic of China

Abstract Economic reform and restructuring in China have resulted in substantial changes in how farmers earn their livings and how much they earn. Based on a neoclassical model of economic development and structural change as interpreted by Oshima (1983) for East Asia, we hypothesize that farmers in Jiangsu Province earn greater incomes from off-farm jobs associated with nearby cities and urban market centers. This income pattern, we believe, results in distinctive household types associated with specific employment and economic activities of family members and reflects a sequence of change in the farm economy suggestive in part of the farm evolution model posed by Weitz (1971). A 167-farm-family sample was surveyed in four agricultural regions in Jiangsu in 1986–87. Sample data identified sources of family income and determined the significance of activity types and proximity to cities for family income. Variables of income, farm, and family size were cross-correlated to determine those with the most sig.
METODOLOGÍA DE DIAGNÓSTICO PARA LA GESTIÓN PÚBLICA DE LA CALIDAD DE VIDA / METHODOLOGY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE

The world is demanding a modern, efficient and dynamic public management. The new model of State in Ecuador, with a zonal structure, seeks for more links among administrative levels (by means of Decentralized Autonomic Governments) and Executive entities, in charge of controlling the public management with the objective of reaching the goals of the National Plan for Good Living. This work proposes a methodology to diagnose public management of quality of life in zone number 4: Manabi, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas. The methods and techniques employed were: analysis and synthesis, modeling, bibliographic review, interviews, crossed matrices, percentage analysis, among others. This methodology is structured in questions about issues affecting this process and it is applied partially to the zone studied. It is also a component of a model for government management improvement, which can be implemented in other contexts.
Aspects of HF spectral occupancy

Stable day and stable night European occupancy models are presented, with examples of their extrapolation and interpolation properties to predict occupancy both outside and inside the area covered by the measurement sites. An investigation into the possible long-term change of the utilisation of the HF spectrum is also presented and observations are made on the effects of the 1999 eclipse.
Differential overlap in human and animal fecal microbiomes and resistomes in rural versus urban 1 Bangladesh 2

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the largest mortality burden due to 35 antimicrobial-resistant infections. Small-scale animal production and free-roaming domestic 36 animals are common in many LMICs, yet data on zoonotic exchange of gut bacteria and 37 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in low-income communities are sparse. Differences 38 between rural and urban communities in population density, antibiotic use, and cohabitation with 39 animals likely influence the frequency of transmission of gut bacterial communities and ARGs 40 between humans and animals. Here, we determined the similarity in gut microbiomes, using 16S 41 rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and resistomes, using long-read metagenomics, between 42 humans, chickens, and goats in rural compared to urban Bangladesh. While the development of antimicrobial resistance in animal gut microbiomes and subsequent 58 transmission to humans has been demonstrated in intensive farming environments and high- 59 income countries, evidence of zoonotic exchange of antimicrobial resistance in LMIC 60 communities is lacking. This research provides genomic evidence of overlap of antimicrobial 61 resistance genes between humans and animals, especially in urban communities, and highlights 62 chickens as important reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance. Chicken and human gut 63 microbiomes were more similar in rural Bangladesh, where cohabitation is more common. 64 Incorporation of long-read metagenomics enabled characterization of bacterial hosts of resistance 65 genes, which has not been possible in previous culture-independent studies using only short-read 66 sequencing. These findings highlight the importance of developing strategies for combatting 67 antimicrobial resistance that account for chickens being reservoirs of ARGs in community 68 environments, especially in urban areas. This community-level study demonstrates similarities in resistance profiles, as well as reveals potential pathogens carrying resistance, in humans and animals living in the same community in 560 rural and urban Bangladesh. Our results contribute to a gap in knowledge regarding the role of small-scale animal production in antimicrobial resistance dissemination within resource- constrained communities. While domestic goats and chickens harbored potentially pathogenic 563 hosts of ARGs, our results suggest that compared to goats, backyard poultry might be an 564 especially important reservoir for ARGs that are also present in the human gut. In addition, our 565 findings provide some evidence that ARGs are more widespread in urban compared to rural 566 communities. Substantial sharing of ARGs in humans and animals in both rural and urban communities in this study highlights the importance of developing interventions and antimicrobial stewardship strategies that account for both human and animal reservoirs.
Journal Pre-proof Reduced functional connectivity supports statistical learning of temporally distributed regularities

Statistical learning is a powerful ability that extracts regularities from our environment and makes predictions about future events. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we aimed to probe how a wide range of brain areas are intertwined to support statistical learning, characterising its architecture in the whole-brain functional connectivity (FC). Participants performed a statistical learning task of temporally distributed regularities. We used refined behavioural learning scores to associate individuals’ learning performances with the FC changed by statistical learning. As a result, the learning performance was mediated by the activation strength in the lateral occipital cortex, angular gyrus, precuneus, anterior cingulate cortex, and superior frontal gyrus. Through a group independent component analysis, activations of the superior frontal network showed the largest correlation with the statistical learning performances. Seed-to-voxel whole-brain and seed-to-ROI FC analyses revealed that the FC between the superior frontal gyrus and the salience, language, and dorsal attention networks were reduced during statistical learning. We suggest that the weakened functional connections between the superior frontal gyrus and brain regions involved in top-down control processes serve a pivotal role in statistical learning, supporting better processing of novel information such as the extraction of new patterns from the environment.