julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Climatic conditions impact As and Cd mobility differently in flooded paddy soils
2024-03-09

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) contamination in rice paddy soil are prevailing due to human activities including the application of agrochemicals and wastewater irrigation. Due to their inherently different geochemistry, As transitions to the porewater becoming more mobile under flooded water management while Cd binds to sulfidic minerals becoming more immobile. We currently have little understanding to which extent future climatic conditions imprint on native and elevated Cd and As mobilities in paddies, and whether they influence each other when being present in elevated concentrations together.In order to close this gap in knowledge, we performed an incubation experiment with flooded paddy soils exposed to two different climatic conditions. The soil either contained the native metal(loid) content or elevated As and Cd realistic for contamination scenarios (+15 mg/kg As, +0.7 mg/kg Cd, or combined with +15 mg/kg As and +0.7 mg/kg Cd). Future climatic conditions were set relative to today&amp;#8217;s climatic conditions (ambient CO2 and room temperature) with 850 ppm atmospheric CO2 and +4&amp;#176;C air temperature.Adsorbed As approximated with 0.01 M CaCl2 extraction and outer-mineral associated As approximated with 0.1 M HCl extraction increased under flooded soil conditions over the incubation period, whereas 0.01 M CaCl2-extractable Cd decreased and 0.1 M HCl-extractable Cd remained stable, supporting prior knowledge on the contrasting geochemical behaviour of these two contaminants under flooded conditions. Future climatic conditions enhanced the increase of CaCl2 &amp;#8211;extractable As but not 0.1 M HCl-extractable As when present as a single contaminant, indicating that climatic conditions influenced As dynamics on the surface of minerals but were not able to exert deeper into mineral phases. CaCl2- and HCl-extractable Cd were not affected by climatic conditions when present as a single contaminant, indicating resilience to climatic change. In the presence of combined As and Cd, the enhancement of the increase of CaCl2-extractable As by future climatic conditions was eliminated suggesting a toxicity of Cd to As-cycling related microbes which offset the stimulation by future climatic conditions.Respirational output and other microbial dynamics data will be discussed relative to climatic impacts on either of these two contaminants and their combination.Our findings show a link between climatic conditions and metal(loid) contaminant mobility under flooding conditions. The results of combined elevated As and Cd indicate a more realistic situation which is potentially overlooked in previous studies.
Characteristics Associated with COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections after Booster Vaccinations in Healthcare Workers: Insights from the TüSeRe:exact Study
2024-03-09

Background: The prevalence of COVID-19 breakthrough infections in healthcare workers (HCWs) remains an issue of concern. This study examines the different characteristics associated with breakthrough infections in HCWs. Methods: From the total participants in the TüSeRe:exact study (n = 1046), we specifically included study participants who had received three vaccinations and were not infected prior to the third vaccination. Participants were invited to complete an online questionnaire, which included inquiries about any breakthrough infections they might have experienced. Univariate Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the association between participant characteristics and breakthrough infections. Results: Among 629 HCWs (497 female and 132 male), 241 (38%) experienced breakthrough infections during the follow-up period. The frequency of breakthrough infections was 39.2% (195/497) among female participants and 34.8% (46/132) among male participants (p = 0.357). The Cox regression model adjusted for age and sex showed that participants with cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio (95%CI) = 0.621 (0.392–0.985); p = 0.043) and those taking antihypertensives (hazard ratio (95%CI) = 0.551 (0.331–0.915); p = 0.021) had a significantly lower hazard ratio for breakthrough infections. The use of analgesics after the first vaccine (hazard ratio (95%CI) = 1.343 (1.025–1.759); p = 0.032) was associated with an increased risk of breakthrough infections. Conclusions: These findings can inform targeted preventive measures and risk management strategies to protect frontline workers and maintain a resilient healthcare system during the ongoing pandemic.
Comparison of Kinetic Energies of Different Spraying Systems
2024-03-09

Rainfall simulators have been used for research of soil erosion by water for many years. Scientific teams around the world own a variety of different devices. In the case of comparing the results of several teams, the problem is the rainfall characteristics of different devices and therefore different input parameters. In this contribution, 3 devices were compared: a small rainfall simulator of the CTU, a small rainfall simulator of Tubingen University, and a laboratory rainfall simulator of the CTU. A laser diffractometer (Thies Clima Laser Precipitation Monitor 5.4110) was used to determine the kinetic energy (KE) and rainfall intensity and splash cups filled with sand (Tubingen Splash Cups, designed by Scholten et al., 2011) were used to compare the methods of the kinetic energy measurement. On each device, measurements were made on a plot with area 1 x 1 metre at nine positions with a rainfall intensity set at 60 mm h-1. Significant differences among the devices were observed using the laser disdrometer. Small rainfall simulator of Tubingen University achieving a KE of approximately 2.5 J m-2 mm-1, small simulator of the CTU a KE of approximately 5.5 J m-2 mm-1, and the laboratory simulator of the CTU a KE of approximately 8 J m-2 mm-1. The kinetic energies obtained by the splash cups did not reach the values produced by the laser diffractometer. During the experiments, local irregularities in rainfall were observed associated with different types of nozzles and different simulator constructions. The splash cups (46 mm in size) allowed one to measure exact locations proving that locally KE can reach much higher values.The experiments proved that the differences among different simulator constructions can greatly affect the results of the experiments performed, and the method of assessing the rainfall characteristics can help to understand the real functioning of each device.This research was supported by the research projects QK22010261, Mobility 8J23DE006, and by the Grant Agency of the CTU in Prague SGS23/155/OHK1/3T/11.
Quantifying the State Dependency of Climate Sensitivity Across Cenozoic Warm Intervals
2024-03-09

Equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) quantifies the amount of warming resulting from a doubling of the atmospheric CO2 forcing. Despite recent advancements in climate simulation capabilities and global observations, there remains large uncertainty on the degree of future warming. To help alleviate this uncertainty, past climates provide a valuable insight into how the Earth will respond to elevated atmospheric CO2. However, there is evidence to suggest that ECS is dependent on background climate warmth, which may interfere with the direct utilization of paleo-ECS to understand present-day ECS. Thus, it is important that a range of different climate states are considered to better understand the factors modulating the relationship between CO2 and temperature. In this study, we focus on three time intervals: the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (3.3 &amp;#8211; 3.0 Ma), the mid-Miocene (16.75 &amp;#8211; 14.5 Ma), and the early Eocene (~50 Ma), in order to sample ECS from Cenozoic coolhouse to hothouse climates. Here, we combine the Bayesian framework of constraining the ECS and its uncertainty with several published methods to estimate the global mean surface temperature (GMST) from sparse proxy records. This framework utilizes an emergent constraint between the simulated GMST changes and climate sensitivities across the model ensemble. For each time interval, we employ a combination of parametric and non-parametric functions, coupled with a probabilistic approach to derive a refined estimate. Preliminary results for the Pliocene indicate a GMST reconstruction of approximately 19.3&amp;#176;C, which is higher than previous estimates that were derived using only marine records. Using this estimate, we calculate an ECS that is also higher than previously published values, especially due to the inclusion of high-latitude terrestrial temperature records into our estimates. Intriguingly, using the consistent methodology, our calculated ECS for the early Eocene is lower than that of the mid-Pliocene. This result does not support an amplified ECS in hothouse climate, and points to a potentially important role of ice albedo feedback in amplifying the ECS in coolhouse climate. Ongoing work will apply the same methodology to the mid-Miocene and further investigate the source for the estimated ECS state dependency between these climate intervals.
User‐centered development process of an evidence‐based mHealth intervention for psychosocially burdened families during the transition to parenthood
2024-03-10

Abstract Mobile health (mHealth) interventions are a promising approach to promote mothers' and fathers' health in the perinatal period. This may be particularly true for psychosocially burdened families who are poorly reached by current preventive services. Studies are needed that examine how user‐centered and evidence‐based mHealth interventions look like for this target group. The objective of this paper is to describe the iterative development process of the I‐PREGNO app intervention that aims to prevent unhealthy weight gain and to promote mental health in psychosocially burdened families during the perinatal period. The systematic content development process was divided into four stages. User needs were assessed through focus group discussions with psychosocially burdened mothers and healthcare professionals (HPs; stage I). In stage II, a prototype of the app was developed and evaluated through usability tests and a walkthrough with the target group and HPs (stage III). Finally, the behavior change techniques implemented in the app were assessed using an existing taxonomy (stage IV). The focus group discussions revealed that HPs as well as end‐users would benefit from an intervention that addresses psychosocial aspects (i.e., emotion regulation, coping) and links these to health behaviors. The identified needs of the target group during the perinatal period were combined with existing evidence‐based content and translated into 12 app modules. Most of the behavior change techniques used in these thematic modules were assigned to the clusters self‐monitoring, knowledge building, and goal planning. The I‐PREGNO app development process was guided by an iterative and user‐centered approach involving the target audience and a multidisciplinary team of experts. The findings provide valuable implications for the design and development of evidence‐based self‐guided mHealth for hard‐to‐reach groups during the transition to parenthood. The efficacy of the I‐PREGNO intervention will be evaluated in randomized controlled trials in routine care.
Intra and interindividual Connectivity Analyses (IICA) A neuropsychological method to improve creativity in teams
2024-03-10

Creativity is usually conceived as generating ideas or problem solutions that are both novel and potentially useful. In particular, if new teams are formed, e.g., in a company, they would benefit if (a) each team member can apply as many of his/her strengths as possible in the company and (b) the team members can cooperate and combine as many of their strengths as possible. Discovering such human resource potential in a company is a crucial creative task. Several neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that divergent thinking is associated with higher functional connectivity between different brain regions. However, psychological methods to improve awareness and regulation of neurocognitive processes involved in creativity (i.e., metacognition of creativity) and thereby boost such functional connections remain elusive.Based on neuropsychological findings from creativity research, we propose a metacognitive training for promoting creativity called intra- and interindividual connectivity analysis (IICA).In a role-play, participants were divided into two groups. Each group was tasked with finding out how to apply their strengths beneficially in a company (for example, a psychiatric clinic). The fluency and originality of their ideas were measured as dependent variables of creativity. In the experimental group, the proposed intra- and interindividual connectivity analysis (IICA) method was carried out, while the control group was supposed to solve the task using the common brainstorming method. The results show that IICA led to significantly higher fluency and originality rates than the control group. These data suggest that IICA can be a promising metacognitive method to promote team creativity and cooperation potential. Future studies should validate the effect of this method in further companies and investigate the neurobiological foundations of our approach using neurophysiological methods and computational modeling.
Bayesian real-time classification of multi-messenger electromagnetic and gravitational-wave observations
2024-03-11

Abstract Because of the electromagnetic (EM) radiation produced during the merger, compact binary coalescences with neutron stars may result in multi-messenger observations. In order to follow up on the gravitational-wave (GW) signal with EM telescopes, it is critical to promptly identify the properties of these sources. This identification must rely on the properties of the progenitor source, such as the component masses and spins, as determined by low-latency detection pipelines in real time. The output of these pipelines, however, might be biased, which could decrease the accuracy of parameter recovery. Machine learning algorithms are used to correct this bias. In this work, we revisit this problem and discuss two new implementations of supervised machine learning algorithms, K -nearest neighbors and random forest, which are able to predict the presence of a neutron star and post-merger matter remnant in low-latency compact binary coalescence searches across different search pipelines and data sets. Additionally, we present a novel approach for calculating the Bayesian probabilities for these two metrics. Instead of metric scores derived from binary machine learning classifiers, our scheme is designed to provide the astronomy community well-defined probabilities. This would deliver a more direct and easily interpretable product to assist EM telescopes in deciding whether to follow up on GW events in real time.
Nutrition Matters: Numeracy, Child Nutrition and Schooling Efficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Long Run
2024-03-11

School enrolment has increased at an unprecedented scale in Sub-Saharan Africa but learning and the associated education efficiency have not. Given that resources are limited, the efficient use of inputs is of utmost importance for sustainable development. Hence, we investigate whether improvements in children’s nutrition can improve learning and hence efficiency. To assess this relationship, we employ average female height as our proxy for nutrition during childhood. For learning, we estimate numeracy and efficiency using a linearized version of the Whipple Index. Our data is at the subnational level focusing on the birth decades from 1950 to 1999. To deal with the endogeneity of nutrition, we use an instrumental variable approach. Our instrument is negative rainfall shocks during childhood which can adversely affect nutrition. We find that better nutrition increases education efficiency. Therefore, investments in nutrition can advance self-sustaining long-term growth based on human capital in Sub-Saharan Africa.
MYB68 orchestrates cork differentiation by regulating stem cell proliferation and suberin deposition
2024-03-11

Abstract Plants have developed specialized barriers to protect and isolate the inner tissues from the environment while maintaining homeostasis. Different barriers are present in various organs and at different growth stages. During secondary growth, the periderm acts as the protective tissue, covering roots, stems, and branches as they become thick. The periderm is a dynamic barrier comprising a stem cell niche known as the cork cambium, which bifacially divides to generate the phelloderm inward and the cork outward. Cork cells have a unique cell wall impregnated with suberin and lignin polymers, essential for the barrier function. Despite its importance, the differentiation process that forms new cork cells from the stem cell is largely unknown. In this work, we identify members of the MYB36-subclade transcription factors as key regulators of cork differentiation. On the one hand, this set of transcription factors promotes suberin deposition by inducing the expression of enzymes involved in all steps of suberin biosynthesis, including the recently discovered suberin-polymerizing enzymes GDS Lipases; on the other hand, it represses cork cambium proliferation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that suberin deposition in the cork is a robust process regulated by a complex network of transcription factors, including other MYB transcription factors that activate suberin deposition in the endodermis. However, only members of the MYB36 subclade can repress cell proliferation in different developmental contexts, highlighting general and specific functions for MYB transcription factors. These findings have broad applicability, as tissue-specific manipulation of MYB activity has the potential for improving traits of biotechnological interest, such as thicker periderms and more suberized cork layers, and for assessing how these traits affect plant performance in response to stresses.
Reproducible mass spectrometry data processing and compound annotation in MZmine 3
2024-03-11

Untargeted MS experiments produce complex, multi-dimensional data that are practically impossible to investigate manually. For this reason, computational pipelines are needed to extract relevant information from raw spectral data and convert it into a more comprehensible format. Based on the sample type and/or goal of the study, a variety of MS platforms can be used for such analysis. MZmine is open-source software for the processing of raw spectral data generated by different MS platforms: liquid chromatography–MS (LC–MS), gas chromatography–MS (GC–MS), and MS–imaging. Moreover, the third version of the software, described herein, supports the processing of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) data. The present protocol provides three distinct procedures to perform feature detection and annotation of untargeted MS data produced by different instrumental setups: LC–(IMS–)MS, GC–MS, and (IMS–)MS imaging. For training purposes, example datasets are provided together with configuration batch files (i.e. list of processing steps and parameters) to allow new users to easily replicate the described workflows. Depending on the number of data files and available computing resources, we anticipate this to take between 2 and 24 hours for new MZmine users and non-experts. Within each procedure, we provide a detailed description for all processing parameters together with instructions/recommendations for their optimization. The main generated outputs are represented by aligned feature tables and fragmentation spectra lists that can be used by other third-party tools for further downstream analysis.
Stable isotope paleoaltimetry reveals Early to Middle Miocene along-strike elevation differences of the European Alps
2024-03-11

The European Alps, one of the most studied mountain ranges worldwide, are hypothesized to have experienced diachronous surface uplift resulting from slab-breakoff (Schlunegger and Kissling, 2018; Handy et al., 2015). However their surface elevation history is yet not well constrained (Campani et al., 2012; Krsnik et al., 2021; Botsyun et al., 2020). Quantifying surface elevation of an orogen through geological time is essential for our understanding of the geodynamic drivers, as well as the paleoenvironmental impacts of surface uplift.Here, we present Early to Middle Miocene stable isotope-based paleoelevation reconstructions of the Western, Central, and Eastern Alps. Stable isotope paleoaltimetry (the &amp;#120575;-&amp;#120575; approach) is based on the systematic decrease of oxygen (&amp;#120575;18O) and hydrogen (&amp;#120575;D) isotopic composition of precipitation with increasing elevation and strongly benefits from contrasting high and low elevation records of past rainfall.Accordingly, contrasting temperature-corrected near sea level pedogenic carbonate &amp;#120575;18O values with time-equivalent &amp;#120575;D values of K-Ar dated clay minerals from fault gouges allows for the calculation of the differential elevation between a foreland basin and an orogen&amp;#8217;s interior through time. Recent paleoaltimetry research with focus on the Middle Miocene Central Alps indicates elevations exceeding 4 km (Krsnik et al., 2021).With a spatiotemporally enhanced coverage of the European Alps, we present estimates of paleoelevation covering the time interval between ca. 23 and 12 Ma. In addition, paleoclimate simulations for a number of topographic scenarios allow for the isolation of contribution of local elevation complex climate change, and regional topographic configuration signals (Boateng et al., 2023).Our quantitative stable isotope paleoaltimetry estimates indicate peak elevations of &gt;4km in the Central Alps already during the earliest Miocene (ca. 23 Ma). &amp;#120575;D values from fault gouge-derived illites are up to 25 &amp;#8240; higher in the Eastern Alps than in the Central Alps for the time interval between 21-16 Ma and suggest that the Eastern Alps were significantly lower during that time interval. Our results from the Mont Blanc massif are in line with isotopic measurements from fluid inclusions in quartz veins, which highlight the Mont Blanc massif in the Western Alps, did not exceed an average elevation of ca. 1 km until the end of the Miocene (Melis, 2023). Collectively, these results confirm a scenario of west-to-east surface uplift as suggested on the basis of slab-breakoff and tearing.
Between Faith and Judgement: Kant’s Dual Conception of Moral Certainty
2024-03-11

Abstract There are two main meanings in Kant’s concept of moral certainty ( moralische Gewissheit , certitudo moralis ): first, it applies to the kind of certainty embodied in rational faith in the existence of God and a future life; second, it applies to the conscientiousness ( Gewissenhaftigkeit ) required of an agent in the practice of moral judgement. Despite the growing attention to Kant’s theory of conscience and his concept of conscientiousness, this article is the first to discuss ‘moral certainty’ as the aim of ‘conscientiousness’ and to highlight the relevance of both notions in regard to moral education and the purposes of Kant’s ethical doctrines of method.