Impact of spatial soil and climate input data aggregation on regional yield simulations

We show the error in water-limited yields simulated by crop models which is associated with spatially aggregated soil and climate input data. Crop simulations at large scales (regional, national, continental) frequently use input data of low resolution. Therefore, climate and soil data are often generated via averaging and sampling by area majority. This may bias simulated yields at large scales, varying largely across models. Thus, we evaluated the error associated with spatially aggregated soil and climate data for 14 crop models. Yields of winter wheat and silage maize were simulated under water-limited production conditions. We calculated this error from crop yields simulated at spatial resolutions from 1 to 100 km for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Most models showed yields biased by <15% when aggregating only soil data. The relative mean absolute error (rMAE) of most models using aggregated soil data was in the range or larger than the inter-annual or inter-model variability in yields. This error increased further when both climate and soil data were aggregated. Distinct error patterns indicate that the rMAE may be estimated from few soil variables. Illustrating the range of these aggregation effects across models, this study is a first step towards an ex-ante assessment of aggregation errors in large-scale simulations

Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D is related to protein signaling involved in glucose homeostasis in a tissue-specific manner

Vitamin D has been suggested to play a role in glucose metabolism. However, previous findings are contradictory and mechanistic pathways remain unclear. We examined the relationship between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), insulin sensitivity, and insulin signaling in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Seventeen healthy adults (Body mass index: 26 ± 4; Age: 30 ± 12 years) underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, and resting skeletal muscle and adipose tissue biopsies. In this cohort, the plasma 25(OH)D concentration was not associated with insulin sensitivity (r = 0.19, p = 0.56). However, higher plasma 25(OH)D concentrations correlated with lower phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) αSer21 and βSer9 in skeletal muscle (r = −0.66, p = 0.015 and r = −0.53, p = 0.06, respectively) and higher GSK-3 αSer21 and βSer9 phosphorylation in adipose tissue (r = 0.82, p < 0.01 and r = 0.62, p = 0.042, respectively). Furthermore, higher plasma 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with greater phosphorylation of both protein kinase-B (AktSer473) (r = 0.78, p < 0.001) and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1Ser312) (r = 0.71, p = 0.01) in adipose tissue. No associations were found between plasma 25(OH)D concentration and IRS-1Tyr612 phosphorylation in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. The divergent findings between muscle and adipose tissue with regard to the association between 25(OH)D and insulin signaling proteins may suggest a tissue-specific interaction with varying effects on glucose homeostasis. Further research is required to elucidate the physiological relevance of 25(OH)D in each tissu

Acute high-intensity interval exercise-induced redox signaling is associated with enhanced insulin sensitivity in obese middle-aged men

Background: Obesity and aging are associated with increased oxidative stress, activation of stress and mitogen activated protein kinases (SAPK), and the development of insulin resistance and metabolic disease. In contrast, acute exercise also increases oxidative stress and SAPK signaling, yet is reported to enhance insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of metabolic disease. This study explored this paradox by investigating the effect of a single session of high-intensity interval-exercise (HIIE) on redox status, muscle SAPK and insulin protein signaling in eleven middle-aged obese men. Methods: Participants completed a 2 h hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp at rest, and 60 min after HIIE (4 × 4 mins at 95% HRpeak; 2 min recovery periods), separated by 1–3 weeks. Results: Irrespective of exercise-induced changes to redox status, insulin stimulation both at rest and after HIIE similarly increased plasma superoxide dismutase activity, plasma catalase activity, and skeletal muscle 4-HNE; and significantly decreased plasma TBARS and hydrogen peroxide. The SAPK signaling pathways of p38 MAPK, NF-κB p65, and JNK, and the distal insulin signaling protein AS160Ser588, were activated with insulin stimulation at rest and to a greater extent with insulin stimulation after a prior bout of HIIE. Higher insulin sensitivity after HIIE was associated with higher insulin-stimulated SOD activity, JNK, p38 MAPK and NF-κB phosphorylation (r = 0.63, r = 0.71, r = 0.72, r = 0.71; p < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: These findings support a role for redox homeostasis and SAPK signaling in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake which may contribute to the enhancement of insulin sensitivity in obese men 3 h after HIIE

Position-specific ^(13)C distributions within propane from experiments and natural gas samples

Site-specific carbon isotope measurements of organic compounds potentially recover information that is lost in a conventional, ‘bulk' isotopic analysis. Such measurements are useful because isotopically fractionating processes may have distinct effects at different molecular sites, and thermodynamically equilibrated populations of molecules tend to concentrate heavy isotopes in one molecular site versus another. Most recent studies of site-specific ^(13)C in organics use specialized Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques or complex chemical degradations prior to mass spectrometric measurements. Herein we present the first application of a new mass spectrometric technique that reconstructs the site-specific carbon isotope composition of propane based on measurements of the ^(13)C/^(12)C ratios of two or more fragment ions that sample different proportions of the terminal and central carbon sites. We apply this method to propane from laboratory experiments and natural gas samples to explore the relationships between site-specific carbon isotope composition, full-molecular δ^(13)C, thermal maturity, and variation in organic matter precursors. Our goal is to advance the understanding of the sources and histories of short-chain alkanes within geologic systems. Our findings suggest that propane varies in its site-specific carbon isotope structure, which is correlated with increasing thermal maturity, first increasing in terminal position δ^(13)C and then increasing in both center and terminal position δ^(13)C. This pattern is observed in both experimental and natural samples, and is plausibly explained by a combination of site-specific, temperature-dependent isotope effects associated with conversion of different precursor molecules (kerogen, bitumen, and/or oil) to propane, differences in site-specific isotopic contents of those precursors, and possibly distillation of reactive components of those precursors with increasing maturity. We hypothesize that the largest changes in site-specific isotopic content of propane occur when bitumen and/or oil replace kerogen as the dominant precursors. If correct, this phenomenon could have significant utility for understanding gas generation in thermogenic petroleum systems

Holocaust Remembrance Service 2001

Featured Speaker: Michael Lewan, Chairman, U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America\u27s Heritage Abroad, created to help preserve and protect buildings, monuments, collections and cemeteries in Eastern and Central Europe. \u27Today there exist hundreds of synagogues, churches, cemeteries, and other places in need of attention. They stand now not as a reminder of death and decay but as a testament to the strength and substance of those vital, vibrant souls that once prayed, studied, danced, and lived within their walls.\u27 -Michael [Lewan].https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/bennettcenter-posters/1211/thumbnail.jp

Formation temperatures of thermogenic and biogenic methane

Methane is an important greenhouse gas and energy resource generated dominantly by methanogens at low temperatures and through the breakdown of organic molecules at high temperatures. However, methane-formation temperatures in nature are often poorly constrained. We measured formation temperatures of thermogenic and biogenic methane using a “clumped isotope” technique. Thermogenic gases yield formation temperatures between 157° and 221°C, within the nominal gas window, and biogenic gases yield formation temperatures consistent with their comparatively lower-temperature formational environments (<50°C). In systems where gases have migrated and other proxies for gas-generation temperature yield ambiguous results, methane clumped-isotope temperatures distinguish among and allow for independent tests of possible gas-formation models

TINDAK PIDANA PENIMBUNAN PANGAN POKOK DALAM UNDANG-UNDANG NOMOR 18 TAHUN 2012 TENTANG PANGAN

Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk mengetahui  bagaimana pengaturan dakwaan penimbunan atau penimpanan pangan pokok dalam Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2012 dan bagaimana pengaturan tindak pidana penimbunan atau penyimpanan pangan pokok dalam Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2012. Dengan menggunakan metode penelitian yuridis normatif, disimpulkan: 1. Pasal 133 Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2012 dapat menjadi dakwaan tunggal terhadap Pelaku Usaha Pangan yang menimbun/menyimpan Pangan Pokok melebihi jumlah maksimal yang mengakibatkan harga Pangan Pokok menjadi mahal/melambung tinggi; tetapi jika Pelaku Usaha Pangan tetap melanjutkan perbuatan menimbun/menyimpan itu setelah harga menjadi mahal/melambung tinggi, maka dapat disertakan Pasal 107 Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2014, sehingga dakwaan berbentuk dakwaan kumulatif. 2. Pasal 133 Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2012 mengancamkan pidana terhadap Pelaku Usaha Pangan yang menimbun atau menyembunyikan Pangan Pokok (terutama beras) melebihi jumlah maksimal yang ditentukan yang mengakibatkan harga Pangan  Pokok menjadi mahal atau melambung tinggi; di mana jumlah maksimal ini. Menurut Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2012, akan diatur dalam suatu Peraturan Pemerintah, dan untuk telah diterbitkan Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 17 Tahun 2015 tentang Ketahanan Pangan dan Gizi, tetapi Peraturan Pemerintah ini kembali menyerahkan pengaturan jumlah maksimal tersebut kepada Peraturan Menteri Perdagangan; tetapi sampai sekarang Peraturan Menteri dimaksud belum diterbitkan.Kata kunci: Tindak Pidana, Penimbunan, Pangan Poko

Why is there so much variability in crop multi-model studies?

It has become common to compare crop model results in multi-model simulation experiments. In general, one observes a large variability in such studies, which reduces the confidence one can have in such models. It is important to understand the causes of this variability as a first step toward reducing it. For a given data set, the variability in a multi-model study can arise from uncertainty in model structure or in parameter values for a given structure. Previous studies have made assumptions about the origin of parameter uncertainty, and then quantified its contribution, generally finding that parameter uncertainty is less important than structure uncertainty. However, those studies do not take account of the full parameter variability in multi-model studies. Here we propose estimating parameter uncertainty based on open-call multi-model ensembles where the same structure is used by more than one modeling group. The variability in such a case is due to the full variability of parameters among modeling groups. Then structure and parameter contributions can be estimated using random effects analysis of variance. Based on three multi-model studies for simulating wheat phenology, it is found that the contribution of parameter uncertainty to total uncertainty is, on average, more than twice as large as the uncertainty from structure. A second estimate, based on a comparison of two different calibration approaches for multiple models leads to a very similar result. We conclude that improvement of crop models requires as much attention to parameters as to model structure

“Sonnet 29”: The Transcendent Power of Rich Love

Shakespeare\u27s Sonnet 29 highlights the journey of the human condition from lowly self-deprecation to high self-sentiments when affected by love. This paper analyzes the poignant fourteen lines penned by William Shakespeare and draws parallels between their sentiment and modern research on love\u27s positive impact on preexisting low self-esteem and self-worth. Sonnet 29 develops a story of the natural stages from self-deprecation due to low self-esteem into heightened self-worth due to the potent integration of love. Modern, scientific research by Harris and Ulrich, Răşcanu, and Zhang and Hawk, lends credence to the assessment of love\u27s powerful and positive impact on a person\u27s self-worth and self-esteem that this essay affirms that Shakespeare\u27s words are attesting to. From the narrator\u27s coveting of others\u27 lives, to their deep-seated jealousy of things they do not possess that others do, to the realization of the love the narrator possesses, Shakespeare lays a blueprint for his audience to follow these natural transitions of human nature. Ultimately, with Shakespeare being supported by modern science, Sonnet 29 reflects the naturality of love\u27s positive and uplifting impact on the human condition when steeped in low self-worth and self-esteem

“Somehow Form a Family”: Tony Earley’s Assertion of Commonality to Highlight Difference

Tony Earley’s essay “Somehow Form a Family” presents a unique exploration of family life in America via the lens of satire. This paper delves into Earley’s adept use of exaggerated satire to illustrate the individual American family experience under the guise of complete commonality. Through employing formal analysis, television references, and biographical anecdotes, Earley develops a narrative that suggests universal experiences to be shared by all, only to reveal the diversity and complexity of every household. Insight from scholars Valentina Varinelli and Ayelet Kohn provides a deeper analysis of the implications of Tony Earley’s satirical approach. Their assessment highlights Earley’s use of humor as a coping mechanism, his navigation of personal hardships, and his use of satire to challenge naïve narratives of families shown in media. This paper demonstrates how Earley’s essay stands as a thought-provoking commentary on the manifold nature of family dynamics. Ultimately, Earley’s essay invites his audience to reassess how they perceive commonality and variance in the American family landscape