Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Responses of Chironomid larvae (insecta, Diptera) to ecological quality in Mediterranean river mesohabitats (South Italy)

Chironomid larvae and pupae were studied in selected Mediterranean rivers with the aim of identifying pool and riffle taxa assemblages and of analysing their response to ecological quality gradients. Macroinvertebrate samples were collected in six Italian rivers along a pool‐riffle sequence in three seasons following a multihabitat sampling technique. Chironomids were identified as genus/species, other macroinvertebrates as family/genus. The main physico‐chemical, hydromorphological and geographical data were collected. Samples were ascribed to five quality classes according to the STAR_ICM index. Based on Chironomid taxa, principal component analysis (PCA) axis 1 represented an organic pollution gradient, axis 2 represented seasonality. Pool and riffle samples were significantly different according to taxa assemblages. Similar results were obtained with PCA based on the whole macrobenthic community. Indicator value (IndVal) analysis facilitated the detection of the Chironomid indicators of high/good quality pools (e.g. Conchapelopia pallidula, Rheopelopia ornata, Epoicocladius ephemerae) and riffles (Tvetenia calvescens, Eukiefferiella gracei). The Berger–Parker dominance index based on Chironomid assemblages in pools was correlated to PCA axis 1 and performed well in discriminating between quality classes. In riffles, no correlations to PCA axes were detected and a wide overlap between quality classes was present. Thus, assessment in the analysed river type may focus on pool mesohabitat as this seems to represent best the ecological gradient of sites. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The non-line of sight problem in mobile location estimation

We consider the problem of tracking mobile stations using the ranging measurements from multiple base stations (BSs), without a priori knowledge of which BSs (if any) have a direct line of sight (LOS) range measurement. The two key contributions of this paper are to show that (1) it is possible to discriminate between LOS versus non-LOS (NLOS) measurements at each BS by using the time history of its range measurements in a simple hypothesis testing problem and (2) it is possible to correct the NLOS ranging error by exploiting a priori knowledge of the statistical characteristics of the system's standard measurement noise. Simulation examples are presented and the RMS error is compared to the Cramer Rao lower bound on location estimation.
Action on the Electroplax of Antibiotics Affecting Membrane Permeability

A number of antibiotics have been shown to increase markedly the permeability to ions of various cellular membranes and artificial lipid membranes (see, for example, reference 1). I t was, therefore, of interest to test the action of such antibiotics on the single-cell electroplax preparation. Since solutions may be applied separately to the innervated and to the noninnervated membrane, and since the potential differences across these two membranes may be measured independently, the electroplax affords the possibility of comparing the effects of the antibiotics on functionally different membranes of the same cell: on the one hand, the innervated membrane, which can be both chemically and electrically stimulated, and which can undergo the rapid and reversible changes in ion permeability characteristic of excitable tissues; and on the other hand, the noninnervated membrane, which is morphologically very different in appearance from the innervated membrane and which is neither chemically nor electrically excitable. Dr. Karlin and I studied the effects on the electroplax of three antibiotics (2): valinomycin, which in the systems tested previously, increases potassium ion permeability very markedly and specifically relative to sodium ion permeability (3); gramicidin D, which shows little discrimination between sodium and potassium ions, substantially increasing permeability to both (3); and amphotericin B, which seems capable of producing a general increase in permeability to cations, anions and small, uncharged solute molecules (4). In the experiments described below, three potential differences were measured simultaneously: V~, the potential across the innervated membrane; Vm the potential across the noninnervated membrane; and V~_~ VN -Vx, the potential across the whole cell.
An improved method for the analysis of dissolved noble gases in the porewater of unconsolidated sediments

We developed a new and improved method for the extraction of dissolved noble gases from the porewater of unconsolidated lacustrine sediments. The new method relies on the separation of the porewater from the sediment matrix by centrifugation of the bulk sediment within the closed copper tubes being used as sampling containers. After centrifugation, the porewater liberated from sediment matrix is completely separated from the dewatered sediment by applying and closing a metal clamp between the two phases. After separation, the noblegas abundances are determined only in the porewater phase by applying the standard protocols used for noblegas analysis in water samples, which allows simpler, faster and more reliable measurements. The new method overcomes known experimental difficulties encountered by our former method, such as the release of He from sediment grains, and incomplete extrusion of the bulk sediment from the copper tube used as a sample container. It follows that the determination of the He concentrations and isotope ratios in the sediment porewater is less affected by He locally produced in sediment minerals. The new method is less operator‐sensitive and the noble‐gas extraction efficiency (especially for heavy noble‐gas species) has, in general, improved. As only bulk porewater is used for analysis, the new method can easily be adopted by other noble‐gas laboratories. Also, the new method can be used to determine the abundance of other dissolved gases such CH4, N2, or CO2.
An Application of ST-Numbering to Secret Key Agreement

Assume that there are players and an eavesdropper Eve, where several pairs of players have shared secret keys beforehand. We regard each player as a vertex of a graph and regard each pair of players sharing a key as an edge. Consider the case where Eve knows some of the keys according to a certain probability distribution. In this paper, applying the technique of st-numbering, we propose a protocol which allows any two designated players to agree on a secret key through such a "partially leaked key exchange graph. " Our protocol is optimal in the sense that Eve's knowledge about the secret key agreed on by the two players is as small as possible.
Spurious hypophosphatemia associated with multiple myeloma.

OBJECTIVE To report on the phenomenon of spurious hypophosphatemia associated with multiple myeloma. METHODS A case report is presented, and the pertinent published literature is reviewed. The mechanisms by which multiple myeloma can cause both true and false hypophosphatemia are discussed, as are methods by which the important distinction between these conditions can be made. RESULTS At the time of surgical treatment of a hip fracture, an 80-year-old man with a history of multiple myeloma was found to have hypophosphatemia. Despite intravenous administration of large amounts of phosphate, the low phosphate values persisted. Only when a blood sample was submitted to another laboratory that used a different technique for determining phosphate was a normal phosphate level reported. CONCLUSION In patients with multiple myeloma, the myeloma protein can cause biochemical interference with certain phosphate assays, which could lead to false results. This phenomenon should be considered in such patients in order to avoid inappropriate and potentially dangerous phosphate replacement therapy.
Effects of the CCK receptor antagonist L364,718 on pancreatic growth in adult and developing animals.

Although exogenous administration of cholecystokinin (CCK) or dietary manipulation to increase circulating CCK have previously been shown to promote pancreatic growth, the role of CCK in controlling normal pancreatic development remains unclear. A potent CCK receptor antagonist, L364,718, was administered to rats, guinea pigs, and hamsters to block the effect of endogenous CCK. Animals were given continuous infusions of L364,718 (25 nmol.kg-1.h-1), CCK octapeptide [(CCK-8) 200 pmol.kg-1.h-1], or both CCK-8 and L364,718 for 14 and 28 days. Adult (4-mo-old) and young (4-wk-old) animals were used. CCK-8 and L364,718 were administered via separate, subcutaneously implanted mini-osmotic pumps. Infusions of CCK-8 alone for 28 days resulted in a 21.7% increase in wet pancreatic weight in 4-wk-old rats and a 22.7% increase in 4-wk-old guinea pigs (both P less than 0.001 compared with controls). Similar increases were found in DNA, RNA, and total protein contents. Coadministration of L364,718 totally blocked the trophic effects of exogenously infused CCK-8 in rats and guinea pigs. Administration of L364,718 alone in hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats for 14 and 28 days failed to alter the normal growth of the pancreas gland as measured by these parameters. Although elevated levels of CCK appear to promote a potent trophic response in the growing pancreas, this regulatory peptide does not appear to be an essential trophic factor for the normal growth of the exocrine pancreas in these animals.
A study of the relationship between thunderstorm processes and cloud-top ice crystal size

OF DISSERTATION A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THUNDERSTORM PROCESSES AND CLOUD-TOP ICE CRYSTAL SIZE Satellite observations and numerical models are used to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for thunderstorms with varying cloud-top ice crystal sizes. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data are used to create a three-year climatology of cloud-top 3.9 μm reflectivity, a quantity which is closely correlated with particle size. Maximum mean values are found over the High Plains and Rocky Mountain regions of the U.S., suggesting that convection over that region tends to generate smaller anvil ice crystals than areas throughout much of the eastern U.S. To correct for preferred forward scattering by the cloud-top ice crystals, an effective radius retrieval using GOES is developed. Forward radiative transfer simulations are run for a wide range of cloud-top ice crystal sizes and sun-cloud-satellite scattering angles. The output is used to generate a lookup table, so that GOES-measured radiances may be used along with sun-satellite geometry to obtain an estimate for particle size. Validation of the retrieval shows that the assumed scattering properties perform quite well. To help explain the geographical variation in cloud-top ice crystal size, a composite analysis is performed in the High Plains region by averaging environmental conditions
NETosis – Does It Really Represent Nature’s “Suicide Bomber”?

NETosis is a term that evolved following publication of an original article supposedly describing a novel form of programed neutrophil death that resulted in the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) (1). NETosis was subsequently added to the cell death classifications, almost joining the ranks of other, better documented pathways, such as apoptosis, necroptosis, and autophagic cell death (2). Fuchs et al.’s (1) article seems to NETosis converts to be so seminal that reviewers deny publication to manuscripts in this area, which fail to reference it [Ref. (3); see Supporting Information; Peer Review Correspondence: URL: Link 1].
De novo establishment and cost‐effectiveness of Papanicolaou Cytology Screening Services in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Recently, a new staging system for cutaneous melanoma was proposed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) melanoma group. Comments and suggestions regarding this proposed system have been invited. We published a first proposal to revise the currently used staging system in 1992 by analyzing data from the German Central Malignant Melanoma Registry (CMMR) suggesting that the classification of primary melanomas should be based solely on Breslow tumor thickness and no longer be based on a combination of Breslow tumor thickness and Clark level of invasion. We found that the interobserver reproducibility of Clark level of invasion was rather poor compared with Breslow tumor thickness. In addition, we proposed to change the cutoff values for tumor thickness to 1.0, 2.0, and 4 mm, respectively, and both proposals have been substantiated by an additional evaluation of a larger collective from the CMMR. We therefore appreciate that these suggestions have been included into the new proposal from the AJCC. In the German-speaking countries, we already proposed a modified staging system according to these principles in 1994. The new proposal of the AJCC includes some changes that we believe need to be substantiated further. We performed prognostic evaluations based on the data from the CMMR to analyze the discriminatory power of the different features included into the new staging proposal. The analysis was based on data from 6356 patients with primary melanoma with complete data available with regard to tumor thickness and histopathologic reports of ulceration from 8 departments of dermatology with appropriate follow-up; the median follow-up time was 51 months. Five hundred three of these patients died of cutaneous melanoma. We would like to make some comments. Ulceration has been found to be the second most significant prognostic factor in primary cutaneous melanoma. This finding has been confirmed by the multivariate analysis from our collective (Table 1). However, ulceration does not appear to have prognostic impact for all the different classes of tumor thickness. Ulceration is a rare event in T1 melanomas (Table 2) and demonstrates no prognostic significance in this tumor thickness class (Fig. 1). Conversely, ulceration is a frequent event in thick primary melanomas and it likewise demonstrates no prognostic significance in T4 melanomas (Fig. 1). Therefore, upstaging based on ulceration should only be taken into account for T2 and T3 melanomas. Less than 10% of patients with T1 melanomas were classified as having a Clark level of invasion of IV or V. For the patients with T1 tumors, we found no significant difference with regard to survival for patients with a Clark level of invasion of II–III or IV–V (Fig. 2). Therefore, we believe that the level of invasion should likewise be removed from the T1 tumor subgroup. 2305
Divergent Roles of Vascular Burden and Neurodegeneration in the Cognitive Decline of Geriatric Depression Patients and Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients

Both geriatric depression and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) confer an increased risk for the development of dementia. The mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive impairment in geriatric depression patients remain controversial. The present study aimed to explore the association of cognitive decline with vascular risk, white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden and hippocampal volume in both remitted geriatric depression (RGD) subjects and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) subjects. Forty-one RGD subjects, 51 aMCI subjects, and 64 healthy elderly subjects underwent multimodal MRI scans and neuropsychological tests at both baseline and a 35-month follow-up. According to the changing patterns (declining or stable) of global cognitive function during the follow-up period, each group was further divided into a declining subgroup and a stable subgroup. The Framingham 10-year cardiovascular risk, WMH volume and hippocampal volume were measured to assess vascular pathology and neurodegeneration, respectively. The RGD declining group displayed a higher vascular risk and greater WMH volume than the RGD stable group, whereas no such difference was found in the aMCI subjects. In contrast, the aMCI declining group displayed a smaller left hippocampal volume than the aMCI stable group, whereas no such difference was found in the RGD subjects. Furthermore, greater increases in the WHM volume correlated with greater decreases in global cognitive function in the RGD declining group, and greater decreases in the left hippocampal volume correlated with greater decreases in global cognitive function in the aMCI declining group. In conclusion, the cognitive decline in RGD patients is associated with vascular burden, whereas the cognitive decline in aMCI patients is associated with neurodegeneration. These findings could contribute to a better understanding of the specific mechanisms of the development of dementia in each condition.
Individualized Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment in Chronic Tinnitus?

Background Prefrontal and temporo-parietal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients suffering from chronic tinnitus have shown significant but only moderate effectiveness with high interindividual variability in treatment response. This open-label pilot study was designed to examine the general feasibility of an individualized fronto-temporal rTMS protocol and to explore what criteria are needed for a more detailed evaluation in randomized clinical studies. Methods During the first session of a 2-week rTMS protocol, we applied different rTMS protocols to the left and right temporo-parietal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in 25 tinnitus patients. Short trains of 1, 5, 10, and 20 Hz and continuous theta burst stimulation were applied, and patients were asked for immediate tinnitus reductions after each train. If a patient reported such improvements, rTMS treatment was applied over nine sessions with a combined protocol consisting of the most effective frontal and the most effective temporo-parietal stimulation protocol. Those patients who did not improve after the test session were treated with a standard prefrontal plus temporo-parietal protocol (20 Hz over left DLPFC + 1 Hz over temporo-parietal cortex). Results Almost half of the patients (12 of 25) reported immediate tinnitus reductions during the test session. In this group, the mean pre- to post-treatment amelioration in the tinnitus questionnaire was higher (medium to high effect sizes) in contrast to the patients who did not respond to the test session. Treatment outcome remained stable over a follow-up period of 10 weeks. Discussion Individualized rTMS was shown to be feasible and effective in chronic tinnitus. The results obtained from this study provide tentative evidence in support of an individualized rTMS treatment approach and might provide a basis for a “tailored” application of rTMS in tinnitus and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
Phosphorylation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Vpr Regulates Cell Cycle Arrest

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpr regulates nuclear transport of the viral preintegration complex, G2 cell cycle arrest, and transcriptional transactivation. We asked whether phosphorylation could affect Vpr activity. Vpr was found to be phosphorylated on serine residues in transiently transfected and infected cells. Residues 79, 94, and 96 were all found to be phosphorylated, as assessed by alanine mutations. Mutation of Ser-79 to Ala abrogated effects of Vpr on cell cycle progression, whereas mutation of Ser-94 and Ser-96 had no effect. Simultaneous mutation of all three Vpr serine residues attenuated HIV-1 replication in macrophages, whereas single and double Ser mutations had no effect.
Uncertainty in streamflow rating curves: methods, controls and consequences

Discharge time series' are one of the core data sets used in hydrological investigations. Errors in the data mainly occur through uncertainty in gauging (measurement uncertainty) and uncertainty in determination of the stage–discharge relationship (rating curve uncertainty). Thirty‐six flow gauges from the Namoi River catchment, Australia, were examined to explore how rating curve uncertainty affects gauge reliability and uncertainty of observed flow records. The analysis focused on the deviations in gaugings from the rating curves because standard (statistical) uncertainty methods could not be applied. Deviations of greater/lesser than 10% were considered significant to allow for a measurement uncertainty threshold of 10%, determined from quality coding of gaugings and operational procedures. The deviations in gaugings were compared against various factors to examine trends and identify major controls, including stage height, date, month, rating table, gauging frequency and quality, catchment area and type of control. The analysis gave important insights into data quality and the reliability of each gauge, which had previously not been recognized. These included identification of more/less reliable periods of record, which varied widely between gauges, and identification of more/less reliable parts of the hydrograph. Most gauges showed significant deviations at low stages, affecting the determination of low flows. This was independent of the type of gauge control, with many gauges experiencing problems in the stability of the rating curve, likely as a result of sediment flux. The deviations in gaugings also have widespread application in modelling, for example, informing suitable calibration periods and defining error distributions. This paper demonstrates the value and importance of undertaking qualitative analyses of observed records. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effectiveness of a Staff Promoted Wellness Program to Improve Health in Residents of a Mental Health Long-Term Care Facility

The current study describes physical and mental health outcomes during a health promotion program for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). A sample of 43 adults in a long-term residential facility volunteered for an individualized, healthy lifestyle program designed to promote physical activity and combat premature mortality among individuals with SMI. Nurses and residential counselors were trained in the program and encouraged to work collaboratively with the program's personal trainers. Weekly nutrition and activity logs were obtained over the year-long evaluation. Assessments of physical and psychological health indicators were collected quarterly. Qualitative data through focus groups described staff experience. Self-report of moderate and vigorous physical activity improved over time as did fitness level as measured through a walking challenge (p = .001). Significant decreases in weight (p < .001), BMI (p = .001), and total cholesterol (p < .001) were observed from baseline through 12 months. Mean recovery scores (RMQ) were significantly higher between baseline and all time points (p < .001). Participants reported decreasing levels of depression (PHQ-9) by the 12-month time point (p < .001). Staff encouraged participation in physical activity and observed improved motivation and socialization among participants. A health promotion program with participation encouraged by health care staff is effective for increasing physical activity and improving physical and mental health outcomes in individuals with SMI in long-term residential care.