Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BLANK NOT FILMED s 1 9 ATMOSPHERIC SOUND PROPAGATION Richard

The propagation of sound waves at infrasonic frequencies (oscillation periods 1.0 1000 seconds) in the atmosphere is being studied by a network of seven stations separated geographically by distances of the order of thousands of kilometers. One of the typical stations, in Washington, D. C. , has an array of five microphones separated by distances of about 7 kilometers. Each microphone is at ground level and is connected to the central station by means of a leased telephone line. In effect the array is "steered" to look for sound waves in a programmed sequence of search directions. The station measures the following characteristics of infrasonic waves passing through Washington: (1) the amplitude and waveform of the incident sound pressure, (2) the direction of propagation of the wave, (3) the horizontal phase velocity, and (4) the distribution of sound wave energy at various frequencies of oscillation. Some infrasonic sources which have been identified and studied include the aurora borealis, tornadoes, volcanos, gravity waves on the oceans, earthquakes, and atmospheric instability waves caused by winds at the tropopause. Waves of unknown origin seem to radiate from several geographical locations, including one in the Argentine. 633 https://ntrs.nasa. gov/search.jsp? R=19720017735 2018-04-02T12:11:32+00:00Z
Anatomical Origin of Abnormal Somatosensory-Evoked Potential (SEP) in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis With Different Curve Severity and Correlation With Cerebellar Tonsillar Level Determined by MRI

Study Design. A prospective cohort study. Objective. The aim of this study was to compare the somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP) findings of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) subjects of different curve severity with age- and gender-matched controls and to evaluate any correlation between the site of the SEP abnormality with cerebellar tonsillar level measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Summary of Background Data. Our previous studies showed that a higher percentage of SEP abnormality and cerebellar tonsillar ectopia was present in AIS patients than in normal controls. However, the relationship between the anatomical site of the neurophysiological abnormality and the severity in AIS patients has not been defined. Methods. SEP measurement was conducted on 91 Chinese AIS girls with major right thoracic curve of different curve severity (mild, moderate, severe) and 49 matched normal controls. Waveform characteristics (latency and amplitude) were compared among groups. Specific location of SEP abnormality was identified from tibial to cortical levels. Cerebellar tonsillar ectopia was defined by the previously established reference line between basion and opisthion on MRI. Results. Significant prolonged P37 latency was found on the right side between severe AIS patients and normal controls, while increased inter-side P37 latency difference was found between severe versus moderate, and severe versus normal controls. Cerebellar tonsillar ectopia was detected in 27.3% of severe group, 5.8% to 6.7% in mild and moderate group, but none in normal controls. Abnormal SEP occurred superior to C5 region in all surgical (severe) patients, of whom 58% had cerebellar tonsillar ectopia. Conclusion. AIS patients showed significant prolonged latency and increased latency difference on the side of major curvature. The incidence of SEP abnormality increased with curve severity and occurred above the C5 level. The findings suggested that there was a subgroup of progressive AIS with subclinical neurophysiological dysfunction, associated with underlying neuromorphological abnormalities, which were only detectable by SEP and MRI. Level of Evidence: 3
The Effect of Polymeric Nanoparticles on Biocompatibility of Carrier Red Blood Cells

Red blood cells (RBCs) can be used for vascular delivery of encapsulated or surface-bound drugs and carriers. Coupling to RBC prolongs circulation of nanoparticles (NP, 200 nm spheres, a conventional model of polymeric drug delivery carrier) enabling their transfer to the pulmonary vasculature without provoking overt RBC elimination. However, little is known about more subtle and potentially harmful effects of drugs and drug carriers on RBCs. Here we devised high-throughput in vitro assays to determine the sensitivity of loaded RBCs to osmotic stress and other damaging insults that they may encounter in vivo (e.g. mechanical, oxidative and complement insults). Sensitivity of these tests is inversely proportional to RBC concentration in suspension and our results suggest that mouse RBCs are more sensitive to damaging factors than human RBCs. Loading RBCs by NP at 1:50 ratio did not affect RBCs, while 10–50 fold higher NP load accentuated RBC damage by mechanical, osmotic and oxidative stress. This extensive loading of RBC by NP also leads to RBCs agglutination in buffer; however, addition of albumin diminished this effect. These results provide a template for analyses of the effects of diverse cargoes loaded on carrier RBCs and indicate that: i) RBCs can tolerate carriage of NP at doses providing loading of millions of nanoparticles per microliter of blood; ii) tests using protein-free buffers and mouse RBCs may overestimate adversity that may be encountered in humans.
Analysis of a chalcone synthase mutant in Ipomoea purpurea reveals a novel function for flavonoids: amelioration of heat stress

Flavonoids are thought to function in the plant stress response and male fertility in some, but not all, species. We examined the effects of a self‐fertile chalcone synthase null allele, a, for the effects of heat and light stress on fertilization success and flower production in Ipomoea purpurea. Pollen recipients and pollen donors of both homozygous genotypes exhibit reduced fertilization success at high temperatures, indicating that high temperature acts as a stress‐lowering fertilization success. Homozygous aa individuals exhibit reduced male and female fertilization success, compared to AA individuals, at high temperatures but not at low temperatures. In addition, aa individuals produce fewer flowers than AA individuals at low temperatures, but not at high temperatures. These results suggest that flavonoids alleviate heat stress on fertilization success. They also suggest that pleiotropic effects at the A locus may explain the low frequency of the a allele in natural populations.
A convergent adaptive finite element method for the primal problem of elastoplasticity

The boundary value problem representing one time step of the primal formulation of elastoplasticity with positive hardening leads to a variational inequality of the second kind with some nondifferentiable functional. This paper establishes an adaptive finite element algorithm for the solution of this variational inequality that yields the energy reduction and, up to higher order terms, the R‐linear convergence of the stresses with respect to the number of loops. Applications include several plasticity models: linear isotropic‐kinematic hardening, linear kinematic hardening, and multisurface plasticity as model for nonlinear hardening laws. For perfect plasticity, the adaptive algorithm yields strong convergence of the stresses. Numerical examples confirm an improved linear convergence rate and study the performance of the algorithm in comparison with the more frequently applied maximum refinement rule. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Political Climate and Smoke-Free Laws in Rural Kentucky Communities

The purpose was to determine factors associated with rural communities’ political readiness to enact smoke-free laws. Data from baseline assessment of a longitudinal intervention study to promote smoke-free policy in rural Kentucky communities; key informants (n = 144) and elected officials (n = 83) from 29 counties participated in cross-sectional telephone interviews. Controlling for population size and county-level smoking rate, the following factors predicted elected officials’ perception of the likelihood of a local smoke-free law passing in the next 12 months: (1) support from the local board of health; (2) support from local leaders; and (3) smoke-free hospitals. Communities with lower adult smoking prevalence were more ready for smoke-free laws. Rural health advocates can increase political readiness for smoke-free laws by educating and engaging Board of Health members and local leaders, promoting the voluntary adoption of smoke-free policies in rural hospitals, and investing in effective population-based approaches to evidence-based tobacco treatment in rural communities.
Primary pulmonary lymphoma: four different and unusual radiologic and clinical manifestations

Elif Tanriverdi, Murat Acat, Guler Ozgul, Kenan Abbasli, Sule Gul, Zehra Yasar, Mustafa Cortuk, Neslihan Akanil Fener, Hasan Akin, Mehmet Akif Ozgul and Erdogan Cetinkaya Department of Chest Diseases, Yedikule Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Chest Diseases, Karab€uk University Faculty of Medicine, Karab€ uk, Turkey; Department of Chest Diseases, Ba gcılar Education and Research Hospital, _Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Chest Diseases, Abant _Izzet Baysal University Faculty of Medicine, Bolu, Turkey; Department of Pathology, Yedikule Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Thoracic Surgery, Yedikule Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Review: Cancer Morphogenesis: Role of Mitochondrial Failure

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) required for normal cell metabolism is mainly supplied by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which is limited by available oxygen and modulated by cell signaling pathways. Primary or secondary OXPHOS failure shifts cell metabolism towards ATP generation by glycolysis (Warburg effect). The objective of this paper is to clarify the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer morphogenesis and to elucidate how faulty morphogen gradient signaling and inflammatory mediators that regulate OXPHOS can cause cancer-induced morphogenesis. Developmental morphogenesis and cancer morphogenesis are regulated by morphogenetic fields. The importance of morphogenetic fields is illustrated by transplantation of metastatic melanoma cells into the chick-embryo; the tumor cells adapt morphologies that resemble normal cells and function normally in the host. A morphogen gradient is a simple form of morphogenetic field. Morphogens such as those of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β family inhibit and stimulate basic cell proliferation at high and low concentrations respectively. Along a signaling gradient of declining TGF-β concentration, with increasing distance from the gradient source, cell proliferation is first gradually less inhibited, and then gradually stimulated, thus generating a concave curved structure. In 3D cell cultures, TGF-β concentration determines the diameter of the tubules it induces. TGF-β1 can modulate mitochondrial OXPHOS via adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) or uncoupling protein (UCP) via COX-2 and prostaglandin (PG) E 2 . Thus, gradients of TGF- β can regulate the radius of curvature of tissues by modulating mitochondrial ATP generation. Derailment of morphogen control of mitochondrial ATP synthesis can lead to abnormal spatial variation in ATP supply, abnormal spatial distribution of cell proliferation, and cancer morphogenesis. Involvement of COX- 2 in morphogen signaling is a mechanism whereby inflammation can promote carcinogenesis. Restoration of OXPHOS can reverse cancer morphogenesis and restore normal tissue morphology. Avoiding exposure to environmental mitochondrial toxins and toxic food ingredients should reduce the risk of cancer.
COSMOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS FROM MEASUREMENTS OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE DISCOVERED DURING THE FIRST 1.5 yr OF THE Pan-STARRS1 SURVEY

We present grizP1 light curves of 146 spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia; 0.03 < z < 0.65) discovered during the first 1.5 yr of the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey. The Pan-STARRS1 natural photometric system is determined by a combination of on-site measurements of the instrument response function and observations of spectrophotometric standard stars. We find that the systematic uncertainties in the photometric system are currently 1.2% without accounting for the uncertainty in the Hubble Space Telescope Calspec definition of the AB system. A Hubble diagram is constructed with a subset of 113 out of 146 SNe Ia that pass our light curve quality cuts. The cosmological fit to 310 SNe Ia (113 PS1 SNe Ia + 222 light curves from 197 low-z SNe Ia), using only supernovae (SNe) and assuming a constant dark energy equation of state and flatness, yields . When combined with BAO+CMB(Planck)+H0, the analysis yields and including all identified systematics. The value of w is inconsistent with the cosmological constant value of −1 at the 2. 3σ level. Tension endures after removing either the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) or the H0 constraint, though it is strongest when including the H0 constraint. If we include WMAP9 cosmic microwave background (CMB) constraints instead of those from Planck, we find , which diminishes the discord to <2σ. We cannot conclude whether the tension with flat ΛCDM is a feature of dark energy, new physics, or a combination of chance and systematic errors. The full Pan-STARRS1 SN sample with ∼three times as many SNe should provide more conclusive results.
Eliciting preferences for waterpipe tobacco smoking using a discrete choice experiment: implications for product regulation

Objectives Waterpipe smoking is highly prevalent among university students, and has been increasing in popularity despite mounting evidence showing it is harmful to health. The aim of this study was to measure preferences for waterpipe smoking and determine which product characteristics are most important to smokers. Setting A large university in the Southeastern USA. Participants Adult waterpipe smokers attending the university (N=367). Design Participants completed an Internet-based discrete choice experiment to reveal their preferences for, and trade-offs between, the attributes of hypothetical waterpipe smoking sessions. Participants were presented with waterpipe lounge menus, each with three fruit-flavoured options and one tobacco flavoured option, in addition to an opt out option. Nicotine content and price were provided for each choice. Participants were randomised to either receive menus with a text-only health-warning message or no message. Outcome measures Multinomial and nested logit models were used to estimate the impact on consumer choice of attributes and between-subject assignment of health warnings respectively. Results On average, participants preferred fruit-flavoured varieties to tobacco flavour. They were averse to options labelled with higher nicotine content. Females and non-smokers of cigarettes were more likely than their counterparts to prefer flavoured and nicotine-free varieties. Participants exposed to a health warning were more likely to opt out. Conclusions Fruit-flavoured tobacco and lower nicotine content labels, two strategies widely used by the industry, increase the demand for waterpipe smoking among young adults. Waterpipe-specific regulation should limit the availability of flavoured waterpipe tobacco and require accurate labelling of constituents. Waterpipe-specific tobacco control regulation, along with research to inform policy, is required to curb this emerging public health threat.
Evolution of deep gray matter volume across the human lifespan

Magnetic resonance imaging of subcortical gray matter structures, which mediate behavior, cognition and the pathophysiology of several diseases, is crucial for establishing typical maturation patterns across the human lifespan. This single site study examines T1‐weighted MPRAGE images of 3 healthy cohorts: (i) a cross‐sectional cohort of 406 subjects aged 5–83 years; (ii) a longitudinal neurodevelopment cohort of 84 subjects scanned twice approximately 4 years apart, aged 5–27 years at first scan; and (iii) a longitudinal aging cohort of 55 subjects scanned twice approximately 3 years apart, aged 46–83 years at first scan. First scans from longitudinal subjects were included in the cross‐sectional analysis. Age‐dependent changes in thalamus, caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, and amygdala volumes were tested with Poisson, quadratic, and linear models in the cross‐sectional cohort, and quadratic and linear models in the longitudinal cohorts. Most deep gray matter structures best fit to Poisson regressions in the cross‐sectional cohort and quadratic curves in the young longitudinal cohort, whereas the volume of all structures except the caudate and globus pallidus decreased linearly in the longitudinal aging cohort. Males had larger volumes than females for all subcortical structures, but sex differences in trajectories of change with age were not significant. Within subject analysis showed that 65%–80% of 13–17 year olds underwent a longitudinal decrease in volume between scans (∼4 years apart) for the putamen, globus pallidus, and hippocampus, suggesting unique developmental processes during adolescence. This lifespan study of healthy participants will form a basis for comparison to neurological and psychiatric disorders. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3771–3790, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Shannon Entropy Estimation in ∞-Alphabets from Convergence Results: Studying Plug-In Estimators

This work addresses the problem of Shannon entropy estimation in countably infinite alphabets studying and adopting some recent convergence results of the entropy functional, which is known to be a discontinuous function in the space of probabilities in ∞-alphabets. Sufficient conditions for the convergence of the entropy are used in conjunction with some deviation inequalities (including scenarios with both finitely and infinitely supported assumptions on the target distribution). From this perspective, four plug-in histogram-based estimators are studied showing that convergence results are instrumental to derive new strong consistent estimators for the entropy. The main application of this methodology is a new data-driven partition (plug-in) estimator. This scheme uses the data to restrict the support where the distribution is estimated by finding an optimal balance between estimation and approximation errors. The proposed scheme offers a consistent (distribution-free) estimator of the entropy in ∞-alphabets and optimal rates of convergence under certain regularity conditions on the problem (finite and unknown supported assumptions and tail bounded conditions on the target distribution).
IL-10 Modulates In Vitro Multinucleate Giant Cell Formation in Human Tuberculosis

Background Multinucleated giant cells (MGC) are the histologic hallmark of granuloma which is known to limit tuberculosis infection. Both Th1 and Th2 type of cytokines regulate the immune response occurring within the granulomas. The objective of the study was to determine whether tuberculosis patient monocytes differed in their MGC forming ability as compared to healthy controls. Methods In vitro MGC formation was carried out by treatment of monocytes with cytokine containing culture supernatant of ConA or PPD stimulated peripheral mononuclear cells. IL-2, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β cytokine levels were analysed in culture supernatants using ELISA. IL-4 and IL-10 were added to culture supernatant separately and simultaneously along with their respective neutralizing antibodies and their consequent effect on MGC formation was evaluated. Results MGC formation was significantly low in patient monocytes incubated with autologous culture supernatant as compared to control culture supernatant. Cytokine analysis of the culture supernatants revealed that while IL-4 levels were similar in patients and controls, increased IL-10 levels were found in patients. Exogenous addition of IL-10 resulted in reduced MGC formation. Contrastingly, when IL-4 was added exogenously, it led to increased MGC formation. The effects of both IL-10 and IL-4 were reversed upon addition of their respective antibodies. Conclusion The findings suggest that one of the factors contributing to the disease could be the effect of cytokines on the functionality of monocytes, which are crucial in the fight against the organism. Significantly reduced MGC formation was observed on addition of IL-10. The findings imply an overriding role of IL-10 in MGC formation. The suppressive effect of IL-10 on MGC formation was further confirmed by addition of IL-10 neutralizing antibody.
Beneficial effects of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. flower aqueous extract in pregnant rats with diabetes

Purpose The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower is widely used in Brazilian traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes and has shown antifertility activity in female Wistar rats. However, there is no scientific confirmation of its effect on diabetes and pregnancy. The aim of this study was evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of H. rosa-sinensis flowers on maternal-fetal outcome in pregnant rats with diabetes. Methods Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg) in virgin, adult, female Wistar rats. After diabetes induction, the rats were mated. The pregnant rats were distributed into four groups (n minimum = 11 animals/group): non-diabetic, non-diabetic treated, diabetic, and diabetic treated. Oral aqueous extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was administered to rats in the treatment groups during pregnancy. At term pregnancy, maternal reproductive outcomes, fetal parameters, and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Results The non-diabetic treated group showed decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased atherogenic index (AI) and coronary artery risk index (CRI), and increased preimplantation loss rate compared to the non-diabetic group. Although treatment with H. rosa-sinensis led to no toxicity, it showed deleterious effects on cardiac and reproductive functions. However, the diabetic treated group showed increased maternal and fetal weights, reduced AI and CRI, and reduced preimplantation loss rate compared to the untreated diabetic group. Conclusion Our results demonstrate beneficial effects of this flower only in pregnant rats with diabetes and their offspring. Although these findings cannot be extrapolated to human clinical use, they show that the indiscriminate intake of H. rosa-sinensis may be harmful to healthy individuals and its use should be completely avoided in pregnancy.
Age structure differences in American Mink, Mustela vison, populations under varying harvest regimes

Two American Mink populations were examined using canine tooth cementum annuli to assess age structure of harvested segments of the populations. Trapping mortality was different between these two populations. Comparisons are made with a Montana Mink population. I propose that forbearer managers can readily assess relative harvest pressures by analyzing the age structure of a Mink population, and offer management recommendations for populations displaying various age structures.