Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A HELIOSEISMIC SURVEY OF NEAR-SURFACE FLOWS AROUND ACTIVE REGIONS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH FLARES

We use helioseismic holography to study the association of shallow flows with solar flare activity in about 250 large sunspot groups observed between 2010 and 2014 with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Four basic flow parameters: horizontal speed, horizontal component of divergence, vertical component of vorticity, and a vertical kinetic helicity proxy, are mapped for each active region (AR) during its passage across the solar disk. Flow indices are derived representing the mean and standard deviation of these parameters over magnetic masks and compared with contemporary measures of flare X-ray flux. A correlation exists for several of the flow indices, especially those based on the speed and the standard deviation of all flow parameters. However, their correlation with X-ray flux is similar to that observed with the mean unsigned magnetic flux density over the same masks. The temporal variation of the flow indices are studied, and a superposed epoch analysis with respect to the occurrence to 70 M and X-class flares is made. While flows evolve with the passage of the ARs across the disk, no discernible precursors or other temporal changes specifically associated with flares are detected.
Practice Trends in the Use of Extracorporeal Treatments for Poisoning in Four Countries

Extracorporeal treatments (ECTRs) such as hemodialysis (HD), enhance the elimination of a small number of toxins. Changes in overdose trends, prescribing practices, antidotes, and dialysis techniques may alter the indications and rates of ECTR use over time. This study analyzed trends in ECTR for poisonings in four countries. A retrospective study of national poison center databases from the United States, Denmark, United Kingdom, and five regional databases within Canada was performed. All cases of patients receiving an ECTR were included. ECTR cases were totalled annually and reported as annual rates per 100,000 exposures with stratification per types of ECTR and toxins. The data collection varied by countries. United States, 1985–2014; United Kingdom, 2011–2013; Denmark, 2005–2014, and regions of Canada as follows: Alberta, 1991–2015; Saskatchewan, 2001–2015; Nova Scotia‐PEI, 2006–2015; Quebec, 2008–2014; Ontario‐Manitoba, 2009–2015; British Columbia, 2012–2015. During the study period, the total number of ECTRs and rates per 100,000 exposures, respectively, were: United States, 40,258 and 65.7; United Kingdom, 343 and 232.6; Denmark, 616 and 305.5; Canada, 2709 and 177.5; case rates increased over time for the United States, Denmark, and Canada, but decreased in the United Kingdom. Across the United States and Denmark, HD was the preferred modality used. Toxins for which ECTR was most often used were: United States, ethylene glycol; Canada, methanol; United Kingdom, ethylene glycol; Denmark, salicylates. A high number of ECTRs were performed for atypical toxins such as acetaminophen and benzodiazepines. These data demonstrate a growing use of HD for poisoning with significant regional variations in the overall rates and indications.
Evolving antithrombotic treatment patterns for patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation

Objective We studied evolving antithrombotic therapy patterns in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 additional stroke risk factor between 2010 and 2015. Methods 39 670 patients were prospectively enrolled in four sequential cohorts in the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF): cohort C1 (2010–2011), n=5500; C2 (2011–2013), n=11 662; C3 (2013–2014), n=11 462; C4 (2014–2015), n=11 046. Baseline characteristics and antithrombotic therapy initiated at diagnosis were analysed by cohort. Results Baseline characteristics were similar across cohorts. Median CHA2DS2-VASc (cardiac failure, hypertension, age ≥75 (doubled), diabetes, stroke (doubled)-vascular disease, age 65–74 and sex category (female)) score was 3 in all four cohorts. From C1 to C4, the proportion of patients on anticoagulant (AC) therapy increased by almost 15% (C1 57.4%; C4 71.1%). Use of vitamin K antagonist (VKA)±antiplatelet (AP) (C1 53.2%; C4 34.0%) and AP monotherapy (C1 30.2%; C4 16.6%) declined, while use of non-VKA oral ACs (NOACs)±AP increased (C1 4.2%; C4 37.0%). Most CHA2DS2-VASc ≥2 patients received AC, and this proportion increased over time, largely driven by NOAC prescribing. NOACs were more frequently prescribed than VKAs in men, the elderly, patients of Asian ethnicity, those with dementia, or those using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and current smokers. VKA use was more common in patients with cardiac, vascular, or renal comorbidities. Conclusions Since NOACs were introduced, there has been an increase in newly diagnosed patients with AF at risk of stroke receiving guideline-recommended therapy, predominantly driven by increased use of NOACs and reduced use of VKA±AP or AP alone. Trial registration number NCT01090362; Pre-results.
Protective effect of Psidium guajava L. leaves ethanolic extract on doxorubicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

The objective of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of ethanolic extract of Psidium guajava L. leaves against doxorubicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Animals treated with doxorubicin (8mg/kg, i.p) once daily for 2 days significantly (P<0.05) increased Serum Urea, BUN, creatinine, total protein, LPO and significantly ( P <0.05) decreased CAT, SOD, GSH levels as compared to vehicle treated rats. Treatment with P. guajava (100 & 300 mg/kg, p.o) showed significant ( P <0.05) decrease in Serum Urea, BUN, creatinine, total protein, LPO and significant ( P <0.05) increase in CAT, SOD, GSH levels as compared to doxorubicin treated group. Histopathological examinations of kidney tissue showed that doxorubicin changed the renal architecture significantly which was less evident in P. guajava (100 mg/kg & 300 mg/kg) pre-treated rats. Results suggest that P. guajava extract has the potential to ameliorate doxorubicin induced nephrotoxicity and might serve as a novel combination agent with doxorubicin to limit renal damage.
Autoimmune thyroid disease and PTPN22 gene polymorphisms of the correlation analysis

Object: To analyze the relationship between PTPN22 gene polymorphism and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), and the relationship between SPTPN22 gene SNP and CTLA-4 gene SNP, in order to investigate the causes leading to AITD. Method: Selected 150 cases with Graves’ disease (GD) from February 2014 to March 2015 in our hospital. 135 healthy people were taken as control. A single allele-specific primer polymerase chain reaction technique (SASP-PCR) was to measure and analyze genotypes and alleles in GD and control groups. Result: In GD group and healthy control group, the distribution frequency of -1123 G>C was consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg genetic equilibrium law, as well as the distribution of CTLA-4 genotype. Comparing the genotype and allele distribution frequency of the two groups, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), as well as to CTLA-4. The rick of AITD with GG or AG genotype in CTLA-4 and CC genotype in PTPN22 was the 3.23 times of that with AA genotype in CTLA-4 and G genotype in PTPN22. Conclusion PTPN22 1123 G>C SNP genotypes might be related to the occurrence of AITD, and the C allele and the G of CTLA-4 gene could synergistically cause AITD.
Fluid-Solid-Electric Lock-In of Energy-Harvesting Piezoelectric Flags

The spontaneous flapping of a flag in a steady flow can be used to power an output circuit using piezoelectric elements positioned at its surface. Here, we study numerically the effect of inductive circuits on the dynamics of this fluid-solid-electric system and on its energy harvesting efficiency. In particular, a destabilization of the system is identified leading to energy harvesting at lower flow velocities. Also, a frequency lock-in between the flag and the circuit is shown to significantly enhance the system's harvesting efficiency. These results suggest promising efficiency enhancements of such flow energy harvesters through the output circuit optimization.
Emotional intellengence in university students

This study was conducted to determine the status of university students' emotional intelligence. The sample of this descriptive research is composed of students who have stuidied at a four year university. They are selected according to criteria of faculty and gender based on the random sampling. The data was collected using "Personal Information Form", Bar-On Emotional Intellegent Inventory. Mean, standard deviation, Independent Samples t-test, one way ANOVA tests were used for the evaluation. This study, female university students' emotional intelligence total scale and all of subscale of the mean scores were determined to be higher than male students. The emotional intellegence of the university students who are training in physical sciences was determined to be higher than that of students studying in other sections. The emotional intellegence of the university students who are training in the first class was determined to be higher than the students studying in other classes. Results: In this study, female university students' emotional intelligence total scale and all of subscale of the mean scores were determined to be higher than male students. The emotional intellegence of the university students who are training in physical sciences was determined to be higher than that of students studying in other sections. The emotional intellegence of the university students who are training in the first class was determined to be higher than the students studying in other classes. Keywords: University, student, emotional intelligence
Blockchain technology, bitcoin, and Ethereum: A brief overview

The blockchain technology is a relatively new approach in the field of information technologies. As one of its first implementations, bitcoin as a cryptocurrency has gained a lot of attention. Together with Ethereum, blockchain implementation with focus on smart contracts, they represent the very core of modern cryptocurrency development. This paper is meant to give a brief introduction to these topics.
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TURBULENT HEAT TRANSFER AND FLOW IN A ROTATING MULTIPLE - PASS SQUARE CHANNEL

Three-dimensional turbulent fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics are analyzed numerically for fluids flowing through a rotating periodical two-pass square channel. The two-pass channel is characterized by three parts: (1) a radial-inward straight channel, (2) 180-deg sharp turns, and (3) a radial-outward straight channel. The smooth walls of the two-pass channel are subject to a constant heat flux. A two-equation k-e turbulence model with modified terms for Coriolis and rotational buoyancy is employed to resolve this elliptic problem. The effects of rotational buoyancy are examined and discussed. It is found that adjacent the 180-deg turn, the rotational buoyancy effect on the local heat transfer is nearly negligible due to the relatively strong entrance effect of 180-deg turns. Downstream the entrance length, the changes in local heat transfer due to the rotational buoyancy in the radially outward flow are more significant than those in the radially inward flow. However, the channel averaged heat transfer is affected slightly by the rotational buoyancy. Whenever the buoyancy effects are sufficiently strong, the flow reversal appears over the leading face of the radial outward flow channel. A comparison of the present numerical results with the available experimental data by taking buoyancy into consideration is also presented.Copyright © 1997 by ASME
High-impedance differential applications with mismatched CTs

Applying high-impedance differential schemes with mismatched-ratio current transformers (CTs) is generally discouraged. However, in instances where facilities are being expanded, new circuit breakers and CTs may have different ratings than the existing equipment, making it necessary to modify purchase standards to match the existing equipment. Techniques have been developed to allow this application when necessary. Each of the methods has advantages and drawbacks that must be considered in determining the best solution for the application. One easy solution is to tap a higher-ratio CT at a matching tap. For this solution, general guidance has cautioned that those considering applying a high-impedance scheme across a partial CT secondary winding tap must evaluate the effect of the higher voltage on the insulation of the circuit components connected to the other terminals of the CT. This paper investigates the issue in detail, including results of testing CTs in a high-current test facility, to provide practical guidance to practicing engineers in determining the risks and application considerations.
Evaluation of Spectral Disease Index PMI to Detect Early Wheat Powdery Mildew using Hyperspectral Imagery Data

Powdery mildew is one of the most widely destructive plant diseases, particularly infecting winter wheat. Early detection of wheat powdery mildew is of importance, which is useful to reduce economic costs and environmental pollution. However, difficulties emerge at early development stages, due to slight variations of the characteristic symptoms. Fortunately, hyperspectral reflectance imaging has been proven as a powerful tool to detecting early disease severity in plant. In this study, hyperspectral imagery data of leaves were acquired at early stages of the disease in winter wheat. It was demonstrated that early powdery mildew could induce observable spectral changes in both visible and near infrared regions. Given that, powdery mildew indices (PMI) were constructed and showed the capability of distinguishing between normal and diseased leaves, although it displayed poor effects for differentiating disease-damaged levels of early powdery mildew and estimating disease severity. However, further study was carried out by combination of hyperspectral vegetation indices closely related to plant diseases. It was noticeable that the model of three indices of PRI, PSRI and ARI significantly increased the classification accuracy of various early disease levels, and the regression model of PMI, PSRI and ARI apparently improved the estimation accuracy of disease severity. These valuable results could be used to prevent the development and the spread of the disease, and particularly beneficial to develop a portable or automated sensor in precision agriculture. © 2018 Friends Science Publishers
Constrained evolution of the sex comb in Drosophila simulans

Male fitness is dependent on sexual traits that influence mate acquisition (precopulatory sexual selection) and paternity (post‐copulatory sexual selection), and although many studies have documented the form of selection in one or the other of these arenas, fewer have done it for both. Nonetheless, it appears that the dominant form of sexual selection is directional, although theoretically, populations should converge on peaks in the fitness surface, where selection is stabilizing. Many factors, however, can prevent populations from reaching adaptive peaks. Genetic constraints can be important if they prevent the development of highest fitness phenotypes, as can the direction of selection if it reverses across episodes of selection. In this study, we examine the evidence that these processes influence the evolution of the multivariate sex comb morphology of male Drosophila simulans. To do this, we conduct a quantitative genetic study together with a multivariate selection analysis to infer how the genetic architecture and selection interact. We find abundant genetic variance and covariance in elements of the sex comb. However, there was little evidence for directional selection in either arena. Significant nonlinear selection was detected prior to copulation when males were mated to nonvirgin females, and post‐copulation during sperm offence (again with males mated to nonvirgins). Thus, contrary to our predictions, the evolution of the D. simulans sex comb is limited neither by genetic constraints nor by antagonistic selection between pre‐ and post‐copulatory arenas, but nonlinear selection on the multivariate phenotype may prevent sex combs from evolving to reach some fitness maximizing optima.
An Energy-Efficient Sleep Scheduling With QoS Consideration in 3GPP LTE-Advanced Networks for Internet of Things

With the design of data communications in mind, 3GPP LTE-advanced (LTE-A) is probably the most promising technology for Internet of Things (IoT). For IoT applications, continuous low-rate streaming data may be reported from devices over a long period of time, imposing stringent requirements on power saving. To manage power consumption, 3GPP LTE-A has defined the discontinuous reception/transmission (DRX/DTX) mechanism to allow devices to turn off their radio interfaces and go to sleep in various patterns. Existing literature has paid much attention to evaluate the performance of DRX/DTX; however, how to tune DRX/DTX parameters to optimize energy cost is still left open. This paper addresses the DRX/DTX optimization, by asking how to maximize the sleep periods of devices while guarantee their quality-of-service (QoS), especially on the aspects of traffic bit-rate, packet delay, and packet loss rate in IoT applications. Efficient schemes to optimize DRX/DTX parameters and schedule devices' packets with the base station are proposed. The key idea of our schemes is to balance the impacts between QoS parameters and DRX/DTX configurations. Simulation results show that our schemes can guarantee traffic bit-rate, packet delay, and packet loss rate while save energy of user equipments .
Modulation of the Cellular Accumulation and Intracellular Activity of Daptomycin towards Phagocytized Staphylococcus aureus by the P-Glycoprotein (MDR1) Efflux Transporter in Human THP-1 Macrophages and Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Cells

ABSTRACT P-glycoprotein (P-gp; MDR1), a major efflux transporter, recognizes various antibiotics and is present in macrophages. We have examined its effect on the modulation of the intracellular accumulation and activity of daptomycin towards phagocytized Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) in human THP-1 macrophages, in comparison with MDCK epithelial cells (wild type and MDCK-MDR1 overexpressing P-gp; the bulk of the protein was immunodetected at the surface of all three cell types). Daptomycin displayed concentration-dependent intracellular activity (Hill equation pattern) in THP-1 and MDCK cells with (i) 50% effective drug extracellular concentration (EC50; relative potency) and static concentrations at 9 to 10 times the MIC and (ii) maximal efficacy (Emax; CFU decrease at infinite extracellular drug concentration) at 1.6 to 2 log compared to that of the postphagocytosis inoculum. Verapamil (100 μM) and elacridar (GF 120918; 0.5 μM), two known inhibitors of P-gp, decreased daptomycin EC50 (about threefold) in THP-1 and MDCK cells without affecting Emax. Daptomycin EC50 was about three- to fourfold higher and accumulation in MDCK-MDR1 commensurately lower than in wild-type cells. In THP-1 macrophages, (i) verapamil and ATP depletion increased, and ouabain (an inducer of mdr1 [the gene encoding P-gp] expression) decreased the accumulation of daptomycin in parallel with that of DiOC2 (a known substrate of P-gp); (ii) silencing mdr1 with duplex human mdr1 siRNAs reduced the cell content in immunoreactive P-gp to 15 to 30% of controls and caused an eight- to 13-fold increase in daptomycin accumulation. We conclude that daptomycin is subject to efflux from THP-1 macrophages and MDCK cells by P-gp, which reduces its intracellular activity against phagocytized S. aureus.
The role of mantle residuum in subduction-driven circulation: Implications for the Cascades system

This paper investigates the role of upper mantle heterogeneity on circulation. We utilize a kinematic laboratory subduction model that drives multiple styles of three-dimensional, time dependent mantle circulation that interacts with residuum left behind after a major melt production and extraction event. Models of mantle-residuum interaction highlight the impact of melt-induced mantle chemical heterogeneity can have on return flow in convergent margins. Wedge chemical heterogeneity and subsequent melting influence mass and energy transport to the Earth’s surface. These models are designed to represent aspects of the Cascadia subduction zone of the Pacific Northwest U.S., a geologically challenging area where the ~20 Ma Columbia River/Steens flood basalt (CSFB) event transitions to the age-progressive volcanic tracks along the High Lava Plains (HLP) and Snake River Plain-Yellowstone (SRP). This region is a focal point for debate over the applicability of mantle plume models. A series of lab models have tested plume or non-plume explanations for the CascadesYellowstone volcanism. We report on non-plume results that indicate that a nonplume explanation, in which trench-normal volcanic tracks form naturally from deformation of residuum from a CSFB-type event. Melt generating patterns show that our models readily explain bimodal melting beneath the HLP and SRP regions and the westward progression of melt beneath the HLP. However, replicating the ageprogressive melting patterns under the SRP remains a challenge for these experiments.
Effects of breeder age and pre-incubation storage of eggs on hatchability, time of hatch and relative organ weight of quail chicks at hatch

Two thousand four hundred quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) hatching eggs were used to determine the effects of breeder age and pre-incubation storage time on egg traits, hatching traits and the growth of some selected organs in newly hatched chicks. Eggs from two non-commercial flocks (aged 10 vs. 40 weeks) of the same strain were incubated. Eggs were stored for 4 or 14 days prior to incubation. All eggs were set in an experimental setter and incubated under uniform conditions for approximately 19 days (448 h). Fresh egg weight, chick weight and percentage yolk weight were significantly higher in eggs obtained from breeders at 40 weeks of age than from those of 10 weeks of age, whereas percentage albumen weight was significantly higher in eggs obtained from 10 wk old breeders. There were significant storage period x hen age interactions for water loss in chicks, early embryonic death, late embryonic death, deaths during internal and external pipping, and hatchability of fertile eggs. From 405 h to 441 h of incubation, the percentage of hatched chicks was influenced by the storage period x breeder age interaction. The jejunum length of chicks from 40 wk old breeders was longer when eggs were stored for 4 days compared to 14 days. At hatch, chick liver weight as a percentage of live weight was higher when eggs obtained from 10 wk old breeders were stored for 4 days compared to 14 days. It was concluded that the effects of extended storage time on hatching traits were different for eggs laid by young compared to old breeders.