Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meteorological context of the onset and end of the rainy season in Central Amazonia during the 2014–15 Go-Amazon Experiment

The onset and demise of the rainy season in Amazonia are assessed in this study using meteorological data from 15 the GoAmazon experiment, with focus is on the 2014-15 rainy season. In addition, global reanalyses are also used to identify changes in circulation leading to the establishment of the rainy season in the region. Our results show that the onset occurred in January 2015, 2-3 pentads later than normal, and the rainy season during austral summer of 2015 exhibited several periods with consecutive dry days in both Manacapuru and Manaus, which are not common for the wet season, and resulted in below normal precipitation. The onset of the rainy season has been strongly associated with changes in large20 scale weather conditions in the region due to the effect of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Regional thermodynamic indices and the height of the boundary layer did not present a significant difference between the onset and demise of the wet season of 2015. This suggests that local changes such the regional thermodynamic characteristics may not have influenced its onset. Thus, variability of the large-scale circulation was responsible for regional convection and rainfall changes in Amazonia during the austral summer of 2014-15. 25
A new species of Euscorpius (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) from southern Bulgaria

A new scorpion species, Euscorpius drenskii sp. nov., is described from the Western Rhodope Mts. in sou- thern Bulgaria. It is characterized by an oligotrichous trichobothrial pattern, which shows a conspicuous loss of one trichobothrium in the external median patellar series (em = 3), also observed in E. carpathicus (Linnaeus, 1767) and the subgenus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein, Fet, Largiader & Scholl, 1999. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA marker sequences does not show any close relationship between these three groups, suggesting that the observed loss of a trichobothrium is an independent event.
NEM® Brand Eggshell Membrane Effective in the Treatment of Pain and Stiffness Associated with Osteoarthritis of the Knee in an Italian Study Population

A single-center, open-label clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NEM® as a natural treatment for pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis of the knee in an Italian population. NEM® brand eggshell membrane is a unique dietary supplement that contains naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans and proteins essential for maintaining healthy joints and connective tissues. Twenty-five subjects received oral NEM®, 500 mg once daily for four weeks. The primary outcome measure was to evaluate the mean effectiveness of NEM® in relieving general pain associated with moderate osteoarthritis of the knee at 10 and 30 days utilizing a 10-question, abbreviated questionnaire based on the WOMAC osteoarthritis questionnaire. Supplementation with NEM® produced a significant treatment response from baseline at both 10 days and 30 days for composite pain (40.6% reduction, p p p = 0.009; 59.7% reduction, p ® is an effective and safe natural therapeutic option for the treatment of both pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Supplementation with NEM®, 500 mg taken once daily, significantly reduced both pain and stiffness rapidly (10 days) and this effect continued to improve through 30 days. There was also a meaningful reduction in the amount of analgesic consumed on a weekly basis, which further enhanced patients’ safety.
Inability to empathize following traumatic brain injury

This study examines: (a) the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on emotional empathy, (b) the relationship between emotional empathy and neuropsychological ability, and (c) the influence of low emotional empathy on measures of affect. Eighty-nine patients completed the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES), a number of neuropsychological tests, some of which were ecologically valid tests of executive ability, plus two measures of affect, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The TBI cohort showed a high frequency (60.7%) of low emotional empathy scores compared to the control group (31%). There was no relationship between injury severity and the ability to empathize, or between emotional empathy and neuropsychological performance. There was no evidence to suggest that low scores on affective measures influenced emotional empathy scores. A high proportion of TBI patients lack the ability to empathize, but the deficit does not appear related to any specific cognitive impairment and cannot be predicted by measures of affect. (JINS, 2008, 14, 289–296.)
What Factors Are Associated With Grade Acceleration?: An Analysis and Comparison of Two U.S. Databases

The benefits of whole-grade acceleration for the highest achieving students in K-12 education are widely acknowledged. However, much less is known about which personal, family, and school factors are correlated with student acceleration. Which children are grade accelerated in K-7 education? Have factors associated with grade acceleration changed over time? We analyze data from the NELS (students from 1988-1992) and the ELS (students from 2002-2004) nationally representative and longitudinal databases to answer these questions. Other things being equal, females, Asian Americans, and students living on the U.S. east or west coast were more likely to be grade accelerated. For example, females had odds of being accelerated that were 1.3 times higher than the odds of males being accelerated. Students from the northeastern region of the U.S. had odds of acceleration that were nearly twice (1.9 times) as high as Midwest students’ odds of acceleration. When accelerated students were compared to older classmates of similar achievement who were not accelerated, the accelerated students showed greater gains in achievement than nonaccelerated classmates in and throughout high school. In other words, accelerated students do not just keep up with their older classmates, they actually perform better.
High-resolution interpolar difference of atmospheric methane around the Last Glacial Maximum

Abstract. Reconstructions of past atmospheric methane concentrations are available from ice cores from both Greenland and Antarctica. The difference observed between the two polar methane concentration levels represents a valuable constraint on the geographical location of the methane sources. Here we present new high-resolution methane records from the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) and the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) Dronning Maud Land (EDML) ice cores covering Termination 1, the Last Glacial Maximum, and parts of the last glacial back to 32 000 years before present. Due to the high resolution of the records, the synchronisation between the ice cores from NGRIP and EDML is considerably improved, and the interpolar concentration difference of methane is determined with unprecedented precision and temporal resolution. Relative to the mean methane concentration, we find a rather stable positive relative interpolar difference throughout the record with its minimum value of 3.7 ± 0.7 % between 21 900–21 200 years before present, which is higher than previously estimated in this interval close to the Last Glacial Maximum. This implies that Northern Hemisphere boreal wetland sources were never completely shut off during the peak glacial, as suggested from previous bipolar methane concentration records. Starting at 21 000 years before present, i.e. several millennia prior to the transition into the Holocene, the relative interpolar difference becomes even more positive and stays at a fairly stable level of 6.5 ± 0.8 % during Termination 1. We thus find that the boreal and tropical methane sources increased by approximately the same factor during Termination 1. We hypothesise that latitudinal shifts in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the monsoon system contribute, either by dislocation of the methane source regions or, in case of the ITCZ, also by changing the relative atmospheric volumes of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, to the subtle variations in the relative interpolar concentration difference on glacial/interglacial as well as on millennial time scales.
Screening older cancer patients: first evaluation of the G-8 geriatric screening tool.

BACKGROUND Development of a geriatric screening tool is necessary to identify elderly cancer patients who would benefit from comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). We develop and evaluate the G-8 screening tool against various reference tests. PATIENTS AND METHODS Analyses were based on 364 cancer patients aged>70 years scheduled to receive first-line chemotherapy included in a multicenter prospective study. The G-8 consists of seven items from the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire and age. Our primary reference test is based on a set of seven CGA scales: Activities Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental ADL, MNA, Mini-Mental State Exam, Geriatric Depression Scale, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatrics, and Timed Get Up and Go. We considered the presence of at least one questionnaire with an impaired score as an abnormal reference exam. Additional reference exams are also discussed. RESULTS The prevalence of being at risk varied from 60% to 94% according to the various definitions of the reference test. When considering the primary reference test, a cut-off value of 14 for the G-8 tool provided a good sensitivity estimate (85%) without deteriorating the specificity excessively (65%). CONCLUSION The G-8 shows good screening properties for identifying elderly cancer patients who could benefit from CGA.
Cytologic patterns of lymph node diseases in Hawassa University Referral Hospital, Southern Ethiopia

Background: Lymphadenopathy is becoming common pathological prblem in most part of the world. There is a wide variation in the pattern of disease in different ethinic groups and in various countries. The knowledge of the pattern of these diseases in a given geographical region is essential for making a confident diagnosis of suspecting a disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the cytological patterns of lymph node diseases in patient attended Hawassa University referral hospital.Methods: A five years retrospective study was conducted on fine needle aspiration cytology report of patient referred to pathology laboratory of Hawassa University referral hospital from September, 2009 to September, 2014.Results: A total of 1,067 lymph nodes were aspirated in the study period. Cervical lymphadenophathy was the most frequent (48.82%) followed by submandibular (22.77%) lymph nodes. The second decade was the most affected age group while age group above 60 was less frequent. Tuberculosis lymphadenitis was highest (48.82%), chronic non-specific lymphadenitis (20.33%), reactive (16.21%), pyogenic abscess (5.99%) and the rest were malignant. Conclusion: Lymphadenopathy can be associated with a wide range of disorders however; tuberculosis lymphadenitis is the most common cause of enlarged lymph node in the study area.
The MELD score in advanced liver disease: association with clinical portal hypertension and mortality.

BACKGROUND The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is a measure of chronic liver disease severity. Patients awaiting transplantation are assessed using this score. However, it has recently been suggested that changes in MELD score may be as important as the absolute MELD score in predicting short-term survival. However, clinical factors that affect the MELD score are unknown. We sought to identify predictors of mortality for potential transplant patients and examine factors that might predict changes in MELD score. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between January 1, 2002, and July 30, 2004, we retrospectively examined risk factors of 429 adult patients awaiting liver transplantation at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Analysis of the data was performed using demographics, manifestations of portal hypertension, time between last MELD recorded and event, and laboratory values. Significant factors in univariate analysis were further studied using Cox proportional hazards regression multivariate analysis. RESULTS At mean follow-up of 2.15 years (+/-1.49 years), 71 patients (16.5%) had MELD scores that increased 5-10 points, 22 had changes of 10-15 points, and 14 had changes of 15-20 points. Manifestations of portal hypertension, laboratory values, and etiology of liver disease did not predict changes in MELD score. However, development of hepatic encephalopathy (HR, 3.95; P=.002; 95% CI, 1.70 to 9.42) and MELD score (HR, 1.04; P=.001; 95% CI, 1.004 to 1.08) were associated with variceal bleeding. Also, MELD score (HR, 1.07; P<.001; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.09), refractory ascites (HR, 2.15; P=.002; 95% CI, 1.31 to 3.53), and alcoholic cirrhosis (HR, 0.40; P=.04; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.94) were independent predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS Encephalopathy and MELD score were associated with variceal bleeding. Patients with an elevated MELD score, refractory ascites, and alcoholic cirrhosis had increased mortality while on the liver transplant list. No factors predicting changes in the MELD score were identified.
Surface roughness of Ti6Al4V after heat treatment evaluated by artificial neural networks

Abstract The study examines how, using wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM), the microstructural, mechanical and conductivity characteristics of the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V are changed as a result of heat treatment and the effect they have on machinability.Scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical microscope and X-ray diffraction (XRD) examinations were performed to determine various characteristics and additionally related microhardness and conductivity measurements were conducted. L18 Taquchi test design was performed with three levels and six different parameters to determine the effect of such alterations on its machinability using WEDM and post-processing surface roughness (Ra) values were determined. Micro-changes were ensured successfully by using heat treatments. Results obtained with the optimization technique of artificial neural network (ANN) presented minimum surface roughness. Values obtained by using response surface method along with this equation were completely comparable with those achieved in the experiments. The best surface roughness value was obtained from sample D which had a tempered martensite structure.
Coccolithophore surface distributions in the North Atlantic and their modulation of the air-sea flux of CO 2 from 10 years of satellite Earth observation data

Coccolithophores are the primary oceanic phytoplankton responsible for the production of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). These climatically important plankton play a key role in the oceanic carbon cycle as a major contributor of carbon to the open ocean carbonate pump (~50%) and their calcification can affect the atmosphere-to-ocean (air-sea) uptake of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) through increasing the seawater partial pressure of CO 2 ( p CO 2 ). Here we document variations in the areal extent of surface blooms of the globally important coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, in the North Atlantic over a 10-year period (1998–2007), using Earth observation data from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). We calculate the annual mean sea surface areal coverage of E. huxleyi in the North Atlantic to be 474 000 ± 104 000 km 2 , which results in a net CaCO 3 carbon (CaCO 3 -C) production of 0.14–1.71 Tg CaCO 3 -C per year. However, this surface coverage (and, thus, net production) can fluctuate inter-annually by −54/+8% about the mean value and is strongly correlated with the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate oscillation index ( r =0.75, p E. huxleyi blooms in the North Atlantic can increase the p CO 2 and, thus, decrease the localised air-sea flux of atmospheric CO 2 . In regions where the blooms are prevalent, the average reduction in the monthly air-sea CO 2 flux can reach 55%. The maximum reduction of the monthly air-sea CO 2 flux in the time series is 155%. This work suggests that the high variability, frequency and distribution of these calcifying plankton and their impact on p CO 2 should be considered if we are to fully understand the variability of the North Atlantic air-to-sea flux of CO 2 . We estimate that these blooms can reduce the annual N. Atlantic net sink atmospheric CO 2 by between 3–28%.
Lung cancer in Brazil: epidemiology and treatment challenges

Lung cancer persists throughout the world as a major cause of death. In 2014, data from the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA) estimated 16.400 new cases of lung cancer among men (second most common) and 10.930 new cases among women (fourth most common). These data are consistent for all Brazilian regions and reflect the trends of cancer in the country over the last decade. Brazil is a continental country, the largest in Latin America and fifth in the world, with an estimated population of >200 million. Although the discrepancy in the national income between rich and poor has diminished in the last 2 decades, it is still huge. More than 75% of the Brazilian population do not have private health insurance and rely on the national health care system, where differences in standard of cancer care are evident. It is possible to point out differences from the recommendations of international guidelines in every step of the lung cancer care, from the diagnosis to the treatment of advanced disease. This review aims to describe and recognize these differences as a way to offer a real discussion for future modifications and action points toward delivery of better oncology care in our country.
MAP Moving Horizon state estimation with binary measurements

The paper addresses state estimation for discrete-time systems with binary (threshold) measurements by following a Maximum A posteriori Probability (MAP) approach and exploiting a Moving Horizon (MH) approximation of the MAP cost-function. It is shown that, for a linear system and noise distributions with log-concave probability density function, the proposed MH-MAP state estimator involves the solution, at each sampling interval, of a convex optimization problem. Application of the MH-MAP estimator to dynamic estimation of a diffusion field given pointwise-in-time-and-space binary measurements of the field is also illustrated and, finally, simulation results relative to this application are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Investigations of Naphthalene-Based 1,2,3-Triazole Systems for Anion Sensing

Detailed Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy investigations on a novel naphthalene-substituted 1,2,3-triazole-based fluorescence sensor provided evidence for the “turn-on” detection of anions. The one-step, facile synthesis of the sensors was implemented using the “Click chemistry” approach in good yield. When investigated for selectivity and sensitivity against a series of anions (F−, Cl−, Br−, I−, H2PO4−, ClO4−, OAc−, and BF4−), the sensor displayed the strongest fluorometric response for the fluoride anion. NMR and fluorescence spectroscopic studies validate a 1:1 binding stoichiometry between the sensor and the fluoride anion. Single crystal X-ray diffraction evidence revealed the structure of the sensor in the solid state.
Low latency Solution for Confidentiality and Integrity Checking in Embedded Systems with Off-Chip Memory

This paper proposes a complete hardware solution for embedded systems that fully protects off-chip memory. Our security core is based on one-time pad (OTP) encryption and a CRC integrity check module. These modules safeguard external memories for embedded processors against a series of well-known attacks, including replay attacks, spoofing attacks and relocation attacks. The implementation limits memory space overhead to 18.25 or 32.75%. It also reduces memory latency from 22 cycles for an alternate approach to 11 or 3 clock cycles depending on desired performance. The loss for software execution with our solution is only 10% compared with a non-protected solution. A FPGA-based implementation of the security core has been completed to gauge the security overhead and to compare our approach with existing solutions.
Blueberry husks and multi-strain probiotics affect colonic fermentation in rats

The aim was to investigate how blueberry husks and/or mixtures of probiotic strains (Lactobacillus crispatus DSM16743, L. gasseri DSM16737 and L. plantarum DSM15313 (LABmix), or Bifidobacterium infantis DSM15159 and DSM15161 (BIFmix)) affect colonic fermentation, caecal counts of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae, body weight gain, and blood concentrations of carboxylic acids (CA) and ammonia in rats. Dietary fibres in blueberry husks were fermented to 61 % in colon, and the elevated faecal excretion of fibre and protein contributed to the high faecal bulking capacity (1·3). The caecal pool of CA was higher in rats fed blueberry husks than the fibre-free control (P < 0·05), and the propionic acid proportion was higher in the distal colon than in the control group (P < 0·05). Probiotics lowered the caecal amount of CA when added to blueberry husks (P < 0·001), while the propionic acid proportion was higher with LABmix (P < 0·01) than blueberry husks only. The propionic acid and butyric acid concentrations in blood were higher in rats fed blueberry husks and probiotics than those fed blueberry husks only (P < 0·01), implying that the absorption of these acids was facilitated by the bacteria. The caecal counts of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae were lower in rats fed blueberry husks than the control diet (P < 0·05). The body weight gain was partly influenced by the caecal tissue and contents weights, and BIFmix decreased the ammonia concentration in blood (P < 0·05). We conclude that colonic fermentation is differentially affected by dietary fibre and probiotics, which may be of importance when developing foods with certain health effects.
Suicide as an outcome for mental disorders

Background Mental disorders have a strong association with suicide. This meta-analysis, or statistical overview, of the literature gives an estimate of the suicide risk of the common mental disorders. Method We searched the medical literature to find reports on the mortality of mental disorders. English language reports were located on MEDLINE (1966–1993) with the search terms mental disorders', ‘brain injury’, ‘eating disorders’, ‘epilepsy’, ‘suicide attempt’, ‘psychosurgery’, with ‘mortality’ and ‘follow-up studies’, and from the reference lists of these reports. We abstracted 249 reports with two years or more follow-up and less than 10% loss of subjects, and compared observed numbers of suicides with those expected. A standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated for each disorder. Results Of 44 disorders considered, 36 have a significantly raised SMR for suicide, five have a raised SMR which fails to reach significance, one SMR is not raised and for two entries the SMR could not be calculated. Conclusions If these results can be generalised then virtually all mental disorders have an increased risk of suicide excepting mental retardation and dementia. The suicide risk is highest for functional and lowest for organic disorders with substance misuse disorders lying between. However, within these broad groupings the suicide risk varies widely.