Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of hydrocortisone on the sciatic nerve crus h injury in adult rat - a light microscopic study

A wide range of agents including corticosteroids & vitamin-C have been shown to possess some neuro-regenerative effect in peripheral nerve injury, but histopathological support for such claims remains scanty. Therefore, the present study was planned to assess the role of local administration of hydorcortisone in the healing of experimentally induced sciatic nerve crush injury. 30 rats obtained from the central animal facility were divided into one control and four experimental groups of 6 rats each. Walking track prints of each animal was taken before induction of injury and at weekly intervals postoperatively. Under general anaesthesia and aseptic condition the sciatic nerve crush-injury was induced in the mid-thigh region with Kocher’s forceps. 0.5 ml of cortisol was instilled at the site of injury and wound was closed. The 2nd dose of cortisol was given after two weeks. Sciatic nerve function was assessed from the walking track analyses. At the end of the study period (3 to 6 weeks), animals were sacrificed and nerves were immersion fixed in Karnovsky’s fixative. Tissue samples were either stained en-block with Osmic acid or 07-10 μm thick paraffin sections were stained with H& E, Cresyl violet & Luxol fast blue and Van Gieson’s stain. It was observed that the animal on the operated side developed weakness, had altered gait and revealed lengthening of foot prints. The sciatic nerve function index ranged from -70 to -55 at 1 and 6 weeks post-operatively. Light microscopy- as compared to control, after one week of injury the nerve fibres were swollen, showed fragmentation by 3 weeks and complete degeneration along with marked removal of debris of degeneration by six weeks. Macrophages were associated with degenerating myelin sheath and Schwann cells along with the endoneurial fibroblasts showed remarkable proliferation and were visible as prominent fascicles alternating with the degenerating nerve fibres. However, during the period of study no intact nerve fibre was seen to cross the actual site of nerve injury. It was concluded, that though the local administration of hydrocorticsone appears to perceptibly improve the functional recovery, absence of concomitant supportive histopathological findings remains to be explained and therefore, the topical use of steroids to either reduce the post-injury nerve dysfunction or improve nerve regeneration warrants further study.
Three LINERs under the Chandra X-Ray Microscope

We use observations of three galaxies hosting low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs; NGC 404, NGC 4736, and NGC 4579) with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to study their power sources. We find very diverse properties within this small group: NGC 404 has an X-ray faint nucleus with a soft, thermal spectrum; NGC 4736 harbors a plethora of discrete X-ray sources in and around its nucleus; and NGC 4579 has a dominant nuclear point source embedded in a very extended, diffuse nebulosity. From their multiwavelength properties we conclude the following about the power sources in these LINERs: the nucleus of NGC 404 is the site of a weak, compact starburst, whose X-ray emission is due to gas heated by stellar winds and supernovae; NGC 4736 appears to be in a recent or aging starburst phase, where the X-ray emission is dominated by a dense cluster of X-ray binaries; and NGC 4579 is powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole. We detect 39 discrete sources in NGC 4736 and 21 in NGC 4579, most with LX > 1037 ergs s-1. One source in the disk of NGC 4579 appears to be an ultraluminous X-ray binary with LX(2-10 keV) = 9 × 1039 ergs s-1, but it could also be a background quasar. The most luminous discrete sources have simple power-law spectra, which along with their luminosities suggest that these are X-ray binaries accreting near or above the Eddington rate for a neutron star. By comparing the luminosity functions of discrete X-ray sources in these and other galaxies, we find a potential connection between the age of the stellar population and the slope of the cumulative X-ray luminosity function: galaxies with primarily old stellar populations have steeper X-ray luminosity functions than starburst galaxies. We suggest that this difference results from the contribution of high-mass X-ray binaries from the young stellar population to the upper end of the luminosity function.
Cured of Primary Bone Cancer, But at What Cost: A Qualitative Study of Functional Impairment and Lost Opportunities

Purpose. Our study aims to explore how former cancer patients experience physical and psychosocial late effects 3–7 years after they underwent treatment for primary bone sarcoma in the hip/pelvic region. A qualitative, phenomenological, and hermeneutic design was applied. Methods. Sarcoma survivors (n = 10) previously treated at Oslo University Hospital, Norwegian Radium Hospital were selected to participate. In-depth and semistructured interviews were conducted. The interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results. The participants reported that the late effects had three core spheres of impact: “their current daily life,” “their future opportunities,” and “their identity. ” They expressed negative changes in activity, increased dependence on others, and exclusion from participation in different areas. Their daily life, work, sports activities, and social life were all affected. Several of their experiences are similar to those described by people with functional impairment or disability. Conclusion. Patients cured of bone cancer in the hip/pelvic region pay a significant price in terms of functional impairment, practical challenges, exclusion from important aspects of life, and loss of previous identity. It is important to appreciate this in order to help bone cancer survivors who struggle to reorient their life and build a secure new identity.
Occurrence of macrofungi on the Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu, southern India

A groundwork survey of marcofungi was carried out in three forest sites on the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu, southern India. A total of 39 species, belonging to 26 genera in 16 families were recorded in the three study sites. Of the 39 species, 9 species (23%) were common in all the sites. The species colonizing different substrates varied considerably across the sites. More number of species were recorded from soil (50.8%) and leaf litter scored very poor (9.5%) in all the sites. This study gives some insight into the macrofungal composition in tropical dry evergreen forest type, not studied so far.
Modeling the Global Fate and Transport of Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanoate (PFO) Emitted from Direct Sources Using a Multispecies Mass Balance Model

The global-scale fate and transport processes of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanoate (PFO) emitted from direct sources were simulated using a multispecies mass balance model over the period 1950 to 2010. The main goal of this study was to assess the atmospheric and oceanic long-range transport potential of direct source emissions and the implications for the contamination of terrestrial and marine systems worldwide. Consistent with previous modeling studies, ocean transport was found to be the dominant pathway for delivering PFO(A) associated with direct sources to the Arctic marine environment, regardless of model assumptions. The modeled concentrations for surface ocean waters were insensitive to assumptions regarding physical−chemical properties and emission mode of entry and were in reasonable agreement with available monitoring data from the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, model outputs characterizing atmospheric transport potential were highly sensitive to model assumptions, espec.
Field Data from a Capillary Barrier and Model Predictions with UNSAT-H

Water balance data are presented from a capillary barrier test section located on the final cover of a municipal solid waste landfill in a semiarid region (E. Wenatchee, Washington, U.S.). Water balance and meteorological data were collected from November 1992 to August 1995. Estimates of the water balance were made using the water balance program UNSAT-H, with input consisting of meteorological data, soil properties, and vegetative information. Estimates of evapotranspiration and soil-water storage by UNSAT-H agree reasonably well with the field data. Peak soil-water storage was under estimated during the winter and evapotranspiration was overestimated in late winter. Water contents were estimated reasonably, although the changes in water content of the sand obtained from UNSAT-H were not as large as, and occurred less quickly than, that in the field. Percolation was generally overestimated, with the greatest overestimation occurring during Winter 1993, which had substantial snowfall. Surface runoff was underestimated; no runoff was obtained from UNSAT-H, whereas 7.4 cm of runoff was measured in the field. The overestimates in percolation appear to be closely related to underestimates in runoff and extra storage in the sand layer caused by the geocomposite drain used in the test section. Snowmelt, freezing of the soil surface, and hysteresis in soil hydraulic properties also appear to have had an effect on the differences between estimated and measured water balances.
Mapping different forms of mobility in the Milan urban region

The increase in urban mobility is one of the key issues of contemporary cities. The need for new types of data and representations useful to describe the new forms of daily urban mobility is widely known. The wider urban scale – named urban region – is the scale at which most of the urban and socio-economical phenomena are visible. Urban growth patterns, settlements and activities distribution, demographics and economics dynamics can be fully understood and interpreted at this macro scale, which is not recognizable on the administrative boundaries. The aim of this paper is to present three approaches to mobility mapping based on different data sources, both traditional and innovative, for the Milan urban region (Northern Italy). Traditional sources for the analysis of daily mobility are Census data or surveys based on interviews to mobile populations. They provide a very partial picture of the mobility practices in urban areas, because they collect only flows for job and study purposes. Innovative sources of data are mobile phone activity data that have been used for building a sequence of mobility maps in a typical working day. The Main Map is therefore composed of two parts: a representation of systematic and non-systematic mobility in the Milan urban region; and a sequence of maps created by using telephone traffic data showing daily mobility patterns. These maps can provide useful information for understanding the recent changes that had occurred in the Milan urban region, but they can also offer a methodological reference for the analysis of mobility in general.
Antibiotic use and inflammatory bowel diseases in childhood

Background The composition of the intestinal microflora has been proposed as an important factor in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Antibiotics have the potential to alter the composition of the intestinal microflora. A study was undertaken to evaluate the potential association between use of antibiotics and IBD in childhood. Methods A nationwide cohort study was conducted of all Danish singleton children born from 1995 to 2003 (N=577 627) with individual-level information on filled antibiotic prescriptions, IBD and potential confounding variables. Using Poisson regression, rate ratios (RRs) of IBD were calculated according to antibiotic use. Antibiotic use was classified according to time since use, type, number of courses used and age at use. Results IBD was diagnosed in 117 children during 3 173 117 person-years of follow-up. The RR of IBD was 1.84 (95% CI 1.08 to 3.15) for antibiotic users compared with non-users. This association appeared to be an effect on Crohn's disease (CD) alone (RR 3.41) and was strongest in the first 3 months following use (RR 4.43) and among children with ≥7 courses of antibiotics (RR 7.32). Conclusions Antibiotic use is common in childhood and its potential as an environmental risk factor for IBD warrants scrutiny. This is the first prospective study to show a strong association between antibiotic use and CD in childhood. However, as with any observational study, causality cannot be inferred from our results and confounding by indication—in particular, prescribing of antibiotics to children with intestinal symptoms of as yet undiagnosed CD—should also be considered as a possible explanation.
Coupling between atmospheric layers in gaseous giant planets due to lightning‐generated electromagnetic pulses

Atmospheric electricity has been detected in all gaseous giants of our solar system and is therefore likely present also in extrasolar planets. Building upon measurements from Saturn and Jupiter, we investigate how the electromagnetic pulse emitted by a lightning stroke affects upper layers of a gaseous giant. This effect is probably significantly stronger than that on Earth. We find that electrically active storms may create a localized but long‐lasting layer of enhanced ionization of up to 103 cm−3 free electrons below the ionosphere, thus extending the ionosphere downward. We also estimate that the electromagnetic pulse transports 107 J to 1010 J toward the ionosphere. There emissions of light of up to 108 J would create a transient luminous event analogous to a terrestrial “elve. ”
Equatorial sea-surface temperatures for the Maastrichtian revealed through remarkable preservation of metastable carbonate

The classic paleotemperature record based on δ 18 O data from pelagic foraminiferal calcite suggests that equatorial sea-surface temperatures during the Maastrichtian (∼12–20 °C) were much cooler than today (∼27–29 °C). Such cool equatorial temperatures contradict basic theories of tropical atmospheric and ocean dynamics. We report δ 18 O data from remarkably well preserved rudist aragonite and magnesian calcite cements of Maastrichtian age (∼ 69 ± 1 Ma) from the carbonate platform of Wodejebato guyot in the western Pacific. These data suggest that equatorial sea-surface temperatures in the Maastrichtian (best estimate ∼ 27–32 °C) were at least as warm as today. This finding helps reconcile the geologic δ 18 O record with ocean-atmospheric dynamic theory and implies a reduction in the poleward heat flux required by global climate simulations of greenhouse conditions.
Observation and characterization of aerosols above ALOMAR (69 degrees N) by tropospheric lidar, sun-photometer, and VHF radar

At ALOMAR (Arctic Lidar Observatory of Middle Atmosphere Research, 69°N, 16°E) an exemplary co-location of tropospheric Lidar, sun-photometer and VHF Radar is used for aerosol investigations. Recently the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Institute for Air Research and the Andøya Rocket Range started to operate a new troposphere Lidar system. The system uses two elastic backscatter channels (1064nm, 355 nm), two polarization channels (532p nm and 532s nm) and a Raman channel (387nm). The co-located sun photometer is of Cimel type and the VHF Radar is operating at 53 MHz. The data from the Cimel instrument are collected in cooperation with a group from Valladolid (Spain) and the Radar is operated by the Institute for Atmospheric Physics from Kühlungsborn. The location of ALOMAR, north of the Arctic Circle and on an island, a few hundred meters from seashore and about 30 km off the continent, makes it ideal for investigations related to Sub-Arctic aerosols. The present paper presents the first results from simultaneous and collocated tropospheric measurements. We compare aerosol stratification derived from Lidar data with simultaneous measurements of total aerosol content, derived from Cimel data in dependence of simultaneous winds, stratified layers and echo power from radar data. Diurnal cycles for both summertime and wintertime are shown.
Clinical and epidemiological investigations of Acinetobacter genomospecies 3 in a neonatal intensive care unit

A prospective study of Acinetobacter isolates from a neonatal intensive care unit was performed for 24 months. Fifty-six isolates were obtained from 21 patients, and another eight were obtained from environmental specimens. Infection due to Acinetobacter organisms was established for 16 patients, 6 with septicemia, 9 with pneumonia, and 1 with a wound infection. Further investigations were performed with 38 representative isolates. Twenty-nine isolates were identified as unnamed DNA-DNA hybridization group (genomospecies) 3, three were identified as genomospecies 2 (Acinetobacter baumannii), one was identified as genomospecies 5 (Acinetobacter junii), three were identified as genomospecies 14, and two were unclassified. Eight distinguishable protein profiles, coded I through VIII, were found by cell envelope protein electrophoresis. Profile V, a common profile, was observed for 17 isolates that had been recovered from 11 patients and 1 dust specimen. These isolates, all of which belonged to genomospecies 3, had similar antibiograms and biotypes. This study has revealed that genomospecies 3 can be associated with infection and be spread in hospitals.
Social Status and Sex Effects on Neural Morphology in Damaraland Mole-Rats, Fukomys damarensis

We previously reported that in a eusocial rodent, the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), traditional neural sex differences were absent; instead, neural dimorphisms were associated with breeding status. Here we examined the same neural regions previously studied in naked mole-rats in a second eusocial species, the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis). Damaraland mole-rats live in social groups with breeding restricted to a small number of animals. However, colony sizes are much smaller in Damaraland mole-rats than in naked mole-rats and there is consequently less reproductive skew. In this sense, Damaraland mole-rats may be considered intermediate in social organization between naked mole-rats and more traditional laboratory rodents. We report that, as in naked mole-rats, breeding Damaraland mole-rats have larger volumes of the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus than do subordinates, with no effect of sex on these measures. Thus, these structures may play special roles in breeders of eusocial species. However, in contrast to what was seen in naked mole-rats, we also found sex differences in Damaraland mole-rats: volume of the medial amygdala and motoneuron number in Onuf’s nucleus were both greater in males than in females, with no significant effect of breeding status. Thus, both sex and breeding status influence neural morphology in Damaraland mole-rats. These findings are in accord with the observed sex differences in body weight and genitalia in Damaraland but not naked mole-rats. We hypothesize that the increased sexual dimorphism in Damaraland mole-rats relative to naked mole-rats is related to reduced reproductive skew.
Computer Science and Game Theory: A Brief Survey

There has been a remarkable increase in work at the interface of computer science and game theory in the past decade. In this article I survey some of the main themes of work in the area, with a focus on the work in computer science. Given the length constraints, I make no attempt at being comprehensive, especially since other surveys are also available, and a comprehensive survey book will appear shortly.
Design and analysis of planar monopole antennas using a genetic algorithm approach

The application of genetic algorithm (GA) optimization to the design and analysis of planar monopole antennas is presented. GA is first used to optimize the impedance matching bandwidth of two particular planar element shapes, the bow-tie (BT) and reverse bow-tie (RBT). The results of this study indicate that the RBT can achieve a significantly wider bandwidth with a much smaller size than the traditional BT. In a follow-on study, GA is used to generate arbitrarily shaped planar monopole designs, which exhibit improved broadband performance and/or reduced size compared with the RBT. The designs generated by the GA demonstrate a better tradeoff between matching bandwidth and electrical size compared with planar monopole designs previously characterized in the literature. Analysis of results from simulation and measurement are presented, which provide insight into the operation of these antennas as well as the key parameters that lead to improved performance. Finally, a performance bound is generated to relate the bandwidth limitation of planar monopoles to size.
Joint elastic‐electrical effective medium models of reservoir sandstones

Improvements in the joint inversion of seismic and marine controlled source electromagnetic data sets will require better constrained models of the joint elastic‐electrical properties of reservoir rocks. Various effective medium models were compared to a novel laboratory data set of elastic velocity and electrical resistivity (obtained on 67 reservoir sandstone samples saturated with 35 g/l brine at a differential pressure of 8 MPa) with mixed results. Hence, we developed a new three‐phase effective medium model for sandstones with pore‐filling clay minerals based on the combined self‐consistent approximation and differential effective medium model. We found that using a critical porosity of 0.5 and an aspect ratio of 1 for all three components, the proposed model gave accurate model predictions of the observed magnitudes of P‐wave velocity and electrical resistivity and of the divergent trends of clean and clay‐rich sandstones at higher porosities. Using only a few well‐constrained input parameters, the new model offers a practical way to predict in situ porosity and clay content in brine saturated sandstones from co‐located P‐wave velocity and electrical resistivity data sets.
Flow and convective heat transfer of a ferro-nanofluid in a double-sided lid-driven cavity with a wavy wall in the presence of a variable magnetic field

ABSTRACT In this work, the effect of a variable spatial magnetic field on ferro-nanofluid flow and heat transfer in a double-sided lid-driven enclosure with a sinusoidal hot wall is investigated. The working fluid is a mixture of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles and water and is referred to as a ferro-nanofluid. The control volume-based finite element method (CVFEM) is used to solve the governing equations in the stream function–vorticity formulation. In deriving the governing equations for this investigation, the effect of both ferro-hydrodynamics and magneto-hydrodynamics is taken into account. The numerical calculations are performed for different governing parameters namely; the Reynolds number, nanoparticle volume fraction, magnetic number (arising from Ferrohydrodynamics (FHD) consideration), and the Hartmann number (arising from Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) consideration). The results show that an enhancement in heat transfer has a direct relationship with the Reynolds number and the Hartmann number, but it has an inverse relationship with the magnetic number. Also, it can be concluded that the Nusselt number increases with the increase of the nanoparticle volume fraction, magnetic number, and the Reynolds number while the opposite trend is observed for the Hartmann number.
Methodological Constants in Courseware Design

The author draws on her practical experience in courseware development as well as her research experience in the development of authoring systems to suggest that, in spite of the significant changes currently taking place in this field, some of the old models proposed for courseware development maintain their validity from a methodological point of view. The paper analyses the common denominator among several models for courseware development (the methodological constants) and discusses in detail both the design and the validation phases.