Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neodymium Isotope Evidence for a Chondritic Composition of the Moon

Samarium-neodymium isotope data for six lunar basalts show that the bulk Moon has a 142Nd/144Nd ratio that is indistinguishable from that of chondritic meteorites but is 20 parts per million less than most samples from Earth. The Sm/Nd formation interval of the lunar mantle from these data is \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(215_{-21}^{+23}\) \end{document} million years after the onset of solar system condensation. Because both Earth and the Moon likely formed in the same region of the solar nebula, Earth should also have a chondritic bulk composition. In order to mass balance the Nd budget, these constraints require that a complementary reservoir with a lower 142Nd/144Nd value resides in Earth's mantle.
Neutrophilia independently predicts death in tuberculosis

To the Editor: Experimental animal work indicates that neutrophils play a key role in the immune response to mycobacteria [1, 2]. They appear protective against early infection [3] but in established disease, neutrophilia associates with pathology [1, 4]. In humans, higher neutrophil counts at tuberculosis diagnosis predict slower sputum conversion to negative during therapy [5, 6], but the overall prognostic significance of neutrophilia in human tuberculosis remains elusive. We therefore aimed to analyse this phenomenon in a study powered to detect an independent relationship with mortality. Tuberculosis patients were identified by database/case-note review at Newham University Hospital Trust and King’s College Hospital, London, UK. All patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2006 were eligible for inclusion in an analysis of neutrophilia at baseline; those with a recorded outcome of successfully completing treatment or death were included in an analysis of determinants of mortality. Healthy contacts of tuberculosis cases were recruited from the same hospitals. Data were extracted on patient age, sex, ethnicity, comorbidity, use of immunosuppressive medication, HIV status and site of disease. Laboratory data were collected from samples taken on the date of tuberculosis diagnosis: serum sodium, bilirubin and albumin concentrations; peripheral blood haemoglobin concentration; and peripheral blood neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte and platelet counts. Blood culture results were recorded where performed. Protocols were approved by the Barking and Havering NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC 08/H0702/25) and North East London Research Ethics Committee (REC P/02/146). We calculated that 584 patients (34 deaths and 550 survivors) would be required to detect a three-fold difference in mortality in the presence of neutrophilia with 80% power (5% significance level), assuming a 15% prevalence of neutrophilia and a death/survival …
Mature micromegakaryocytes: an unusual developmental pattern in term infants

We sought to gain perspective on platelet production in the fetus and the newborn by counting and characterizing megakaryocytes from available cord blood. Elutriation was used to isolate circulating megakaryocytes from umbilical arteries and veins obtained at scheduled caesarean sections of nine normal term fetuses. Megakaryocytes were identified by established criteria, their diameters measured, and maturation stages recorded. Large numbers of megakaryocytes, mostly mature, were found in both the umbilical arteries and veins, many times more than previously observed circulating in adult blood. In term infants more than a third of the mature megakaryocytes had unusually decreased nuclear lobation and were dwarf cells with diameters as small as 13 μm, which we considered to be micromegakaryocytes. The atypicality of these small but mature cells is seen as merely a leftward skewing in the development of megakaryocyte ploidies. We believe that in normal fetuses the extent of megakaryocyte ploidization and development is distinctive and probably regulated differently to the adult pattern.
Understanding adherence to physiotherapy: Findings from an experimental simulation and an observational clinical study

This article reports two studies assessing the influence of self-efficacy, outcome expectancies and aversive feedback on different aspects of adherence. Study 1 employed a computer simulation of physiotherapy to test experimentally the effects of aversive feedback (i.e., loud noise) experienced during simulated therapy on adherence behaviour in a student population. Study 2 examined whether similar effects of aversive feedback (i.e., pain) experienced during physiotherapy in a clinical setting would be observed in a longitudinal questionnaire study of predictors of adherence. In both studies, self-efficacy and outcome expectancies were assessed at baseline and after experience of the task (performing simulated or actual physiotherapy). Study 1 found that self-efficacy and outcome expectancies predicted persistence with simulated physiotherapy (i.e., completing the experimental session), whereas aversive feedback influenced adherence during sessions (i.e., correct response rate). Study 2 found that self-efficacy and outcome expectancies predicted persistence with actual physiotherapy (i.e., completing the prescribed number of sessions). Aversive feedback and outcome expectancies influenced adherence during sessions. We conclude that different factors predict different aspects of adherence behaviour. It is therefore important to measure both persistence over time and adherence during sessions, and to investigate the predictors of each dimension of adherence.
Materialized views in data warehousing environments

We discuss the use of materialized views in the construction and maintenance of data warehousing environments. Although materializing views represents the most effective technique to improve OLAP (on-line analytical processing) query performance, it introduces particular challenges into these environments: (i) identification of which views to materialize, considering the trade-off among performance, scalability and view maintenance restrictions; and (ii) incremental maintenance of these views. In addition to analyzing and comparing some current proposals aimed at solving these two challenges, we also identify restrictions in the surveyed proposals to a Web distributed data warehousing environment, in which the warehouse data are fragmented, replicated and allocated through several sites. Some suggestions are made to overcome such restrictions.
Optimizing dose and scheduling of filgrastim (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) for mobilization and collection of peripheral blood progenitor cells in normal volunteers.

To define an optimal regimen for mobilizing and collecting peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) for use in allogeneic transplantation, we evaluated the kinetics of mobilization by filgrastim (recombinant met-human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [r-metHuG-CSF]) in normal volunteers. Filgrastim was injected subcutaneously for up to 10 days at a dose of 3 (n = 10), 5 (n = 5), or 10 micrograms/kg/d (n = 15). A subset of volunteers from each dose cohort underwent a 7L leukapheresis on study day 6 (after 5 days of filgrastim). Granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cell (GM-CFC) numbers in the blood were maximal after 5 days of filgrastim; a broader peak was evident for CD34+ cells between days 4 and 6. The 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mean number of PBPC per milliliter of blood in the three dose cohorts overlapped on each study day. However, on the peak day, CD34+ cells were significantly higher in the 10 micrograms/kg/d cohort than in a pool of the 3 and 5 micrograms/kg/d cohorts. Mobilization was not significantly influenced by volunteer age or sex. Leukapheresis products obtained at the 10 micrograms/kg/d dose level contained a median GM-CFC number of 93 x 10(4)/kg (range, 50 x 10(4)/kg to 172 x 10(4)/kg). Collections from volunteers receiving lower doses of filgrastim contained a median GM-CFC number of 36 x 10(4)/kg (range, 5 x 10(4)/kg to 204 x 10(4)/kg). The measurement of CD34+ cells per milliliter of blood on the day of leukapheresis predicted the total yield of PBPC in the leukapheresis product (r = .87, P < .0001). Assuming a minimum GM-CFC requirement of 50 x 10(4)/kg (based on our experience with autologous PBPC transplantation), all seven leukapheresis products obtained at the 10 micrograms/kg/d dose level were potentially sufficient for allogeneic transplantation purposes. We conclude that in normal donors, filgrastim 10 micrograms/kg/d for 5 days with a single leukapheresis on the following day is a highly effective regimen for PBPC mobilization and collection. Further studies are required to determine whether PBPC collected with this regimen reliably produce rapid and sustained engraftment in allogeneic recipients.
Factors that influence firewood use among electrified Bapedi households of Senwabarwana Villages, South Africa

This paper presents the factors that influence firewood use among electrified Bapedi households in Senwabarwana Villages. The study follows explanatory and exploratory methods of data analysis, through survey (structured interviews) and meta-analysis. In-depth content analysis was followed to establish trends and identify factors that influence the use of firewood among electrified households globally and in the current study area. The results confirm that firewood is still the most common energy resource used for cooking, as well as water and space heating in many developing countries. Major drivers of firewood use are household income, educational status of breadwinners, family size, and place of residence, fuel affordability and accessibility. One of the key findings of this paper is that firewood use is also a psychological and behavioural issue as well as an economic one. There are indigenous and socio-cultural perceptions attached to the use of different energy sources. It is for these reasons, among others, that most communities do not stop using firewood even when they have access to electricity. However, the results reveal a shift from dependence on firewood to other energy sources as household income and educational levels improve. The latter is primarily a convenient factor of energy selection. In conclusion, the current study concludes that firewood use is primarily driven by convenience. The more convenient the source of energy, the more attractive it becomes to different households.
In Vivo X-ray Computed Tomography Investigations of Crack Damage Evolution of Cemented Waste Rock Backfills (CWRB) under Uniaxial Deformation

Cemented waste rock backfill (CWRB), which is a mixture of tailings, waste rock, cement, and water, is subjected to combination actions in underground mining operations and has been widely used in deep resource mining. While the strength requirement and macroscopic deformation behaviors of CWRB have been well studied, the mesoscopic damage evolution mechanisms are still not well understood. In this work, a CWRB sample with a waste rock proportion of 30% was studied with a uniaxial compression test under tomographic monitoring, using a 450 kV industrial X-ray computed tomography (CT). Clear CT images, CT value analysis, crack identification, and extraction reveal that CWRB damage evolution is extremely inhomogeneous and affected by the waste rock size, shape, and distribution. Furthermore, the crack initiation, propagation, and coalescence behaviors are limited to the existing waste rocks. When deformation grows to a certain extent, the cracks demonstrate an interlocking phenomenon and their propagation paths are affected by the waste rocks, which may improve the ability to resist compressive deformation. Volumetric dilatancy caused by the damage and cracking behavior has closed a link with the meso-structural changes, which are controlled by the interactions between the waste rocks and the cemented tailing paste.
Local tumour invasion as a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer

A prospective study was carried out of 404 patients with colorectal cancer who were followed up for a mean period of 42 months. Macroscopic extramural tumour invasion was found at laparotomy in 46 patients undergoing apparently curative surgery and the survival rate was significantly reduced in these patients. The site of primary tumour in the colon or rectum did not influence the incidence of local tumour spread, but local invasion was related to the incidence of lymph node metastases and histological grading of the tumour. A staging classification has been proposed based not on lymphatic metastases, but on the extent of local tumour penetration. This modified staging system combines the operative findings with pathological grading of the tumour and emphasizes the prognostic significance of local tumour invasion.
Role of physical settings on increasing flood hazard in Muscat Built-up areas (2007-2015) using GIS

This study aims at evaluating selected environmental attributes of urban development pathways in relation to their impacts on increasing cyclone-related flooding in the Governorate of Muscat for the years 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2015. A probability-weighted flood hazard map for the 2015 urban areas was produced by combining all selected environmental attributes into one probability equation, with each attribute given a weight. The 2015 urban flood hazard map showed that 31.7 km² (8.1% of total urban areas) of the built up area is located in the very high flooding hazard zone, 88.3 km² (22.6% of urban area) is located in the high flood hazard zone, 130.5 km² (33.5% of urban area) is located in the medium flooding hazard zone, and 113.4 km² (29.1% of urban area) and 26.1 km² (6.7% of urban area) located in the low and very low flooding hazard zones. The outputs from this research emphasize the potential of environmental forces to increase flood damages. The findings provide decision makers with spatially-explicit evidences on affected areas for more effective evacuation and rescue plans.
The effect of exercise on brain antioxidant status of diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND To investigate the effect of exercise on brain antioxidant status of diabetic rats. METHODS Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control (C), exercise (CE), diabetic (D), and diabetic+exercise (DE). Diabetes was induced by single administration of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). We used an aerobic exercise program for 8 weeks of CE and DE rats. After the end of the experimental period, Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) and xanthine oxidase (XO) activities and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels of brain were measured. RESULTS Diabetes caused significant reduction of brain Cu, Zn-SOD and GSH-Px activities in the D and DE groups. CAT activity was decreased only in the D group. Exercise did not alter CAT activity of brain, whereas markedly increased Cu, Zn-SOD activity in the DE group. In contrast to diabetes-related decrease in the activity of Cu, Zn-SOD, increase in the XO and GSH-Px activities were observed in the DE group compared with the D group. XDH activity was significantly reduced in two exercise groups according to the control rats, but the decrease was not accompanied with the activity of XO elevation in all groups. Increase in the XO activity and decrease in the XDH activity in the DE rats have revealed that diabetes and exercise have potentially effect in free radical production. On the other hand, TBARS levels were found to be elevated in all diabetic animals. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that aerobic exercise did not affect lipid peroxidation of brain, but in diabetic condition improved antioxidant defence.
Natriuretic peptides block synaptic transmission by activating phosphodiesterase 2A and reducing presynaptic PKA activity

The heart peptide hormone atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) regulates blood pressure by stimulating guanylyl cyclase-A to produce cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). ANP and guanylyl cyclase-A are also expressed in many brain areas, but their physiological functions and downstream signaling pathways remain enigmatic. Here we investigated the physiological functions of ANP signaling in the neural pathway from the medial habenula (MHb) to the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN). Biochemical assays indicate that ANP increases cGMP accumulation in the IPN of mouse brain slices. Using optogenetic stimulation and electrophysiological recordings, we show that both ANP and brain natriuretic peptide profoundly block glutamate release from MHb neurons. Pharmacological applications reveal that this blockade is mediated by phosphodiesterase 2A (PDE2A) but not by cGMP-stimulated protein kinase-G or cGMP-sensitive cyclic nucleotide-gated channels. In addition, focal infusion of ANP into the IPN enhances stress-induced analgesia, and the enhancement is prevented by PDE2A inhibitors. PDE2A is richly expressed in the axonal terminals of MHb neurons, and its activation by cGMP depletes cyclic adenosine monophosphates. The inhibitory effect of ANP on glutamate release is reversed by selectively activating protein kinase A. These results demonstrate strong presynaptic inhibition by natriuretic peptides in the brain and suggest important physiological and behavioral roles of PDE2A in modulating neurotransmitter release by negative crosstalk between cGMP-signaling and cyclic adenosine monophosphate-signaling pathways.
Long-term safety of pegvisomant in patients with acromegaly: comprehensive review of 1288 subjects in ACROSTUDY.

CONTEXT Pegvisomant is a GH receptor antagonist. The ACROSTUDY is a global safety surveillance study of long-term treatment of acromegaly with pegvisomant. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to monitor long-term safety and treatment outcomes. DESIGN ACROSTUDY is open to all patients with acromegaly who are treated with pegvisomant. We report an interim analysis of data captured from 1288 subjects enrolled before a database freeze of December 31, 2009. SETTING This was a global noninterventional surveillance study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Long-term monitoring of safety, including central magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reading and treatment outcomes, was measured. RESULTS Subjects (n = 1288) were treated with pegvisomant for a mean of 3.7 yr and followed up in ACROSTUDY for a mean of 2.1 yr. A total of 1147 adverse events (AE) were recorded in 477 subjects (37%), among which 192 AE in 124 subjects (9.6%) were considered to be related to pegvisomant. Serious AE were recorded in 159 subjects (12.3%), whereas pegvisomant-related Serious AE were recorded in 26 subjects (2%). No deaths (15 subjects; 1.2%) were attributed to pegvisomant use. The incidence of increase in pituitary tumor size in the subset with confirmed MRI increases on central reading represented 3.2% of the overall cohort with at least two available MRI (n = 936). Injection-site reactions were reported in 28 cases (2.2%). In 30 patients (2.5%), an elevated aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase of more than 3 times the upper level of normality was reported. There were no reports of liver failure. After 5 yr of pegvisomant treatment, 63.2% of subjects had normal IGF-I levels at a mean dose of 18 mg/d. CONCLUSIONS Data entered and evaluated in ACROSTUDY indicate that pegvisomant is an effective and safe medical treatment in patients with acromegaly. The reported low incidence of pituitary tumor size increase, liver enzyme elevations, and lipodystrophy at the injection site are reassuring.
An Alternative Approach for Enhanced Availability Analysis and Design Methods in p-Cycle-Based Networks

We study the unavailability of end-to-end traffic in p-cycle based mesh networks, which are designed to protect against single link failures. It has been shown earlier by Grover and Clouqueur that the p-cycle length as well as its topology play a vital role in determining the availability of span(s) which are protected by the p-cycle. Similarly, we derive the relationship between the unavailability of a span(s) and the topology of the p-cycles) which is allocated for the restoration of the span(s). Based on these insights and on the fact that the end-to-end unavailability of a working path depends not only on the length of the restoration path but also on the number of spans along the working path, we try to design a method for allocating p-cycles such that the end-to-end unavailability is bounded by an upper limit and the upper limit can be varied as desired. As expected, results show that more capacity is required to guarantee a lower end-to-end unavailability. Our results also show that shorter service paths tend to use longer p-cycles than longer service paths, to obtain the same level of availability; this is expected since the path length, apart from the p-cycle length, also plays a role in determining the availability of the service path. We compare this formulation with a formulation which rather limits the hop count of candidate p-cycles to provide a lower end-to-end unavailability. We notice that directly limiting the end-to-end unavailability, as proposed by this paper, gives better results in terms of spare capacity redundancy than limiting the hop count of p-cycles. That is because the former allows shorter working paths to use p-cycles with higher hop count and therefore a better utilization of the allocated spare capacity
Layered-triangulations of 3-manifolds

A family of one-vertex triangulations of 3-manifolds, layered-triangulations, is defined. Layered-triangulations are first described for handlebodies and then extended to all 3-manifolds via Heegaard splittings. A complete and detailed analysis of layered-triangulations is given in the cases of the solid torus and lens spaces, including the classification of all normal and almost normal surfaces in these triangulations. Minimal layered-triangulations of lens spaces provide a common setting for new proofs of the classification of lens spaces admitting an embedded non orientable surface and the classification of embedded non orientable surfaces in each such lens space, as well as a new proof of the uniqueness of Heegaard splittings of lens spaces. Canonical triangulations of Dehn fillings, triangulated Dehn fillings, are constructed and applied to the study of Heegaard splittings and efficient triangulations of Dehn fillings. A new presentation of 3-manifolds as being obtained from special layered-triangulations of handlebodies with one-vertex, 2-symmetric triangulations on their boundaries, called triangulated Heegaard splittings, is defined and explored. The 1-skeleton (L-graph) of the complex determined as the quotient of the flip-complex by considering those homemorphisms of the genus g surface that extend to a homeomorphism of the genus g handlebody is used to organize much of the work. Numerous questions remain open, particularly in relation to the L-graph, 2-symmetric triangulations of a closed orientable surface, minimal layered-triangulations of genus-g-handlebodies, and the relationship of layered-triangulations to foliations.
Measurement of water-holding properties of fibre and their faecal bulking ability in man

1. Experiments to measure the effect of a fibre source in the diet on stool bulk are difficult and lack precision. In vitro methods which would identify fibre sources that are effective for clinical and epidemiologic use would be valuable. One important property of fibre which influences the ability of fibre to increase stool weight is its water-holding capacity (WHC). 2. WHC was measured using centrifugation, filtration, suction pressure and water flow-rate techniques using fibre concentrates of potato, cereal bran and gum arabic. 3. Dietary supplementation of three preparations of potato fibre (20 g/d) had no significant effect on stool weight but 16 g bran/d increased stool weight from 107 (SE 44) g/d to 174 (SE 51) g/d. 4. The effects of these fibres on stool weight can be related to the nature of the water-holding properties of fibre rather than absolute WHC.