Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncommon presentation of primary hyperaldosteronism with severe hypomagnesemia: a Gitelman syndrome mimic

Abstract Primary hyperaldosteronism (PA) usually presents with moderate to severe hypertension with or without hypokalemia in adults. However, PA is not commonly associated with severe hypomagnesemia. By contrast, Gitelman syndrome usually presents with clinical manifestations of hypokalemia and hypocalcemia due to hypomagnesemia. Here, we present the case of a 44-year-old woman who first presented with peripheral paresthesia. Her laboratory tests revealed severe hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, severe hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism. The patient took high dose KCL tablets and Mg tablets to maintain normal values. She took only low-dose hydralazine to maintain normal blood pressure. Further investigations revealed PA with a left adrenal tumor. After left adrenalectomy, she remained in a normotensive, normokalemic and normomagnesemic state without any medical supplements. Thus, PA should be considered in patients with severe hypomagnesemia without moderate to severe hypertension.
A CFD-BEM coupling technique for low Mach number flow induced noise

A technique to couple computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and boundary element method (BEM) models is proposed that allows the total sound pressure field produced by low Mach number flow past a rigid body to be predicted. An incompressible CFD solver is used to calculate the transient hydrodynamic flow field. Acoustic sources based on Lighthill’s analogy are then extracted from the flow field data. The CFD/BEM coupling technique is used to compute the acoustic field incident on the body. The incident acoustic field is calculated based on a near-field solution of Lighthill’s analogy, which employs numerical techniques to accurately evaluate singular and near-singular integrals. This incident field is combined with a BEM model of the cylinder to predict the scattered sound pressure field. The results from this CFD/BEM coupling technique are presented for flow past a circular cylinder with Reynolds number, ReD=100 and Mach number, M=0.02. The directivity of the sound pressure field at the vortex shedding frequency is compared with results of alternate methods available in the literature.
Phosphorus fractions in an agricultural chronosequence under tillage regimes in the Cerrado area in Goiás, Brazil

O aumento da quantidade e qualidade da materia orgânica do solo (MOS), bem como a aplicacao de fertilizantes fosfatados na camada superficial do solo em areas de sistema de plantio direto (SPD) podem alterar a dinâmica do P no solo. Desta forma, os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar as fracoes inorgânicas e orgânicas de P e o grau de labilidade destas (labil, moderamente labil e moderadamente resistente) de um Latossolo Vermelho Distroferrico sob sistema de plantio direto (SPD) com 3, 15 e 20 anos de implantacao, e compara-las a areas de cerrado nativo e pastagem; bem como, analisar correlacoes entre os resultados das fracoes de P destas areas com outros atributos, tais como, teor de carbono e nitrogenio total, materia orgânica leve (MOL), fracoes quimicas e fisicas granulometricas da MOS, capacidade maxima de adsorcao de fosfato (CMAP) e fosforo remanescente (Prem). Em cada uma das areas foram coletadas amostras nas profundidades de 0,0-0,05 e 0,05-0,10 m. O delineamento utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado. O uso constante de adubacao fosfatada, bem como, o incremento da MOS, aumenta com o passar dos anos de adocao do SPD os teores de P orgânico e inorgânico labil, moderadamente labil e moderadamente resistente, tendendo a acumular a maior parte do P total do solo na forma inorgânica e moderadamente labil. O solo sob Cerrado nativo apresenta altos valores de P orgânico labil e moderadamente labil. A area de pastagem apresentou menores teores de P orgânico e inorgânico labil, P orgânico moderadamente labil e moderadamente resistente em relacao as demais areas avaliadas. Atraves da analise de componentes principais (ACP), pode-se verificar interacoes entre todos os atributos do solo e os teores de P das fracoes analisadas.
Satellite magnetic anomalies related to seafloor spreading in the South Atlantic Ocean

Oceanic magnetic anomalies have been observed from satellite. The strongest anomalies are the long‐wavelength components of the sea‐floor spreading signature. Unfortunately, because of technical issues involving the treatment of satellite magnetic data, these signals are obscured in the South Atlantic Ocean because they trend north‐south. However, a map does exist in which such features are observed, essentially because of a better data processing technique. Further, this map agrees with a physically motivated model based on non‐satellite magnetic input. Hence, with properly treated data, the magnetic anomaly maps should be useful for saying something about the geology, rather than vice‐versa. This situation will be considerably improved by ongoing advances in methods and new data sets. The amplitude of the observations, a factor of two larger than previous estimates, confirms that the extrusive basaltic layer alone is inadequate to produce the signal and that deeper oceanic sources are required.
Reflecting on an impact evaluation of the Grade R programme: Method, results and policy responses

This paper describes the expansion since 2001 of a public pre-school programme in South Africa known as ‘Grade R’, summarises the findings from an impact evaluation of the introduction of Grade R, discusses the policy recommendations flowing from the evaluation and reflects on the process of implementing the recommendations. The Grade R programme has expanded dramatically, to the point where participation is nearly universal. Although a substantial literature points to large potential benefits from pre-school educational opportunities, the impact evaluation reported on in this article demonstrated that the Grade R programme, as implemented until 2011, had a limited impact on later educational outcomes. Improving the quality of Grade R, especially in schools serving low socio-economic status communities, thus emerges as a key policy imperative. Recommended responses include professionalising Grade R teachers, providing practical in-service support, increasing access to appropriate storybooks, empowering teachers to assess the development of their learners, and improving financial record-keeping of Grade R expenditure by provincial education departments. The impact evaluation was initiated by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the Department of Basic Education (DBE), and was conducted by independent researchers. The move towards increased evaluation of key government programmes is important for shifting the focus of programme managers and policymakers towards programme outcomes rather than only programme inputs. Yet the process is not without its challenges: following a clear process to ensure the implementation of the lessons learned from such an evaluation is not necessarily straightforward.
How the discovery of ISSN 1 led to the first medical therapy for spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a prominent genetic disease of infant mortality, is caused by low levels of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein owing to deletions or mutations of the SMN1 gene. SMN2, a nearly identical copy of SMN1 present in humans, cannot compensate for the loss of SMN1 due to predominant skipping of exon 7 during pre-mRNA splicing. With the recent FDA approval of nusinersen (SpinrazaTM), the potential for correction of SMN2 exon 7 splicing as a SMA therapy has been affirmed. Nusinersen is an antisense oligonucleotide that targets intronic splicing silencer N1 (ISS-N1) discovered in 2004 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. ISS-N1 has emerged as the model target for testing the therapeutic efficacy of antisense oligonucleotides using different chemistries as well as different mouse models of SMA. Here we provide a historical account of events that led to the discovery of ISS-N1 and describe the impact of independent validations that raised the profile of ISS-N1 as one of the most potent antisense targets for the treatment of a genetic disease. Recent approval of nusinersen provides a muchneeded boost for antisense technology that is just beginning to realize its potential. Beyond treating SMA, the ISS-N1 target offers myriad potentials for perfecting various aspects of the nucleic-acid-based technology for the amelioration of the countless number of pathological conditions.
Allometric scaling of seagrass form and productivity

The implications of differences in plant size for seagrass productivlty were examined based on an extensive compilation of data on architecture and growth of seagrass species. The analysis revealed strong allometric relationships between the size of different components, particularly a close scaling of the size of leaves, shoots, and fruits to rhizome diameter, as well as strong relationships between shoot size and the dynamics (e .g turnover rate, plastochrone interval, and longevity) of seagrass leaves and rhizomes of different species. The decrease in rhizome elongation rates and leaf turnover rates with increasing seagrass size demonstrates the importance of architecture for seagrass productivlty, and also provides explanations for the different ecological roles of small, colonizing species, and large, climax seagrass species. In addition, these results demonstrate that while habitat conditions have important Influences on seagrass productivity, differences in size may explain the vast range of turnover tlmes, plastochrone intervals, and module longevities, encountered among seagrass species.
PySpark at Bare-Metal Speed Master Thesis

Data analytics has become the driving force for many industries and scientific research. More and more decisions are maid based on statistical analysis of large datasets and machine learning. Big data data processing frameworks, such as Apache Spark, provide an easy-to-use out-of-the-box solution, scalable to large machine clusters. Python is the most widespread programming language in the data science field due to its simplicity and the abundance of analytical tools developed for it. Many Spark users would prefer its Python frontend in their daily work. Multiple studies indicate, however, that there is a wide gap between Spark’s performance and the best handwritten code. With this thesis we bring the functional data-flow programs’ performance closer to the bare-metal speeds and show that it is possible to write productively high performance code.
Analysis of Anomalous Diffuse Interstellar Bands in the Spectrum of Herschel 36

Abstract The extraordinary DIBs observed toward Herschel 36 (Dahlstrom et al. 2013) have been analyzed (Oka et al. 2013). The analysis led us to a new way to classify the carriers of DIBs depending on whether the molecules are polar or non-polar. The pronounced Extended Tails toward Red (ETR) observed for DIBs λ5780. 5, λ5797. 1, and λ6613. 6 are explained as due to radiative excitation of high rotational levels of polar carrier molecules in an environment with high radiative temperature ~90 K. Other DIBs (e.g., λ5849.8, λ6196.0, and λ6379.3) which do not show ETR are likely due to non-polar molecules. Model calculations taking into account the interplay of radiative and collisional effects reproduce the observed ETR using realistic molecular parameters if the radiative temperature is sufficiently high (~90 K). The calculation suggests that the carriers of DIBs with ETR are likely medium size molecules with 3 - 6 heavy atoms unless the radiative temperature is much higher.
Twitter as a Corpus for Sentiment Analysis and Opinion Mining

: Sentiment Analysis (SA) and summarization has recently become the focus of many researchers, because analysis of online text is beneficial and demanded in many different applications. One such application is product-based sentiment summarization of multi-documents with the purpose of informing users about pros and cons of various products. This paper introduces a novel solution to target-oriented sentiment summarization and SA of short informal texts with a main focus on Twitter posts known as “tweets”. We compare different algorithms and methods for SA polarity detection and sentiment summarization. We show that our hybrid polarity detection system not only outperforms the unigram state-of-the-art baseline, but also could be an advantage over other methods when used as a part of a sentiment summarization system. Additionally, we illustrate that our SA and summarization system exhibits a high performance with various useful functionalities and features. Sentiment classiﬁcation aims to automatically predict sentiment polarity (e.g., positive or negative) of users publishing sentiment data (e.g., reviews, blogs). Although traditional classiﬁcation algorithms can be used to train sentiment classiﬁers from manually labeled text data, the labeling work can be time-consuming and ex-pensive. Meanwhile, users often use some different words when they express sentiment in different domains. If we directly apply a classiﬁer trained in one domain to other domains, the performance will be very low due to the differences between these domains. In this work, we develop a general solution to sentiment classiﬁcation when we do not have any labels in a target domain but have some labeled data in a different domain, regarded as source domain.
West Greenland caribou explosion: What happened? What about the future?

In West Greenland, the 1993 caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) population size estimate was 7000 to 9000 animals. Eight years later in 2001, the estimate was ca. 140 000. Relatively rapid rise and fall cycles of abundance in West Greenland caribou have been noted since the 1700s. Caribou have no natural predators in West Greenland. Combined with their high fertility and recruitment, this suggests that overabundance might be their greatest threat to stability. The 2005 population surveys indicate poor recruitment in two major populations and decreasing abundance in one. Given stocking densities are three to six-times the value considered sustainable, we expect strong competition between individuals for available food resources. Although the management goal is sustainable harvest of natural resources, if populations continue at their current size or increase further, there is a clear risk of range overgrazing and trampling. Unsustainable range use may result in density-dependent forage limitation with subsequent relatively rapid population decline over a series of years, e.g. a decade. As in the past, populations are expected to recover, and if true to the past, recovery will take the better part of a century. Furthermore, the role of catastrophic weather events may be of major importance. Abrupt collapse could be precipitated by a disastrous single year event, e.g. thaw-freeze icing or deep snow, because possibilities for dispersal to new ranges are limited. Regardless of management initiatives taken now, population declines or crashes may be inevitable for some West Greenland herds in the foreseeable future, but accurate predictions about herd trends are impossible. To understand the potential impact of future developments, Greenland caribou and their range must be studied within the wider context of climate change.
Re-Engineering the Police Organisation: Implementing Workforce Modernisation in England and Wales

This article assesses the need for major re-engineering of the police service in England and Wales to project and sustain the workforce modernisation programme in England and Wales. It argues that having avoided the bureaucratic cul-de-sac that police mergers represented, a real opportunity for effective reform has now arisen. This reform would encompass immediate delegation to basic command units of manpower budgets and the determination of policing services at this level. The article draws on the experience of one chief officer who was to confront the problems of bureaucratic inertia within his own police force and some organisational practices that served to undermine police service delivery. It considers the current problems surrounding the centralised control of police budgets and the impact of this on the ability of BCU Commanders to sustain effective reassurance policing. The article also assesses the impact and future implications of workforce modernisation along with recent evaluations of the PCSO and ‘mixed-economy teams' from pilot sites. Finally the article draws on recent experience from one police force Chief Officer Team to evaluate the continuing problem of police organisational culture particularly in relation to workforce modernisation and the future expansion of the role of police staff within police forces in England and Wales.
An Evaluation of Boat Basin Dredging Effects: Response of Fishes and Crabs in a New Jersey Estuary

Abstract Dredging is one of the most common human modifications of estuaries and although its effects have often been studied, there has been little effort in evaluating the effects on mobile macrofauna, such as fishes and crabs. We evaluated the response of fishes and crabs to 4 d of dredging in a small boat basin within a polyhaline marsh creek of a New Jersey estuary. We used several measures, including fish and crab species composition, abundance, and size from trap collections and movements of marked mummichogs Fundulus heteroclitus before, during, and after dredging. In general, the fauna changed little during the 4 d of dredging relative to the 1.5-month sampling period. Species composition variations that did occur may have been due to seasonal changes that are typically observed during the fall based on annual sampling at this site. The movement of tagged mummichogs was minimal, with most recaptures taking place in the boat basin. Individuals that left the boat basin moved into pools in an adjace.
Land Use Land Cover Change Trend and Its Drivers in Somodo Watershed South Western, Ethiopia

Land use land cover (LULC) dynamics are a widespread, accelerating, and significant process driven by human actions. LULC changes analysis is one of the most precise techniques to understand how land was used in the past, what types of changes are to be expected in the future, as well as the forces and processes behind the changes. This study was carried out to evaluate the historical and future trends as well as driving forces of LULC changes in Somodo watershed South Western, Ethiopia. It was accompanied using satellite image of Landsat5 TM 1985 and 1995, Landsat7 ETM+ 1999, 2005 and Landsat8 OLI/TIROS 2017. In addition, field observations, Key informant interview (KII) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were also conducted. ERDAS Imagine 9.1, QGIS 2.18 and IDRSI Selva 17.00, software were used for satellite image processing, map preparation, and LULC change prediction respectively. During the 32 year period between 1985 and 2017, the proportion of area covered by forest and agriculture was decreased by 60.57 ha (12.7%) and 5.22 ha (1.1%) respectively. In contrast, home garden Agroforestry/settlement and grassland were increased by 49.77 ha (7.5%) and 16.02 ha (6.7%) respectively. If the existing rate of LULC change lasts, in 2029 agriculture and forestland are predicted to increase by 91.24 ha and 20.52 ha respectively, while grassland and home garden Agroforestry/settlement are predicted to decrease by 99.97 ha and 11.79 ha respectively. LULC change in the study area is an outcome of several proximate and underlying drivers. The major proximate driving forces of LULC change in the watershed are illegal logging and fuel wood extraction, Expansion of plantation, expansion of settlement, agricultural expansion, and construction of infrastructures. Demographic, Economic, Technological, Institution and policy, and Biophysical factors constitute the major underlying drivers of LULC change in the study area. Population growth is the major underlying cause for LULC change in the study area. Then, Participatory Forest Management through plantation and community nursery expansion is required for forest cover improvement in the watershed. This study also suggests further study on the impact of LULC change in the area. Key words: Drivers, geographic information system (GIS), Land use/Land cover Change prediction, Somodo Watershed.
Evaluation of AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide for Designing Rigid Pavements in Louisiana

This paper presents a recent study on using AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) design software (Pavement ME^(TM)) to evaluate the performance of typical Louisiana rigid pavement structures as compared to the existing pavement performance data available in the pavement management system (PMS). In total, 19 projects with two pavement structure types, Portland cement concrete (PCC) over unbound base and PCC over asphalt mixture blanket, were analyzed. Results show that the national model over-predicts transverse cracking and under-predicts joint faulting. Therefore, a preliminary calibration was conducted to adjust Pavement ME for Louisiana's condition. In addition to comparing the measured and predicted performance, the recommended thickness from the current and the new design methods was also compared. It was found that the two design methods are comparable with an average difference of 2 cm or 7 percent (Pavement ME requires a thinner pavement). At the end of this paper, problems, challenges and possible solutions for fully implementing the new design method are discussed.
Dissecting the active galactic nucleus in Circinus, I : peculiar mid-IR morphology explained by a dusty hollow cone

Recent high angular resolution observations resolved for the first time the mid-infrared (MIR) structure of nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN). Surprisingly, they revealed that a major fraction of their MIR emission comes from the polar regions. This is at odds with the expectation based on AGN unification, which postulates a dusty torus in the equatorial region. The nearby, archetypical AGN in the Circinus galaxy offers one of the best opportunities to study the MIR emission in greater detail. New, high-quality MIR images obtained with the upgraded VISIR instrument at the Very Large Telescope show that the previously detected bar-like structure extends up to at least 40 pc on both sides of the nucleus along the edges of the ionization cone. Motivated by observations across a wide wavelength range and on different spatial scales, we propose a phenomenological dust emission model for the AGN in the Circinus galaxy consisting of a compact dusty disc and a large-scale dusty cone shell, illuminated by a tilted accretion disc with an anisotropic emission pattern. Undertaking detailed radiative transfer simulations, we demonstrate that such a model is able to explain the peculiar MIR morphology and account for the entire IR spectral energy distribution. Our results call for caution when attributing dust emission of unresolved sources entirely to the torus and warrant further investigation of the MIR emission in the polar regions of the AGN.
On the linear stability of magnetized jets without current sheets – non-relativistic case

In this paper we consider stability of magnetized jets that carry no net electric current and do not have current sheets. The non-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics equations are linearized around the background velocity and the magnetic field structure of the jet. The resulting linear equations are solved numerically inside the jet. We find that introduction of current-sheet-free magnetic field significantly improves jet stability relative to unmagnetized jets or magnetized jets with current sheets at their surface. This particularly applies to the fundamental pinch and kink modes – they become completely suppressed in a wide range of long wavelengths that are known to become most pernicious to jet stability when the evolution enters the non-linear regime. The reflection modes, both for the pinch and kink instability, also become progressively more stable with increased magnetization.