Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contribution of Gulf area natural sulfur to the North American sulfur budget.

To evaluate the contribution of natural sulfur compounds from the Gulf of Mexico to the overall North American sulfur budget two series of air sampling flights were performed over the gulf area. Total aerosol mass load and sulfate concentration data indicate, in agreement with our previous findings on gas-phase products, that these observations can be divided into two categories. One group of measurements was taken under offshore airflow and the other under onshore flow conditions. From the measurements performed under clean (onshore) flow, average inside boundary layer SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ concentrations were evaluated. Using these data, together with our previously reported dimethyl sulfide levels, a simple model was developed to estimate the sulfur flux transported northward from the gulf area. Upper and lower limits of this contribution are estimated at 0.25 and 0.04 Tg (S) year/sup -1/, respectively. Although this quantity is relatively low compared with the national US anthropogenic emission, it has significance for the global sulfur cycle, and it can cause a significant acidification of cloud water. 24 references, 5 figures, 3 tables.
Seven years of follow up of trabecular bone score, bone mineral density, body composition and quality of life in adults with growth hormone deficiency treated with rhGH replacement in a single center

Background: Adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) is characterized by impaired physical activity, diminished quality of life (QoL), weight and fat mass gain, decreased muscle mass and decreased bone mineral density (BMD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term treatment (7 years) with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on metabolic parameters, body composition (BC), BMD, bone microarchitecture and QoL. Patients and Methods: In this prospective study, BMD and BC were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Bone microarchitecture was assessed with the trabecular bone score (TBS). The QoL-AGHDA test was used to assess QoL. Results: A total of 18 AGHD patients (mean age, 37.39 ± 12.42) were included. Body weight and body mass index (BMI) showed a significant increase after 7 years (p = 0.03 and p = 0.001, respectively). There was a significant tendency of body fat mass (BFM) (p = 0.028) and lean body mass (LBM) (p = 0.005) to increase during the 7 years of rhGH treatment. There was a significant increase in lumbar spine (LS) BMD (p = 0.01). TBS showed a nonsignificant decrease after 7 years of treatment, with a change of -0.86% ± 1.95. QoL showed a large and significant improvement (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Long-term rhGH treatment in AGHD patients induces a large and sustained improvement in QoL. Metabolic effects are variable with an increase in LBM as well as in BMI and BFM. There is a positive effect on BMD based on the increase in LS BMD, which stabilizes during long-term therapy and is not associated with a similar increase in bone microarchitecture.
Low cost, calibration-free sensors for in situ determination of natural water pollution

One of the critical challenges for analytical sciences is the ability to perform reliable environmental monitoring at remote locations while significantly reducing per-sample and per-measurement cost. In this work, we demonstrate an approach that demonstrates production of ultra-sensitive sensors with almost identical response characteristics on a mass-scale, their integration with low-cost electronics for wireless data transmission and the use of such devices in environmental analysis
Palm Cooling and Heating Delays Fatigue During Resistance Exercise In Women

Abstract Kwon, YS, Robergs, RA, Mermier, CM, Schneider, SM, and Gurney, AB. Palm cooling and heating delays fatigue during resistance exercise in women. J Strength Cond Res 29(8): 2261–2269, 2015—We previously reported that cold application to the palms between sets of high-intensity bench press exercise produces an ergogenic effect in men. In this study, we hypothesized that palm cooling (PC) or heating during rest intervals between high-intensity weight training sets will increase total repetitions and exercise volume load (kilograms) in resistance trained female subjects in a thermoneutral (TN) environment. Eight female subjects (mean ± SD, age = 25 ± 6 years, height = 160 ± 6 cm, body mass = 56 ± 7 kg, 1-repetition maximum [1RM] = 52 ± 6 kg, weight training experience = 6 ± 2 years) completed 4 sets of 85% 1RM bench press exercise to failure, with 3-minute rest intervals. Exercise trials were performed in a counterbalanced order on 3 days, separated by at least 3 days in TN, Palm heating (PH), and PC conditions. Heating and cooling were applied by placing both hands in a hand cooling device with the hand plate set to 45° C for heating and 10° C for cooling. Data were analyzed using a 2-factor repeated-measures analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc tests. Palm cooling repetitions were significantly higher than TN repetitions during the second set, and PH repetitions were significantly higher than those of TN during the fourth set. Total exercise volume load (kilograms) for both PC (1,387 ± 358) and PH (1,349 ± 267) were significantly higher than TN (1,187 ± 262). In women, both heating and cooling of the palms between sets of resistance exercise increased the total exercise volume load performed. This ergogenic response to a peripheral sensory input is consistent with the central governor theory of muscular fatigue.
Statistical Debugging Effectiveness as a Fault Localization Approach: Comparative Study

Fault localization is an important topic in software testing, as it enables the developer to specify fault location in their code. One of the dynamic fault localization techniques is statistical debugging. In this study, two statistical debugging algorithms are implemented, SOBER and Cause Isolation, and then the experimental works are conducted on five programs coded using Python as an example of well-known dynamic programming language. Results showed that in programs that contain only single bug, the two studied statistical debugging algorithms are very effective to localize a bug. In programs that have more than one bug, SOBER algorithm has limitations related to nested predicates, rarely observed predicates and complement predicates. The Cause Isolation has limitations related to sorting predicates based on importance and detecting bugs in predicate condition. The accuracy of both SOBER and Cause Isolation is affected by the program size. Quality comparison showed that SOBER algorithm requires more code examination than Cause Isolation to discover the bugs.
Acute Coronary Syndromes Interaction Between Smoking and the Glycoprotein IIIa P 1 A 2 Polymorphism in Non – ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to determine the interaction between smoking and the glycoprotein IIIa P1 polymorphism in patients admitted with non–ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (ACS). BACKGROUND An increased incidence of the P1 polymorphism in smokers presenting with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has recently been reported. We, therefore, postulated that, as a consequence of this interaction, fewer smokers with the P1 polymorphism would present with non–ST-elevation ACS. METHODS We performed a prospective cohort analysis of 220 white Caucasoid patients admitted with non–ST-elevation ACS fulfilling Braunwald class IIIb criteria for unstable angina who were stratified by smoking status. RESULTS There were twice as many nonsmokers as smokers. Nonsmokers compared with smokers were older (mean [SD]; 63.9 [11.2] vs. 57.6 [10.3]; p 0.0001), more likely to have had a previous admission with unstable angina (24.3% vs. 13.2%; p 0.051) and AMI (45.8% vs. 30.3%; p 0.026), more likely to have undergone revascularization (24.3% vs. 1.8%; p 0.028) and were more likely to be on aspirin on admission (60.4% vs. 44.7%; p 0.026). The proportion of nonsmokers positive for the P1 polymorphism was equivalent to that expected for this population but was significantly reduced in smokers (28.7% vs. 10%; Pearson chi-square 9.09, p 0.0026). In a logistic regression model, the odds ratio (OR) for being positive for the P1 polymorphism was significantly reduced by smoking (OR [interquartile range]: 0.26 [0.11 to 0.62]; p 0.0026). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant reduction in the P1 polymorphism in smokers admitted with non–ST-elevation ACS compared with nonsmokers, which suggests an interaction between smoking and this polymorphism. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;38:1639–43) © 2001 by the American College of Cardiology
Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus

Management of symptomatic osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) is challenging, given the poor healing potential of articular cartilage and limited access to the ankle joint. A wide variety of procedures, varying in complexity from simple débridement to osteochondral allograft reconstruction, has been described for the treatment of these lesions. Arthroscopic procedures (eg, débridement, drilling/microfracture) rely on marrow stimulation to fill the osteochondral defect with fibrocartilage that is not as durable as the native hyaline cartilage. However, these procedures are relatively simple and inexpensive, introduce no donor site morbidity, and do not preclude an open reconstructive salvage procedure at a later time. Open reconstructive procedures (ie, osteochondral autograft transfer [OAT], autologous chondrocyte implantation [ACI], structural allograft reconstruction) are techniques that fill the defect with near-normal hyaline cartilage. These operations are generally indicated for larger lesions or as secondary procedures when arthroscopic techniques have failed. However, they are technically demanding, require extensive exposure, and carry a risk of donor site morbidity (autograft) or disease transmission (allograft).
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Latin American-Mediterranean Family and Its Sublineages in the Light of Robust Evolutionary Markers

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a clonal population structure, and the Latin American-Mediterranean (LAM) family is one of the largest and most widespread within this species, showing evidence for remarkable pathobiology and a confusing phylogeny. Here, we applied robust phylogenetic markers to study the evolution of the LAM family and its major sublineages circulating in Russia and neighboring countries. A total of 250 M. tuberculosis isolates were confirmed to belong to the LAM family based on the analysis of the LAM-specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Rv3062 and Rv0129c genes. At this stage, the family status was rectified for 121 isolates misleadingly assigned by CRISPR spoligotyping to non-LAM families (T1- or T5-RUS1). Consequently, the reestimated LAM prevalence rate increased 2-fold in Russia and Kazakhstan and 4-fold in Belarus. The majority (91.8 to 98.7%) of the LAM isolates from all three countries belonged to the LAM-RUS sublineage. In contrast, the Ibero-American LAM RD-Rio sublineage was identified in only 7 Russian isolates. Taken together, our findings and further analyses suggest a monophyletic origin of LAM-RUS: at a historically distant time, in Russia, in a small founding bacterial/human population. Its dissemination pattern and high prevalence rate in Northern Eurasia may indicate a long-term coexistence of the LAM-RUS sublineage and local human populations hypothetically leading to coadaptation and reduced pathogenicity of the relatively more ancient clones, such as spoligotype international type 254 (SIT254), compared to the more recent SIT252 and SIT266 clones. In contrast, rare LAM RD-Rio isolates were likely brought to Russia through occasional human contact. The spread of RD-Rio strains is not as global as commonly claimed and is determined largely by human migration flows (rather than by pathobiological properties of these strains). Consequently, a host population factor appears to play a major role in shaping the in situ dissemination pattern of the imported strains in an autochthonous population.
Recent studies on experimental myocarditis.

T H E pmduction of myocardial lesions in the experimental animal has been a source of interest to investigators for many years. Because certain types of these lesions have resembled the cardiac changes found in acute rheumatic myocarditis, attempts have been made to explain the pathological picture of acute rheumatic fever on the basis of a state of hyper ensitivity. Before discussing the work to be presented in this paper, it would seem advisable to briefly review some of the pertinent contributions on this subject. Swift (5, 6) pointed out in 1929 that he believed rheumatic fever to be the result of a hypersensitive state and he also carried out experiments in which he attempted to diminish this state of hypersensitivity by repeated injections of a specific streptococcal vaccine. Gro s (1) and his associates produced Ie ions in the hearts of experimental animals by infections of various types of streptococci isolated from rheumatic fever patients. The cardiac changes pmduced were not characteristic of acute rheumatic fever, and these authors pointed out that the significance of such experimental lesions must. be interpreted with great caution. In 1943 Rich (3) published evidence sugge ting that lesions similar to periarteritis nodosa could result from injections of a sterile horse serum into rabbits. In the same year Rich and Gregory (4) in a classical paper, presented evidence that injections of horse serum into rabbits would produce lesions almost identical to those of rheumatic fever. Rich and Gregory (4) stated that "the valvular and myocardial lesions which in their situation and basic characteristics conform so closely with those of rheumatic carditis that \\'e believe they may provide a fair measure of support for the view
BLOOD PESTICIDE CONCENTRATION IN MOTHERS AND THEIR NEWBORN INFANTS: Relation to Prematurity

Abstract. Procianoy, R. S. and Schvartsman, S. (Departments of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, and Universidade de Säo Paulo, Säo Paulo, Brazil). Blood pesticide concentration in mothers and their newborn infants. Relation to prematurity. Acta Paediatr Scand, 70: 925, 1981. ‐An association between high DDT cord blood levels and prematurity was investigated. Pregnant women with good health and nutritional condition, negative history of past occupational exposure to DDT and absence of recent exposure to DDT were investigated as well as their appropriate for gestational age neonates. A total of 54 maternal‐infant pairs were studied and divided in two groups: A‐term deliveries (30 pairs), B‐preterm deliveries (24 pairs). There was no difference in DDT blood levels between pregnant women of both groups. There was, however, a significant difference in DDT cord blood levels between term and preterm infants, as well as between maternal and neonatal blood levels in both groups. DDT cord blood levels correlated negatively with infants' birth weights. We suggest that there is an association between prematurity and high DDT cord blood levels in a non‐occupationally exposed population and the amount of fetal adipose tissue is an important factor determining the cord blood level of this pesticide. We cannot rule out a cause‐effect association between high DDT cord blood level and prematurity.
Hand Arthritis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: An Ultrasound Pictorial Essay

A small minority of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients may develop a deforming arthritis, typically with a non-erosive (Jaccoud’s) pattern, although erosive features indistinguishable from rheumatoid arthritis may also occur. High-resolution ultrasonography (HRUS) allows detailed ‘real time’imaging of joint and tendon morphostructural changes involving the hand in patients with several rheumatic diseases. The main aim of this pictorial essay is to provide the first descriptive HRUS and power Doppler (PD) findings of joint and tendon involvement of the hand and wrist in patients with SLE arthritis. Seventeen patients with SLE and hand involvement were examined. HRUS of the wrist, 2nd and 3rd MCP joints, 3rd PIP joint and 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger flexor tendons were studied in the dominant hand for each patient. Sixteen (94%) patients had joint effusion or synovial hypertrophy in the wrist. Twelve (71%) patients had joint effusion or synovial hypertrophy in 2nd or 3rd MCPJs. Eight (47%) patients had erosion at 2nd or 3rd MCPJs. In three cases erosions were not present radiologically. Eleven (65%) patients had evidence of tenosynovitis. In SLE, HRUS with PD detects a high prevalence of inflammatory pathology in the tendons and synovium of the hand and wrist, and a high prevalence of MCP joint erosions. HRUS offers a sensitive, real-time and readily repeatable assessment of soft-tissue, inflammatory and bony changes in SLE hands.
Autoregulation of inducible prostaglandin G/H synthase in osteoblastic cells by prostaglandins

Prostaglandins (PGs) have been postulated to amplify their own production by stimulating cyclic adenosine monophosphate activity, which in turn stimulates PG production. We examined regulation of messenger RNA levels for the inducible and constitutive prostaglandin G/H synthases, PGHS‐2 and PGHS‐1, in murine osteoblastic MC3T3‐E1 cells, which express both PGHS‐1 and PGHS‐2, and in rat osteoblastic Py1a cells, which express only PGHS‐2. Prostaglandins E2, F2α, and D2 induced PGHS‐2 mRNA in both cell lines under serum‐free conditions and stimulated small increases in PGHS‐1 mRNA levels in MC3T3‐E1 cells. PGE2 (1 μM) increased the transcription rate of PGHS‐2 mRNA 9‐fold at 2 h in serum‐free cells and also induced PGHS‐2 protein. In the presence of arachidonic acid or serum, PGs also increased medium PGE2. Both forskolin, a protein kinase A activator, and phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA), a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, have previously been shown to induce PGHS‐2 mRNA in MC3T3‐E1 cells, but in the present study only PMA induced PGHS‐2 expression in Pyla cells. The induction of PGHS‐2 mRNA in Py1a cells by PGs was inhibited by chelerythrine, a PKC inhibitor, and blocked by 24 h of pretreatment with PMA. The 2 h serum stimulation of PGHS‐2 mRNA in MC3T3‐E1 cells was inhibited 40–50% by three structurally unrelated nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), suggesting that endogenous PGs also amplify PG production through induction of PGHS‐2. We conclude that the mechanism for autoamplification is in part transcriptional and may involve multiple pathways. We speculate that the induction of PGHS‐2 by PGs may be the means for expanding PG responses to small and intermittent signals, such as mechanical strains.
Expression of Snail transcription factor in prostatic adenocarcinoma in Egypt: correlation with Maspin protein expression and clinicopathologic variables.

BACKGROUND Snail transcription factor and Maspin tumor suppressor serpin are involved in the regulation of progression, invasion and metastasis of many human malignancies. However, there is very limited data in the literature about their role in prostatic adenocarcinoma. The present study was designed to investigate Snail and Maspin expression, their interrelationship and their relationship to different clinicopathologic variables in clinically detectable prostatic adenocarcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS Tissue sections from 110 resected prostatic lesions distributed as 80 cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma and 30 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were evaluated for Snail and Maspin proteins expression by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Snail protein expression was detected in 53.8% of prostatic adenocarcinomas versus none of BPH cases (p = < 0.001). A significant positive correlation of Snail expression to cancer grade (p = 0.015), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.026) and pTNM stage (p = 0.036). Maspin expression was detected in 36.6% of prostatic adenocarcinomas versus 93.3% of BPH cases (p = < 0.001). A significant negative correlation of Maspin expression to cancer grade (p = 0.007) and lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.017). Also detected was a significant negative relationship between Snail and Maspin expression in cancer cases under investigation (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION Snail immunohistochemical expression can be promising as a potential prognostic biomarker in prostatic adenocarcinoma since it was significantly associated with clinicopathologic variables of progressive disease. A potential role for Snail in regulating Maspin expression is suggested based on the finding of negative association between Snail and Maspin expression in prostatic adenocarcinoma.
Study and implementation of a single switch cascading high step-up DC-DC converter

In this paper, a novel high step-up DC-DC converter is proposed. The proposed converter is constructed of a boost converter with a coupled inductor technique to achieve high step-up voltage gain by a single switch. The front semi-stage is a boost converter and the rear semi-stage utilizes the coupled inductor and clamp circuit to reduce the voltage stress on the power switch. Thus, the low voltage-rating switch with low conduction resistance can be used to improve the system efficiency. The operating principle and steady-state analysis of the proposed converter are discussed in detail. Finally, a laboratory prototype circuit of the proposed converter with 24 V input voltage and 400 V/400 W output is implemented to verify the performance of the proposed converter.
Some New Riemann-Liouville Fractional Integral Inequalities

Jessada Tariboon, Sotiris K. Ntouyas, andWeerawat Sudsutad 1 Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Applied Science, KingMongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok,Thailand 2Department of Mathematics, University of Ioannina, 451 10 Ioannina, Greece Correspondence should be addressed to Jessada Tariboon; jessadat@kmutnb.ac. th Received 12 December 2013; Accepted 23 January 2014; Published 10 March 2014 Academic Editor: Ram N. Mohapatra Copyright © 2014 Jessada Tariboon et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In this paper, some new fractional integral inequalities are established.
The descriptive political representation of women in Scottish Local Government : barriers to candidature Political Studies Association Annual Conference 2015

It is well-documented the political and structural barriers to female descriptive representation in politics and legislatures (see Lovenduski, 2005). Women remain under-represented at every level of government in the UK (Home Office, 2011). This paper adds to the body of research by exploring the political representation of women at local government level. In particular the locus of Scottish local government adds to the debate where single transferable voting, introduced in 2007 as a form of proportional representation, was supposed to increase the number of female councillors yet women remain under-represented (Kenny and Mackay, 2012). The research involved a survey of councillors in three local authorities, which represented the median in terms of the percentage of female councillors in Scotland, as well as secretaries of political parties and female political activists. The research findings suggest that the main reason for the lack of descriptive representation of women in Scottish local government is the incompatibilities of their councillor role with that of caring and family roles. Thus, the paper will argue that domestic role incompatibilities are a function of party political institutional barriers and suggests ways to address the under-representation of women in political life.