Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Transport and Fate of Ethanol and BTEX in Groundwater Contaminated by Gasohol

Ethanol is used a component in all gasoline in Brazil, and its use could increase significantly in the U.S. to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments. Recent problems with ground water contamination by methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) have made policymakers more cognizant of the need to consider the overall impact of gasoline oxygenates in the environment. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the impact of incorporating ethanol as a gasoline component on the fate and transport of gasoline releases is required. This article provides a comprehensive review of the transport of ethanol and monoaromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) in the subsurface following a gasohol spill. Two mechanisms related to the presence of ethanol are generally considered to impact BTEX transport. Ethanol can increase the aqueous concentration of BTEX compounds due to a cosolvent effect, and it can inhibit BTEX biodegradation by preferentially consuming electron acceptors and nutrients. Our review illustrates that cosolvent effects should be minor at the ethanol concentrations expected from gasohol spills. Nevertheless, the inhibition of BTEX biodegradation and the possible decrease in sorption-related retardation suggests that ethanol is likely to increase BTEX plume lengths. The net effect of ethanol on natural attenuation of BTEX is likely to be system specific, depending largely on the release scenario and the assimilative capacity of the aquifer.
How Does Electroconvulsive Therapy Work? Theories on its Mechanism

This article reviews 3 current theories of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). One theory points to generalized seizures as essential for the therapeutic efficacy of ECT. Another theory highlights the normalization of neuroendocrine dysfunction in melancholic depression as a result of ECT. A third theory is based on recent findings of increased hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptogenesis in experimental animals given electroconvulsive seizures. Presently, the endocrine theory has the strongest foundation to explain the working mechanism of ECT.
Cervical Spine Motion: A Fluoroscopic Comparison During Intubation with Lighted Stylet, GlideScope, and Macintosh Laryngoscope

The question of which is the optimum technique to intubate the trachea in a patient who may have a cervical(C)-spine injury remains unresolved. We compared, using fluoroscopic video, C-spine motion during intubation for Macintosh 3 blade, GlideScope®, and Intubating Lighted Stylet, popularly known as the Lightwand or Trachlight®. Thirty-six healthy patients were randomized to participate in a crossover trial of either Lightwand or GlideScope to Macintosh laryngoscopy, with in-line stabilization. C-spine motion was examined at the Occiput-C1 junction, C1-2 junction, C2-5 motion segment, and C5-thoracic motion segment during manual ventilation via bag-mask, laryngoscopy, and intubation. Time to intubate was also measured. C-spine motion during bag-mask ventilation was 82% less at the four motion segments studied than during Macintosh laryngoscopy (P < 0.001). C-spine motion using the Lightwand was less than during Macintosh laryngoscopy, averaging 57% less at the four motion segments studied (P < 0.03). There was no significant difference in time to intubate between the Lightwand and the Macintosh blade. C-spine motion was reduced 50% at the C2-5 segment using the GlideScope (P < 0.04) but unchanged at the other segments. Laryngoscopy with GlideScope took 62% longer than with the Macintosh blade (P < 0.01). Thus, the Lightwand (Intubating Lighted Stylet) is associated with reduced C-spine movement during endotracheal intubation compared with the Macintosh laryngoscope.
An evaluation of radiation protection standards for Indian conditions.

Abstract The application of radiation protection standards recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection to Indian conditions is discussed. Data on total body weight and weights of twelve selected body organs of normal Indian adults are presented. It is shown that because of differences in total body weight and the weights of individual body organs from those assumed for the ICRP standard man, maximum permissible body burden values may require a downward revision for a large number of radionuclides by factors ranging from 0.56 to 0.80, little revision for four radionuclides and upward revision for five radionuclides by a factor of 1.29 or 1.80. Due to increased water consumption by Indians, (MPC)w, values for many radionuclides may have to be scaled down by an additional factor of 2. An attempt is made to evolve allowable limits of surface contamination in the light of the hygienic standards and the eating habits of Indian workers. It is indicated that internal contamination through ingestion may be the limiting criterion in establishing such standards.
Ethinylestradiol increases volume and decreases sinusoidal membrane surface in the rat liver: A stereological analysis

Structural alterations of liver parenchyma caused by ethinylestradiol, a synthetic estrogen known to induce cholestasis and to act as a tumor promoter factor, were investigated. Male rats treated with 17α‐ethinylestradiol (5 mg/kg body weight for 5 days) were compared with controls (n = 5 each). After perfusion fixation and systematic random sampling, paraffin sections, semithin sections and thin sections were examined observing standard stereological techniques. Ethinylestradiol treatment induced an increase in liver volume by 65% (p < 0.001), which was caused more by hypertrophy (volume of singular hepatocyte + 35%, p < 0.001) than by hyperplasia (number of hepatocytes + 23%, p < 0.001). A decrease in sinusoidal membrane surface density (– 43%, p < 0.005) associated with a decrease in sinusoidal microvillar volume density (– 50%, p < 0.005) were both compensated for by the increase in liver volume. No canalicular alterations were observed. Thus changes in hepatocytes detectable with stereological techniques affect the sinusoidal pole where decreased sinusoidal membrane surface is associated with or reflects a substantial loss of membrane phospholipids. The increased liver volume may constitute an adaptive response compensating for the relative decrease in sinusoidal membrane surface and displays characteristics comparable to those of preneoplastic hepatocytes. (HEPATOLOGY 1992;16:217–223.)
Impact des pratiques de gestion sur la qualité du fourrage dans des parcours méditerranéens du sud de la France : liens avec la décomposition de la litière

Le but de cette these etait de comprendre les liens entre deux processus de degradation de la matiere organique : la digestibilite du fourrage par les herbivores domestiques et la decomposabilite de la litiere par la microfaune du sol. Nous avons fait les hypotheses suivantes : (i) les pratiques de gestion affectent la digestibilite et la decomposabilite des especes, et (ii) en accord avec l’hypothese de dominance, celles des communautes via des changements de leur structure fonctionnelle ; (iii) digestibilite et decomposabilite peuvent etre estimees par un meme « marqueur fonctionnel » facile a mesurer aux niveaux d’organisation de l’espece et de la communaute. Ce travail a ete realise dans des parcours du domaine experimental de La Fage situes sur le Causse du Larzac (Aveyron). Nos resultats ont montre un effet des pratiques de gestion sur la digestibilite et la decomposabilite des differents organes (feuille, tige, partie reproductrice) : les especes de parcours pâtures et fertilises ont presente une digestibilite et decomposabilite superieures a celles des especes de parcours uniquement pâtures. Des mesures effectuees a deux dates de recolte ont permis de mettre en evidence une baisse de digestibilite au cours du printemps dans les differents organes, principalement causee par une augmentation de leur teneur en fibre. Une relation positive entre digestibilite et decomposabilite a ete montree pour les feuilles et les tiges dans les deux types de parcours. Cette relation etait fortement dependante de la teneur en fibres des organes, qui peut etre estimee de facon fiable par la teneur en matiere seche de ceux-ci : plus la teneur en fibres etait elevee, plus la teneur en matiere seche etait forte, induisant une faible digestibilite et une faible decomposabilite. Ces resultats ont egalement ete demontres a l’echelle des communautes pour la digestibilite et la decomposabilite, confirmant l’hypothese de dominance : les proprietes des ecosystemes peuvent etre predites a partir de traits des especes dominantes des differents parcours, et en particulier de leur teneur en matiere seche. La teneur en matiere seche est donc un marqueur puissant et facile a mesurer pour estimer la digestibilite et la decomposabilite de systemes complexes. L’approche fonctionnelle de la diversite biologique basee sur les traits peut donc etre utilisee comme un outil de diagnostic du fonctionnement des prairies permanentes afin d’adapter les pratiques de gestion selon les objectifs des eleveurs.
Semantic verbal fluency strategies in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE The primary aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive strategies used in semantic fluency (clustering, switching, and access to subcategories) in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). In addition, we evaluated the impact of slowing in speed of information processing on semantic fluency performance. METHOD Tests of semantic verbal fluency (animals, supermarket items) were administered to 33 participants with aMCI and 33 healthy older adults (HOA). A selected measure of speed of information processing was also administered. RESULTS Analyses revealed significant impairment in word generation (animals, supermarket items) in the aMCI group relative to the HOA group (η² = .41). Furthermore, the aMCI group produced significantly smaller cluster sizes (η² = .12) and accessed fewer subcategories than the HOA group (η² = .11), whereas a difference in switching frequency between groups produced a small but nonsignificant effect. Although the aMCI group, as compared with the HOA group, demonstrated reductions in processing speed (η² = .17), covariance analyses adjusting for speed did not substantively alter the significant difference between groups in clustering and access to subcategories. CONCLUSIONS When attempting semantic fluency, and as compared with healthy older adults, people with aMCI demonstrated difficulties in isolating semantic categories and loss of associative links within semantic categories. These findings are discussed in relation to an early degradation of semantic memory in aMCI.
A New Solar Radiation Model for a Power System Reliability Study

The dwindling number of conventional power resources and its environmental impact has motivated a transition to renewable energy sources, such as solar power. Evaluating the reliability of solar power integration into power networks can help decision makers gauge the feasibility of their solar power projects. However, the stochastic and non-stationary nature of solar radiation is difficult to be modeled and can even hinder an accurate evaluation of reliability. A good solar model for accurately assessing solar-power-integrated systems should be able to retain the original statistical properties of the sampled solar radiation data. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a new robust and easy-to-use methodology for simulating solar radiation. The proposed model was compared with four other models, including the clearness index, auto-regressive moving average, and two probability-distribution-based models. Five statistical tests, namely, F-test, diurnal distributions, partial auto-correlation function (PACF), mean, and standard deviation, were performed for the comparison. The comparison results indicate that the proposed method effectively retains the statistical properties of the original data and outperforms all other models in the tests. Therefore, the proposed model can be used for assessing solar-power-integrated power systems.
Social analysis of sex imbalance in India: before and after the implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act

Background: While the issue of sex imbalance in South Asia is well recognised, less is known about its social patterning. Social patterning in the proportion of sexes was investigated among infants in India before and after the implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act in 1996. The act regulates the misuse of technologies for sex determination of fetuses and subsequent selective abortion. Methods: Multivariable regression analysis was performed on time series data from a nationally representative sample of households with infants. The outcome was log odds of having a male infant. Household income, parental education, social caste, a variable representing periods before and after the implementation of the PNDT Act and state of residence were the main predictors of interest. Results: The odds of having a male infant increased with income quartiles. Heads of household with post-secondary education had a higher odds ratio of having a male infant than those with no formal education. The odds of having a male infant did not differ between high and low caste groups, and was not associated with the educational attainment of the spouse. Punjab had a higher odds ratio of having a male infant compared with Kerala. Kerala, meanwhile, was not particularly different from the remaining Indian states. The odds of having a male infant were similar in the pre- and post-PNDT periods. In the post-PNDT period, the income gradient in the odds of having a male infant was substantially weakened. Conclusion: Social analysis of the distribution of sexes among infants in India suggests that neither improvements in socioeconomic circumstances nor introducing policies that are not aligned with societal norms and preferences are likely to normalise the sex imbalance in India.
Prostaglandin E1 increases oxygen extraction capabilities in experimental sepsis.

By its microvascular and anti-inflammatory actions, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has been suggested both in animal models and in humans to have a therapeutic value in sepsis. To investigate whether PGE1 could improve the oxygen extraction capabilities in severe sepsis, our study focused on the relationship between oxygen uptake (VO2) and oxygen delivery (DO2) during an acute reduction in blood flow induced by cardiac tamponade in endotoxic dogs. Thirty anesthetized, ventilated dogs were divided into three groups. A first group (N = 10) served as a control receiving 20 ml/kg/hr of saline intravenously. A second group (N = 10) received PGE1 at 100 ng/kg/min along with the same saline infusion. A third group (N = 10) received the same dose of PGE1 with only 1 ml/kg/hr of saline. Thirty minutes after the initiation of this therapy, Escherichia coli endotoxin (2 mg/kg) was injected in each dog. In each group, the administration of PGE1, fluids, or both was continued throughout the study. Tamponade was then induced by repeated bolus injections of warm saline into the pericardial space. Steady-state measurements of VO2 (derived from the expired gases) and DO2 (the product of cardiac index and oxygen content) were obtained sequentially after each saline injection. The administration of PGE1 + fluids resulted in significant increases in stroke volume, cardiac index, and DO2 and reductions in systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance. Stroke volume and cardiac index were lower in the PGE1 alone than in the PGE1 + fluids group. The VO2 levels at critical DO2 (DO2crit) were identical. However, DO2crit, which was 12.2 +/- 2.8 ml/kg/min in the control group, was significantly decreased to 9.8 +/- 2.0 ml/kg/min in the PGE1 + fluids and to 9.3 +/- 2.7 ml/kg/min in the PGE1 alone group (both P < 0.05). Critical oxygen extraction ratio (O2ERcrit) which was 47 +/- 14% in the control group, was increased to 63 +/- 16% in the PGE1 + fluids group and to 61 +/- 17% in the PGE1 alone group (both P < 0.05). To investigate whether PGE1 also improves oxygen extraction capabilities in the absence of endotoxin, a second series of experiments was performed in 14 dogs, receiving saline alone (Control, N = 7) or plus PGE1 at 100 ng/kg/min (PGE1, N = 7). DO2crit was 10.7 +/- 2.9 ml/kg/min in the PGE1 group vs 10.1 +/- 1.8 ml/kg/min in the control group (NS). O2ERcrit tended to be higher in the PGE1 group than that in the control group (68 +/- 13% vs 60 +/- 15%, P = 0.054). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A preliminary study of resting brain metabolism in treatment-resistant depression before and after treatment with olanzapine-fluoxetine combination

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) occurs in many patients and causes high morbidity and mortality. Because TRD subjects are particularly difficult to study especially longitudinally, biological data remain very limited. In a preliminary study to judge feasibility and power, 25 TRD patients were referred from specialty psychiatric practices. All were severely and chronically depressed and mostly had comorbid psychiatric disorders as is typical in TRD. Nine patients were able to complete all required components of the protocol that included diagnostic interview; rating scales; clinical magnetic resonance imaging; medication washout; treatment with maximally tolerated olanzapine-fluoxetine combination for 8 weeks; and pre- and post-treatment fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. This drug combination is an accepted standard of treatment for TRD. Dropouts arose from worsening depression, insomnia, and anxiety. One patient remitted; three responded. A priori regions of interest included the amygdala and subgenual cingulate cortex (sgACC; BA25). Responders showed decreased metabolism with treatment in the right amygdala that correlated with clinical response; no significant changes in BA25; better response to treatment the higher the baseline BA25 metabolism; and decreased right ventromedial prefrontal metabolism (VMPFC; broader than BA25) with treatment which did not correlate with depression scores. The baseline metabolism of all individuals showed heterogeneous patterns when compared to a normative metabolic database. Although preliminary given the sample size, this study highlights several issues important for future work: marked dropout rate in this study design; need for large sample size for adequate power; baseline metabolic heterogeneity of TRD requiring careful subject characterization for future studies of interventions; relationship of amygdala activity decreases with response; and the relationship between baseline sgACC and VMPFC activity with response. Successful treatment of TRD with olanzapine-fluoxetine combination shows changes in cerebral metabolism similar to those seen in treatment-responsive major depression.
Psychometric evaluation of the English language Person-centred Climate Questionnaire--staff version.

AIM The present study aimed to evaluate psychometric properties of the English language Person-centred Climate Questionnaire--staff version (PCQ-S). BACKGROUND Person-centred care emphasizes the individual's perspective in the care process. However, the concept is subject to some debate and few measurement tools exist. METHODS During 2 months in 2007, the Swedish PCQ-S was translated to English and distributed to a sample of Australian hospital staff (n = 52). Psychometric evaluation using statistical estimates of validity and reliability were performed. RESULTS The 14-item questionnaire showed high reliability as Cronbach's alpha was satisfactory for the total scale (0.89), and for the four subscales: 0.87, 0.79, 0.82 and 0.69. Test-retest reliability were evaluated in a subsample of 40 staff and resulted in P-values >0.05 between mean scores of the PCQ-S at test and retest, r-values between 0.6 and 0.9, and a two-way mixed effects model, single measures intra-class correlations of 0.75 with a confidence interval of 0.58-0.86. Validity of the scale needs further evaluation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT The English PCQ-S makes possible studies of associations between person-centredness and different organizational systems, environments, staff characteristics and health and managerial styles. However, scale validity needs further evaluation.
The clinical utility of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 abrogation by human antibodies

The recent cloning and identification of a variety of regulatory and counter-regulatory molecules on T cells and antigen presenting cells has led to the development of antibodies and other molecules that either stimulate or abrogate these immune functions. Patients with autoimmune disease, graft rejection and cancer might benefit from the ability to manipulate immune regulatory pathways. The first demonstration of clinical benefit by modulation of immune regulation in cancer involves the use of human antibodies against cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4. Murine preclinical studies suggested that cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 abrogation would provide clinical benefit after an antitumor vaccination. Early trials of this antibody in patients with melanoma have shown antitumor activity with and without vaccines that is associated with a state of autoimmunity. Surprisingly, the reversal of the state of autoimmunity induced by cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 antibodies by the use of corticosteroids does not eliminate clinical benefit.
News as brands : branding television news channels in the Arab World. A case study of Aljazeera, AlArabiya, AlEkhbaria and Nile television news channels

This research is an attempt to examine the use of news programmes as a means of branding television news channels in the Arab World. The researcher used a quantitative content analysis of the news programmes as well as semi-structured interviews with officials representing the four selected television news channels to explore their strategies in branding their television news channels via news programmes. News of the four selected Arabian television news channels (Aljazeera and Al-Arabiya, as Pan-Arab television news channels and the Nile and Al-Ekhbariya as government supported television news channels representing their regions), were analysed to test how they were used as a means of branding their television news channels in order for them to compete in the Arab media landscape, which is described as a saturated media environment. The study aims, specifically, at testing the differences among the selected television news channels on utilising elements of branding via their news programmes. The other aim of the study is to investigate how these channels reflect their promises which are claimed in their slogan via their news coverage. Moreover, it tries to establish a theoretical and practical perspective based on the specific results of the study regarding to branding television news channels via their news programmes. The study indicates that television news channels used their news bulletin to build and / or enhance their brands through three main groups of elements (news content, news presenters and news production techniques). The study revealed that twenty-two elements of branding were found to be significant. Due to the lack of studies on television news channels in the Arab World, this study should be the first of its nature and contribute to the knowledge about the use of news as brands by television news channels in the Arab World.