Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early Arabic Inscriptions in Libya

With financial aid from the Society for Libyan Studies I was able to visit Libya on special leave from the British Museum between 21 April and 11 May. The object of the visit was to examine early Islamic epigraphic material, in particular any that might contribute to a knowledge of the archaeology of Ajdabiyah and contemporary sites. One week was spent in Tripoli as a guest of the Department of Antiquities, one week with Dr Whitehouse's team at Ajdabiyah and several days at Cyrene, Tolmeita and in other parts of Cyrenaica. At Tripoli Museum a fine collection of Kufic gravestones collected in and around the city was examined. These can be divided into two chronological and stylistic groups. The earliest pieces of the period of Aghlabid and Fāṭimid domination (third–fourth centuries A.H./ninthtenth centuries A.D.), are roughly incised rectangular or irregular slabs of stone or marble. The Kufic is plain, ornament being generally limited to bifurcation of the terminals; however, elements of foliation are discernible, notably on an example dated 248/862 (Rossi, Iscrizioni arabi e turchi del museo di Tripoli (1953) no. I). By contrast, those inscriptions which belong to the Khazrūnid and Muwaḥḥid periods (fifth-sixth centuries A.H./eleventh–twelfth centuries A.D.) are carved in relief on finely shaped marble blocks of a distinctive elongated type. The lettering is in the floriated style with additional decorative devices such as loops and right-angled bends in the uprights. Borders are adorned with vine-leaf or geometric motifs. The apparently abrupt transition to this evolved type of funerary monument is striking evidence of the high cultural level attained in Tripoli soon after the rise to power of an independent local dynasty.
Using marine mammal habitat modelling to identify priority conservation zones within a marine protected area

One common approach to marine conservation is the designation of marine protected areas (MPAs). Marine mammals have been proposed as a target species for such areas due to their role as indicators of ecosystem processes. In NE Scotland, a large multiple-use MPA has been desig- nated to protect bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus. We used broad-scale surveys throughout this MPA to model habitat preferences of different marine mammals. We aimed to investigate the degree of overlap between distributions of different species, the environmental factors influencing their dis- tributions, and the effect of spatial scale on the significance of different environmental predictors. Bottlenose dolphins had a primarily coastal distribution with localised areas of intense use, in contrast to harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena, harbour seals Phoca vitulina and grey seals Halichoerus grypus, which were widely dispersed throughout the MPA. At larger scales (4 × 4 km grid cells), seal distribution was significantly related to depth, seabed slope, distance to shore and mean sea surface salinity, whereas at the smallest scale (1 × 1 km grid cells), sediment type was also important. This study demonstrated the hierarchical pattern of distributions, with areas of high relative density occur- ring within a broader protected area that the animals were known to regularly frequent. Habitat pref- erence models therefore provide a valuable tool for determining which areas should be given high- est conservation priority and for identifying key locations for further research on interactions between these species and anthropogenic stressors.
An instrumentation solution for reducing spatial disorientation mishaps.

This article explores some of the engineering approaches to dealing with spatial disorientation (SD) and their drawbacks, looks at nature's approach to spatial orientation, and then presents the Tactical Situation Awareness System (TSAS) as a solution to the SD problem (note: TSAS is a trademark for the service and product of the Naval Aerospace Biomedical Research Laboratory, Pensacola, Florida). The TSAS is an array of tactile stimulators arranged in columns and rows on a garment that a pilot wears on the torso and limbs. This array provides intuitive orientation information to aircrew and operators of remote platforms and is more compatible with a pilot's natural sensory system.
Requirement of phospholipase C‐γ2 (PLCγ2) for Dectin‐1‐induced antigen presentation and induction of TH1/TH17 polarization

DC recognize microbial components through an array of receptors known as PRR. PRR initiate intracellular signals, which engender DC with the capacity to stimulate T‐cell responses. Dectin‐1 is a PRR that recognizes β‐glucan, a major constituent of many fungi's outer cell wall. Here we show that Dectin‐1 activates DC through phospholipase (PLC)γ2 signaling. PLCγ2‐deficient DC were unable to expand antigen‐specific T cells and induce TH1 and TH17 differentiation in response to β‐glucan. Mechanistically, PLCγ2‐deficiency impaired the capacity of DC to secrete polarizing cytokines following exposure to β‐glucan. Dectin‐1 required PLCγ2 to activate MAPK, AP‐1 and NF‐κB, which induce cytokine gene expression. Moreover, PLCγ2 controlled Dectin‐1‐mediated NFAT activation and induction of NFAT‐dependent genes such as IL‐2, cyclooxigenase‐2 and Egr transcription factors. We conclude that PLCγ2 is a crucial signaling mediator that modifies DC gene expression program to activate DC responses to β‐glucan‐containing pathogens.
Individual susceptibility to periprosthetic osteolysis is associated with altered patterns of innate immune gene expression in response to pro‐inflammatory stimuli

Susceptibility to osteolysis after total hip arthroplasty (THA) varies between individuals. We examined whether patients susceptible to osteolysis (group I, n = 34 subjects) after cemented Charnley THA have quantitatively different innate immune responses to pro‐inflammatory stimuli versus patients without this susceptibility (group II, n = 28 subjects) at a mean of 14 years after primary surgery. Extracted peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated for 3 h using endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide—LPS, 100 ng/mL), endotoxin‐stripped titanium particles (Ti) or endotoxin‐stripped particles with adherent LPS added‐back (TI + LPS). Subjects returned 1 week later and the experimental protocol was repeated. Assays for mRNA induction for interleukin (IL)‐1α, IL‐1β, IL‐1Ra, IL‐6, IL‐10, IL‐18, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were made using quantitative real‐time PCR. Although baseline levels of mRNA expression were slightly lower in group I, inducibility of mRNA expression was markedly greater in group I versus group II for all cytokines in response to LPS or Ti + LPS, and for IL‐1α in response to Ti (P < 0.05). LPS or Ti + LPS stimulation also resulted in an increase in the IL‐1/IL‐1Ra mRNA ratio in group I versus group II (P < 0.05). mRNA induction was highly reproducible between subject visits (r > 0.7, P < 0.001). Osteolysis‐susceptible patients show repeatable, quantitatively different patterns of innate cytokine gene expression in response to pro‐inflammatory stimuli versus THA patients who do not display this susceptibility. These innate immune differences may contribute to the variation in osteolysis‐susceptibility observed clinically between individuals. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:1127–1135, 2010
To my peers. Granular Gas & 2nd principle of thermodynamics: a ”hard” gas, a ”quarrel” gas, a gas of missed debate

: This paper explains within simple arguments why the physics of granular gas has to be understood in a new way, different to the one proposed by P. Haff, and able to describe the energy delivered to it and dissipated by it. This requires to take into account the difference in the mean particle speed in the + and – ways of the excitation direction. These different means V + (= Σ mv + / Σ m ) and V - (= Σ mv - / Σ m ) exist mainly everywhere in the sample as shown in P&G 17 , 577 (2009) and P&G 18 , 1,(2010). In steady excitation, which imposes ( Σ m v + + Σ m v - ) =0, this generates the existence of a new force (cid:1) P + (cid:1) - (cid:1) P - (cid:1) , where P ± (= m Σ v ± ² ) are the mean kinetic pressures in the two ± directions , due to the fact that the “pressures” P ± on the two sides of a fixed plane are different. This new force was not taken into account; it is due to the speed asymmetry, combined with a particle-particle restitution coefficient e smaller than 1. In the scientific literature, everything is treated has one did want to deliver energy to the granular gas: the granular system at a local uniform temperature at the boundary, so that it cannot make any work (second principle of thermodynamics. It gets heat only from the boundary. If this was true, it would help mining excavation and treatment. This article tries to understand how we arrived there there. So the paper proposes a new writing of dissipation in granular fluid (liquid or
Predictive Speed Control With Short Prediction Horizon for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives

In this paper, a predictive speed controller (PSC) based on finite control set model predictive control is developed for electric drives. The large difference between the mechanical and electrical time constants necessitates long prediction horizons for a direct PSC (DPSC) strategy to be implemented. Therefore, the computation burden for online solving of the optimization problem critically increases even for low-complexity topologies, whereas the DPSC implementation becomes impossible for high-complexity inverters. Additionally, due to the absence of a PI controller in DPSC methods, stability issues arise; therefore, special care is mandated for eliminating steady-state errors. By using proper weighting of the speed errors, along with the current errors, in the cost function of the proposed PSC, the use of many prediction steps becomes unessential. For considering the current dynamics, a linear controller is incorporated in the control law of developed PSC offering improved system behavior, whereas the consideration of the speed errors allows achieving fast response characteristics. The proposed strategy is experimentally evaluated through examining reference and disturbance step changes of a PMSM drive with the three-level neutral-point clamped inverter. Finally, the proposed controller operation is experimentally compared with a predictive torque and speed control, by considering several performance indices.
Factors related to obesity and overweight among Black adolescent girls in the United States

ABSTRACT In the United States, Black adolescents have the highest prevalence of pediatric obesity and overweight among girls. While Black girls are disproportionately affected, the reasons for this health disparity remain unclear. The authors conducted a systematic review to investigate the factors related to obesity and overweight among Black adolescent girls. The authors searched four databases for relevant English-language publications using all publication years through 2015. Fifty-one studies met the inclusion criteria and were used for this review. Using a configuration approach to synthesis, three categories were identified, paralleling the bioecological theory of human development: (1) individual, (2) interpersonal, and (3) community and societal factors. A description of each factor’s association with obesity among Black adolescent girls is presented. From this review, the authors identified a diverse and vast set of individual, interpersonal, and community and societal factors explored for their relationship with obesity and overweight. Given the insufficient repetition and limited significant findings among most factors, the authors believe that multiple gaps in knowledge exist across all categories regarding the factors related to obesity and overweight among Black adolescent girls. To improve the quality of research in this area, suggested research directions and methodological recommendations are provided.
Signal-Averaged Electrocardiography as a Noninvasive Tool for Evaluating the Outcomes After Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease: Reassessment of an Old Tool

Background—Inducibility of ventricular tachycardia (VT) has limited ability to predict recurrent VT after catheter ablation (CA). We sought to correlate the signal-averaged ECG (SAECG) with the endocardial scar characteristics in patients with ischemic VTs. We suggest that successful CA can result in normalization of the SAECG. Methods and Results—Fifty patients (42 male; aged 67±10 years, ejection fraction 34±12%) with ischemic VTs were prospectively enrolled. SAECG was performed before and after CA. Patients with at least 2 abnormal criteria (filtered QRS ≥114 ms; root mean square 40 <20 &mgr;V, and low-amplitude potentials 40 >38 ms) were defined as having positive SAECG. There was a linear correlation between endocardial scar area (<1.5 mV) and filtered QRS (r=0.414; P=0.003). CA resulted in normalization of the SAECG in 6 patients. In patients with filtered QRS ⩽120 ms, 13 (40.6%) patients had normal SAECG after CA compared with 7 (21.9%) before ablation (P=0.034). Patients with normal or normalized SAECG after CA had better VT-free survival compared with those whose SAECG remained abnormal. Abnormal SAECG after CA was a predictor for VT recurrence: hazard ratio=3.64; P=0.039 for the overall population, and hazard ratio=5.80; P=0.022 for patients having QRS ⩽120 ms. Conclusions—There is a significant correlation between the surface SAECG and endocardial scar size in patients with ischemic VTs. A successful CA can result in normalization of SAECG that is associated with more favorable long-term outcomes. SAECG can be useful to assess the procedural success of VT ablation.
Fatty Acid Composition of Human Brain Phospholipids During Normal Development

Abstract: The fatty acid composition of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), ethanolamine plasmalogens (EPs), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and sphingomyelin was studied in 22 human forebrains, ranging in age from 26 prenatal weeks to 8 postnatal years. Phospholipids were separated by two‐dimensional TLC, and the fatty acid methyl esters studied by capillary column GLC. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n‐3) increased with age in PE and PC, whereas arachidonic acid (20:4n‐6) remained quite constant. In EP, 22:6n‐3 increased less markedly than 20:4n‐6, adrenic (22:4n‐6) and oleic (18:1n‐9) acids being the predominant fatty acids during postnatal age. In PS, 18:1n‐9 increased dramatically throughout development, and 20:4n‐6 and 22:4n‐6 increased only until ∼6 months of age. Although 22:6n‐3 kept quite constant during development in PS, its percentage decreased due to the accretion of other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). As a characteristic myelin lipid, sphingomyelin was mainly constituted by very long chain saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Among them, nervonic acid (24:1n‐9) was the major very long chain fatty acid in Sp, followed by 24:0, 26:1n‐9, and 26:0, and its accretion after birth was dramatic. As myelination advanced, 18:1n‐9 increased markedly in all four glycerophospholipids, predominating in EP, PS, and PC. In contrast, 22:6n‐3 was the most important PUFA in PE in the mature forebrain.
General public knowledge, preferred dosage forms, and beliefs toward medicines in western Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE To measure general public knowledge, source of knowledge, preferred dosage forms, and beliefs toward medicines. METHODS A cross-sectional study design using convenience-sampling technique was used. A pre-validated questionnaire was designed and distributed to the general public through face-to-face interviews. All data were analyzed, and p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. The study took place in the Clinical Pharmacy Department, Taif University, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between August 2012 and February 2013 RESULTS: Nine hundred participants successfully responded to this study. Males represented two-thirds of the respondents (66.8%). In addition, 52% of respondents were of high education level. Modern (74.2%) and alternative medicines (88.7%) were understood by most respondents. Tablets (69.6%) and capsules (37.6%) represented the highest preferred dosage forms. In addition, physicians (66.6%) and pharmacists (46.2%) were the main sources of information regarding medicines. In terms of beliefs, respondents showed wrong beliefs in many statements used in this study. CONCLUSION There is a need to improve public knowledge and beliefs toward medicines as well as utilizing public preferred dosage forms. In addition, pharmacists should play a major role in these programs since they are experts on medicines and play a more active role in patient education and counseling.
Morphine tolerance increases [3H]MK-801 binding affinity and constitutive neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in rat spinal cord.

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors inhibit morphine tolerance. In the present study, a lumbar subarachnoid polyethylene (PE10) catheter was implanted for drug administration to study alterations in NMDA receptor activity and NOS protein expression in a morphine-tolerant rat spinal model. Antinociceptive tolerance was induced by intrathecal (i.t.) morphine infusion (10 micrograms h-1) for 5 days. Co-administered (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate (MK-801) (10 micrograms h-1 i.t.) with morphine was used to inhibit the development of morphine tolerance. Lumbar spinal cord segments were removed and prepared for [3H]MK-801 binding assays and NOS western blotting. The binding affinity of [3H]MK-801 was higher in spinal cords of morphine-tolerant rats (mean (SEM) KD = 0.41 (0.09) nM) than in control rats (1.50 (0.13) nM). There was no difference in Bmax. Western blot analysis showed that constitutive expression of neuronal NOS (nNOS) protein in the morphine-tolerant group was twice that in the control group. This up-regulation was partially prevented by MK-801. The results suggest that morphine tolerance affects NMDA receptor binding activity and increases nNOS expression in the rat spinal cord.
Incidence of antibodies to protamine sulfate/heparin complexes in cardiac surgery patients and impact on platelet activation and clinical outcome

Summary A new ELISA (Zymutest HIA®), based on incubation of diluted plasma with protamine/heparin (PRT/H) complexes without and with platelet factor 4 (PF4) provided by a platelet lysate, was used to detect heparindependent antibodies in a cohort of 232 cardiac surgery (CS) patients and in 47 patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Significant binding of IgG/A/M to PRT/H complexes was demonstrated in 59 CS patients (25.4%), with similar absorbances whether platelet lysate was added to the plasma or not, and significant reactivity to PF4/H in 29 of them. Antibodies to PRT or heparin alone were present in 15 and two of these patients, respectively. Importantly, antibodies to PRT/H were detected in only three of the 47 HIT patients, who had also undergone recent CS. The Zymutest HIA® was positive in another 41 CS patients (17%), but only or mainly when their plasma was tested with platelet lysate, with significant levels of antibodies to PF4/H in 40 of them without detectable reactivity to PRT or heparin alone. Slight antibody binding to PRT/H complexes was also measured in six of these 41 patients. Therefore, a total of 35 CS patients exhibited dual antibody reactivity towards PRT/H and PF4/H complexes. Serotonin release assay performed with PRT alone was positive in 17 CS patients with antibodies to PRT/H, but all had normal platelet count evolution without thrombosis postoperatively. In conclusion, antibodies to PRT/H are frequently present in CS patients postoperatively (25.4%), and can activate platelets in vitro, but their clinical impact remains questionable.
Toxicity of novel anti-hepatitis drug bicyclol: a preclinical study.

AIM To study the toxicity of bicyclol to animals. METHODS Acute toxicity test was performed in Kunming strain mice that were orally given bicyclol at the doses of 3 and 5 g/kg body weight, respectively. Wistar rats were orally administered bicyclol at a dose of 5 g/kg body weight. Death and clinical symptoms of animals were recorded within 7 d. Sub-acute toxicity test was carried out in rats that were treated with various doses of bicyclol (150, 300, 600 mg/kg) once daily for 14 d. Animal behaviors, blood biochemical markers, blood and urine pictures were examined. Chronic toxicity test was conducted in 80 Wistar rats of both sexes. The animals were orally administered with various doses of bicyclol (150, 300, 600 mg/kg, 100-400 folds corresponding to the proposed therapeutic dose (1.5 mg/(kg.d)) of bicyclol for patients) once daily for 6 mo except for Sunday. The control group was given the same volume of 0.2% sodium carboxyl methylcellulose (Na-CMC). Twenty-one beagle dogs received bicyclol (25, 75, 225 mg/kg, 16.6, 50, 150 folds corresponding to the proposed therapeutic dose of bicyclol for patients) once a day for 6 mo except for Sunday. The body weight, food intake, urine and feces, blood picture, blood biochemical markers, and pathological examination of main organs were determined. Mutagenicity and teratogenicity were determined. Mutagenicity assay included Ames's test, chromosome aberration test in CHL cells and micronucleus test in mice. For the teratogenicity assay, pregnant Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were treated with 0.2, 1.0 g/kg bicyclol once daily from the 7th d of gestation for 10 d. RESULTS The oral LD(50) of bicyclol was over 5 g/kg in mice and rats. No noticeable alterations in subacute and chronic toxicity of rats and dogs were demonstrated. No mutagenicity and teratogenicity of bicyclol were found. CONCLUSION Bicyclol has no detectable chronic toxicity as well as mutagenicity and teratogenicity in animals.
Are coronal holes the only source of fast solar wind

[1] A two-dimensional (2-D) MHD model of an Alfven-wave-driven solar wind in the heliospheric meridional plane is presented whereby the consequences of a magnetic field distribution at the Sun that digresses from the standard dipole structure, often used in 2-D MHD models, are explored. The latitudinal distribution of open magnetic flux is specified at the solar surface, with a clear distinction between the polar coronal hole and the neighboring quiet Sun. The region of strictly closed magnetic structures at the coronal base is limited in latitude to ±30°. Alfven waves are assumed to emanate from the solar surface above 30° latitude so as to open the field lines anchored there, as well as heat and accelerate the solar wind. The field lines anchored at the solar surface below 30° latitude, where the plasma is thermally conductive, remain closed, resulting in the formation of the helmet streamer astride the solar equator. The solution obtained is characterized by a helmet streamer in magnetostatic equilibrium, centered at the solar equator, and a steady solar wind outside. With the assumption that the contribution of the polar coronal hole and the quiet Sun to the interplanetary magnetic flux is evenly split between them during solar minimum, a fast wind solution is obtained that matches the latitudinal distribution of the solar wind parameters observed by Ulysses and SOHO and extends from the pole to 9° latitude. The larger fraction (≈60%) of the fast wind (above 30° latitude at 1 AU) emerges from the polar coronal hole, while the remainder is associated with the quiet Sun. While the actual fraction of the fast solar wind originating from polar coronal holes relies on an accurate estimate of the contribution of the open magnetic flux from polar coronal holes to the total IMF flux, this model shows that extending the source of open magnetic flux at the Sun beyond the traditionally assumed polar coronal holes can readily account for the latitudinal distribution of fast wind measured by Ulysses at solar minimum.