Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soil Water Balance and Ecosystem Response to Climate Change

Some essential features of the terrestrial hydrologic cycle and ecosystem response are singled out by confronting empirical observations of the soil water balance of different ecosystems with the results of a stochastic model of soil moisture dynamics. The simplified framework analytically describes how hydroclimatic variability (especially the frequency and amount of rainfall events) concurs with soil and plant characteristics in producing the soil moisture dynamics that in turn impact vegetation conditions. The results of the model extend and help interpret the classical curve of Budyko, which relates evapotranspiration losses to a dryness index, describing the partitioning of precipitation into evapotranspiration, runoff, and deep infiltration. They also provide a general classification of soil water balance of the world ecosystems based on two governing dimensionless groups summarizing the climate, soil, and vegetation conditions. The subsequent analysis of the links among soil moisture dynamics, plant water stress, and carbon assimilation offers an interpretation of recent manipulative field experiments on ecosystem response to shifts in the rainfall regime, showing that plant carbon assimilation crucially depends not only on the total rainfall during the growing season but also on the intermittency and magnitude of the rainfall events.
Associations of Phlebotomus orientalis and other sandflies with vegetation types in the eastern Sudan focus of kala‐azar

Abundances of Phlebotomus orientalis, P. papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) and other sandflies were investigated in relation to different types of vegetation associated with endemic foci of visceral leishmaniasis (kala‐azar) in eastern Sudan. Sandfly collection sites were in Umsalala Village (Galabat Province) and Dinder National Park (Dinder Province). Sandfly species found in the area were P. orientalis, P. papatasi, Sergentomyia africana, S. antennata, S. clydei, S. schwetzi and S. squamipleuris. Among the types of trees in the Dinder area, P. orientalis was more abundant in forests dominated by Acacia seyal than where Combretum kordofanum, Balanites aegyptiaca, Hyphaena thaibaica or Ziziphus spinachristi were the dominant trees. At Umsalala, P. papatasi was more abundant in the village than at any site with dense vegetation, but P. orientalis was uncommon. Sergentomyia spp. were distributed fairly evenly amongst most types of vegetation investigated at both localities. The ecological distribution of sandflies and epidemiology of kala‐azar in Sudan are discussed with emphasis on the association of P. orientalis with A. seyal woodlands.
Adaptive Reduced-Rank MIMO Decoder for Military Communications

We propose an adaptive reduced-rank solution for decoding spatial multiplexed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications based on the multi-stage Wiener filter (MSWF). Spectral efficiency gains promised by spatial multiplexing schemes, such as vertical Bell Labs space time (V-BLAST) and space-division multiple access (SDMA), are difficult to realize for military applications where extreme channel conditions such as co-channel interference and intentional jamming can be expected. We show that the MSWF combined with successive interference (SIC) for spatial demultiplexing leads to significant signal subspace compression or rank-reduction. We propose for the MSWF-SIC a novel rank-reduction stopping rule that adapts to channel correlation and interference converges much faster than full rank methods permitting shorter training length and robustness to co-channel interference and jamming. Also, significant computational reduction is realized making this method a good candidate for portable applications where computational resources are limited. Bit error rate (BER) versus SNR for the correlated channel and for co-channel interference and SINR versus the MSWF rank-reduction and length of training interval are presented.
Robust State-Dependent Switching of Linear Systems With Dwell Time

A state-dependent switching law that obeys a dwell time constraint and guarantees the stability of a switched linear system is designed. Sufficient conditions are obtained for the stability of the switched systems when the switching law is applied in presence of polytopic type parameter uncertainty. A Lyapunov function, in quadratic form, is assigned to each subsystem such that it is non-increasing at the switching instants. During the dwell time, this function varies piecewise linearly in time. After the dwell, the system switches if the switching results in a decrease in the value of the LF. The method proposed is also applicable to robust stabilization via state-feedback. It is further extended to guarantee a bound on the L2-gain of the switching system; it is also used in deriving state-feedback control law that robustly achieves a prescribed L2 -gain bound.
Betamethasone‐Induced Resistance to Neuromuscular Blockade: A Comparison of Atracurium and Vecuronium In Vitro

Steroids induce resistance to neuromuscular blocking drugs. Betamethasone-induced resistance to vecuronium has been demonstrated in vitro, and a presvnaptic site of interaction has been suggested. This study investigated whether atracurium is similarly affected. Rat phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparations were bathed in a physiologic solution, and one-half were exposed to betamethasone (1 μmol/L). Dose responses were recorded for atracurium (8–13 μmo/L) and vecuronium (2–12 μmol/L) for control and betamethasone-treated preparations. In comparison to control, the betamethasone groups had significantly less depression of muscle contraction force at all concentrations of atracurium (P = 0.0004) and vecuronium (P = 0.002). The calculated ED50 (50% depression of muscle contraction force, expressed as mean ± 5EM) for atracurium was 8.83 ± 0.62 μmo/L for controls and 11.19 ± 0.54 μmol/L for betamethasone-treated preparations. The calculated ED50 for vecuronium was 4.72 ± 0.41 μmol/L for controls and 6.84 ± 0.66 Amol/L for betamethasone-treated preparations. Betamethasone therefore increased the ED50 for atracurium by 27% and vecuronium by 45%; however, the magnitudes of these differences were not significant (P = 0.74) between the neuromuscular blocking agents. These results indicate that betamethasone-induced resistance to nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockade affects both atracurium and vecuronium to similar degrees in vitro.
Polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1 genes and susceptibility to psoriasis disease: A study from North India

Background: Increased oxidative stress and resulting inflammation has been emphasized as a factor in the pathogenesis of many diseases including psoriasis. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) protect against oxidative stress, inflammation, and genotoxicity. Polymorphisms in the GST genes may lead to an imbalance in pro- and antioxidant systems resulting in the increased production of reactive oxygen species that could influence the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between GSTs (GSTM1 and GSTT1) gene polymorphism in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis as a factor in the susceptibility and development of psoriasis. Materials and Methods: We assessed 128 patients with psoriasis and 250 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood by the phenol chloroform method. The null GSTT1 and GSTM1 genotypes were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results: The null genotype of GSTM1 and GSTT1 was seen in 45.3% and 40.6% in psoriasis patients whereas in the controls it was 34.4% and 20.0%, respectively. A significant association was seen between the null alleles of the GSTT1 (OR = 2.74) and GSTM1 (OR = 1.58) alone or in combination with tobacco use (P < 0.001) and psoriasis risk. The presence of both null genotypes of GSTM1 and GSTT1 further increased the risk of psoriasis (OR = 3.52) when compared with the positive genotypes of GSTM1 and GSTT1. Limitations: A major limitation of this study was the small sample size. A large epidemiological study is necessary to confirm these findings. Conclusions: The null genotype of GSTT1 is a strong predisposing factor for psoriasis in North India.
Do antioxidants inhibit oxidative‐stress‐induced autophagy of tenofibroblasts?

Recent research on tendinopathy has focused on its relationship to programmed cell death. Increased autophagy has been observed in ruptured rotator cuff tendon tissues, suggesting a causal relationship. We investigated whether autophagy occurs in human rotator cuff tenofibroblast death induced by oxidative stress and whether antioxidants protect against autophagic cell death. We used H2O2 (0.75 mM) as oxidative stressor, cyanidin (100 µg/ml) as antioxidant, zVAD (20 µM) as apoptosis inhibitor, and 3‐MA (10 mM) as autophagy inhibitor. We evaluated cell viability and known autophagic markers: LC3‐II expression, GFP‐LC3 puncta formation, autolysosomes, and Atg5‐12 and Beclin 1 expression. H2O2 exposure increased the rates of cell death, LC3‐II expression, GFP‐LC3 puncta formation, and autolysosomes. After we induced apoptosis arrest using zVAD, H2O2 exposure still induced cell death, LC3‐II expression, and GFP‐LC3 puncta formation. H2O2 exposure also increased Atg5‐12 and Beclin 1 expressions, indicating autophagic cell death. However, cyanidin treatment reduced H2O2‐induced cell death, LC3‐II expression, GFP‐LC3 puncta formation, and autolysosomes. Cyanidin and 3‐MA similarly reduced the cell‐death rate, and Atg5‐12 and Beclin 1 expression. This study demonstrated that H2O2, an oxidative stressor, induces autophagic cell death in rotator cuff tenofibroblasts, and that cyanidin, a natural antioxidant, inhibits autophagic cell death. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:937–943, 2014.
Blood pressure in late adolescence and very low birth weight.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether blood pressure (BP) differed between very low birth weight (VLBW; birth weight <or=1500 g) subjects and normal birth weight (NBW; birth weight >2499 g) subjects in late adolescence, and to determine whether growth restriction in utero was related to BP in VLBW survivors at this age. METHODS This was a cohort study of 210 preterm survivors with birth weights <1501 g born from January 1, 1977, to March 31, 1982, and 60 randomly selected NBW subjects from the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne. BP was measured at 18+ years of age in 156 (74%) VLBW subjects and 38 (63%) NBW subjects with both a standard mercury sphygmomanometer and an ambulatory BP monitor. RESULTS VLBW subjects had higher sphygmomanometer systolic and diastolic BPs than NBW subjects (mm Hg; mean difference [95% confidence interval]; systolic, 8.6 [3.4, 13.9]; diastolic, 4.3 [1.0, 7.6]). VLBW subjects also had significantly higher mean systolic ambulatory BPs (mm Hg; mean difference [95% confidence interval]) for the 24-hour period (4.7 [1.4, 8.0]), and for both the awake (5.0 [1.6, 8.5]) and asleep (3.6 [0.04, 7.1]) periods. There were no significant differences between the birth weight groups for any ambulatory diastolic BPs. Within the VLBW subjects, there was no significant relationship between birth weight standard deviation score and any measure of BP. CONCLUSIONS BP was significantly higher in late adolescence in VLBW survivors than in NBW subjects. Growth restriction in utero was not significantly related to BP in VLBW survivors.
Improved Off-Current and Modeling in Sub-430 °C Si p-i-n Selector for Unipolar Resistive Random Access Memory

Despite the excellent performance of silicon-based selector devices, high epitaxy temperature (Tepi > 700 °C) is the key constraint for Si selector technology compatibility with back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) process. Recently, we have demonstrated the high performance sub-430 °C epitaxial Si p-i-n selector. In this letter, we identify a two-step mechanism that affects the off-current (IOFF) performance of low temperature epitaxial Si p-i-n diodes using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). First, the Tepi dependent i-region encroachment by surface dopant segregation shows excellent agreement with the surface diffusion model and demonstrates its validity down to 400 °C. Second, the trap assisted tunneling model is used to evaluate the impact of the modified i-region thickness (due to surface dopant segregation) on IOFF. Improved ideality factor (2×) and IOFF performance (102×) of sub-430 °C p-i-n diode is related to contamination control-a critical challenge in BEOL processing. Based on the experimentally validated model, we present the IOFF dependence on the i-region thickness. We show that i-region thickness of 50 nm produces sufficiently low leakage, while higher i-region produces marginal IOFF improvement. Thus, the low temperature epitaxial Si p-i-n junction technology is a promising step toward BEOL compatible Si selector technology.
How do Australian palliative care nurses address existential and spiritual concerns? Facilitators, barriers and strategies.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To investigate the facilitators, barriers and strategies that Australian palliative care nurses identify in providing existential and spiritual care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. BACKGROUND Palliative care aims to be holistic, incorporating all domains of personhood, but spiritual/existential domain issues are often undertreated. Lack of time and skills and concerns for what you may uncover hamper care provision. DESIGN A qualitative study through semistructured interviews. METHODS We interviewed 20 palliative care nurses from a cross section of area of work, place of work, years of experience, spiritual beliefs and importance of those beliefs within their lives. Questions focused on their current practices of existential and spiritual care, identification of facilitators of, barriers to and strategies for provision of that care. Their responses were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. RESULTS The nurses' interviews yielded several themes including development of the nurse-patient relationship (14/20 nurses), good communication skills and examples of questions they use to 'create openings' to facilitate care. Barriers were identified as follows: lack of time (11/20 nurses), skills, privacy and fear of what you may uncover, unresolved symptoms and differences in culture or belief. Novel to our study, the nurses offered strategies that included the following: undertaking further education in this area, being self-aware and ensuring the setting is conducive to in-depth conversations and interactions and documentation and/or interdisciplinary sharing for continuity of care. CONCLUSION Palliative care nurses are well placed to provide existential and spiritual care to patients with the primary facilitator being the nurse-patient relationship, the primary barrier being lack of time and the primary strategy being undertaking further education in this area. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE These findings could be used for nurse-support programmes, undergraduate or graduate studies or communication workshop for nurses.
Health-seeking behaviour among patients with faecal incontinence in a Malaysian academic setting.

BACKGROUND Faecal incontinence (FI) is not a common presenting complaint in Malaysia, and little has been published on this topic. Since it is a treatable condition, a greater understanding of factors contributing to healthseeking behaviour is needed in order to plan effective provision of services. METHODS A survey of 1000 patients and accompanying relatives, visiting general surgical and obstetrics and gynaecology clinics for matters unrelated to FI, was conducted at University Malaya Medical Centre between January 2009 and February 2010. A follow-up regression analysis of the 83 patients who had FI, to identify factors associated with health-seeking behaviour, was performed. Variables identified through univariate analysis were subjected to multivariate analysis to determine independence. Reasons for not seeking treatment were also analysed. RESULTS Only eight patients (9.6%) had sought medical treatment. On univariate analysis, the likelihood of seeking treatment was significantly higher among patients who had more severe symptoms (OR 30.0, p=0.002), had incontinence to liquid stool (OR 3.83, p=0.002) or when there was an alteration to lifestyle (OR: 17.34; p<0.001). Nevertheless, the only independently-associated variable was alteration in lifestyle. Common reasons given for not seeking treatment was that the condition did not affect patients' daily activities (88.0%), "social taboo" (5.3%) and "other" reasons (6.7%). CONCLUSIONS Lifestyle alteration is the main driver of healthseeking behaviour in FI. However, the majority do not seek treatment. Greater public and physician-awareness on FI and available treatment options is needed.
End-of-life care and African Americans: voices from the community.

BACKGROUND In 1997, the Institute of Medicine called for reform, improved quality and expanded research in end-of-life care. Yet little empirical information about preferences of African Americans has been documented. A community-campus partnership was formed to guide a needs assessment related to end-of-life care in a Southern, urban, African American community. This paper presents focus group findings related to end-of-life and palliative care. METHODS A qualitative design of multiple-meeting focus groups was used to explore experiences, preferences, needs, and feelings expressed by family members with at least one relative who had died in a hospital (group 1) or at home (group 2). Sessions were taped and transcribed; themes were identified using systematic analytic procedures. RESULTS Thematic analysis revealed key concerns related to health care provider communications about end-of-life care and dying. Positive communications empowered and showed respect for patients and family members and recognized the importance of their spiritual beliefs; informed them about resources available to assist dying at home; and, for patients dying in the hospital, treated them with nurturing, compassion, and diligent monitoring of the patient's medical status and needs. Other themes related to end-of-life care issues include preparation, planning, and access. A table of quotes from participants is available from the corresponding author. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest important clinical implications for clinicians and other health professionals. These voices from the community remind us of the heterogeneity in needs and preferences and challenge us to listen and tailor communication to each patient and their families.
Assessment of dynamic cerebral autoregulation and cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity in ageing by measurements of cerebral blood flow and cortical oxygenation

What is the central question in this study? It is unknown to what extent increasing age influences the dynamic adaptations of cerebral blood flow velocity and cortical oxygenation in response to changes in blood pressure (cerebral autoregulation) and to changes in carbon dioxide (cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity). What is the main finding and its importance? We have shown that ageing up to 86 years is associated with an overall preservation of dynamic cerebral autoregulation and cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity, leading to a sufficiency of cerebral cortical oxygenation during daily life activities, despite the decrease in absolute cerebral blood flow velocity and increase in cerebrovascular resistance with advancing age.
Calcium‐activated cationic channel in rat sensory neurons

Ion channels in sensory neurons are molecular sensors that detect external stimuli and transduce them to neuronal signals. Although Ca2+‐activated nonselective cation (CAN) channels were found in many cell types, CAN channels in mammalian sensory neurons are not yet identified. In the present study, we describe an ion channel that is activated by intracellular Ca2+ in cultured rat sensory neurons. Half‐maximal concentration of Ca2+ in activating the CAN channel was approximately 780 µm. The current–voltage relationship of this channel was linear with a unit conductance of 28.8 ± 0.4 pS at −60 mV in symmetrical 140 mm Na+ solution. The CAN channel was permeable to monovalent cations such as Na+, K+, Cs+, and Li+, but poorly permeable to Ca2+. The CAN channel in mammalian sensory neurons was reversibly blocked by intracellular adenine nucleotides, such as ATP, ADP, and AMP. Interestingly, single‐channel currents activated by Ca2+ were blocked by fenamates, such as flufenamic acid, a class of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. Thus, these results suggest that CAN channels in mammalian sensory neurons would participate in modulating nociceptive neural transmission in response to ever‐changing intracellular Ca2+ in the local microenvironment.
Strongyloides stercoralis infection in an intestinal transplant recipient

Strongyloides stercoralis is a helminth in tropical and subtropical areas. It may cause latent infection and progress to Strongyloides hyperinfection syndrome, which is associated with a high mortality rate. Transplant recipients under the treatment of immunosuppressant agents are at risk of severe S. stercoralis infection. According to related literature, most cases of S. stercoralis infection after solid organ transplantation are caused by reactivation of latent infections in the recipients, whereas only a few are acquired from the donors. We report on an intestinal transplant recipient who had S. stercoralis infection diagnosed by a larva of this parasite found in the stool from the ileostomy stoma 1 month after transplantation. The donor was considered the source of the infection because the donor was from an endemic area and had marked eosinophilia, and the recipient had no contact history or clinical manifestations related to the S. stercoralis infection before transplantation. The patient was treated with ivermectin and exhibited no evidence of infection after 7 months.
Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in an Elderly Finnish Population

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was investigated in a northern Finnish community population aged 70 years or over. Of the eligible 483 persons, 78.5% (n = 379) took part in the study. The presence of diabetes mellitus was assessed by questions about the participants' previously diagnosed diabetes and 2 h oral glucose tolerance tests, which were performed according to the current WHO criteria. Only the participants who were on oral hypoglycaemic drugs or insulin treatment were excluded from the 2 h oral glucose tolerance tests. In the total population the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes was 22.0% among men and 28.2% among women; the difference between sexes was not significant (women's risk ratio (RR) 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9‐1.9). Among those aged 80 years or over the risk ratio for women was 11.3 compared with men (95% CI 1.6–79.5). Among men the prevalence was higher in the age group 70–79 years compared with those aged 80 years or over (RR 8.1, 95% CI 1.2–57.1). By contrast, among women, diabetes was less common among those aged 70–79 years compared with those aged 80 years or over (RR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4‐1.0). The proportion of undiagnosed diabetes was clearly over one‐third among men and just over one‐third among women. Of men, 31.9% suffered from impaired glucose tolerance; the corresponding figure for women was 35.3%. The comparatively high proportion of undiagnosed diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance among elderly people lends support to the more frequent use of the 2 h glucose tolerance test in clinical practice.