Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Under ice positioning and communications for unmanned vehicles

Unmanned “gliders” have demonstrated long endurance operations and are the platform of choice for broad scale meteorology and oceanography (METOC). With buoyancy engines, gliders can operate for months and have demonstrated success with common oceanographic sensors. Likewise low frequency acoustics have been used for basin scale tomography for many years. Together these technologies present a comprehensive tool for under-ice operations. Low frequency acoustics show promise as a method to locate undersea vehicles. This is especially valuable in the arctic environment where ice cover prohibits routine surfacing for GPS fixes. The overall capabilities of this combined system are presented in this paper. This paper builds upon demonstrated results in under-ice and open water environments to present a systematic vision of future capabilities. While the entire system, as discussed, has not been fielded under-ice, the component capabilities have been proven in field programs. Emerging technologies will improve the concept. The primary application will be navigation and telemetry for unmanned vehicles operating in ice covered waters. With effective navigation and telemetry, the demonstrated long endurance of unmanned gliders can be applied to regional environmental monitoring and offshore operational needs in the arctic and Antarctic. Underwater acoustic systems can provide geo-location and telemetry in ice-covered regions. Broadband sound sources with precision clocks can provide underwater navigation in the Arctic, with frequency and signals selected for the ranges of interest, which span tens to thousands of kilometres. Initial experiments in the Fram Strait in 2010 have shown the utility of the single-tube source for transmitting long-range communications and navigation signals. This paper presents results from these trials, and others, and assess the potential performance of a combined glider/acoustic system for under ice environmental monitoring.
Comparison of cellular functionality of human mesenchymal stromal cells and PBMC.

BACKGROUND Human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) and PBMC play significant roles in repair processes following inflammation. Mechanisms of recruitment are still under investigation. METHODS AND RESULTS MIP-1alpha induced the chemotactic migration of MSC but not of PBMC. Correlating with this, 7.7% of MSC expressed the chemokine receptor CCR-1, as shown by FACS analysis. In contrast, PBMC did not express CCR-1 or CCR-2 but did express CXCR-4 (81.9%) and CCR-7 (42.2%). Setum induced the chemotaxis of both cell types, and zymosan activation increased the migration of PBMC but not of MSC. Corresponding with this, C5a induced the migration of PBMC but not of MSC. Dose-dependent and -specific adhesion to fibronectin, fibrinogen, collagen type I and collagen type II could be demonstrated for MSC; in contrast, PBMC did not adhere to any of the investigated proteins. Real-time PCR of receptor expression revealed a 12.2-fold higher expression of alphav in MSC compared with PBMC. Incubation of MSC with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) induced NFkappaB activation and increased the chemotactic response to serum and adhesion to fibronedtin. DISCUSSION Chemotaxis and adhesion are crucial and differing cell fundtons of MSC and PBMC.
THE USE OF DIURETIC MEDICINES BY ELDERLY PEOPLE IN RESIDENTIAL HOMES

Data relating to the use of diuretics from a descriptive epidemiological study of drug use in residential homes for elderly people were analysed. Of the 1,888 residents included in the study, 797 (42%) received diuretics. Significantly more females than males received diuretics (ratio of 3·1:1) and recipients were significantly older than non‐recipients. They received a total of 894 diuretics of which 413 (46·2%) were loop diuretics, 168 (18·6%) were thiazide diuretics and 278 (31·2%) were potassium‐sparing diuretics. The single most frequently used diuretic was frusemide. Diuretics were involved in 209 potential drug–drug interactions which represented 41 % of the total number of potential drug–drug interactions. Of these interactions 19 were considered to be potentially highly clinically significant.
In vivo albumin labeling and lymphatic imaging

Significance The imaging agent we developed in this study can be used for visualization and detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). After local injection, the imaging probe quickly formed a complex with albumin within the interstitial fluid. Thus, the radioactive signal reflects the behavior of endogenous albumin, avoiding the usage of colloids, nanoparticles, or polymers. The SLNs can be visualized by PET scans before surgery and then removed under the guidance of fluorescence signal and blue color deposit during surgery. The excellent imaging quality, easy preparation, multimodality, and biosafety guarantee the clinical translation to map SLNs and provide intraoperative guidance. The ability to accurately and easily locate sentinel lymph nodes (LNs) with noninvasive imaging methods would assist in tumor staging and patient management. For this purpose, we developed a lymphatic imaging agent by mixing fluorine-18 aluminum fluoride-labeled NOTA (1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N''-triacetic acid)-conjugated truncated Evans blue (18F-AlF-NEB) and Evans blue (EB) dye. After local injection, both 18F-AlF-NEB and EB form complexes with endogenous albumin in the interstitial fluid and allow for visualizing the lymphatic system. Positron emission tomography (PET) and/or optical imaging of LNs was performed in three different animal models including a hind limb inflammation model, an orthotropic breast cancer model, and a metastatic breast cancer model. In all three models, the LNs can be distinguished clearly by the apparent blue color and strong fluorescence signal from EB as well as a high-intensity PET signal from 18F-AlF-NEB. The lymphatic vessels between the LNs can also be optically visualized. The easy preparation, excellent PET and optical imaging quality, and biosafety suggest that this combination of 18F-AlF-NEB and EB has great potential for clinical application to map sentinel LNs and provide intraoperative guidance.
Molecular-scale characterization of uranium sorption by bone apatite materials for a permeable reactive barrier demonstration.

Uranium binding to bone charcoal and bone meal apatite materials was investigated using U L(III)-edge EXAFS spectroscopy and synchrotron source XRD measurements of laboratory batch preparations in the absence and presence of dissolved carbonate. Pelletized bone char apatite recovered from a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) at Fry Canyon, UT, was also studied. EXAFS analyses indicate that U(VI) sorption in the absence of dissolved carbonate occurred by surface complexation of U(VI) for sorbed concentrations < or = 5500 microg U(VI)/g for all materials with the exception of crushed bone char pellets. Either a split or a disordered equatorial oxygen shell was observed, consistent with complexation of uranyl by the apatite surface. A second shell of atoms at a distance of 2.9 A was required to fit the spectra of samples prepared in the presence of dissolved carbonate (4.8 mM total) and is interpreted as formation of ternary carbonate complexes with sorbed U(VI). A U-P distance at 3.5-3.6 A was found for most samples under conditions where uranyl phosphate phases did not form, which is consistent with monodentate coordination of uranyl by phosphate groups in the apatite surface. At sorbed concentrations > or = 5500 microg U(VI)/g in the absence of dissolved carbonate, formation of the uranyl phosphate solid phase, chernikovite, was observed. The presence of dissolved carbonate (4.8 mM total) suppressed the formation of chernikovite, which was not detected even with sorbed U(VI) up to 12,300 microg U(VI)/g in batch samples of bone meal, bone charcoal, and reagent-grade hydroxyapatite. EXAFS spectra of bone char samples recovered from the Fry Canyon PRB were comparable to laboratory samples in the presence of dissolved carbonate where U(VI) sorption occurred by surface complexation. Our findings demonstrate that uranium uptake by bone apatite will probably occur by surface complexation instead of precipitation of uranyl phosphate phases under the groundwater conditions found at many U-contaminated sites.
Hemodialysis-activated granulocytes at the site of interstitial inflammation.

It is not known to what extent intravascular phenotypic alterations in adhesion molecule expression induced by hemodialysis influence the recruitment of granulocytes and their ability to up-regulate CD11b at the local site of inflammation in the interstitium. We used a skin suction chamber technique to address this issue. Two skin blisters were raised on the forearm of eight hemodialysis patients and eight healthy subjects, and blister exudate was collected (time 0). The two blisters were stimulated with buffer (intermediate inflammation) or autologous serum (intense inflammation). Then the patients underwent cuprophane hemodialysis for 4 hours. Ten hours after start of dialysis, the exudate was aspirated from each chamber. Granulocyte count and surface expression of CD11b and CD62L were analyzed in samples from peripheral blood and blister exudate by flow cytometry. Granulocytes from healthy blood donors were incubated in blister fluid from patients and healthy subjects to determine the local chemotactic activity in terms of CD11b up-regulation. The expression of CD11b increased fourfold and CD62L decreased simultaneously in patients and healthy subjects when cells transmigrated to the unstimulated blister at time 0. At the site of intermediate inflammation, granulocytes from patients had a significantly lower capacity to mobilize CD11b compared with cells from healthy subjects (P < 0.001). At the site of intense interstitial inflammation, granulocytes from patients had the capacity to mobilize the receptor and reached values close to those obtained in healthy subjects (P = 0.079). The blister exudate from patients had a similar (at time 0 and intermediate inflammation) or higher (intense inflammation; P < 0.05) capacity to up-regulate CD11b on granulocytes in vitro compared with blister exudate from healthy subjects. Granulocytes from hemodialysis patients seem to require a more intense chemotactic stimulus to up-regulate CD11b at the local site of inflammation in the interstitium compared with corresponding cells from healthy subjects despite the fact that cells transmigrate in a milieu that contains chemotactic factors with an equal or higher capacity to up-regulate CD11b. Granulocytes in hemodialysis patients seem to be more refractory to inflammatory stimuli in the interstitium.
The reliability of moral intuitions: A challenge from neuroscience

Abstract A recent study of moral intuitions, performed by Joshua Greene and a group of researchers at Princeton University, has recently received a lot of attention. Greene and his collaborators designed a set of experiments in which subjects were undergoing brain scanning as they were asked to respond to various practical dilemmas. They found that contemplation of some of these cases (cases where the subjects had to imagine that they must use some direct form of violence) elicited greater activity in certain areas of the brain associated with emotions compared with the other cases. It has been argued (e.g., by Peter Singer) that these results undermine the reliability of our moral intuitions, and therefore provide an objection to methods of moral reasoning that presuppose that they carry an evidential weight (such as the idea of reflective equilibrium). I distinguish between two ways in which Greene's findings lend support for a sceptical attitude towards intuitions. I argue that, given the first version of the challenge, the method of reflective equilibrium can easily accommodate the findings. As for the second version of the challenge, I argue that it does not so much pose a threat specifically to the method of reflective equilibrium but to the idea that moral claims can be justified through rational argumentation in general.
Adolescents’ health literacy, health protective measures, and health-related quality of life during the Covid-19 pandemic

Purpose: First, to describe adolescents' health information sources and knowledge, health literacy (HL), health protective measures, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during the initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in Norway. Second, to investigate the association between HL and the knowledge and behavior relevant for preventing spread of the virus. Third, to explore variables associated with HRQoL in a pandemic environment. Methods: This cross-sectional study includes survey data from 2,205 Norwegian adolescents 16-19 years of age. The participants reported on their health information sources, HL, handwashing knowledge and behavior, number of social interactions, and HRQoL. Associations between study variables and specified outcomes were explored using multiple linear and logistic regression analyses. Results: Television (TV) and family were indicated to be the main sources for pandemic-related health information. Handwashing, physical distancing, and limiting the number of social contacts were the most frequently reported measures. HL and handwashing knowledge and HL and handwashing behavior were significantly associated. For each unit increase on the HL scale, the participants were 5% more likely to socialize less with friends in comparison to normal. The mean HRQoL was very poor compared to European norms. Being quarantined or isolated and having confirmed or suspected Covid-19 were significantly negatively associated with HRQoL, but seeing less friends than normal was not associated. HL was significantly positively associated with HRQoL, albeit of minor clinical importance. Conclusion: Adolescents follow the health authorities' guidelines and appear highly literate. However, high fidelity requires great sacrifice because the required measures seem to collide with certain aspects that are important for the adolescents' HRQoL.
Comorbidity of self-harm and disordered eating in young people: evidence from a UK population-based cohort

Aims Self-harm and eating disorders are often comorbid in clinical samples but their co-occurrence in the general population is unclear. Given that only a small proportion of individuals who self-harm or have disordered eating present to clinical services, and that both self-harm and eating disorders are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, we aimed to study these behaviours at a population level. Method We assessed the co-occurrence of self-harm and disordered eating behaviours in 3384 females and 2326 males from a UK population-based cohort: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Participants reported on their self-harm and disordered eating behaviours (fasting, purging, binge-eating and excessive exercise) in the last year via questionnaire at 16 and 24 years. At each age we assessed how many individuals who self-harm also reported disordered eating, and how many individuals with disordered eating also reported self-harm. Result We found high comorbidity of self-harm and disordered eating. Almost two-thirds of 16-year-old females, and two-in-five 24-year-old males who self-harmed also reported some form of disordered eating. Young people with disordered eating reported higher levels of self-harm at both ages compared to those without disordered eating. Conclusion As self-harm and disordered eating commonly co-occur in young people in the general population, it is important to screen for both sets of difficulties to provide appropriate treatment.
Impact of Informal Caregivers Training Program On Geriatric Patients' Functional Status and Post-Stroke Depression

Background: Stroke is a suddenly occurring condition in which the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted. It could soon be the most common cause of death worldwide. Older adults are more affected by stroke and the majority of stroke survivors have a disability. Training caregivers in skills essential for the day to day management of disabled elder with stroke is likely to have a role in reducing the burden of care and contribute to improved patients outcomes. Aim: determine the impact of informal caregivers training program on geriatric patients' functional status and post-stroke depression. Method: quasi-experimental research design was used. The study was carried out on 45 elderly patients and their informal caregivers in the inpatient neurological departments and neurological outpatient clinics of El- Mansoura University Hospital. Data was collected using 5 tools and the collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and analytical statistics. Conclusion: the present study revealed that caregivers training affect positively the geriatric patients' functional status and post-stroke depression. An improvement in the geriatric patients' functional status and post-stroke depression after implementation of the training program was observed and also the caregivers' knowledge and practices level was improved.
Oxygen Consumption in Swimming Salps (Tunicata: Thaliacea)

The pelagic salps swim in a regular rhythmic manner, by contracting their muscle bands and so emitting propulsive jets of water from the tubular body. Since they will continue to 9wim when confined in small chambers in which their oxygen consumption can be measured whilst their activity is monitored, it is possible to make direct estimates of the energetic cost of locomotion, and to compare these with estimates derived from the hydrodynamics of the process (Bone & Trueman, 1983). We show here that salp locomotion is an economical process, and that respirometric and hydrodynamic estimates of the energy expended are in good agreement. Two kinds of observations were made, using Salpa fusiformis (Cuvier) collected from the Rade de Villefranche in coarse plankton nets during May and June 1983. In the first, single freshly caught oozooids and blastozooids were placed in a small (approx. 30 ml) chamber filled with sea water filtered through a 0-25 fim filter and shaken with air to saturate with oxygen before the animals were placed in the chamber. The chamber was placed in a bath at constant temperature (14-5 °C) and oxygen levels in the chamber were monitored with a Strathkelvin Instruments 781 b oxygen meter and Radiometer Instruments oxygen electrode. The salps were usually quiescent for a few minutes before beginning to pulse at a steady rate, monitored throughout the experiment. The activity of the salp sufficed to stir the water within the chamber. After each run, the chamber was opened, and a small amount of MS 222 added. This stopped locomotor activity, but not the action of the cilia of endostyle and gill bar, nor that of the heart. Since the salps were inactive, the water within the chamber was stirred by shaking the chamber at intervals; readings were taken at set intervals after each stirring. The same procedure was adopted for blank runs on filtered sea water. In some of these experiments, a Millar instruments microtip pressure transducer fitted with a small polyethylene catheter tip recorded pressure changes in the body chamber of the salp, and so monitored swimming activity, but for most runs, the rate of swimming was simply noted with a stopwatch. Outputs from the pressure transducer and oxygen meter led to a Gould Brush 220 pen recorder via a Tektronix 5103 oscilloscope.
STAT5 Is Essential for Akt/p70S6 Kinase Activity during IL-2-Induced Lymphocyte Proliferation1

IL-2R activates two distinct signaling pathways mediated by the adaptor protein Shc and the transcription factor STAT5. Prior mutagenesis studies of the IL-2R have indicated that the Shc and STAT5 pathways are redundant in the ability to induce lymphocyte proliferation. Yet paradoxically, T cells from STAT5-deficient mice fail to proliferate in response to IL-2, suggesting that the Shc pathway is unable to promote mitogenesis in the genetic absence of STAT5. Here we show in the murine lymphocyte cell line Ba/F3 that low levels of STAT5 activity are essential for Shc signaling. In the absence of STAT5 activity, Shc was unable to sustain activation of the Akt/p70S6 kinase pathway or promote lymphocyte proliferation and viability. Restoring STAT5 activity via a heterologous receptor rescued Shc-induced Akt/p70S6 kinase activity and cell proliferation with kinetics consistent with a transcriptional mechanism. Thus, STAT5 appears to regulate the expression of one or more unidentified components of the Akt pathway. Our results not only explain the severe proliferative defect in STAT5-deficient T cells but also provide mechanistic insight into the oncogenic properties of STAT5 in various leukemias and lymphomas.
Development of the Permanent Dentition and Validity of Demirjian and Goldstein Method for Dental Age Estimation in Sample of Saudi Arabian Children (Qassim Region).

OBJECTIVES To determine dental maturity (dental age) in cross-sectional sample of Saudi Arabian children by applying the standards established by Demirjian and Golstein and to examine the applicability of these standards in determination of dental maturity among Saudi Arabian children (Qassim region). MATERIALS & METHODS Dental maturity was assessed from panoramic radiographs of 400 Saudi Arabian children, 222 boys, and 198 girls ranging in age from 4 to 14 years by using these standards. The difference between the dental and chronological age in different age groups in both sexes was statistically compared using ANOVA testat 0.05 level of significance. RESULTS The Saudi Arabian children were generally somewhat advanced in dental maturity compared with the French Canadian reference sample with an overall mean difference between the dental and chronological age of 0.279 years in boys and 0.385 years in girls. CONCLUSION The applied standards appear to be adequate for studying dental age in groups of children among Saudi Arabian population.
A Bayesian analysis of the incomplete block crossover design

Abstract In clinical trials, crossover design is widely used to assess treatment effects of drugs. Due to many practical issues, each patient in the study may receive only a subset of treatments under comparison, which is called an incomplete block crossover design. Correspondingly, the associated challenges are limited information and small sample size. In this article, we propose a Bayesian approach to analyze the incomplete block crossover design. Markov chain sampling method is used to analyze the model. We use several approaches such as data augmentation, scaled mixture of normals representation, parameter expansion to improve efficiency. The approach is illustrated using a simulation study and a real data example.
Probiotics, with special emphasis on their role in the management of irritable bowel syndrome

References Probiotics are live microorganisms, and when administered in adequate amounts, bestow beneficial effects on the host. The therapeutic and preventative application of probiotics in several disorders is receiving increasing attention, and this is especially true when gastrointestinal microbiota is thought to be involved in their pathogenesis, as in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Given the increasingly widespread use of probiotics, a thorough understanding of their risks and benefits is important. The purpose of this review is to update healthcare professionals on current probiotic information, and provide an overview of probiotic treatment approaches, with special emphasis on IBS.