Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alteration of Branched-Chain and Aromatic Amino Acid Profile as a Novel Approach in Studying Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Pathogenesis

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder that affects reproductive-age women and predisposes them to the development of metabolic disturbances. Recent research has shown that several metabolic factors may play a role in PCOS pathogenesis, and it has been suggested that an alteration in the amino acid profile might be a predictive sign of metabolic disorders. Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) are concepts that have attracted scientific attention; however, a universal definition has not been established yet for these terms. Already existing definitions of MHO involve the coexistence of obesity with the absence or minimal presence of other metabolic syndrome parameters. A group of 326 women, 209 diagnosed with PCOS and 117 healthy individuals, participated in this study. Multiple parameters were assessed, including anthropometrical, biochemical, and hormonal ones, and gas–liquid chromatography, combined with tandem mass spectrometry, was used to investigate the amino acid profile. Statistical analysis revealed noticeably higher levels of all aromatic amino acids in PCOS women compared to the control group: phenylalanine 47.37 ± 7.0 vs. 45.4 ± 6.09 nmol/mL (p = 0.01), tyrosine 61.69 ± 9.56 vs. 58.08 ± 8.89 nmol/mL (p < 0.01), and tryptophan 53.66 ± 11.42 vs. 49.81 ± 11.18 nmol/mL (p < 0.01); however, there was no significant difference in the “tryptophan ratio” between the PCOS and control group (p = 0.88). A comparison of MHO and MUO PCOS women revealed that LAP, leucine, and isoleucine concentrations were significantly higher among the MUO subgroup: respectively, 101.98 ± 34.74 vs. 55.80 ± 24.33 (p < 0.001); 153.26 ± 22.26 vs. 137.25 ± 25.76 nmol/mL (p = 0.04); and 92.92 ± 16.09 vs. 82.60 ± 18.70 nmol/mL (p = 0.02). No significant differences in BMI, fasting glucose, and HOMA-IR between MHO and MUO were found: respectively, 35.0 ± 4.8 vs. 36.1 ± 4.6 kg/m2 (p = 0.59); 88.0 ± 6.0 vs. 87.73 ± 6.28 mg/dL (p = 0.67); and 3.36 ± 1.70 vs. 4.17 ± 1.77 (p = 0.1). The identification of altered amino acid profiles in PCOS holds potential clinical implications. Amino acids may serve as biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring the metabolic status of individuals with PCOS. The alteration of BCAAs and AAAs may be involved in PCOS pathogenesis, but the underlying mechanism should be further investigated.
The impact of recent climate change on flooding and sediment supply within a Mediterranean mountain catchment, southwestern Crete, Greece

This paper presents work from a geomorphological investigation carried out in the Aradena Gorge, southwestern Crete, Greece. The gorge is typical of many steepland fluvial systems in the Mediterranean, with steep relief, coarse‐gravel sediments and high rates of sedimentation generated during intense winter storm events. Hillslope deposits and coarse‐gravel flood units within a 5 km section of the gorge have been mapped, dated (using lichenometry and dendrochronology), and their sedimentological characteristics recorded to establish a c. 200‐year record of flood frequency/magnitude and hillslope/channel sediment supply variability. This record has been compared with instrumented and previously published records of climate change from Crete and the Mediterranean region and used to establish the major controls on flooding and sediment dynamics within the Aradena Gorge.
Social Representations of Gender: A Contextual Construction in Schools

Social representations of gender (SR), namely, beliefs, values, attitudes, and symbolic content about gender affect people’s behavior and relations to others in social life. Gender representations help explain gender violence among the adolescent population. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the gender SR of teachers and students from two cities in Colombia: Bogotá and Ibagué. Multimethod data collection was performed using a word-association task with 37 teachers and a collaborative cartoon construction task with 284 students from both cities. Thematic analysis and triangulation were performed on this data. Knowledge and informational sources were explored in-depth among students and teachers. The analysis of gender representations revealed rather traditional views: binary representations of gender roles, gender relations, physical characteristics, and behavioral expectations for men and women. The study also found differences between the two educational contexts, scarce references to sexual diversity, and a nuance of tragedy in female gender roles and relations.
The origin of Bahamian Whitings revisited

Two schools of thought exist regarding the origin of the aragonite needles which make up the milky patches of water prominent on the Bahama Banks. One school views these so‐called whitings as spontaneous precipitates [Cloud, 1962; Shinn et al.,1989; Robbins et al.,1997] and the other views them as stirred up bottom sediment [Broecker and Takahashi, 1966; Morse et al.,1984]. In the paragraphs which follow we summarize what we consider to be iron‐clad radiocarbon and chemical evidence that whitings are dominated by re‐suspended sediment. We offer a new and highly speculative mechanism for this re‐suspension. Black‐tipped sharks which inhabit whitings purposefully stir up the sediment in order to create a trap for fish, much as spiders construct webs as traps for insect prey.
Cerebrovascular Events in Older Patients With Patent Foramen Ovale: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure, along with medical therapy, has emerged as the therapeutic gold standard in younger (<60-year-old) patients with a PFO-related stroke for preventing recurrent events. However, PFO management guidelines lack definite recommendations for older (>60 years) patients with a PFO-related cerebrovascular event, a complex group of patients who were mostly excluded from PFO closure clinical trials. Nevertheless, several studies have shown a higher prevalence of PFO among older patients with cryptogenic stroke, and its presence has been associated with an increased risk of recurrent events. Furthermore, older patients exhibit a higher prevalence of high-risk PFO anatomical features, present inherent age-related risk factors that might increase the risk of paradoxical embolism through a PFO, and have a higher incidence of ischemic events after a PFO-related event. Additionally, observational studies have shown the safety and preliminary efficacy of PFO closure in older PFO-related stroke patients. Yet, higher rates of recurrent cerebrovascular events and new-onset atrial fibrillation were observed in some studies among older patients compared to their younger counterparts. After careful case-by-case evaluation, including the assessment of hidden potential cardioembolic sources of a cryptogenic stroke other than PFO, transcatheter PFO closure might be a safe and effective therapeutic option for preventing recurrent thromboembolic events in patients >60 years with a high-risk PFO-associated stroke. Ongoing trials will provide important insights into the role of PFO closure in the elderly population.
Crustal structure and isostatic compensation near the Kane fracture zone from topography and gravity measurements—I. Spectral analysis approach

Summary. Six gravity and bathymetry profiles perpendicular to the Kane fracture zone, each more than 300 km long, were gathered to study the variation in crustal structure in the vicinity of a major fracture zone and the gravitational edge effect at the contact between lithosphere of two different ages. A spectral analysis of the gravity and bathymetric series as a function of wavelength shows that the gravitational edge effect is only significant at the longest wavelengths. For remaining wavelengths the admittance, the ratio of the amplitude of the gravity anomaly to the amplitude of the bathymetry, is best explained by a model of isostasy in which topographic loads are partially supported by the flexural rigidity of an elastic plate, about 6 km in thickness. After subtracting the gravitational attraction of the bathymetry and its compensation, substantial isostatic anomalies remain. We interpret these anomalies as being caused by variations in crustal thickness which have little correlation with surface topography, except at very long wavelengths. The apparent crustal thickness varies by as much as a factor of 2, but there is no evidence indicating systematic thinning of the crust beneath the fracture zone. Our data do suggest that such density variations within the plate are also compensated by the isostatic response of an elastic plate but with very different effect from those at the surface. This indicates that there are two different modes of crustal formation with different gravity and topographic signatures: effusive volcanism which loads the surface of the elastic plate producing both topographic relief and coherent gravity anomalies, and intrusive volcanism or underplating producing gravity anomalies but little topographic relief.
Video‐imaged surf zone wave and roller structures and flow fields

[1] The measurement of mean water levels, roller geometries, and phase ensemble-averaged velocity and turbulence intensity fields under spilling and plunging waves breaking in a two-dimensional laboratory surf zone is presented. The velocities were measured using digital correlation image velocimetry, while water levels and roller geometries were determined through gray scale filtering of video images. The phase ensemble-averaged horizontal and vertical components of velocity and turbulence intensities are measured throughout the entire flow domain, including the wave roller area, by utilizing the aerated areas as part of the flow structure. The time-averaged horizontal velocities (undertow), turbulence intensities, and turbulent kinetic energies are determined by averaging across the wave phase. Turbulence magnitudes are found to compare favorably with existing laser Doppler anemometry measurements below the wave trough level, where such measurements have generally been confined because of aeration contamination effects. The significantly higher velocity and turbulence intensity magnitudes measured above the trough level in the present experiments highlight the novel nature of the present investigation for describing flow regimes in the surf zone.
Clay mineralogy of modified marginal aggregates

In 2003-04, a joint engineering and geological study was carried out to determine the changes that occur when lime based additives are mixed with roading aggregate, and which of the three additives most commonly used in the Auckland region was the most suitable for particular rock types. Samples of fresh, partly weathered and weathered rock were obtained from greywacke, basalt and andesite quarries. The properties of the samples were determined using a variety of geological and geochemical analytical techniques. Similar techniques were used to establish the changes that occurred when Portland cement, hydrated lime and Durabind were added. All the samples contained some swelling clay minerals, some more than others. Chemical reactions of the additives with the swelling clays include cation exchange and, over a prolonged period, the production of new hydrated calcium aluminosilicate minerals, such as hydrogrossular, through pozzolanic reactions. The permanence of the process was also examined and it was noted that under weak acidic conditions the stabilising effect of the additives could be reversed. The study showed that some additives are more suitable for use with particular rock types and that the risk of failure may depend on the process used. (a)
Human Paleodiet at Grand Bay, Carriacou, Lesser Antilles

ABSTRACT The island of Carriacou in the southern Grenadines, Lesser Antilles, has been the focus of interdisciplinary archaeological research since 2003, focused on ceramic-associated assemblages dating between c. AD 400 and 1300. Amerindians here exploited marine foods, but patterned subsistence has not been inferred directly from recovered human remains. Here, we present the first stable isotope data from bone collagen and bone apatite of individuals (n = 14) from the Grand Bay site that date to post–AD 1000. Average δ13Cco (−12.8‰), δ15N (11.1‰), δ13Cap (−8.6‰), and Δ13Cap-co (4.1‰) values substantiate a marine-based diet. No significant differences are observed between males and females; however, one subadult is an isotopic outlier based on its δ13Cco and Δ13Cap-co values. Bone collagen values suggest high marine protein at Carriacou, different from data reported for contemporaneous groups in the Greater Antilles, broadly similar to the northern Lesser Antilles, and most similar to the Bahamas, where reef-based systems are ubiquitous. Bone apatite and bone collagen isotope results underscore the importance of shellfish on Carriacou as previously observed in the zooarchaeological record. At present, these data do not provide the interpretative power to confirm or refute the presence/absence of maize in the diet during the mid-Ceramic Saladoid in the southern Lesser Antilles.
Geographies of social exclusion: education access in the Philippines

Despite the massive education sector of the country, the Philippines – being located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt – is home to a number of natural instabilities that frequently disrupt the school calendar. Conflict areas in selected parts of the island of Mindanao and the remote geographic features of the country also pose problems in education access. Poverty incidence is reported to be high in such locations and access to basic services such as education is exceedingly low as compared to mainstream Manila. Given the geographies of social exclusion, particularly in education, as exemplified by such issues, this article will detail the problems in education access in the Philippines as illustrated through: (a) the remote geographic locations of some parts of the country; (b) the devastations brought to schooling by natural disasters; and (c) the ‘geography of conflict’ in Mindanao.
Predicting the Uniaxial Compressive Strength and Static Young's Modulus of Intact Sedimentary Rocks Using the Ultrasonic Test

The uniaxial compressive strength and static Young’s modulus ( Es ) of intact rocks are the most important geotechnical parameters for stability analysis of surface and underground structures. These parameters are obtained by the uniaxial compressive test. Although this test is simple, the preparation of the samples, especially of soft rocks, is a hard and time consuming task. By using a nondestructive method such as the ultrasonic test, one can indirectly predict the mentioned parameters. The uniaxial compressive and the ultrasonic tests were carried out on 64 samples of sedimentary rocks and, after regression analysis of the test results; best fit equations for predicting the uniaxial compressive strength and static Young’s modulus of these samples are proposed. Thus, in comparison with other proposed equations, these equations have larger value of accuracy and correlation coefficient ( R2 ) . The equations are practical, simple, and accurate enough to apply and can be used in practice for the predictio.
A global mean sea surface based upon GEOS 3 and Seasat altimeter data

A mean sea surface relative to the International Union of Geodesy 1980 Geodetic Reference System reference ellipsoid has been derived from Seasat and GEOS 3 altimeter measurements. This surface, called MSS-9012, has been computed on a grid of 1/8° resolution. Each elevation value was calculated by fitting all data within 111 km to a local biquadratic surface using Bayesian least squares. Individual data points were weighted inversely to the square of the distance to the grid location in the gridding process. The surface covers the global ocean between 70°N and 72°S. In the vicinity of sea ice the altimeter heights have been corrected for the on-board tracker error that occurs over non-Gaussian surfaces. Comparisons are made between MSS-9012 and ocean bathymetry. The eastern extent of the Chain Fracture Zone in the Gulf of Guinea is more apparent in the altimetry than in the bathymetry data, as are many other features. The combination of data from the two satellites has successfully retrieved more information about the sea surface than was previously possible using only Seasat data.
Potential for shoreline changes due to sea-level rise along the U.S. mid-Atlantic region

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Joint Delay-Sensitive and Power-Efficient Quality Control of Dynamic Video Streaming Using Adaptive Super-Resolution

As mobile devices exhibit exceptional processing capabilities, super-resolution (SR) technology for video quality enhancement has developed. However, SR is still computationally-intensive, and the integration of SR into video streaming systems remains a nascent domain, with limited recent studies. To address this concern, we design an adaptive SR model that can dynamically control quality enhancement and computational demands in response to the available computational resources and input quality. Furthermore, we propose an integrated strategy for video segment delivery and resource allocation within video streaming systems aided by adaptive SR. This technique optimizes key parameters encompassing transmitter decisions (e.g., transcoding rate, the number of delivering segments, and transmit power) and receiver decisions (e.g., quality enhancement rate and computing resources). Our data-intensive simulation results demonstrate the adaptive SR-centric video streaming system that strikes a harmonious balance across diverse performance metrics. These metrics encompass average video quality, playback stall rates, transmission power, and computational resource consumption.
Role of off‐equatorial subsurface anomalies in initiating the 1991–1992 El Niño as revealed by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction ocean reanalysis data

n n The National Centers for Environmental Prediction ocean reanalysis data for 1980-1995 have been analyzed along mean constant density surfaces (mean isopycnals) in order to describe better and understand the three-dimensional space-time evolution of the 1991-1992 El Nino event in the tropical Pacific. The major finding is of a well-defined, shallow pathway of off-equatorial temperature anomalies along the Pacific North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) associated with the onset phase of the event. This pathway originates from the western boundary off the equator in the Northern Hemisphere along 6 degrees-10 degrees N and then basically follows the mean circulation eastward and upward along the NECC path toward the central basin. Along this pathway, temperature anomalies show coherent phase relationships off and on the equator and in surface and subsurface layers, respectively. A sequence of events is described that lead to El Nino conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Beginning in early 1989, a positive temperature anomaly progressed coherently eastward along the NECC path off the equator toward the central basin, finally making its way equatorward with the expected mean circulation in late 1990. As the thermocline shoals eastward and upward along the NECC, in due course the progressing subsurface anomaly outcropped near the date line off the equator and initiated and sustained a midbasin warm sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly during the period from late 1990 through early 1991. This SST anomaly induced westerly wind anomalies over the western tropical Pacific, favoring Ekman convergence onto the equator. These anomalous surface currents advected these initially subsurface-produced SST anomalies equatorward, Subsequently, these SST and wind anomalies were coupled, which resulted in a large-scale relaxation of the trade winds over the western and central tropical basin, generating eastward currents that transported water mass eastward along the equator. These results are markedly different from the delayed oscillator physics in that the major role can be played by advection and outcropping of off-equatorial subsurface thermal anomalies along the shallow NECC pathway, not necessarily involving the western boundary reflection of equatorial Rossby waves.
Geological map of Pliocene-Pleistocene deposits of the Ambra and Ombrone valleys (Northern Siena Basin, Tuscany, Italy)

The study area is located across the Chianti Ridge (Tuscany, Italy), between the Upper Valdarno Basin and the Siena Basin. This area covers about 25 km2, forming a narrow belt oriented N–S and drained by the Ambra and Ombrone creeks, which flow northward and southward, respectively. Field mapping was carried out at 1:10,000 scale through an allostratigraphic-sedimentological approach. The study area deposits represent the infill of a SW-draining paleovalley, cut both in pre-Neogene bedrock and marine Pliocene deposits of the Siena Basin. The valley-fill succession consists of two main allounits (V1 and V2), which are conformably stacked in the northern sector of the study area, and unconformably offset in the southern sector. V1 comprises gravelly to sandy fluvial deposits, whereas V2 deposits show noticeable downvalley variability. V2 consists of poorly drained floodplain deposits in the northern sector of the paleovalley, whereas gravel and sand-bed river deposits fill its southern part. Alluvial-fan and palustrine deposits are also associated with V2 fluvial facies. A normal fault trending NW–SE is the main structural feature of the area. This fault cuts the V2 unit lowering the upstream reach and is thought to have promoted the marked facies changes observed in the fluvial deposits of unit V2.
Shock‐metamorphosed zircon in terrestrial impact craters

Abstract— To ascertain the progressive stages of shock metamorphism of zircon, samples from three well‐studied impact craters were analyzed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy in thin section and grain separates. These samples are comprised of well‐preserved, rapidly quenched impactites from the Ries crater, Germany, strongly annealed impactites from the Popigai crater, Siberia, and altered, variably quenched impactites from the Chicxulub crater, Mexico. The natural samples were compared with samples of experimentally shock‐metamorphosed zircon. Below 20 GPa, zircon exhibits no distinct shock features. Above 20 GPa, optically resolvable planar microstructures occur together with the high‐pressure polymorph reidite, which was only retained in the Ries samples. Decomposition of zircon to ZrO2 only occurs in shock stage IV melt fragments that were rapidly quenched. This is not only a result of post‐shock temperatures in excess of ˜1700 °C but could also be shock pressure‐induced, which is indicated by possible relics of a high‐pressure polymorph of ZrO2. However, ZrO2 was found to revert to zircon with a granular texture during devitrification of impact melts. Other granular textures represent recrystallized amorphous ZrSiO4 and reidite that reverted to zircon. This requires annealing temperatures >1100 °C. A systematic study of zircons from a continuous impactite sequence of the Chicxulub impact structure yields implications for the post‐shock temperature history of suevite‐like rocks until cooling below ˜600 °C.