Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Current Status of Allogenic Islet Cell Transplantation

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells. The development of the Edmonton Protocol for islet transplantation in 2000 revolutionized T1D treatment and offered a glimpse at a cure for the disease. In 2022, the 20-year follow-up findings of islet cell transplantation demonstrated the long-term safety of islet cell transplantation despite chronic immunosuppression. The Edmonton Protocol, however, remains limited by two obstacles: scarce organ donor availability and risks associated with chronic immunosuppression. To overcome these challenges, the search has begun for an alternative cell source. In 2006, pluripotency genomic factors, coined “Yamanaka Factors,” were discovered, which reprogram mature somatic cells back to their embryonic, pluripotent form (iPSC). iPSCs can then be differentiated into specialized cell types, including islet cells. This discovery has opened a gateway to a personalized medicine approach to treating diabetes, circumventing the issues of donor supply and immunosuppression. In this review, we present a brief history of allogenic islet cell transplantation from the early days of pancreatic remnant transplantation to present work on encapsulating stem cell-derived cells. We review data on long-term outcomes and the ongoing challenges of allogenic islet cell and stem cell-derived islet cell transplant.
Performance and Relationship of Various Local Garlic Genotypes and Putative Mutants Resulting from MV4 Irradiation Using Morphological Marker

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is used as a medicinal plant or seasoning, but its national production can only meet people's needs by 6.4%, and 95% is imported from China. The development rate of new garlic varieties is relatively slow because garlic is generally propagated vegetatively through cloves; therefore, its diversity has become relatively narrow. Character and diversity can be improved by inducing mutations using gamma-ray irradiation. Experiments on garlic subjected to gamma-ray irradiation have shown physiological changes in the putative 3rd (MV3) mutant offspring. The experiment's 4th mutant progeny (MV4) was re-planted and compared with other local genotypes. The aim was to perform clustering based on the yielding characteristics and the intensity of the anthocyanin content. The experiment used a single-plant design with 21 experimental units, namely 16 MV4 genotypes and 5 control genotypes. The analysis of variance showed that the MV4 Lumbu Kuning 1 Gy and Ciwidey 2 Gy genotypes had better tuber weight and diameter than the other genotypes, including the control genotypes. Cluster analysis clustered garlic genotypes into five groups at a cophenetic distance 0.4. Principal component analysis (PCA) also divided the garlic genotypes into four quadrants. Genotypes in quadrant 2 had anthocyanin content intensities superior to those of other genotypes.
Boundary mixing in lakes: 2. Combined effects of shear- and convectively induced turbulence on basin-scale mixing

A detailed comparison of results from a numerical three-dimensional hydrostatic lake model with high-resolution observations of the vertical structure of the turbulent bottom boundary layer (BBL) in a medium-size lake (Lake Alpnach, Switzerland) is provided. The focus of this study is on the shear-induced generation and destruction of stratification in the BBL that may ultimately lead to unstable layers (convection). The model was shown to provide a reliable description of the internal seiching dynamics, as well as the local BBL properties, including the generation of shear-induced convection in two data sets from 2003 and 2007. Basin-scale mixing parameters, inferred from the simulations, are closely connected to the seiching motions, with the hypolimnetic mixing reacting almost immediately to the variable wind-forcing and seiching activity. During upslope flow, the BBL becomes convectively turbulent, causing low mixing efficiency on a basin-scale, whereas during downslope flow, the BBL is restratifying and shear-induced turbulence is weak but leads to a higher mixing efficiency. The overall deep-water mixing efficiency varied in the range of 5 to 10% in this system dominated by turbulent boundary processes.
Fungal Density in Lobomycosis in French Guiana: A Proposal for a New Clinico-Histological and Therapeutic Classification

Background: Lobomycosis is a rare cutaneous tropical neglected disease caused by the fungal agent Lacazia loboi, recently renamed Paracoccidioides lobogeorgii. Our objectives were to present all cases of lobomycosis diagnosed in French Guiana, to offer a precise description of their histopathological features and to propose a new clinico-histological prognostic classification. Methods: All cases of lobomycosis diagnosed in French Guiana between 1959 and 2022 were included. We looked for associations between the occurrence of relapses and the clinic-histological form. Results: 31 patients diagnosed with lobomycosis were included. An epidemiological shift was observed in the 2000s as Brazilian patients became the most important ethnic group. Gold mining, forestry and fishing/sailing were reported as professional exposures. New histological features, such as inflammatory “rosettes” formations were described. We describe two clinic-histological patterns: a major form (high fungal density and/or multifocal lesions) and a minor form (low fungal density, unifocal lesions, association with fewer relapses). Conclusions: The changing epidemiology of lobomycosis in French Guiana is characterized by a shift towards Brazilian patients, mostly gold miners. Minor forms should be treated with surgery, major forms with a combination of surgery followed by nultiple drug therapy (MDT) or posaconazole.
Association of plasma sheet thinning with neutral line formation in the magnetotail

Magnetotail electron observations by Vela satellites (at a radial distance of about 18 RE) and tail magnetic field observations by Explorer 34 (when its distance is beyond 25 RE) are combined. They support the belief, advanced earlier, that during substorms a neutral line is formed in the near-tail region, earthward of the Vela orbit, and its formation leads to the rapid (further) thinning of the plasma sheet beyond its distance. The intervals with the neutral line and the associated thin plasma sheet have a duration of 0.5 to 1 hour, and they appear intermittently after intervals of energy storage in the magneto tail. In the ground magnetograms from the auroral zone the formation and the disappearance of the neutral line are reflected most sensitively around the premidnight region and correspond, respectively, to the intensification and the peak (and beginning of recovery) of the negative bay activity.
Diagenetic evolution of the Carnian Wetterstein platforms of the Eastern Alps

The carbonate platforms of the Wetterstein Formation of the Eastern Alps (Drau Range and Northern Calcareous Alps) show a distinct facies zonation of reefs and lagoons. While some lagoonal areas were episodically emerged and formed lagoonal islands, others remained permanently flooded. The scale of near surface, meteoric or marine diagenesis was related to this lagoonal topography. At shallow burial depth, cementation was dominated by altered marine solutions, which additionally caused recrystallization of metastable constituents of the sediment and earlier marine cements (high magnesian calcite, aragonite) connected with a carbon and oxygen isotopic change to more negative values. Deeper burial cementation shows a succession with two types of saddle dolomite and three types of blocky calcite. Carbon and oxygen isotopic values of these cements show a trend towards more negative values from the first to the last generation, in the following succession: clear saddle dolomite—zoned blocky calcite—cloudy saddle dolomite—post-corrosion blocky calcite—replacive blocky calcite. Fluid inclusion studies of the carbonate cements are interpreted to indicate a deeper burial temperature development that first increases from 175 to 317°C, followed by a temperature decrease to 163–260°C, and subsequent increase up to 316°C, whereby the samples of the Drau Range always show the lowest values. Calculations of the isotopic composition of the water, from which the carbonate cements were precipitated, yielded positive δ18O values from 6.66 to 17.81%o (SMOW), which are characteristic for formation and/or metamorphic waters. Also, the isotopic compositions of the palaeofluids probably changed during deeper burial diagenesis, following the temperature development.
Continent‐ocean transition on the Vøring Plateau, NE Atlantic, derived from densely sampled ocean bottom seismometer data

[1] A 180 km long seismic wide-angle profile was acquired across the Voring Plateau, NE Atlantic, using a tuned air gun array and three-component ocean bottom seismometers deployed with ∼5 km spacing. The seismic P wave data have been modeled by ray tracing/inversion, and the model has been constrained by S wave and gravity modeling. The data and modeling have allowed us to depict the crustal structure and nature of the continent-ocean transition (COT) in a classical volcanic margin case. The P wave velocity near the top of the main crustal layer is estimated to ∼6.0 km/s landward of the ∼25 km wide COT. The seaward increase to ∼6.5 km/s in the COT is conformable with heavily intruded continental crust within this zone. Farther seaward, the velocity increase to ∼6.9 km/s in the same layer suggests the presence of oceanic crust. The abundant magmatism landward of, and within, the COT is primarily observed as extrusives forming wedges of seaward dipping reflectors and mafic lower crustal intrusions/underplating. The maximum thickness of the oceanic crust is measured to ∼23.5 km at the seaward termination of the COT.
Biological Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles Using Edible Plant Allium monanthum: Characterization of Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Properties Using In Silico Molecular Docking Analysis

This study prepared copper nanoparticles using an edible leaf extract from A. monanthum (AM-CuNPs) via eco-friendly green synthesis techniques. The size, shape, crystalline nature and functional groups of the synthesized AM-CuNP particles were analyzed by a UV-VIS spectrophotometer and SEM, EDX, TEM, XRD and FT-IR instrumentation. The synthesized AM-CuNPs had spherical shapes with sizes in the range of 30–80 nm and were crystalline in nature. In addition, the AM-CuNPs were synthesized using various bioactive sources, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids and sugars that were present in an aqueous broth of A. monanthum. Furthermore, the AM-CuNPs possessed good antibacterial properties against selected major disease-causing pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The antioxidant activity of AM-CuNPs exhibited potent free radical scavenging activities in DPPH, ABTS and H2O2 radical assays. In addition, in silico analysis of the AM-CuNPs was performed, including ADME prediction, and molecular simulation docking on the secondary metabolites identified in the edible plant extract was used to evaluate their anti-inflammatory applications. In particular, the molecular docking scores showed that alliin, apigenin, isorhamnetin, luteolin and myricetin have sufficient binding energy and top values as inhibitors of the protein target involved in the inflammation signaling cascade.
Conducting and Interpreting Slug Tests in Monitoring Wells with Partially Submerged Screens

Conducting and interpreting slug tests in wells with screen sections and sand packs that span the water table are severely complicated by sand pack drainage and resaturation. Sand pack drainage greatly reduces the actual head difference between the well and the formation. Resaturation of the drained sand pack must be properly accounted for, or the formation hydraulic conductivity will be underestimated. The magnitude of error is a function of the well geometry, sand pack properties, and the model chosen to interpret the data. A method has been developed to correct for sand pack resaturation by calculating the specific yield of a drained sand pack using the early recharge data of a slug test. Slug tests were conducted in one well in which the water table varied over time, creating both partially and fully submerged screen and sand pack conditions for comparative testing. The mid‐time, log‐linear portion of slug test data was corrected using the calculated specific yield of the drained sand pack to yield essentially the same hydraulic conductivity value as the fully submerged screen results. Not accounting for sand pack resaturation would have yielded a hydrauli c conductivity value that was lower than the submerged screen results by a factor of seven.
Analysis of localized features during wet and dry rainfall episodes over southern tip of India

The large spatial and temporal variability of wet and dry spells of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) poses the great challenge in understanding and predicting monsoonal rainfall. This challenge is further exacerbated over smaller regions, such as the southern tip of India, which receives the first spell of ISM rainfall. In this study, the characteristic features and possible precursors for wet and dry spells of rainfall over the southern tip of India are investigated. We also explore the variability in monsoon low‐level jet (LLJ) in relation to wet and dry spells over a coastal station Thiruvananthapuram (8.48°N, 76.95°E) in southwest India using in situ observations and other ancillary datasets. The results show that a wet spell spanning 3–4 days contributes about 30% of seasonal rainfall. Wet spells are characterized by westerly wind anomaly in the southern tip of India and easterly wind anomaly in northern India, leading to anomalous cyclonic vorticity over the Indian subcontinent. The opposite happens during dry spells. These characteristics are prominent from 2 days prior to the initiation of the spells, suggesting they may be used as precursors for forecasting wet and dry spells over Thiruvananthapuram. Analysis of low‐ to mid‐tropospheric (2 and 4 km) humidity reveals significant moistening (drying) during wet (dry) spells. Yet, both wet and dry spells experience humid (>80%) boundary layer. The differences in mid‐level humidity and thermodynamical structures between wet and dry spells seem to contribute to distinct rainfall characteristics over the southern tip of India. These results indicate that the use of in situ observations along with large‐scale reanalysis datasets may provide valuable information on the precursors for wet and dry spells over the southern tip of India, which can help both in regional‐ and city‐level planning and management of water resources.
Glacier recession in Iceland and Austria

Valley and mountain glaciers and ice caps respond to changes in regional climate on the scale of decades; thus, they can serve as indicators of regional climate change. During the last century, most valley and mountain glaciers and ice caps receded [Meier, 1984; Haeberli et al., 1989], although some advances have occurred during periods of cooling [Wood, 1988]. Glaciers in Iceland [Rist, 1975] and in the eastern Alps of Austria [Patzelt, 1980] have followed a similar pattern. Images acquired by satellite sensors can provide a regional overview for studying changes in glacier area, terminus position, glacier facies [Williams et al., 1991], and the position of the regional snow line, while insitu studies usually provide measurements at only a single point. Major changes in glaciers may be obvious from initial inspection of satellite images; however, detailed study of digital image data can reveal the presence of small changes that are useful indicators of regional trends in glacier mass balance. If observed over a long enough period of time in many different geographic settings, glacier-terminus position changes can be related to changes in regional and even global climate.
Volcanic aerosol layers observed with multiwavelength Raman lidar over central Europe in 2008–2009

[1] In the framework of regular European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) observations, aerosol layers have been monitored with a multiwavelength aerosol Raman lidar in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over Leipzig (51.4°N, 12.4°E), Germany, since the summer of 2008. The origins of these layers are eruptions of different volcanoes on the Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, Alaska, and on the Kuril Islands. FLEXPART transport simulations show that the volcanic aerosol is advected from Alaska to central Europe within about 7 days. The aerosol layers typically occurred in the upper troposphere above 5 km height and in the lower stratosphere below 25 km height. The optical depths of the volcanic aerosol layers are mostly between 0.004 and 0.025 at 532 nm. The wavelength dependence of the backscatter coefficients and extinction coefficients indicate Angstrom exponents from 1.0–2.0. Lidar ratios in the stratosphere are found in the range from 30–60 sr (355 nm) and 30–45 sr (532 nm). The estimation of the effective radius, surface-area, and mass concentrations of a volcanic aerosol layer, observed well within the stratosphere at end of August 2009, reveals values of 0.1–0.2 μm, 5–10 μm2 cm−3, and 0.3–0.5 μg m−3, respectively.
Particle size separation and evidence for pedogenesis in samples from the Chinese Loess Plateau spanning the past 22 m.y.

A comparison between particle size distributions determined by laser diffraction and the pipette method confi rms previous studies that point to a variable underestimate of the clay fraction using laser diffraction, relative to the values obtained by pipette analysis. In order to yield four particle-sized fractions ( 8 μm) for further analysis, the pipette method was used on loess and paleosol samples from sites on the Chinese Loess Plateau spanning the past 22 m.y. In all cases, a subsidiary mode in the 8 μm fraction provides a basis for evaluating the relative contributions of pedogenic and detrital components. Pretreatment using acetic rather than hydrochloric acid for carbonate removal results in no signifi cant loss of ferrimagnetic minerals and allows magnetic characterization of the separate fractions. This confi rms the isolation of almost all the fi nest, pedogenic ferrimagnetic grains in the clay fraction and their negligible contribution to the magnetic properties of the coarse fractions in all the samples from early Miocene time onward. Because similar conclusions may be drawn from previous studies of late Pleistocene samples from the east-central and extreme western parts of the Chinese Loess Plateau, we conclude that this approach provides a basis for separately characterizing eolian deposition and pedogenesis throughout the region and for the whole time span of loess accumulation.
Gravity interpretation of sedimentary basins with hyperbolic density contrast

The variation in the density of sediments with depth in a sedimentary basin can be represented by a hyperbolic function. Gravity anomaly expressions for a 2D vertical prism and an asymmetric trapezium with a hyperbolic density distribution are derived in a closed form. These are used in inverting the gravity anomaly of a sedimentary basin with variable density. Firstly, the basin is viewed as a series of prisms juxtaposed with each other. The initial thickness of each prism is obtained from the gravity anomaly at its centre, based on the gravity anomaly of an infinite slab with a hyperbolic density contrast. These thicknesses are improved, based on the differences between the observed and the calculated anomalies. For an improved rate of convergence of the solution, these thicknesses may alternatively be refined using the well-known ridge regression technique. Secondly, the basin is approximated by an asymmetric trapezium and its anomalies are inverted for the parameters of the trapezium using the ridge regression. Since this approximation serves to oversimplify the floor of the basin, it must be used only when the sediment-basement interface has minor undulations. The results of a hypothetical case and two field cases (the San Jacinto Graben, California and the Godavari Graben, southern India) are presented. In both field cases, the interpreted depths are comparable with the real ones, proving the validity of the assumption of a hyperbolic density distribution of the sediments in the two basins considered.
The Upper Carboniferous Rocks of the Stainmore Coalfield

Abstract The sequence of Upper Carboniferous rocks in the outlier at the western end of Stainmore Pass is described. The Upper Yoredale Series is shown to be separated by an unconformity from the overlying “Millstone Grit” series. The Coal Measures are about 800 feet thick and appear to be unconformable on the “Millstone Grit”. Hitherto unrecorded non-marine faunas and floras indicate horizons near the base and at the top of the Modiolaris zone. The sequence of Upper Carboniferous rocks at Stainmore is briefly compared with those of surrounding coalfields.