Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increase in the cervical length after the loop electrosurgical excision procedure for grade III cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Abstract This study aimed to determine whether the cervical length increases over a period of six months, after the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) for grade III cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and to identify the factors associated with an increase in the cervical length. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 183 patients who underwent the LEEP between April 2011 and March 2014, at the Department of Gynaecology, Kyosai Hospital. Transvaginal ultrasonography was performed at two, three and six months after the LEEP, and the mean increase in the cervical length between two and three months, two and six months, and three and six months were 2.07, 5.23 and 2.92 mm, respectively. The increase in the cervical length was not associated with age, gravidity, parity and the width of CIN. In conclusion, the cervical length may increase gradually over a period of six months after the LEEP.
THE ORIGINS AND OCCURRENCE OF ESTROGENIC A-RING AROMATIC STEROIDS IN U.K. SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS EFFLUENTS

Chapter 1 General Introduction 1.1 What is meant by estrogenic? I 1.1.1 Determination of estrogenicity 2 1.1.2 The yeast assay 3 1.13 Vitellogenin assay 4 1.1.4 Breast cancer cell assay (E-screen assay) 5 1.1.5 Direct observation assays 5 1.2 Types of estrogenic compounds 6 1.3 Recent studies of estrogenic compounds in treated wastewaters 16 1.4 Methods for the determination of steroids from complex mixtures 24 1.5 Cholesterol biochemistry 29 1.5. 1 Biosynthesis of cholesterol 30 1.5. 2 Steroid hormone synthesis from cholesterol 32 1.5. 3 Metabolism of cholesterol and derivatives by micro-organisms 35 1.6 Aims of the present study 42 Chapter 2 Experimental Procedures 2.1 General laboratory procedures 47 2.2 Instrumental details 47 2.2.1 Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) 47 2.2.2 Gas chromatograph-flame ionisation detector-radioactive detector (GC-FID-RD) 48 2.23 High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) 49 2.23. 1 Normal phase HPLC conditions used for the purification ofNCT 49 2.23. 2 Reverse phase HPLC conditions used for the fractionation of concentrated sewage eflRuents 49 2.233 HPLC coupled with radioactivity detector 49 2.2.4 Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) 50 2.2.5 Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) 50 2.2. 6 External standard procedure 50 2.2. 7 Sample derivatisation with BSTFA 50 2.2. 8 GC-MS response factors 51 2.2. 9 Kovats retention indices 51 23 Synthesis of NCT 52 2.3. 1 GC-FID determination of fractions 53 2.3. 2 TLC cleanup 54 233 Theoretical octanol/water partition coeflFicient 55 2.3. 4 Estrogenic potential using the yeast assay (YES) 55 2.4 Sewage treatment works efnuent monitoring 55 2.4. 1 Sampling sites 55 2.4. 2 On site sampling of effluents 56 2.4. 3 On site sampling of solids 57 2.4. 4 Extraction of effluent by SPE 57 2.4. 5 Extraction of solids by ultrasonication, centrifligation and filtration 59 2.4. 6 Elution of organic material from SPE cartridge 59 2.4. 7 Fractionation of organic material by HPLC 60 2.4. 8 GC-MS determination of liquid and solid samples 61 2.5 Cholesterol metabolism studies 61 2.5. 1 '̂ C cholesterol metabolism with activated sewage sludge 61 2.5. 2 The SCAS system 61 2.5. 3 The die away (DA) system 63 2.5. 4 "*C02 determination by LSC 65 2.5. 5 Radio-HPLC fractionation of samples 65 2.5. 6 Anaerobic metabolism studies of cholesterol 66 Chapter 3 Synthesis of a putative intermediate in the bacterially-niediated conversion of cholesterol to estrone: 19-norcholest-13t5(10)-trien-3-ol (NCT) Aim 68 3.
The Influence of the North Atlantic–Arctic Oscillation on Mean, Variance, and Extremes of Temperature in the Northeastern United States and Canada

Abstract An analysis of detailed relationships between the North Atlantic Oscillation–Arctic Oscillation (NAO–AO) and local temperature response throughout the northeastern United States and neighboring areas of Canada is presented. In particular, the study focuses on how contrasts in the mean and daily variance, based on AO phase, are associated with contrasts in the frequency and intensity of extreme temperature events in both winter and spring. In this region, notable contrasts in mean temperatures in winter and daily variance in spring, which influence the pattern of extremes, are associated with phases of the NAO–AO. Warmer temperatures in New England and cooler temperatures in Quebec, Canada, result during winter with increases in the NAO–AO index. The mean temperature response is weaker in spring, but the response of daily variance of temperature is stronger; variance increases with the NAO–AO index. Relationships between these effects help explain significant increases in maximum temperature extre.
Lime pile techniques for the improvement of clay soils

Soil improvement is one of the basic requirements for preparing in situ soils for appropriate strengthening, stiffness, and stability in civil engineering designs and applications. The modification technique, which involves mechanical, thermal, and chemical components, requires monitoring techniques to determine its efficiency and suitability. This study examines the geotechnical improvement of clay soils using the lime pile technique on a laboratory-scale model. The clay–lime physicochemical reactions resulting from cation exchange were examined through basic experimental analyses. In addition, electrical conductivity measurements were performed on the selected treated soils to examine variations in their electrical properties. Remolded compacted clay soil blocks were carefully prepared in circular steel test tanks with lime piles installed in them. The treated soil block properties were then investigated as a function of radial lime pile distances and curing periods. It was observed that there are signi.
Los crisomelinos (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae) del estado de Morelos

We describe some biological aspects about the Subfamily Chrysomelinae (common name “catarinas”) in the state of Morelos, Mexico. A total of 47 species within 8 genera and2 sub-tribes are recorded. The genus Leptinotarsa is the most species rich. Additinal information on host plants, distributions,and feeding habits is provided.
Seismic experiment reveals rifting of craton in Tanzania

A research project in Tanzania, East Africa, is being conducted to examine seismic velocities within the crust and upper mantle in an area where cratonic lithosphere is experiencing extensional tectonism. The results will be used to evaluate models of cratonic structure. Waveforms from several hundred teleseismic earthquakes and over 10,000 regional and local earthquakes recorded in 1994 and 1995 by the Tanzania Broadband Seismic Experiment are not only yielding new insights into deep continental structure, but are also helping to determine the tectonic stability of cratons by identifying the locus of rifting within northeastern Tanzania.
Chemical and Physical Properties of Paleozoic Potassium Bentonites from Kinnekulle, Sweden

The < 1-μm fraction of 17 bentonite samples from Kinnekulle, southwest Sweden, were studied by chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, and cation-exchange capacity. The bentonites are interbedded with undeformed, flat-laying Ordovician and Silurian sediments and were formed by the transformation of volcanic ash (dated at about 450 Ma) into smectite, which later converted to mixed-layer illite/smectite (I/S). The reaction, possibly driven by heat from an overlaying diabase intrusion (about 300 Ma), stopped at different stages of conversion, as evidenced by the I/S which ranges in composition from 60 to 10% smectite layers. A 2-m-thick bed shows zonation, with decreasing smectite proportions towards the upper contact. The zonation is not symmetrical towards the lower contact. In thin beds the illite proportion is higher and the regularity of ordering is inversely proportional to the thickness of the bed. K:Sr and K:Rb ratios follow the illite pattern; the ratios are highest at the contact and in thin beds. The inhibiting effect of Ca and Mg on the smectite-to-illite conversion probably was the cause of less-reacted smectite in the center of the thick bed.
Hematopoietic but Not Endothelial Cell MyD88 Contributes to Host Defense during Gram-negative Pneumonia Derived Sepsis

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important cause of sepsis. The common Toll-like receptor adapter myeloid differentiation primary response gene (MyD)88 is crucial for host defense against Klebsiella. Here we investigated the role of MyD88 in myeloid and endothelial cells during Klebsiella pneumosepsis. Mice deficient for MyD88 in myeloid (LysM-Myd88−/−) and myeloid plus endothelial (Tie2-Myd88−/−) cells showed enhanced lethality and bacterial growth. Tie2-Myd88−/− mice reconstituted with control bone marrow, representing mice with a selective MyD88 deficiency in endothelial cells, showed an unremarkable antibacterial defense. Myeloid or endothelial cell MyD88 deficiency did not impact on lung pathology or distant organ injury during late stage sepsis, while LysM-Myd88−/− mice demonstrated a strongly attenuated inflammatory response in the airways early after infection. These data suggest that myeloid but not endothelial MyD88 is important for host defense during gram-negative pneumonia derived sepsis.
Seismic characteristics and distribution of volcanic intrusions and hydrothermal vent complexes in the Vøring and Møre basins

A voluminous magmatic complex was emplaced in the Voring and More basins during Paleocene/Eocene continental rifting and break-up in the NE Atlantic. This intrusive event has had a significant impact on deformation, source-rock maturation and fluid flow in the basins. Intrusive complexes and associated hydrothermal vent complexes have been mapped on a regional 2D seismic dataset ( c .150 000 km) and on one large 3D survey. The extent of the sill complex is at least 80 000 km 2 , with an estimated total volume of 0.9 to 2.8 × 10 4 km 3 . The sheet intrusions are saucer-shaped in undeformed basin segments. The widths of the saucers become larger with increasing emplacement depth. More varied intrusion geometries are found in structured basin segments. Some 734 hydrothermal vent complexes have been identified, although it is estimated that 2–3000 vent complexes are present in the basins. The vent complexes are located above sills and were formed as a direct consequence of the intrusive event by explosive eruption of gases, liquids and sediments, forming up to 11 km wide craters at the seafloor. The largest vent complexes are found in basin segments with deep sills (3–9km palaeodepth). Mounds and seismic seep anomalies located above the hydrothermal vent complexes suggest that the vent complexes have been re-used for vertical fluid migration long after their formation. The intrusive event mainly took place just prior to, or during, the initial phase of massive break-up volcanism (55.0–55.8Ma). There is also evidence for a minor Upper Paleocene volcanic event documented by the presence of 20 vent complexes terminating in the Upper Paleocene sequence and the local presence of extrusive volcanic rocks within the Paleocene sequence.
Bmc Medical Research Methodology Open Access

A randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of offering study results as an incentive to increase response rates to postal questionnaires [ISRCTN26118436] Abstract Background: Postal questionnaires are widely used to collect outcome data on participants. However, a poor response to questionnaires will reduce the statistical power of the study and may introduce bias. A meta analysis of ten trials offering study results, largely in the fields of education and marketing, was shown to be ineffective, with the odds ratio for response with offering research findings is 0.92 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.11). However uncertainty still exists as it is uncertain whether results from such trials can be extrapolated to that of a health care setting. The aim of this study was to assess whether offering participants study results increases the response rates to postal questionnaires.
Hydraulic tomography using temporal moments of drawdown recovery data: A laboratory sandbox study

Hydraulic tomography (HT) is a new technology that images the hydraulic heterogeneity of the subsurface. Unlike steady state hydraulic tomography (SSHT), which provides a hydraulic conductivity (K) tomogram, transient hydraulic tomography (THT) provides reliable tomograms of both K and specific storage (Ss). Effective as it may be, THT is a computationally demanding technique. To ease the computational burden, a HT which utilizes zeroth and first temporal moments of transient drawdown recovery data (HT‐m) has been developed by Zhu and Yeh (2006). This procedure simplifies the governing equation from a single parabolic equation to two Poisson's equations for the zeroth moment and characteristic time defined as the ratio between the first and zeroth moments. The approach was previously tested using synthetic simulations. The numerical experiments tested the feasibility of HT‐m under ideal conditions, where measurements and model are assumed to be free of error. In this paper, we further evaluate the performance of HT‐m using cross‐hole pumping tests conducted in a heterogeneous, synthetic aquifer constructed in a laboratory sandbox in more realistic situations, where the data used in the inversion are not free of experimental errors. Unlike field tests, the laboratory tests were conducted in a synthetic aquifer created with a prescribed heterogeneity pattern and all forcing functions (initial and boundary conditions and source‐sink terms) controlled. Results from the HT‐m approach were compared to those from THT previously conducted by Liu et al. (2007). Our results show that the estimation of the K tomogram using the HT‐m approach is reasonable, but the estimation of the Ss tomogram is unreliable in comparison to the THT approach.
GIS-based accessibility analysis for network optimal location model. An application for bio-energy projects of the mineral Industry in the UK

Location analysis has become ‘intrinsically linked with GIS-based analysis and modelling. ’ Optimal location models are often used for decision making to locate facilities to maximise access to clients/demand within a defined continuous area of possibilities. But what happens if the potential location of demand is spatially confined and best location model is applied to choose between different stationary facility sites? This is a question concerning the mining industry in the UK, who wants to restore exhausted quarries (facilities) into energy-crop fields. A small number of quarries have to be selected within a larger panel of potential quarries sites to be restored. These selected quarries have vocation to supply a power station with energy-crop. We defined the quarries of best location to be converted into energy crops supplier sites by minimising the transport costs (required criteria) of crops to a power station. We derived transport cost from distance measurements and time of travel. Therefore, the objective function of the model minimized the demand distance/time of travel (expressing transport cost) between the demand node (Power station) and the nearest quarry(ies). Based on the shortest path distance criteria, the demand of crops required for the power station was allocated to the quarries until the demand was satisfied. Doing so, the cluster of quarries of best location (minimum distance/time) to be restored in energy-crop fields was identified in order to minimize the transport cost.Several ways to assess the time of travel between quarries and power site were explored and tested in the model of quarries selection. Much attention was given to measuring accessibility. First, based on metric distance the length of roads was used to find the least cost path. Multi-criteria distance-time measures were computed according to the length of the road, the travel speed according to the type of road, the gradient slope of the road derived from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) values and the ‘slow down effect’ of urban areas. The results of the different routing processes were compared. Our findings underline the use of multi-criteria travel time calculations in order to improve accuracy of accessibility and location models. The method was tested on a sample area in the North of England and could be extended and applied to the entire UK with some accommodations. This is presented as part of the methodology and discussed in the conclusion.
Heating effects on water repellency in Australian eucalypt forest soils and their value in estimating wildfire soil temperatures

Wildfires can induce or enhance soil water repellency under a range of vegetation communities. Accord- ing to mainly USA-based laboratory studies, repellency is eliminated at a maximum soil temperature (T )o f 280-400 ◦ C. Knowledge of T reached during a wildfire is important in evaluating post-fire soil physical prop- erties, fertility and seedbed status. T is, however, notoriously difficult to ascertain retrospectively and often based on indicative observations with a large potential error. Soils under fire-prone Australian eucalypt forests tend to be water repellent when dry or moderately moist even if long unburnt. This study aims to quantify the temperature of water repellency destruction for Australian topsoil material sampled under three sites with contrasting eucalypt cover (Eucalyptus sieberi, E. ovata and E. baxteri). Soil water repellency was present prior to heating in all sam- ples, increased during heating, but was abruptly eliminated at a specific T between 260 and 340 ◦ C. Elimination temperature varied somewhat between samples, but was found to be dependent on heating duration, with longest duration resulting in lowest elimination temperature. Results suggest that post-fire water repellency may be used as an aid in hindcasting soil temperature reached during the passage of a fire within repellency-prone environments.
Springtime tropospheric temperature over the Tibetan Plateau and evolutions of the tropical Pacific SST

[1] Using monthly mean data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis and HadISST SST data sets, we investigate the relationship between springtime tropospheric temperature over the Tibetan Plateau and sea surface temperature (SST) over the equatorial Pacific and the associated physical processes. When the Tibetan temperature is low (high) in spring, positive (negative) SST anomalies appear over the tropical central-eastern Pacific in spring and summer. The relationship is explained by the Asian-Pacific Oscillation (APO) and the ocean-atmosphere interaction over the tropical Pacific. In the context of the APO, a lower spring Tibetan tropospheric temperature is associated with a higher tropospheric temperature over the subtropical North Pacific, which is accompanied by a weaker subtropical high over the eastern North Pacific. Accordingly, large-scale westerly anomalies appear in the lower troposphere of the equatorial central-eastern Pacific, resulting in an increase in SST over the equatorial central-eastern Pacific. Numerical simulations with both an ocean-atmosphere coupled model (the NCAR Community Climate System Model version 3) and an atmospheric model with a prescribed SST scheme (the NCAR Community Atmospheric Model version 3) demonstrate the impacts of the spring Tibetan thermal condition on the tropospheric temperature and atmospheric circulation over the Asian-Pacific sector and then on the SST over the equatorial eastern Pacific, better explaining the physical processes of the observed Tibetan temperature–Pacific SST relationship.
A Mixed-Methods Examination of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Overweight and Obese South Asian Men Living in the United Kingdom

South Asian men living in the UK have higher rates of central obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) compared with their white British counterparts. Physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) are important risk factors for the development of T2DM. The purpose of this study was to objectively measure PA, ST, and to explore the factors influencing these behaviours in this high-risk population. A mixed-methods cross-sectional research design was employed, including the quantification of PA and ST using the self-report International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-long form and accelerometry in overweight and obese UK South Asian men (n = 54), followed by semi-structured interviews in a purposive sub-sample to explore the factors influencing PA and ST (n = 31). Accelerometer-derived moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and ST were 298.9 ± 186.6 min/week and 551.4 ± 95.0 min/day, respectively. IPAQ-derived MVPA was significantly lower than accelerometer-derived MVPA (p < 0.001). IPAQ-derived ST was significantly higher than accelerometer-derived ST (p < 0.001). Lack of time and family commitments were identified as the main barriers to being more physically active, with group exercise identified as an important facilitator to being more active. A cultural norm of focusing on promoting education over sport participation during childhood was identified as an important factor influencing long-term PA behaviours. Work commitments and predominantly sedentary jobs were identified as the main barriers to reducing ST. Healthcare professionals and researchers need to consider the socio-cultural factors which affect PA engagement in overweight and obese South Asian men living in the UK, to ensure that advice and future interventions are tailored to address the needs of this population.
The 40‐ and 50‐day oscillations in atmospheric angular momentum at various latitudes

Intraseasonal oscillations in atmospheric angular momentum at various latitudes from 1979 to 1989 are analyzed and compared with fluctuations in tropical convective activity associated with the Madden-Julian oscillation. Oscillations with periods of approximately 40 and 50 days are observed in both the globally integrated angular momentum M and tropical convective activity. M is maximum when the convective activity increases over the western/central Pacific and weakens over the Indian Ocean. Cross-spectral analyses show that the main contributions to both 40- and 50-day oscillations in M and in length-of-day (LOD) come from the tropics where fluctuations in regional atmospheric angular momentum with the same periodicities exist. In general, the signal of the oscillation propagates from the tropics to the subtropics. In the northern hemisphere (NH) mid-latitudes, however, a small-amplitude 40-day oscillation in atmospheric angular momentum usually exists regardless of the presence or absence of fluctuations with the same periodicity in the tropics. In the southern hemisphere (SH) a dominant 50-day oscillation exists independently from those in the tropics. However, the 40- and 50-day oscillations in the NH and SH do not seem to drive oscillations with the same periodicity in LOD or M.
Monetary Policy Strategy: Lessons from the Crisis

This paper examines what we have learned and how we should change our thinking about monetary policy strategy in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis. It starts with a discussion of where the science of monetary policy was before the crisis and how central banks viewed monetary policy strategy. It will then examine how the crisis has changed the thinking of both macro/monetary economists and central bankers. Finally, it looks how much of the science of monetary policy needs to be altered and draws implications for monetary policy strategy.