Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feedbacks between climate and surface water in northern Africa during the middle Holocene

Observations indicate that the area of lakes and wetlands in northern Africa was considerably greater during the middle Holocene than at present. Simulations are designed to examine whether expanded surface waters may have had a significant impact on the strength of the summer monsoon of northern Africa. Three experiments with the National Center for Atmospheric Research community climate model (NCAR CCM3) are analyzed, a modern and two middle Holocene (6000 years before present) simulations, one with and one without prescribed expanded surface water. There is a significant increase in the strength of the summer monsoon in the middle Holocene simulation due to the enhanced seasonal insolation cycle. The addition of surface waters result in a June, July, and August mean increase in the net surface radiation (5%), an increase in the latent heat flux (30%), a decrease in the sensible heat flux (10%), and an increase in the near-surface specific humidity (>5%) compared to the middle Holocene simulation without surface water changes. The changes in these simulated climate variables are comparable in scale to changes due to orbital forcing alone. The expanded surface waters result in a cooling of the atmosphere and anticyclonic flow over the large water bodies in summer relative to the simulation without surface water changes. The combination of increased atmospheric moisture and altered circulation results in significant changes to the precipitation distribution in northern Africa including a small increase in the zonal mean July precipitation to the north of the lakes and a decrease to the south. The geographic distribution of the precipitation with surface water changes is qualitatively in better agreement with observations than the distribution with orbital forcing alone but still does not fully match the expansion implied by observations nor the expansion required to produce the simulated middle Holocene surface waters used in this study. The results of this study suggest that surface waters were an important factor in the climate of northern Africa during the middle and early Holocene and that they must be included for accurate simulation of this climate.
Regional Aspects of Prolonged Meteorological Droughts over Mexico and Central America

Abstract Major prolonged droughts in Mexico during the twentieth century are mainly related to anomalous dry summers, such as those observed in the 1930s, the 1950s, or the 1990s. Droughts in northern Mexico frequently coincide with anomalously wet conditions over Mesoamerica (i.e., southern Mexico and Central America), and vice versa, displaying a dominant “seesaw” structure in persistent precipitation anomalies, mostly in relation to tropical sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. A warmer North Atlantic Ocean, expressed as a positive phase of Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO), is related to the occurrence of major droughts in North America associated with weaker-than-normal moisture flux into northern Mexico. Drought over northern Mexico may also be related to changes in transient activity in the Caribbean Sea. During the negative phase of the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), the Caribbean low-level jet (CLLJ) weakens and easterly wave (EW) activity increases, leading to more tropical convect.
Frequency and risk factors for headache disability: A population-based cross-sectional study in Egypt

BACKGROUND: A headache is a very common condition that can have a significant impact on one's quality of life. It is one of the leading causes of years lived with disability worldwide.The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of primary headache disability, its characteristics, risk factors and its impact on daily life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Fayoum governorate. The sample size was 1909 participants. A multistage random sample technique was used to select adults aged above 18 years. A self-structured questionnaire solicited information on sociodemographic characteristics, headache characteristics, and the headache disability index. SPSS v 22.0 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Headaches caused complete disability in 19.5% of the study group, and 76.8% developed severe disability. Participants who reported that they had a headache more than once a week were; 44.5% had moderate pain and 40.2% had more intense pain. About 55% complained of attacks rather than continuous headache and were more likely to have a degree of complete disability, (P = 0.001). A statistically significant association was found between living in urban areas, working in professional occupations, complaining of severe headache in the form of an attack and seeking medical advice, with high scores of headache disability. CONCLUSION: Headache is a condition that affects the entire population in a way that causes high levels of disability. Good management is necessary for the reduction of the adverse effects of headaches on the health of the population. This should focus on raising public awareness by means of education and on the provision of basic healthcare.
Reconstructive Procedures of the Auricular Concha after Cutaneous Oncologic Surgery: A Systematic Review

Reconstruction of the auricular concha poses a challenge due to its difficult access and limited tissue flexibility; however, there are no recommendations in the literature on which reconstructive technique should be favored for this anatomical site. This systematic review intends to describe and compare the reconstructive techniques used in conchal bowl reconstruction following cutaneous oncologic surgery of this region, with regard to their complications and aesthetic results. In doing so, we aim to identify the best suited reconstructive procedure(s) for the conchal bowl. The six databases searched (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid, SciELO, and CENTRAL) yielded twelve eligible studies that explored the revolving door flap, split-thickness skin grafts (STSG), full-thickness skin grafts (FTSG), second intention healing, the preauricular translocation flap, subcutaneous pedicle grafts, and other local flaps. Qualitative synthesis of the results concluded that the revolving door flap could be the reconstructive procedure of choice for the auricular concha, following skin cancer excision. It has a low risk of necrosis, infection, and postoperative hemorrhage, as well as excellent aesthetic outcomes. STSG may be used as an alternative. Nonetheless, due to the low sample size and the high risk of bias in some studies, further investigations must be conducted on this subject.
Phytate degradation in composite wheat/cassava/sorghum bread: Effects of phytase‐secreting yeasts and addition of yeast extracts

Abstract Iron deficiency anemia is highly prevalent in developing countries due to the consumption of cereal‐based foods rich in phytate that chelates minerals such as iron and zinc making them unavailable for absorption by humans. The aim of the present study was to degrade phytic acid in composite flour (wheat/cassava/sorghum) bread by the addition of phytase‐producing yeasts in the baking process to achieve a phytate‐to‐iron molar ratio <1 and a phytate‐to‐zinc molar ratio <15, ratios needed to achieve an enhanced absorption by humans. The high‐phytase (HP)‐producing yeasts were two Saccharomyces cerevisiae (YD80 and BY80) that have been genetically modified by a directed mutagenesis strategy, and Pichia kudriavzevii TY13 isolated from a Tanzanian lactic fermented maize gruel (togwa) and selected as naturally HP yeast. To further improve the phytase production by the yeasts, four different brands of phytase‐promoting yeast extracts were added in the baking process. In addition, two yeast varieties were preincubated for 1 h at 30°C to initiate phytase biosynthesis. The phytate content was measured by high‐performance ion chromatography (HPIC) and the mineral content by ion chromatography (HPIC). The results showed that all three HP yeasts improved the phytate degradation compared with the composite bread with no added HP yeast. The composite bread with preincubated S. cerevisiae BY80 or P. kudriavzevii TY13 plus Bacto yeast extract resulted in the lowest phytate content (0.08 μmol/g), which means a 99% reduction compared with the phytate content in the composite flour. With added yeast extracts from three of the four yeast extract brands in the baking process, all composite breads had a phytate reduction after 2‐h fermentation corresponding to a phytate: iron molar ratio between 1.0 and 0.3 and a phytate: zinc molar ratio <3 suggesting a much‐enhanced bioavailability of these minerals.
Objective Maps of Near-Surface Flow States near Point Conception, California

Abstract Objective streamfunction and velocity potential maps of three commonly observed flow states near Point Conception, California, are derived from moored current-meter and drifter observations. The states are defined using current-meter data. Drifter data are sorted by flow state and averaged within spatial bins to resolve their spatial structures. Spatial correlations of drifter data show the along-shelf and cross-shelf decorrelation distances are approximately 45 and 25 km, respectively. This information is used to make the objective streamfunction and velocity potential maps. The total velocity is represented as the sum of the rotational, nondivergent streamfunction component and the irrotational, divergent velocity potential component. The velocity derived from the streamfunction is much stronger than that derived from the velocity potential. The streamfunction is sufficiently well resolved to make meaningful vorticity maps. The velocity potential indicates a source term in the western Santa Bar.
A GENERIC APPROACH TO SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION CONSIDERING THE EFFECTS OF SOIL HETEROGENEITY

The longitudinal variation of soil properties has a major influence for many types of structure, including pavements, buried pipes, raft foundations and railways, as it induces stresses and/or displacements that cannot be predicted when assuming soil homogeneity. A set of simple numerical models has been developed to describe how soil–structure interaction can be influenced by soil variability. These models include: (a) a description of the soil spatial variability, within the frame of geostatistics, where the correlation length of soil properties is the main parameter; and (b) a mechanical description of the soil–structure interaction, which depends on the structure resting on the ground. There are some differences between a (more or less) rigid raft on piles, a set of buried pipes with (more or less) flexible connections and a hyperstatic beam, but the basic principles of mechanics are similar in all these cases. Several very general conclusion are drawn. (a) Soil heterogeneity induces effects (differen.
Subsurface flow responses of a small forested catchment in the Ouachita mountains

Despite considerable research performed on forested catchments in the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas, little information on hydrological processes in operation is available. Based on catchment physical characteristics, subsurface flow was thought to be an important hydrological process in the region. Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine the occurrence, rates, timing and volumes of subsurface flow, and to estimate the importance of subsurface flow as a streamflow generating process. Subsurface flow was collected from three hillslope sites on a 7.7 ha forested catchment. Hillslope sites drained through natural seepage faces located near stream channels. Subsurface flow was collected from three depths at each hillslope site, below the litter layer, below the a horizon, and within the B horizon (Bt21). Subsurface flow occurred and was measured during 11 of 31 rainfall events. Subsurface flow responded rapidly to the initiation of and to changes in intensity of rainfall at all depths. the rapid response was indicative of flow through soil macropores. B horizon subsurface flow commenced within 10 to 180 min of the initiation of rainfall. Multiple linear regression showed that the volume of subsurface flow generated during a given storm was directly related to rainfall depth and a 7-day antecedent precipitation index used to represent antecedent water content. About 67 per cent of the total subsurface flow collected during the study was produced in one large storm under wet antecedent conditions. the storm was equal to the 2-year, 24-hour storm for the region. Measured subsurface flow volumes were extended to the watershed scale to provide estimates of catchment-wide contributions to streamflow. It was estimated that subsurface flow contributed from 1 to 48 per cent of total quickflow measured at the catchment outlet. Based on the timing of subsurface flow, it was estimated that subsurface flow May, contribute up to 70 per cent of quickflow before and soon after peak flow.
Abrupt forest ecosystem change in SW Sweden during the late Holocene

A peat profile from a small raised bog, situated in SW Sweden, was studied for insect, pollen and charcoal analyses in order to reconstruct the late-Holocene forest history of the area. The palaeoecological records cover the last 3700 cal. years. The results were compared with archaeological data, historical documents and palaeoclimate reconstructions from the region. From 1650 cal. yr BC to AD 1310 cal. yr, the study area was characterized by deciduous woodland with a diverse invertebrate fauna. The recorded insects indicate a relatively open or mosaic forest environment with abundance of dead wood. This forest environment was probably maintained by disturbances such as cattle grazing, fire, wood coppicing and small-scale cultivation. At around AD 1310, a major and rapid change in the forest ecosystem occurred, ie, species-rich deciduous woodland was replaced by a species-poor beech forest. The data indicate that a change in land use was the likely reason for the shift in forest type. Grazing and fire ceased, while tree cutting increased. The shift in land use correlates well with political—societal changes in the region during Mediaeval time. Climate changes seem to have influenced the wetland environment, but there is no obvious correlation between major or minor shifts in forest ecosystem and reconstructed climate changes. Today, nature conservationists regard the beech forests of Halland as remains of primeval forests hosting a unique flora and fauna. Our results give new insights and challenge that view.
Gallbladder Mysteries: A Diagnostic Dilemma in Mirizzi Syndrome With Acalculous Presentation

Mirizzi syndrome (MS) is an uncommon condition caused by chronic gallbladder stones, leading to external compression and obstruction of the common hepatic duct. This report details an unusual MS case in a 65-year-old man who experienced right upper abdominal pain, jaundice, fever, and nausea. Diagnostic tests, such as ultrasound and CT scan, indicated acute acalculous cholecystitis resembling MS. However, a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) confirmed no gallstones in the biliary system. The patient's laparoscopic cholecystectomy was successful, with tissue analysis revealing intense gallbladder inflammation and epithelial necrosis but no gallstones. This case emphasizes the diagnostic complexities of atypical MS presentations and the need for comprehensive diagnostic methods, including MRCP. Additionally, the report advocates for standardized terminology in medical literature to ensure clear communication among medical professionals.
Effect of Pulsed Electric Field Treatment on the Protein, Digestibility, and Physicochemical Properties of Starch Granules in Wheat Flour

The effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment depends mainly on the electric field strength and treatment time. In this study, wheat flour–water suspensions were treated with PEF at an electric field strength of 3 kV/cm for 0 to 1400 pulses to obtain a specific energy input of 0 to 656 kJ/kg. The effect of PEF on the removal or unfolding of proteins from the starch surface, digestibility, starch granule structure, and physicochemical properties of wheat flour was studied. The removal of proteins from the surface and the damage to the internal structure of wheat starch granules after PEF treatment was detected by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and FTIR. The damage of the PEF-treated wheat starch granules was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From CLSM results, penetration of dextran (Mw 10,000 Da) into starch granules of wheat flour was dependent on the energy input of PEF. The high the energy input showed the intense penetration of the biopolymer. The benefits of the accessibility of biopolymer in starch granules are to increase enzyme digestion, especially rapidly digestible starch (RDS). The RDS of wheat flour treated with PEF at 656 kJ/kg was 41.72%, whereas the RDS of wheat flour control was 27.59%.
EFFECTS OF SOIL DEPTH AND ALTITUDE ON SOIL TEXTURE AND SOIL QUALITY INDEX

Healthy or good quality soils are essential for ecosystems to remain intact or recover from disturbances. Soil quality is soil-and site-specific and can vary according to controlling factors, such as inherent soil properties. The research proposal was conducted in 2015-2016 to study soil physio-chemical properties across seven elevations and the River Swat catchment area between Barikot and Topsin in Swat-district, Pakistan. The sampling date was March 11-12, 2016, to better evaluate soil classification. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for their physicochemical properties, including surface, sub-soil, and sub-strata. The data showed that silt content decreased, and clay content increased with altitude, while sand content showed inconsistent variation. Bulk density, lime content, electric conductivity, and pH decreased, while concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and micro-nutrients increased. Soil organic matter (SOM) content significantly increased (P<0.05) as the altitude increased. Soil samples were non-saline (EC<4 dSm -1 ) and slightly calcareous (lime content 2.34% to 5.32%). Higher altitudes increase micro-nutrient content and water retention, while lower elevations decrease water retention. We found that crop available P in all selected sites along the altitude were deficient, classified as P deficient soil. All physicochemical properties were within the range of crop demands, so sustainable management practices are needed to build soil P levels that meet crop requirements.
Aspects of carbonate sedimentation in the Ordovician of Baltoscandia

In the Baltoscandian epicontinental sea the normal type of Ordovician carbonate sediments was a mixture, in various proportions, of skeletal sand and carbonate mud. In some marginal areas sediments of Bahaman type were deposited during the latest part of the Viruan Epoch, and such sediments were widely distributed from the very latest Ordovician onwards. It is suggested that deposition mostly took place in a temperate climatic zone and that the bahamitic deposits indicate an increase of temperature to subtropical or tropical level. The succession of the Ordovician lithofacies belts in Baltoscandia is mostly roughly symmetrical with regard to grain size, but asymmetrical as to the distribution of terrigenous mud. The position of the boundary between the terrigenous and carbonate mud belts may have been a result of competition in the material transport from the west and from the east. The direction of the lithofacies belts is not parallel to the axis of the Caledonian geosynclinal zone. The predominance of carbonate sediments in the Baltoscandian Ordovician epicontinental sea probably does not reflect particularly good conditions for production of carbonate material, but rather, a very low supply of terrigenous matter. In the Central Baltic area changes of sea level were probably largely opposite to those in Vastergotland. This indicates differential isostatic movements in the Baltoscandian cratonic shield during parts of the Ordovician Period.
The sauropterygian genera Chinchenia, Kwangsisaurus, and Sanchiaosaurus from the Lower and Middle Triassic of China

ABSTRACT The incomplete remains of three monotypic genera of Sauropterygia from the Lower(? ) and Middle Triassic of China are re-described in detail, and their phylogenetic interrelationships are assessed on the basis of parsimony. The taxa are Chinchenia sungi Young, 1965, from the upper Middle Triassic, Kwangsisaums orientalis Young, 1959, from the upper Lower or lower Middle Triassic, and Sanchiaosaurus dengi Young, 1965, from the lower Middle Triassic. Chinchenia and Kwangsisaums are basal representatives of the pistosauroidean clade, and fall into an unresolved trichotomy with Corosaurus from the western United States. Sanchiaosaurus is the sister-taxon of all other Nothosauroidea, known from China, Europe and the Middle East. Collectively, the Sauropterygia from the western Pacific faunal province show dual paleobiogeographic affinities: representatives of the nothosauroidean clade share western Tethyan affinities, whereas representatives of the pistosauroidean clade share eastern Pacific affinities.
Global Calibration of Jason-2 by Multi-Mission Crossover Analysis

Multi-mission altimeter observations are successfully used for global cross calibration of altimeters. The approach utilizes a least squares adjustment minimizing single and dual satellite crossover differences as well as consecutive differences of the radial component of single satellites. The method is applied to obtain a characterization of the radial errors of the first year of OSTM/Jason-2 data. A mean relative range bias of about 7.5 ± 0.2 cm with respect to Jason-1 was computed. The radial errors show increased auto-correlation at the orbit revolution period, which is related to geographically correlated error pattern with up to about 2 cm amplitude.
Effect of Health Behavior Modification Based on Trans Theoretical Model among Osteoarthritis Patients

Background: Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory condition of a synovial joint in which the cartilage is damaged over time until pressure between the bones causes pain. The aim of this study aimed to evaluate the effect of health behavior modification based on trans theoretical model among osteoarthritis patients. Research design: A quasi experimental design was utilized in this study. Setting: This study was conducted at Orthopedic Outpatient Clinic affiliated at Benha University Hospital in Benha City, Egypt. The sample: A purposive sample used in this study involved 112 patients with osteoarthritis. Tools: Two tools were used I): A structured interviewing questionnaire which consists of three parts 1): Demographic characteristics and medical history, 2): Patients' knowledge regarding osteoarthritis and trans theoretical model and 3): Patients' behaviors II): Questionnaire of the trans theoretical model of behavior modification through the stages of modified change. Results: 81.3% of the studied patients had good knowledge while 72.8% accepted healthy behaviors and 79.5% of the studied patients applied trans theoretical model. There were statistically positive correlations between behaviors and trans theoretical model pre and post application. Conclusion: The trans theoretical model succeeded to improve behaviors of the studied patients. Recommendations: Further studies are recommended to explore the effect of trans theoretical model on behavior modification through stages of change.