Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pancreatic Endocrine Responses to Nutrients and Bombesin After Segmental Pancreas Autotransplantation in Dogs

The capacity of autotransplanted (ATP) distal pancreas segments with systemic venous and peritoneal exocrine drainage to support physiologic control of plasma glucose levels was tested, and compared with the functions of “simulated autotransplants” (SATP) prepared with similar dissection and peritoneal exocrine drainage, but with hepatic portal venous drainage, in dogs. In ATP in the postabsorptive state, plasma levels of glucose, immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and immunoreactive glucagon (IRG1) were normal. Autotransplants resulted in impaired glucose tolerance after meals with impaired early insulin responses, and the normal brisk rise of IRG1 in the plasma was delayed and reduced through the first 30 min of feeding. In ATP, also, the response to bombesin was abnormal; the normal stimulation of release of both IRI and IRG1 was delayed in both cases. In studies of responses to oral and intravenous glucose in ATP and SATP dogs, similar mild degrees of glucose intolerance were found with both routes of administration; however, whereas in ATP dogs increases of IRI were highly exaggerated with both routes of administration of glucose, in SATP dogs plasma IRI rose from subnormal levels in the postabsorptive state through subnormal increments with both routes of administration. Further studies are necessary to determine the relative importance of denervation and reduction of the mass of the pancreas in these effects, and to assess the significance of the differences in blood insulin levels in the two preparations.
Benchmarking life expectancy and cancer mortality: global comparison with cardiovascular disease 1981-2010

Objective To quantify the impact of cancer (all cancers combined and major sites) compared with cardiovascular disease (CVD) on longevity worldwide during 1981-2010. Design Retrospective demographic analysis using aggregated data. Setting National civil registration systems in member states of the World Health Organization. Participants 52 populations with moderate to high quality data on cause specific mortality. Main outcome measures Disease specific contributions to changes in life expectancy in ages 40-84 (LE40-84) over time in populations grouped by two levels of Human Development Index (HDI) values. Results Declining CVD mortality rates during 1981-2010 contributed to, on average, over half of the gains in LE40-84; the corresponding gains were 2.3 (men) and 1.7 (women) years, and 0.5 (men) and 0.8 (women) years in very high and medium and high HDI populations, respectively. Declines in cancer mortality rates contributed to, on average, 20% of the gains in LE40-84, or 0.8 (men) and 0.5 (women) years in very high HDI populations, and to over 10% or 0.2 years (both sexes) in medium and high HDI populations. Declining lung cancer mortality rates brought about the largest LE40-84 gain in men in very high HDI populations (up to 0.7 years in the Netherlands), whereas in medium and high HDI populations its contribution was smaller yet still positive. Among women, declines in breast cancer mortality rates were largely responsible for the improvement in longevity, particularly among very high HDI populations (up to 0.3 years in the United Kingdom). In contrast, losses in LE40-84 were observed in many medium and high HDI populations as a result of increasing breast cancer mortality rates. Conclusions The control of CVD has led to substantial gains in LE40-84 worldwide. The inequality in improvement in longevity attributed to declining cancer mortality rates reflects inequities in implementation of cancer control, particularly in less resourced populations and in women. Global actions are needed to revitalize efforts for cancer control, with a specific focus on less resourced countries.
ENSO Effects on Gulf of Alaska Eddies

Abstract Generation and propagation of eddies in the coastal regions of the eastern Gulf of Alaska are examined based on ouput from a numerical ocean model. Results from a 1/8° six-layer isopycnal, wind-forced Pacific basin model are examined within the Gulf of Alaska during the 14-yr period starting in January 1981. Interannual variability in the upper ocean coastal circulation in the Gulf of Alaska is linked to the El Nino–Southern Oscillation phenomenon in the tropical Pacific Ocean, via coastal Kelvin waves and atmospheric teleconnections. El Nino events destabilize the Alaska Current by enhancement of the velocity shear in the vertical. The instability ultimately results in the formation of multiple strong anticyclonic eddies along the coast, which slowly propagate into the Gulf of Alaska where they can survive for more than 1 yr. A typical value for the diameters of the anticyclonic eddies is 200 km in the data and in the model. These eddies are strongly baroclinic, with a typical value for the velo.
Towards the development of a regional version of MOD17 for the determination of gross and net primary productivity of oil palm trees

Conducting quantitative studies on the carbon balance or productivity of oil palm is important for understanding the role of this ecosystem in global climate change. The MOD17 algorithm is used for processing data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to generate the values of gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity for input to global carbon cycle modelling. In view of the increasing importance of data on carbon sequestration at regional and national levels, we have studied one important factor affecting the accuracy of the implementation of MOD17 at the sub-global level, namely the database of MODIS land cover (MOD12Q1) used by MOD17. By using a study area of approximately 7 km × 7 km (49 MODIS pixels) in semi-rural Johor in Peninsular Malaysia and using Google Earth 0.75 m resolution images as ground data, we found that the land-cover type for only 16 of these 49 MODIS pixels was correctly identified by MOD12Q1 using its 1 km resolution land-cover database. This leads to errors of 24% to 50% in the maximum light use efficiency, leading to corresponding errors of 24% to 50% in the GPP. We show that by using the Finer Resolution Observation and Monitoring – Global Land Cover (FROM-GLC) land-cover database developed by Gong et al., this particular error can be essentially eliminated, but at the cost of using extra computing resources.
Hepatitis B and C among women with illegal social behavior in Isfahan, Iran: Seroprevalence and associated factors

Background In Iran, there is limited evidence on the prevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) among females who engage in illegal sexual behavior. Objectives To determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections and their associated factors in this population in Isfahan-Iran. Patients and Methods In this cross-sectional study, 100 females who engaged in illegal sexual behavior during 2009-2010 in Isfahan were recruited from welfare to the DIC for women, and referrals were made among those who knew others who engaged in prostitution. Markers for HBV and HCV-Ab were measured by ELISA, and recombinant immunoblot assay was used for confirmation of HCV infection. Also, a questionnaire on demographics and prostitution-associated risk data in a face-to-face interview was completed for each participant. Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression models were used for data analysis. Results Of the 100 samples collected, 91 were sufficient for testing. The mean age and time spent in sex work were 30.84 ± 9.34 years and 36 ± 28.5 months, respectively. HBsAg was detected in 1 (1.1%), anti-HBc in 4 (4.4%), anti-HBs in 60 (65.9%), and HCV Ab in 9 (9.9%) subjects. The evidence of vaccination was seen in 54 subjects (59.3%). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of HBV or HCV infection by estimated risk factors, and there was no independent risk factor for these infections. Conclusions The high prevalence of HCV infection in this study indicates the need to implement preventive interventions for female sex workers and, perhaps more importantly, to involve their male clients.
Effect of Vegetation Cover on the Ground Thermal Regime of Wooded and Non‐Wooded Palsas

Although warming air temperatures are contributing to permafrost degradation across the circumpolar zone, understanding of permafrost and environmental feedbacks to climate change is limited. Palsas can be used as indicators of permafrost stability given their sensitivity to changes in temperature and precipitation. However, field observations on the effects of vegetation cover are needed to compare permafrost dynamics of wooded and non‐wooded palsas. This study examined the influence of vegetation on the soil thermal regime of wooded palsas covered by black spruce trees and non‐wooded palsas covered by shrubs in discontinuous permafrost of the Boniface River area of northern Quebec, Canada. It investigated the effects of organic layer thickness, vegetation and snow depth on soil temperature at 50 cm and 100 cm depths for over 2 years. The coldest summer soil temperatures were associated with thick organic layers. In summer, soil temperatures were colder under spruce stands than under shrub canopies and forest openings, whereas the thick snow cover in spruce stands and forest openings maintained warmer winter soil temperatures than under shrub canopies. Well‐defined zero‐curtain periods during fall and spring could be an early indicator of current changes in the soil thermal regime of palsas. At the northern edge of discontinuous permafrost, non‐wooded palsas have the most favourable conditions for permafrost stability, because heterogeneous vegetation cover on wooded palsas promotes snow trapping and lateral heat transfer. Vegetation types should be considered in estimating future rates of permafrost degradation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PERCEPTIONS OF BODY IMAGE AMONG LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AFRICAN AMERICAN MOTHERS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS IN MOBILE, ALABAMA

ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS . iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. iv LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF FIGURES . ix Chapter One: Introduction . 1 Thesis Outline . 5 Chapter Two: Literature Review and Theoretical Background.6 Body Image among African American Women and Children.7 Cognitive Anthropology . 8 Social Ecological Theory.11 Chapter Three: Research Methodology . 15 Ethnographic Interviews . 18 Consensus and Consonance Analyses . 20 Standardized Body Image Instruments . 23 Chapter Four: Qualitative and Content Analysis Of Ethnographic Interviews . 26 Physical Appearance.27 Personality Characteristics.31 Physical, Social and Self-Esteem Activities . 34 Social Support.38 vii Dietary Choices.39 Parental Involvement . 41 Material Items and Social Status Markers . 42 Mental Health.45 Neighborhood Factors.45 Network Trees and Conclusion.47 Chapter Five: Cultural Consensus and Cultural Consonance . 53 Descriptive Statistics . 55 Cultural Consensus Analysis.59 Cultural Consonance Analysis . 64 Statistical Analyses.65 Conclusion.70 Chapter Six: Discussion and Conclusions . 72 Limitations.77 Conclusion.79 References.82 Appendix A: Interview Schedule for Phase I . 88 Appendix B: Interview Schedule for Phase II . 92
Exploring some relationships between biological soil crusts, soil aggregation and wind erosion

Abstract A portable wind tunnel was used to test the contribution of biological and physical elements to overall soil aggregation on a soil dominated by biological soil crusts in south-eastern Australia. After moderate disturbance and simulated wind erosion, 90% of surface aggregates on the loamy soil and 76% on the sandy soil were dominated by biological elements (cryptogams). Lower levels of biological bonding were observed on the severely disturbed treatment. Linear regression indicated a significant positive relationship ( r 2 =0·72) between biological soil crust cover and dry aggregation levels greater than 0·85mm. To maintain sediment transport below an erosion control target of 5gm −1 s −1 for a 65kmh −1 wind at 10m height, a crust cover of approximately 20% is required. When a multiple regression model which sequentially fitted biological crust cover and dry aggregation greater than 0·85mm was applied to the data, dry aggregation accounted for more of the variation in sediment transport rate than biological crust cover. These data were used to develop a conceptual model which integrates crust cover and dry aggregation, and provides a useful framework within which to predict the likely impacts of changes in soil crust cover and aggregation.
Long‐period lunar Earth tides at the geographic South Pole and recent models of ocean tides

For many years the ocean tide models of Schwiderski (1980) were the standards used by the Earth tide community to interpret deviations of observed Earth tides from predictions on the basis of earth models constructed by seismologists. Recently, the TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter mission provided new and improved information on pelagic ocean tides, which led several research groups to generate new models of the major oceanic tides. This in turn renewed our own interest in the observations of long-period lunar tides at the geographic South Pole that were reported many years ago with an attempt to interpret the deviation from predictions using the Schwiderski models. We used four different models of the fortnightly (Mf) and monthly (Mm) ocean tides to calculate their attraction and loading effects at the South Pole and compared the results with the observed gravity tides. In our earlier interpretation we did not realize that for long-period ocean tides the so-called ‘Greenwich’ phase does not refer to the phase of these tides at the latitude of Greenwich, but to the phase at the equator. This resulted in a mistake in the relative phases of Earth tide and ocean effect at the South Pole. For Mf we now find that all models predict the phase lead of the observed versus theoretical tides within the formal uncertainties; however, the amplitude is still underpredicted by 1.5–2 per cent. This could be due to several reasons: instrument calibration, errors in the body and/or ocean tide models, relaxation of the Earth's elastic properties, and the huge ice sheet of Antarctica. These possibilities are discussed. For the Mm tide the observed amplitude is well predicted within error; however, the uncertainties in the measurements are rather large.
Effects of turbulence on mixed‐phase deep convective clouds under different basic‐state winds and aerosol concentrations

The effects of turbulence‐induced collision enhancement (TICE) on mixed‐phase deep convective clouds are numerically investigated using a 2‐D cloud model with bin microphysics for uniform and sheared basic‐state wind profiles and different aerosol concentrations. Graupel particles account for the most of the cloud mass in all simulation cases. In the uniform basic‐state wind cases, graupel particles with moderate sizes account for some of the total graupel mass in the cases with TICE, whereas graupel particles with large sizes account for almost all the total graupel mass in the cases without TICE. This is because the growth of ice crystals into small graupel particles is enhanced due to TICE. The changes in the size distributions of graupel particles due to TICE result in a decrease in the mass‐averaged mean terminal velocity of graupel particles. Therefore, the downward flux of graupel mass, and thus the melting of graupel particles, is reduced due to TICE, leading to a decrease in the amount of surface precipitation. Moreover, under the low aerosol concentration, TICE increases the sublimation of ice particles, consequently playing a partial role in reducing the amount of surface precipitation. The effects of TICE are less pronounced in the sheared basic‐state wind cases than in the uniform basic‐state wind cases because the number of ice crystals is much smaller in the sheared basic‐state wind cases than in the uniform basic‐state wind cases. Thus, the size distributions of graupel particles in the cases with and without TICE show little difference.
Long-term persistence and multifractality of precipitation and river runoff records

[1] We discuss and compare the multifractal temporal scaling properties of precipitation and river discharge records on large timescales. To detect long-term correlations and multifractal behavior in the presence of trends, we apply recently developed methods (detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and multifractal DFA) that can systematically detect nonstationarities and overcome trends in the data at all timescales. We find that above some crossover time that usually is several weeks, the daily runoffs are characterized by an asymptotic scaling exponent that indicates a slow power law decay of the runoff autocorrelation function and varies from river to river in a wide range. Below the crossovers, pronounced short-term correlations occur. In contrast, most of the precipitation series show scaling behavior corresponding to a rapid decay of the autocorrelation function. For the multifractal characterization of the data we determine the generalized Hurst exponents and fit them by three operational models. While the fits based on the universal multifractal model describe well the scaling behavior of the positive moments in nearly all runoff and precipitation records, positive as well as negative moments are consistent with two-parameter fits from a modified version of the multiplicative cascade model for all runoff records and most of the precipitation records. For some precipitation records with weak multifractality, however, a simple bifractal characterization gives the best fit of the data.
Sea Surface Temperature, Productivity, and Terrestrial Flux Variations of the Southeastern South China Sea over the Past 800000 Years (IMAGES MD972142)

Variations in sea surface temperature (SST), productivity, and biogenic components such as total organic carbon (TOC), carbonate, and opal contents measured from IMAGES (International Marine Global Changes Study) core MD972142 provide information about long-term paleoceanographic changes during the past ~870000 years in the southeastern South China Sea (SCS). MD972142 U 37 -SSTs varied from 25 to 29C, paralleling the glacial to interglacial changes. MD972142 biogenic components show relatively high carbonate and opal, and low TOC contents in interglacial stages, and low carbonate and opal and high TOC contents in glacial stages, and these variations appear to be sensitive to regional terrestrial sediment input and productivity. Our analysis indicates that the MD972142 carbonate record is primarily controlled by terrestrial sediment inputs that are associated with sea level fluctuations during past glacial-interglacial stages. The TOC record reflects past glacial-interglacial changes in both monsoon-induced productivity and terrestrial organic matter input in the SCS. The TOC record exhibits several short-term peaks that are associated with lower U 37 -SSTs (especially in MIS 2 - 4, 10, 12), perhaps implying a much strengthened winter monsoon. The opal record shows relatively high content in most interglacial stages, which appears to be linked to increased summer monsoon upwelling or increased siliceous sediment input by more precipitation and river runoff during warm climate conditions. The TOC and opal contents both show long-term increasing trends since the mid-Brunhes, most noticeably from ~330 kya. The long-term trends observed in this study are most likely attributable to changes in SCS hydrography, productivity, and/or preservation in response to the increased strength of the East Asian monsoon system on possibly tectonic timescales.
Validation of satellite sounder environmental data records: Application to the Cross‐track Infrared Microwave Sounder Suite

The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Cross‐track Infrared Microwave Sounder Suite (CrIMSS) is an advanced operational satellite sounding system concept comprised of the Cross‐track Infrared Sounder and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder. These are synergistically designed to retrieve key environmental data records (EDR), namely atmospheric vertical temperature, moisture, and pressure profiles. CrIMSS will serve as the low‐Earth orbit satellite sounding system, starting with the Suomi National Polar‐orbiting Partnership (S‐NPP) satellite and spanning the JPSS‐1 and JPSS‐2 satellites. This paper organizes the general paradigm for validation of atmospheric profile EDR retrieved from satellite nadir sounder systems (e.g., CrIMSS) as a synthesis of complementary methods and statistical assessment metrics. The validation methodology is ordered hierarchically to include global numerical model comparisons, satellite EDR intercomparisons, radiosonde matchup assessments (conventional, dedicated, and reference), and intensive campaign “dissections. ” We develop and recommend the proper approach for computing profile statistics relative to correlative data derived from high‐resolution in situ data (viz., radiosondes) reduced to forward model layers. The standard statistical metrics used for EDR product assessments on “coarse layers” are defined along with an overview of water vapor weighting schemes and the use of averaging kernels. We then overview the application of the methodology to CrIMSS within the context of the JPSS calibration/validation program, with focus given to summarizing the core data sets to be used for validation of S‐NPP sounder EDR products.
Intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) in loculated pleural effusions—analysis of predictors for failure of therapy and bleeding: a cohort study

Objectives To assess risk factors associated with failure and bleeding in intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) for pleural effusions. Design Retrospective case series. Setting Two tertiary-care centres in North America. Participants We identified 237 cases that received IPFT for the treatment of pleural effusions. Data for 227 patients were compiled including demographics, investigations, radiological findings pretherapy and post-therapy and outcomes. Intervention Fibrinolytic therapy in the form of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) or streptokinase. Primary and secondary outcomes Success of therapy is defined as the presence of both clinical and radiological improvement leading to resolution. Failure was defined as persistence (ie, ineffective treatment) or complications requiring intervention from IPFT. Incidence of bleeding post-IPFT, identifying factors related to failure of therapy and bleeding. Results IPFT was used in 237 patients with pleural effusions; 163 with empyema/complicated parapneumonic effusions, 32 malignant effusions and 23 with haemothorax. Overall, resolution was achieved in 80% of our cases. Failure occurred in 46 (20%) cases. Multivariate analysis revealed that failure was associated with the presence of pleural thickening (>2 mm) on CT scan (p=0.0031, OR 3, 95% CI 1.46 to 6.57). Bleeding was not associated with any specific variable in our study (antiplatelet medications, p=0.08). Conclusions Pleural thickening on a CT scan was found to be associated with failure of IPFT.
Finding the early Neolithic in Aegean Thrace: the use of cores

Using a new approach that combines high-quality coring with AMS dating, the authors are mapping the start of the Neolithic in Aegean Thrace – a missing link in the arrival of agriculture in Europe. The method also revealed the edge of the marine transgression dating to some 2900 years ago, implying that sites located near the coast in early Neolithic times have in all likelihood been lost to the sea.